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Language interoperability

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Language interoperability is the capability of two different programming languages to natively interact as part of the same system.[1] Interoperability is advantageous, because different programming language are optimized for specific tasks, and allowing them to communicate can create better systems.

There are many different ways programming languages are interoperable with one another. HTML, CSS, and javascript are a form of language interoperability as they work together to render webpages. Some object oriented languages can do this thanks to the hosting virtual machine (e.g. .NET CLI compliant languages in the Common Language Runtime and JVM compliant languages in the Java Virtual Machine).[2] High-level programming languages are usually interoperable with some lower level languages, an example of this is Apple's Swift (programming language) and Objective-C.

Methods for Interoperability

Object Models

To facilitate interoperability between languages, one method is to use object models. CORBA and COM are the most popular object models. These standards provide a base set of rules for how object oriented languages would implement their data models to allow for a language-neutral way of implementing objects that can be used in environments different from the one in which they were created.

Virtual Machines (VMs)

Different Languages compile into a shared CLI

A Virtual machine is software that emulate operating systems, and acts a buffer between the language and the hardware. This allows a program to run on any hardware or OS. An advantage to VMs can use these type systems to ensure the correctness of participating languages and gives languages a common ground for their type information. Another advantage is that languages designed for VMs compile into a low level intermediate language. The intermediate language then goes through it's own compiler or interpreter which can do more types of optimization.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Malone, Todd (2014). "Interoperability in Programming Languages". citeseerx.ist.psu.edu. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. ^ "Cross-Language Interoperability". Microsoft Developer Network (msdn.microsoft.com).


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