Importance of real-time distributed computing software building-blocks in realization of ubiquitous computing societies

摘要

Explosive advances in communication technologies that have occurred since 1993 have given birth to rapidly growing demands for new-generation distributed computing (DC) applications, all geared toward realization of better and better ubiquitous computing societies. Economic and reliable construction of new-generation DC applications has thus become an issue of national interests in all advanced nations. What is needed is a new-generation DC software engineering technology which is at least multiple times more effective in constructing new-generation DC applications than the currently practiced technologies are. In particular, this author believes that a new-generation building-block (BB), which is much more advanced than the current-generation DC object provided in languages C++, Java, and C#, is needed. Such a BB should enable systematic and economic construction of DC applications that are capable of taking critical actions with 100-microsecond-level or even 1-microsecond-level timing accuracy, fault tolerance, and security enforcement while being easily expandable and taking advantage of all sorts of network connectivity. Some directions considered worth pursuing for finding such BBs are discussed.