IBM System Object Model

For the similarly named executable file format in the HP-UX operating system, see System Object Model (file format)

In computing, the System Object Model (SOM) is an object-oriented shared library system developed by IBM. DSOM, a distributed version based on CORBA, allowed objects on different computers to communicate.

SOM defines an interface between programs, or between libraries and programs, so that an object's interface is separated from its implementation. SOM allows classes of objects to be defined in one programming language and used in another, and it allows libraries of such classes to be updated without requiring client code to be recompiled.