legacy system

1 definition found

legacy system - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  legacy system
  legacy code
  legacy software
  
     <jargon> A computer system or application program which
     continues to be used because of the cost of replacing or
     redesigning it and often despite its poor competitiveness and
     compatibility with modern equivalents.  The implication is
     that the system is large, monolithic and difficult to modify.
  
     If legacy software only runs on antiquated hardware the cost
     of maintaining this may eventually outweigh the cost of
     replacing both the software and hardware unless some form of
     emulation or backward compatibility allows the software to
     run on new hardware.
  
     (1998-08-09)