Definition: WOSA

(Windows Open System Architecture) An earlier umbrella term for a variety of programming interfaces from Microsoft designed to provide application interoperability across the Windows environment. WOSA provides a common denominator for front-end Windows applications to access back-end services. For example, any WOSA-compliant query program from one vendor can gain access to any WOSA-compliant DBMS from any other vendor. See SPI.

 WOSA Interface       Provides Access To

 ODBC                 Databases
 MAPI                 Messaging systems
 TAPI                 Telephone services
 LSAPI                Software licensing
 Windows SNA          IBM SNA networks
 Windows Sockets      TCP/IP networks
 Microsoft RPC        Remote procedures
 Financial Services   Banking services
 WOSA/XRT             News, stocks, etc.