<sect1>
<title>Purpose</title>
<para> This reference guide describes
- &uffi;, a Lisp package that provides persistent cross-implementation
- support of C-language compatible libraries.
+ &uffi;, a package that provides a cross-implementation
+ interface from Common Lisp to C-language compatible libraries.
</para>
</sect1>
<para>
Every Common Lisp implementation has
a method for interfacing to C-language compatible
- libraries. Unfortunately, these method vary widely amongst
- implementations. Currently, to support multiple implementations,
- developers must write a different interface library for each Common
- Lisp implementation.
+ libraries. These methods are often termed a
+ <emphasis>Foreign Function Library Interface</emphasis>
+ (&ffi;). Unfortunately, these methods vary widely
+ amongst
+ implementations, thus preventing the writing of a portable FFI to a
+particular C-library.
</para>
<para>
&uffi; gathers a common subset of functionality between Common Lisp