Foundations
Core vocabulary for devices, interfaces, packages, buses, and the boundaries that connect them.
Start with relationships
A device is physical or virtual hardware, and a driver implements a relationship between the device and its host software. The foundation vocabulary names the boundary rather than treating a driver as a mysterious universal file.
Identity precedes behavior
Buses and platforms expose identifiers, descriptors, and interfaces before software can select a matching component. Identity narrows the relationship; it does not by itself describe every capability or application result.
Packages carry context
A package can include binaries, declarative metadata, catalogs, services, and version information. Reading those parts together reveals what the platform is being asked to associate with a device or function.
A reference vocabulary has limits
Foundational terms explain structure, ownership, and evidence. They do not substitute for device-specific documentation, and they should not be used to infer a universal outcome from one field.
Reference facts
- Central question
- Which layer owns this device relationship and interface?
- Core evidence
- Identity, descriptors, package metadata, interfaces, and lifecycle state.
Questions and answers
What is the first foundation to identify?
Identify the device or virtual function and the interface through which host software represents it. Package and behavior questions follow from that relationship.
Why are packages more than executable files?
Installation metadata, catalogs, services, and identifiers connect executable components to a platform and device model.