Cougaar 10.4.6 Released With Source

Anonymous Software Agent writes "Cougaar release 10.4.6 has been posted . As always, all source code is available via anonymous CVS. Cougaar is an open-source Java-based architecture for the construction of distributed agent-based applications. It is the product of an eight-year DARPA-funded research project in highly scalable and survivable multi-agent systems. Cougaar is currently used in next-generation military logistics systems, commercial applications, and research projects. Cougaar release 10.4.6 adds survivable yellow pages and white pages services, and multiple other performance and reliability improvements."

Comments

I think this is the future of computing.

[Sheetrock]

Essentially, agent-based computing is P2P used in a positive way -- multiple redundant systems working together to achieve a common goal, much as is done by ants in a colony.

Like the Internet, but with other goals than networked communications. I think this is the sort of thing that will finally bring the convergence that was always talked about in regards to the Internet (an alarm clock, coffee, toaster, car starter, etc. that are aware of your schedule, not unlike the opening scene of Back To The Future).

Does C# have anything like this, or is this easily portable to C# or any other strongly typed portable languages such as Python? It'd be nice to have another alternative to Java, which seems to cause problems for some people.

Re:I think this is the future of computing.

[pHDNgell]

It's too late for me to actually try to understand this, but have you looked at Erlang at all? P2P type clustering to form redundant applications spanning multiple systems is pretty natural in Erlang.

Not quite done yet...

[po8]

...needs more buzzwords.

Re:8 years and Java based?

[russellh]

Is Java already eight years old?

HotJava was released in early 1995, iirc. that was why we upgraded to solaris from sunOS. You know, so we could play tic-tac-toe like it was 1978!

More to the point

[0x0d0a]

Because I thought it was the latest version of OS X and I wasn't caring, but now I do. ...wasn't caring...

Okay, I have a low opinion of Slashdotters that insist that software release announcements should stay on Freshmeat. I want to *know* when the next Linux kernel release and the next minor release of GNOME is, and it's big, discussable news.

However, this is a bugfix release of an obscure package. I realize that the editor was probably feeling more than a little whimsical, but dammit..can't Slashdot have an "Oddball" category? Stuff that the editor can dump things into if he sees something that whets his fancy, but is wildly unfit to go into the "News for Nerds" section? Things like "Lindows CEO Claims Microsoft CEO Porks His Sister" or "Random Extremely Obscure Package 10.4.6 Released" could go? It'd be a great grabbag for April 1.

Re:Java was a mistake for this project

[laird]

In a philosophical sense, I agree (somewhat), but in a pragmatic sense I think you're wrong.

While people have certainly been programming mobile agents in many languages for a very long time, there's nothing wrong with implementing them in Java. Java is a fairly nice language with a good security model and portable bytecode. Having used both to write agents, I can say that it's not quite as nice for writing mobile agents as Telescript (the language that General Magic designed for implementing mobile agents), but it's not bad. Sure, SmallTalk or Lisp are simpler and cleaner in many ways, and Erlang, etc., have some nice, though somewhat esoteric advantages, but Java has the fairly reasonable advantages that it's a widely known and extremely well supported language.

And as for preferring declarative programming to procedural programming, well, all I can say is that different models suit different kinds of problems, and different kinds of programmers. Changing both programming languages and programming paradigms (i.e. procedural to declarative) and throwing mobile agents into the mix) is extemely challenging to a development team. Not that it can't be done, but it's way harder (for a large team) than just introducing mobile agents implemented in a language everyone knows. Take one step at a time, or you lose people. I know, back in the 80's I was on a number of large Smalltalk projects, and making the leap to OOP, Client/Server and learning Smalltalk all at once was a barrier than many engineers couldn't hurdle. Sure, the stars got it, and were amazingly productive, but everyone else was blocked.

That being said, if you have a small team of stars, and a project that doesn't require a larger team, go for it -- you may be extremely successful. But I don't think that makes anyone who decides to implement mobile agents in Java wrong, just a little less daring. :-)

Re:Not free

[Brandybuck]

Cougaar might not be listed by the FSF or OSI, but it still meets their requirements and definitions. Morality isn't defined by Papal Bulls any more than software freedom is defined by the pronouncements of RMS. The reason Cougaar isn't listed is because it's new and the FSF and OSI haven't gotten around to stamping it with their imprimaturs.

Free Software isn't defined by lists of licenses. Open Source Software isn't defined by lists of licenses.