Common Language Infrastructure

Standard ECMA-335 defines the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) in which applications written in multiple high level languages may be executed in different system environments without the need to rewrite the application to take into consideration the unique characteristics of those environments.

CLI is a runtime environment, with:

• a file format;
• a common type system;
• an extensible metadata system;
• an intermediate language;
• access to the underlying platform;
• a factored base class library.

This Ecma Standard consists of several sections in order to facilitate understanding various components by describing those components in their separate sections.

Real standard PDF is found at http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ecma-st/ECMA-335.pdf