Что (кто) такое Application Binary Interface - определение

In computer software, an application binary interface (ABI) is an interface between two binary program modules. Often, one of these modules is a library or operating system facility, and the other is a program that is being run by a user.

<programming> (ABI) The interface by which an {application program} gains access to operating system and other services. It should be possible to run the same compiled binary applications on any system with the right ABI. Examples are 88open's Binary Compatibility Standard, the PowerOpen Environment and Windows sockets. (1994-11-08)

<programming> (API, or "application programming interface") The interface (calling conventions) by which an {application program} accesses operating system and other services. An API is defined at source code level and provides a level of abstraction between the application and the kernel (or other privileged utilities) to ensure the portability of the code. An API can also provide an interface between a {high level language} and lower level utilities and services which were written without consideration for the calling conventions supported by compiled languages. In this case, the API's main task may be the translation of parameter lists from one format to another and the interpretation of call-by-value and call-by-reference arguments in one or both directions. (1995-02-15)