compatible

adj 1: able to exist and perform in harmonious or agreeable

combination; "a compatible married couple";"her deeds

were compatible with her ideology" [ant: {incompatible}]

2: having similar disposition and tastes; "a compatible married

couple"; "with their many similar tastes, he found her a

most sympathetic companion" [syn: {sympathetic}]

3: (computers) capable of being used with or connected to other

devices or components without modification [ant: {incompatible}]

4: (of a couple) existing together harmoniously [syn: {well-matched}]

5: capable of forming a homogeneous mixture that neither

separates nor is altered by chemical interaction

IBM compatible

A computer which can use hardware and software

designed for the {IBM PC} (or, less often, IBM {mainframes}).

This was once a key phrase in marketing a new PC {clone} but

now in 1998 is rarely used, the non-IBM {wintel} {personal

computer} manufacturers such as {Compaq}, {Dell} and {Gateway

2000} and OS vendor {Microsoft} having taken control of the

market, marginalising IBM.

(1998-07-30)