Final answer:
Middleware is the software that links applications using different software or hardware platforms, providing a standardized way for them to communicate and exchange information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The software that links applications that use dissimilar software or hardware platforms is middleware. Middleware acts as a bridge between different applications or systems, allowing them to communicate and exchange information. It provides a standardized way for applications to interact with each other, regardless of the underlying software or hardware platforms.
For example, in a distributed computing environment, middleware facilitates communication between different components, such as a client application running on one platform and a server application running on another platform. The middleware layer abstracts the underlying platform details, enabling seamless integration and interoperability between the applications.
Some commonly used middleware technologies include message queues, remote procedure calls (RPC), and web services.