Software in the OS/2 environment can take advantage of dynamic linked libraries (DLLs). Dynamic linking means loading, or calling into memory, a portion of an application only when it is needed to perform a requested task. This is different from the type of environment in which a library module becomes part of the main application for the whole time that the application is loaded in memory.
By dynamically linking a module that performs a common task, the application makes use of the module (and the resources it requires) only if the sequence of events makes the module necessary. Because the linked portion resides in memory only when needed, the amount of real memory absorbed by any one application remains minimal; this minimizes the time devoted to page swapping.
Applications that need the same tasks can share the DLL. By sharing common software tasks, applications use less disk space and memory.