New Architectures, Protocols and Middleware for Ad Hoc Collaborative Computing

The existing Internet architecture and protocols are not suitable for the newly emerging ad hoc collaborative computing systems. New architectures, protocols, and middleware specifically designed for the new ad hoc collaborative computing systems are needed. While work is currently being done to adapt the Internet architecture and protocols so the new systems can be developed and deployed, the fundamental characteristics that make the Internet unsuitable for the new systems — address-based messaging, one-to-one communication, and central servers — still remain. We envision alternative architectures, protocols, and middleware with the opposite characteristics — no central servers, broadcast communication, and content-based messaging. Many-to-Many Invocation (M2MI) and the Many-to-Many Protocol (M2MP) are an initial realization of this vision. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ” — Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 5:37–39)