"Our Software is Platform Agnostic" - Don't Be Fooled

This was another oddity I heard at the vendor showcase at Lotusphere 2012.  I heard from a good few vendors that claimed their software was "platform agnostic," and therefore will run on any platform. I thought this foolishness died out a few years ago, but it's rearing it's ugly head again; probably due to the increasingly growing number of now-public atheists/agnostics in recent faith polls.

This is just another example of language designed to pull the wool over the eyes of potential customers.  It's otherwise known as a load of marketing malarkey.

Challenge the next sales guy who gives you that line with a few questions.  We'll call it fun with marketers.

Does it mean that your software:

• doesn't know if a Platform exists?
• doesn't believe in a Platform because there is no proof of the Platform's existence?
• believes in a Platform, even though there is no proof of the Platform's existence?
• is limited in function because since your company knows that many Platforms exist, and your company built your software, shouldn't your software know that many Platforms exists, whether your software believes it so or not?

Wouldn't your software be more accurately classified as polytheistic?  Your software:

• believes in the existence of all Platforms, and will run on all of them.

If you're going to use language to make something seem much more special than it really is, then use more accurate language.  Platform polytheism sounds about right.