Definition: ESL

(1) An earlier family of client/server development tools for Windows and OS/2 from Ardent Software (formerly VMARK). ESL was originally developed by Easel Corporation, which was acquired by VMARK. It included a screen scraper for turning character-based screens into GUI front ends and was often used to develop systems that incorporated the mainframe. In 2000, Informix acquired Ardent.

(2) (Electronic Software Licensing) Software that keeps track of the number of active users per application in order to comply with the multiuser licensing contracts that have been purchased.

(3) (Electronic Shelf Label) Digital readouts on retail shelves that show the current price of the merchandise. Electronic shelf labels (ELFs) enable a store to manage prices centrally without swapping physical labels when prices change. Major retailers are increasingly using electronic shelf labels (ESLs), also called "digital shelf labels" (DSLs) to improve efficiency.