A Question

[Jason_Atari]

Just wondering if there is a difference between a port and a conversion? I always thought technically they where the same thing ?

[CapitanClassic]

Wikipedia thinks they are often used interchangeably, but are technically different.

 

A port of a game would be if the same source code was reused/recompiled for the target platform. With new libraries for the target platform that handle the differences used to display graphics/sound/etc between the original and new system.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_conversion

Quote

In video gaming parlance, a conversion is the production of a game on one computer or console that was originally written for another system

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porting#Porting_of_video_games

Quote

In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that  is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally designed for (e.g., different CPU, operating system, or third party library). ...Porting is also the term used when a video game designed to run on one platform, be it an arcade, video game console, or personal computer, is converted to run on a different platform. From the beginning of video games through to the 1990s, "ports", at the time often known as "conversions", were often not true ports, but rather reworked versions of the games. However, many 21st century video games are developed using software (often in C++) that can output code for one or more consoles as well as for a PC without the need for actual porting (instead relying on the common porting of individual component libraries).

I suppose if you wrote some game engine for the 6502, and individual handlers for the difference in sound/graphics for the a800/c64/appleII/NES. Then if you wrote a game for this engine, you could port it to the various systems, rather than convert it. (Huge doubts if such a thing could be created. The differences in graphics/sound hardware would mean that you would need to write the engine for the lowest common denominator)

Edited November 26, 2020 by CapitanClassic

[mr_me]

The term "port" comes from the term portable code which means the code is carried from one system to another.  With higher level languages porting code is much more feasible.  With assembly language programming it was only possible if the cpu is the same or compatible.  It also helps to have the source code and back in the 1980s when home conversions of arcade games was happening they typically didn't have it.  Another thing that you can do when the cpu is not compatible is a translation.  Someone translated the z80 arcade code of Donkey Kong to the CoCo3 6809 cpu and made a very accurate version of the arcade game.  So yeah port and conversion is not the same thing but people use the term port for conversions anyway.

Edited November 26, 2020 by mr_me

[Mayhem]

If the source and target both use the same type of CPU (for example Apple II, NES and C64) then the term "port" is more appropriate if moving code over between them (for example both the Prince of Persia and Super Mario Bros ports released on the C64). Conversion definitely used for one unrelated platform to another, usually from the arcade in the 80s.

[fiddlepaddle]

There's also interpreters, compilers, emulators, simulators, microcode mods, and you-can-keep-on-going, that all will execute the original code.

[stepho]

As a full-time software engineer, I've always used "port" to mean that I take a code base and do whatever it takes to make it run on a different system.
That might mean anything from a tweak here or there, or some replacement libraries, or even change the language (eg, I've ported projects from C to python).
Whatever it takes to work on the new system, even if it means changing parts of the spec.

 

I think "port" comes from the idea of porting/carrying/moving something around.
Related to shipping ports, import/exports, porters, etc.

[high voltage]

A 'port' tastes good.

[fiddlepaddle]

Any port, in a storm...