Joust: A platform for liquid software

Citation
Jj. Hartman et al., Joust: A platform for liquid software, COMPUTER, 32(4), 1999, pp. 50
Citations number
8
Categorie Soggetti
Computer Science & Engineering
Journal title
COMPUTER
ISSN journal
00189162 → ACNP
Volume
32
Issue
4
Year of publication
1999
Database
ISI
SICI code
0018-9162(199904)32:4<50:JAPFLS>2.0.ZU;2-C
Abstract
Computer network research has recently focused on the feasibility of runnin g mobile code on the intermediate nodes that forward packets through a netw ork. A network that exploits mobile code in this way is called an active ne twork because the network's packet delivery service is programmable, rather than fixed. Active networking is just one example of a class of systems th at exploit liquid software-low-level, communication-oriented code that easi ly flows from machine to machine. This article describes a Java-based platform for liquid software, called Jo ust, that is specifically designed to support low-level, communication-orie nted systems and to avoid the limitations of general-purpose OSs. The autho rs contrast the platform requirements for communication-oriented liquid sof tware with those of computation-oriented software, identify the limitations of current platforms, and outline the benefits of Joust. They also offer a n overview of Scout (the underlying OS upon which Joust is built), its runt ime system,and its just-in-time (JIT) compiler.