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ISO/ IEC/ JTC1/SC22/WG11 - Binding Techniques


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ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG11 is the international standardization working group working on binding techniques for programming languages: how to make specifications independent of programming languages, and then apply these specifications to the programming languages. The working group was created in 1987, held 26 meetings and was disbanded by the SC22 Plenary resolution 11-05 in Copenhagen on September 20th, 2011.

The meetings gives the complete list of meetings with links to the meeting reports, the documents pages has references to many (older and newer) documents.

Approved international specifications developed by WG11 include:

Note: the responsibility for ISO/IEC 11404:2007 - General Purpose Datatypes (GPD) is transeferred to JTC 1/SC 32/WG 2.

All above mentioned documents are freely available from the following ISO website.

You can obtain these international standards (also) via your national member body.

If you want further information please contact your national member body or one of the WG11 addresses.

A short history of WG11.

At the time of the first (then still ISO/TC97/SC22) WG11 documents (August 1986) there was already an interim convener (Mr. Don Nelson, USA), and work was going on

  • Work Item 22.14 – Binding Techniques for Programming Languages,
  • Work Item 22.16 – Specification for a Model for Common-Language Independent Procedure Calling Mechanisms and
  • Work Item 22.17 – Specification for a Set of Common Language-Independent Data Types.

    Work Item 22.14 - Binding Techniques for Programming Languages

    The work on this project already started in 1984 in the US. The purpose of the document is 'to classify language binding methods, reporting on particular instances in detail, and to produce suggested guidelines for future language binding standards'. The initial editor was Ms. Madeleine Sparks, in 1987 Mr. Don Nelson took over that task. The TR was published in 1993 as TR 10182 – Guidelines for Language Bindings.

    Work Item 22.16 - Specification for a Model for Common-Language Independent Procedure Calling Mechanisms

    This project was started by the X3T2 committee in the US; it's ISO history dates back to early 1985. The NWI proposal was approved in July 1986 (SC22 N211). The initial project editor was David Joslin (UK), later followed by Ken Edwards (US, August 1989). A first working draft was circulated in January 1992 (SC22 N1082). One of the key parts, common to the language-independent procedure calling mechanisms, the language-independent data types and the Remote Procedure Calling specification as developed by SC21, was the Interface Definition Notation (IDN); in other to harmonize this common part several meetings were held co-located with the SC21 RPG group. The standard was published in 1995 as ISO/IEC 13886 - Language-Independent Procedure Calling.

    Work Item 22.17 – Specification for a Set of Common Language-Independent Data Types

    This project was started by the X3T2 committee in the US; it's ISO history dates back to early 1985. he NWI proposal was approved in July 1986 (SC22 N212), the project editor was Ed Barkmeyer (US). The 1st Committee draft was approved in January 1991 (SC22 N906), the 2nd CD was approved in May 1993 (SC22 N1354), the DIS was approved in 1994, the standard was published in 1996 as ISO/IEC 11404 – Language Independent Datatypes.

    In March 2002 the US proposed to revise ISO/IEC 11404 and to rename the document to General Purpose Datatypes; the project editor was Frank Farance (US). The 2nd edition was published in 2007 as ISO/IEC 11404 – General Purpose Datatypes. Before WG11 was disbanded in 2011, the rsposibility for this document was handed over to SC32.

    Work Item 22.28 – Language Compatible Arithmetic Standardization

    This work was initiated by Brian Wichman (UK) and Mary Payne (US) in 1987; the work item was approved (as a sub-division of Work Item 22.17) in January 1989 (SC22 N610). Later it was felt that the work should done as a three part standard: Part 1 on Integer and Floating Point Arithmetic (the original work item 22.18), Part 2 on Mathematical Procedure Standard (NWI proposal in SC22 N819, approved in April 1991, project 22.33) and Part 3 on Complex Arithmetic and Procedure Standard (NWI proposal in SC22 N818, approved in April 1991, SC22 N952, project 22.34). The name of the project was changed from 'Language Compatible Arithmetic Standard' (LCAS, LCMPS, LCCAPS) to 'Language-Independent Arithmetic' standard (LIA).

    The first edition of LIA part 1 was published in 1994 as ISO/IEC 10967-1 – Language Independent Arithmetic, Part 1: Integer and Floating Point Arithmetic; the first editor was Mary Payne (US), later Kent Karlsson (SW) took over. In 2008 it was decided to revise part 1 in order to align it with the more recent parts 2 and 3. This resulted in ISO/IEC 10967-1:2012.

    Work Item 22.33 – Language Independent Arithmetic Part 2: Elementary Numerical Functions

    This project resulted in ISO/IEC 10967-2:2001 – Language Independent Arithmetic – Part 2: Elementary Numerical Functions. Project editor was Kent Karlsson (SW).

    Work Item 22.34 Language Independent Arithmetic Part 3: Complex Arithmetic

    This project resulted in ISO/IEC 10967-3:2006 - Language Independent Arithmetic - Part 3: Complex integer and floating point arithmetic and complex elementary numerical functions . Project editor was Kent Karlsson (SW).

    Work Item 22.46 Guidelines for the Preparation of Language Independent Service Specifications

    This work item originated from the language independent POSIX work (SC22 WG15) and was based on the TCOS work in IEEE. The New Work Item Proposal (SC22 N1376) was approved; the project editor was Paul Rabin (US). The resulting document was published as ISO/IEC TR 14369:1999 – Guidelines for the Preparation of Language Independent Service Specifications.


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