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Language-independent specification

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  1. Language-independent specification

A language-independent specification (LIS)1 is a programming language specification providing a common interface usable for defining semantics applicable toward arbitrary language bindings.

LIS's are language-agnostic; they mitigate the risk that a certain language binding might reduce compatibility with other languages. An ideal LIS allows the language bindings to take advantage of features of a programming language uncompromisingly.

Examples of LIS include Interface description language (IDL), Simplified Wrapper and Interface Generator (SWIG) and Common Language Infrastructure (CLI).

Recursive transcompiling can be used to distribute a language independent specification across many different technologies, with each technology potentially keeping an authoritative description of a different part of the specification. Recursive transcompiling provides the general methodology for distributing this authoritative information through the rest of the derivative code pipeline.

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Where Language-independent specification leads. Every connection below has a source: a link in this article, a shared Wikipedia category, or CirrusSearch text similarity. Articles already on your trail are left out.

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Contents
Contents4 sections
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See also

  • Derivative code
  • ISO/IEC 10967
  • ISO/IEC 11404
  • Language interoperability
  • Pivot language
  • Recursive transcompiling
  • Specification language
  • Transcompiler

References

  1. 1"Information technology - Open Systems Interconnection (03) abstract data manipulation - Application Program Interface (API) (Language independent)" (PDF). cdn.standards.iteh.ai. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
Study aids for Language-independent specification

Terminology

LIS
A language-independent specification (LIS) is a programming language specification providing a common interface usable for defining semantics applicable toward arbitrary language bindings.

Terms the article defines in bold, quoted in context.

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  • Technical communication
  • Programming language topic stubs

125 words · 1 references · revision 1330134974 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Key concepts

  • Programming language specification1
  • Interface (computing)1
  • Formal semantics of programming languages1
  • Language binding1
  • Interface description language1
  • SWIG1
  • Common Language Infrastructure1
  • Recursive transcompiling1
  • Derivative code1

The articles this one links to most, weighted towards the introduction.

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Created
10 Sept 2005
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30 edits
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Last edited
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30 revisions in total · 18 contributors

  1. 29 Dec 2025, 17:30 UTCJoeNMLCchg unref. to one source; Wikipedia:WikiProject Unreferenced articles; you can help!−7diff
  2. 29 Dec 2025, 17:29 UTCJoeNMLCadd cite; Wikipedia:WikiProject Unreferenced articles; you can help!; add ref. section+370diff
  3. 28 Apr 2025, 13:50 UTCFrapNo edit summary+19diff
  4. 13 Sept 2019, 01:04 UTCJJMC89mRemoving link(s): Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Portal:Computer science (Xunlink)−28diff
  5. 27 Jan 2019, 18:42 UTCDaviddwdshort desc+186diff
  6. 14 May 2018, 16:30 UTCDeprecatedFixerBotmRemoved deprecated parameter(s) from Template:Columns-list using DeprecatedFixerBot. Questions? See Template:Div col#Usage of "cols" parameter or msg TSD! (please mention that this is task #2!))+12diff
  7. 15 Dec 2017, 15:26 UTCAnonymous contributorNo edit summary−52diff
  8. 30 Jun 2017, 03:18 UTCRingbangmerged other senses from hatnote into "See also" section; columnated link list; +portal−89diff

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Created
10 Sept 2005
History
30 edits
18 contributors
No edits in the last 30 days
Last edited
29 Dec 2025

Go deeper: linked from this article

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    Intermediary language between different languages

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    Interface allowing one programming language to use a library written in another

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    Derivative code

    Type of source code

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    Language interoperability

    Language interoperability is the capability of two different programming languages to natively interact as part of the same system and operate on the same kind of data structures.

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