vendor independent messaging (MAPI) (VIM)

Vendor Independent Messaging (VIM) is an application programming interface( API) between an email application and a message-related service such as message storage.

With a unified VIM programming interface, e-mail front ends from different vendors can communicate with different mail servers. Through such an interface, a word processor could exchange data with a spreadsheet through a provider 's mail server, even if the application programs are from different vendors.

VIM was developed jointly by Apple, IBM, Borland, Lotus, and Novell and is similar to Microsoft's Messaging Application Programming Interface( MAPI), Common Mail Calls( CMC), and Open Collaborative Environment (OCE).