Editing Architecture Neutral Distribution Format

{{short description|Portable binary application code format}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2010}}
The '''Architecture Neutral Distribution Format''' ('''ANDF''') in [[computing]] is a technology allowing common "shrink wrapped" binary application programs to be distributed for use on conformant [[Unix]] systems, translated to run on different underlying hardware platforms.  ANDF was defined by the [[Open Software Foundation]] and was expected to be a "truly revolutionary technology that will significantly advance the cause of portability and open systems",<ref name='jester'/> but it was never widely adopted.

As with other OSF offerings, ANDF was specified through an open selection process.  OSF issued a Request for Technology for architecture-neutral software distribution technologies in April, 1989.<ref>{{cite news |first=Martin |last=Marshall |title=OSF Pushes for Single Distribution Standard |newspaper=InfoWorld |page=5 |date=8 May 1989 }}</ref>  Fifteen proposals were received, based on a variety of technical approaches, including obscured source code, compiler intermediate languages, and annotated executable code.

The technology of ANDF, chosen after an evaluation of competing approaches and implementations, was [[TenDRA Distribution Format|Ten15 Distribution Format]], later renamed TenDRA Distribution Format, developed by the UK [[Defence Research Agency]].

==Adoption==

ANDF was intended to benefit both software developers and users.  Software developers could release a single binary for all platforms, and software users would have freedom to procure multiple vendors' hardware competitively.<ref name='jester'>{{cite journal |first=Rolf |last=Jester |title=Life, the Universe and Open Systems |journal=Australian UNIX Systems User Group Newsletter |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=63 |date=February 1992 }}</ref> [[Programming language]] designers and implementors were also interested because standard installers would mean that only a single language front end would need to be developed.<ref>{{cite book |first1=B.A. |last1=Wichmann |first2=J. |last2=McHugh |chapter=Ada 9X Safety and Security Annex |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8PKaSKkZFAC&pg=PA52 |editor-first=W.J. |editor-last=Taylor |title=Ada in Transition: Proceedings of the 1992 Ada UK International Conference, 13-15 October 1992, London, UK |publisher=IOS Press |year=1992 |isbn=9051991134 |pages=52 }}</ref>

OSF released several development 'snapshots' of ANDF, but it was never released commercially by OSF or any of its members.  Various reasons have been proposed for this: for example, that having multiple installation systems would complicate software support.<ref>{{cite book |first=René J. |last=Chevance |title=Server architectures: multiprocessors, clusters, parallel systems, Web servers, and storage solutions |publisher=Elsevier Digital Press |year=2004 |isbn=9780080492292 |page=66 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P28xT7QHZ2AC&pg=PA66}}</ref>

After OSF stopped working on ANDF, development continued at other organizations.

==See also==
* [[TenDRA Compiler]]
* [[UNCOL]]
* [[Java bytecode]]
* [[Common Language Runtime]]
* [[LLVM]]
* [[Compiler|Compilation]]
* [[Porting|Software portability]]
* [[WebAssembly]]
* [[SafeTSA]]
* [[Oberon_(operating_system)#Plugin_Oberon_and_slim_binaries|Oberon ''slim binaries'']]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Stavros Macrakis, "[http://www.tendra.org/Macrakis93-structure.pdf The Structure of ANDF: Principles and Examples]", Open Software Foundation, RI-ANDF-RP1-1, January, 1992.
* Stavros Macrakis, "[http://www.tendra.org/Macrakis93-protecting.pdf Protecting Source Code with ANDF]", Open Software Foundation, November, 1992.
* Open Systems Foundation. "OSF Architecture-Neutral Distribution Format Rationale", June 1991.
* Open Systems Foundation. "A Brief Introduction to ANDF", January 1993.  Available at [https://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.c++/browse_frm/thread/7ce81dfc11fe770b/ec34fa84c4b61ff7?lnk=st&q=%22A+Brief+Introduction+to+ANDF+%22&rnum=3#ec34fa84c4b61ff7 Google Groups]

[[Category:Abstract machines]]
[[Category:Cross-compilers]]
[[Category:Executable file formats]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1991]]

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