AN AGENT-BASED APPROACH FOR BUILDING COMPLEX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS

摘要

Agent-oriented techniques are being increasingly used in a range of telecommunication, commercial, and industrial applications. However, if they are to enter the mainstream of software engineering it is vital that clear arguments are advanced as to their suitability for solving large classes of problems (as opposed to specific point solutions). To this end, this article has sought to justify precisely why agent-ori- ented approaches are appropriate for developing complex, distributed software systems. These general points are then made more concrete by showing how they apply in a specific telecommunications application. In making these arguments, it is possible for proponents of other software engineering paradigms to claim that the key concepts of agent-oriented computing can be reproduced using their technique—this is undoubtedly true. Agent-oriented systems are, after all, computer programs and all programs have the same set of computable functions. However, this misses the point. The value of a paradigm is the mindset and the techniques it provides to software engineers. In this respect, agent-oriented concepts and techniques are both well suited to developing complex, distributed systems and an extension of those currently available in other paradigms.