"out of the box"

[heyyouyesyouiloveyou]

Hello,

I learned when I started programming with C++ that C++ applications have to be recompiled on different computers because computers have different architectures.

Then what confuses me is how companies create applications that run on any computer "ready out of the box"? If someone has an answer, or any links to help me start understanding this, as I assume it is a very broad topic, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

[ResidentBiscuit]

C++ applications have to recompiled only if the operating system or the processor architecture is different between computers. Two Windows 7 desktops will very likely be able to run the same C++ application with no recompilation.

Companies either compile their application targeting Windows, Mac, and Linux, or they write their applications purely in some higher level interpreted language language.