Programming interface - old Flashcards
What are the common mechanisms for error handling in system APIs?
Return Values and Error Codes: Functions often return specific values to indicate success or failure, with detailed error codes available for further insight.
Exceptions and Exception Handling: Supported by some OS and languages, allowing errors to be ‘thrown’ and ‘caught’ for handling.
Error Reporting Functions: OS-provided functions to retrieve textual descriptions of errors for debugging and logging.
Consistent Error Handling Approach: Ensuring a uniform method across APIs for easy management and robust application development.
How do applications detect and respond to errors encountered during API calls?
Checking Return Values: Applications must check the return values of API calls to determine the outcome.
Implementing Error Handling Routines: Writing routines to gracefully handle different error conditions, including retrying operations or gracefully shutting down.
Resource Management: Releasing or rolling back resources in use when an error occurred to avoid leaks or inconsistencies.
User Feedback and Logging: Informing users about errors or logging errors for future analysis, especially in user-facing applications.
What are the features and benefits of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in operating systems?
APIs provide a collection of routines and tools for software development. They facilitate tasks from high-level operations to system-level tasks, often being part of libraries and frameworks. APIs simplify programming, enhance portability across different platforms, and enable secure, controlled interactions with system resources.
What is the role of Middleware in software development?
Middleware acts as an intermediary layer between the operating system and applications. It simplifies application development by abstracting the complexities of network protocols, hardware interactions, and data exchanges. Middleware standardizes interactions for tasks like authentication, database management, and message passing, enabling developers to focus on application-specific business logic rather than low-level system details.
How does Middleware interact with system APIs in operating systems?
Middleware leverages system resources by interacting with system APIs, building upon the functionalities provided by the OS. While operating above the OS, it relies on these APIs for underlying tasks like memory management and network communication. Middleware provides an additional abstraction layer, enhancing or extending OS functionalities to offer higher-level services and facilitate interoperability between diverse systems and applications.
