The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

Distributed Computing Environment

   (DCE) An architecture consisting of standard programming
   interfaces, conventions and server functionalities
   (e.g. naming, distributed file system, remote procedure call)
   for distributing applications transparently across networks of
   heterogeneous computers.  DCE is promoted and controlled by
   the Open Software Foundation (OSF).

   Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.soft-sys.dce.

   (http://dstc.edu.au/AU/research_news/dce/dce.html).

   (1994-12-07)