autonomous agents (fwd)

Forwarded message:

> Date: Mon, 12 Jan 1998 19:25:53 GMT
> From: Adam Back <aba@dcs.ex.ac.uk>
> Subject: autonomous agents

> A canonical way to do implement things like remailers, eternity
> servers etc. is to build a distributed computation system to allow
> autonomous agents to be distributed across the internet.  Create a
> market for CPU resources, bandwidth and disk-space so that the agent
> can pay it's way.  Charge per CPU/hour, Mbit comms at given data rates
> and Mbyte/year storage, base it on Java as a portable network based
> language with code distribution support.  Then let people fire off
> what ever they like, so long as they are paying.

Has anyone done any work that you are aware of under the Plan 9 os? With
it's fundamental seperation of i/o, process, and file servers along with
it's inherent bidding/scheduling mechanism it seems to me that a lot of this
work has already been done. In addition there are programs that allow Linux
boxes to participate as Plan 9 compliant file servers.


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Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com> writes:
> > Adam Back <aba@dcs.ex.ac.uk>
> > > [autonomous agents, markets for CPU time, disk, comms]
> 
> Has anyone done any work that you are aware of under the Plan 9 os?
> With it's fundamental seperation of i/o, process, and file servers
> along with it's inherent bidding/scheduling mechanism it seems to me
> that a lot of this work has already been done. In addition there are
> programs that allow Linux boxes to participate as Plan 9 compliant
> file servers.

Sounds interesting.  I am not familiar with plan 9 besides the
enthusings of a colleague reminiscing about the work done at York
Univ, UK with plan 9.

Java has a lot going for it as a candidate due to portability and code
distribution support.  I think the only thing missing from java is the
bidding and scheduling mechanisms.  Your other forwarded message on
plan 9 looks interesting also.

Adam

At 4:33 PM -0800 1/13/98, Adam Back wrote:

>Java has a lot going for it as a candidate due to portability and code
>distribution support.  I think the only thing missing from java is the
>bidding and scheduling mechanisms.  Your other forwarded message on
>plan 9 looks interesting also.

I haven't checked on them in the last few months, but "Electric
Communities" (www.communities.com) was doing some interesting work on
adding security and market mechanism extensions to Java, in a superset
language they called "E."

Many Cypherpunk list members, past and present  worked on aspects of this,
including Chip Morningstar (one of the founders), Doug Barnes, Norm Hardy,
Bill Frantz, Mark Miller, etc. They can speak up and say more.

--Tim May

The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^2,976,221   | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."