(mid´&l-wār) (n.)Software that connects two otherwise separate applications. For example, there are a number of middleware products that link a database system to a Web server. This allows users to request data from the database using forms displayed on a Web browser, and it enables the Web server to return dynamicWeb pages based on the user's requests and profile.
The term middleware is used to describe separate products that serve as the glue between two applications. It is, therefore, distinct from import and export features that may be built into one of the applications. Middleware is sometimes called plumbing because it connects two sides of an application and passes data between them. Common middleware categories include:
Middleware Technology Guide Hosted by Network Computing Online, this site covers database, messaging and web middleware, application development tools, java and ActiveX tools, object request broker and distributed transaction processing products.
Web middleware This is a table of Web-to-database tools, companies (with links to home pages), platform and database support information, product highlights, and approximate price.
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