Translation of "Distributed Computing Environment" into English

A set of standards from the Open Group (formerly the Open Software Foundation) for development of distributed applications that can operate on more than one platform. One of two types of hardware connected by an RS-232-C serial connection, the other being a Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) device. A DCE is an intermediary device that often transforms input from a DTE before sending it to a recipient. A modem, for example, is a DCE that modulates data from a microcomputer (DTE) and sends it along a telephone connection.