Abstract

Machines Jean-Marc Andreoli, Paolo Ciancarini and Remo Pareschi European Computer Industry Research Centre Abstract In this paper, we introduce the metaphor of Interaction Abstract Machines (IAMs), in the same vein of such metaphors as the Chemical Abstract Machine. The main point about IAMs is in allowing interactions among independent, locally defined subsystems --- a crucial requirement for capturing the global behavior of open systems. IAMs amalgamate dual concepts in distributed problem solving, such as blackboards and broadcast communication, which are exploited to account for, respectively, the tight integration and the loose integration of system components. The formal counterpart for the IAM metaphor can be found in the computational model of Linear Objects (LO), whose aim is the abstract modeling of concurrent agent-oriented computations and whose operational semantics is given in terms of the proof theory of Linear Logic, a framework recently introduced to provide a theoretical account for the notion of (inter)action.

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