interface description language

An interface description language or interface definition language (IDL) is a generic term for a computer programming language that lets a program or object written in one programming language communicate with another program written in an unknown programming language. IDLs are usually used to describe data types and interfaces in a language-independent way, for example, between those written in C++ and those written in Java. IDLs are commonly used in remote procedure call software. In these cases, the machines at either end of the link may be using different operating systems and computer languages. IDLs offer a bridge between the two different operating systems. Software systems based on IDLs include Sun Microsystems' Sun RPC, The Open Group's Distributed Computing Environment, the IBM System Object Model, the Object Management Group's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) (which implements OMG IDL, an IDL based on DCE/RPC) and Data Distribution Service, Mozilla's XPCOM, Microsoft RPC (which evolved into Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)), and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) for Web services.

An interface description language or interface definition language (IDL) is a generic term for a computer programming language that lets a program or object written in one programming language communicate with another program written in an unknown programming language. IDLs are usually used to describe data types and interfaces in a language-independent way, for example, between those written in C++ and those written in Java. IDLs are commonly used in remote procedure call software. In these cases, the machines at either end of the link may be using different operating systems and computer languages. IDLs offer a bridge between the two different operating systems. Software systems based on IDLs include Sun Microsystems' Sun RPC, The Open Group's Distributed Computing Environment, the IBM System Object Model, the Object Management Group's Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) (which implements OMG IDL, an IDL based on DCE/RPC) and Data Distribution Service, Mozilla's XPCOM, Microsoft RPC (which evolved into Component Object Model (COM) and Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)), and Web Services Description Language (WSDL) for Web services. ==References== Documenting Software Architecture: Documenting Interfaces (PDF) OMG Specification of OMG IDL OMG Tutorial on OMG IDL

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