heterogeneous

adj 1: consisting of elements that are not of the same kind or

nature; "the population of the United States is vast

and heterogeneous" [ant: {homogeneous}]

2: originating outside the body [syn: {heterogenous}] [ant: {autogenous}]

heterogeneous

Composed of unrelated parts, different in kind.

Often used in the context of {distributed systems} that may be

running different {operating systems} or network {protocols}

(a {heterogeneous network}).

For examples see: {interoperable database}, {middleware}.

Constrast {homogeneous}.

(1999-05-06)