International
Workshop on Massively Multi-Agent Systems (2004.12. 10-11)
As wireless coverage becomes more ubiquitous
and the deployment of end-user oriented Web Services (whether SOAP or REST
based) explodes, the service oriented computational environment of users takes
on the characteristics of the Web: massive, heterogenous, and overwhelming. For
single shot, generic services, users will likely rely on the traditional
methods of Web based discovery such as advertising, Web portals, and search
engines. However, in many cases, the set of relevant services will be
circumscribed by circumstances -- location, time, activity, other people,
topic, available devices, and so on. Moreover, people tend to shape specific
environments toward their habitual needs.
Task Computing is a framework for user-centric service oriented computation
in which the malleability and appropriate persistence of a service environment
are key. In a Task Computing environment, the ongoing population of a physical
or social space can collaboratively shape an initial set of salient and
accessible services to better serve their specific needs. In this manner,
environments become evolving portals onto the vast sea of Web Services.