Language Support

The programming languages used in today's development projects are often determined by a number of factors, including application requirements, developer backgrounds, organizational policies, and compatibility with third-party tools. We designed Ice to be practical middleware for real developers writing real applications. That goal drives everything we do at ZeroC, and it is the reason why Ice supports such a broad spectrum of programming languages. Whether your project uses one language or several, Ice will enable your components to communicate with each other naturally, efficiently and transparently.

The Ice API was carefully designed to conform with the standards and practices of each programming language while maintaining a consistency that minimizes the learning curve of a developer working in multiple languages. As you will see from the sample code shown on the language pages, the Ice API is easy to learn and just as easy to use.

Ice currently offers language mappings for the following programming languages:

• C++
  The Ice language mapping for C++ combines raw speed with an elegant design that enhances productivity and virtually eliminates memory leaks.

• Java
  Java's portability and wealth of tools is an attractive complement to Ice.

• .NET
  With support for both Microsoft and Mono environments, developers can utilize Ice to integrate their .NET applications.

• Python
  Ice for Python provides seamless access to Ice resources from this popular scripting language.

• PHP
  Dynamic web applications can extend their reach to distributed objects using Ice for PHP.

• Ruby
  The Ruby programming language is revolutionizing the World Wide Web using the same combination of simplicity and power that has made Ice so successful.

Integration

There are many ways of measuring the success of a middleware technology, including performance, reliability, support, and documentation. Another measure is how easily that technology is integrated into your existing development environment and incorporated into your applications. No middleware technology can eliminate the need for a careful design, but successful middleware will leverage the experience of your developers and result in working applications delivered in less time.

Documentation

Our extensive Ice manual has examples for each supported programming language. More examples can be found in our newsletter Connections.