Common Object Request Broker Architecture
CORBA

    (CORBA) An Object Management Group
   specification which provides a standard messaging interface
   between distributed objects.

   The original CORBA specification (1.1) has been revised
   through version 2 (CORBA 2) with the latest specification
   being version 3 (CORBA 3).  In its most basic form CORBA
   consists of the Interface Definition Language (IDL) and the
   Dynamic Invocation Interface (DII).

   The IDL definition is complied into a Stub (client) and
   Skeleton (server) component that communicate through an
   Object Request Broker (ORB).  When an ORB determines that a
   request is to a remote object, it may execute the request by
   communicating with the remote ORB.

   The Corba IDL can be mapped to a number of languages including
   C, C++, Java, COBOL, Smalltalk, Ada, Lisp,
   Python, and IDLscript.  CORBA ORBs are widely available
   for a number of platforms.  The OMG standard for inter-ORB
   communication is IIOP, this ensures that all CORBA 2
   compliant ORBS are able to interoperate.

   See also COSS, Component Object Model, RMI.

   <OMG CORBA specs>.

   (2007-09-04)