What is LE - Language Environment?

[Mukul Roy]

What is LE - Language Environment. My question might be answered using a manual however I'm interested in knowing without LE what was the problem and why it was introduced? Does apart from mainframes the concepts of this are applied?

[Robert Sample]

First, LE applies to IBM mainframes. You won't see it used many other places.

Second, LE allows IBM to address a common problem with applications: handling cross-language communication. C, PL/1, COBOL all have different ways of doing things so LE was introduced to provide a common framework for certain functions; using the LE routine will return the same results no matter which language you call it from. The Concepts manual in the LE bookshelf says

In the past, programming languages also have had limited ability to call each other and behave consistently across different operating systems. This has constrained those who wanted to use several languages in an application. Programming languages have had different rules for implementing data structures and condition handling, and for interfacing with system services and library routines. Language Environment establishes a common run-time environment for all participating HLLs. It combines essential run-time services, such as routines for run-time message handling, condition handling, and storage management. All of these services are available through a set of interfaces that are consistent across programming languages. You may either call these interfaces yourself, or use language-specific services that call the interfaces. With Language Environment, you can use one run-time environment for your applications, regardless of the application's programming language or system resource needs. Language Environment consists of:
Basic routines that support starting and stopping programs, allocating storage, communicating with programs written in different languages, and indicating and handling conditions.
Common library services, such as math services and date and time services, that are commonly needed by programs running on the system. These functions are supported through a library of callable services.
Language-specific portions of the run-time library. Because many language-specific routines call Language Environment services, behavior is consistent across languages.

[Mukul Roy]

Thanks Robert. This really helps.