TDF Specification
Abstract
TDF is an intermediate format for distributing software applications. It can be produced from a very wide range of programming languages. For expository purposes, the TDF definition is divided into three levels, referred to as Levels 0, 1 and 2. (1) Level 0 is suitable for production from ANSI C (and hence any language that can sensibly be translated into ANSI C). (2) Level 1 contains more features and is suitable for a wide range of languages that do not mandate garbage collection. (3) Level 2 contains the full expressive power of TDF, including provision for garbage collection. TDF is defined in the form of a data-structure which can be thought of as an abstract syntax for programs. It contains sufficient information to allow efficient machine code to be generated from it for any computer architecture on which the software is intended to be run. For transmission, TDF is converted into a linear stream of bits. The encoding of this stream of bits is both space efficient and extensible so as to allow upwards compatibility for any future enhancements or amendments to the TDF definition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA238383
Entities
People
- I. F. Currie
- J. M. Foster
- M. Brandreth
- N. E. Peeling
- P. W. Core
Organizations
- Royal Signals and Radar Establishment