Can tags build working systems? From MABS to ESOA

Abstract

We outline new results coming from multi-agent based social simulation (MABS) that harness "tag-based" mechanisms in the production of self-organized behavior in simulation models. These tag mechanisms have, hitherto, been given sociological or biological interpretations. Here we attempt to move towards the application of these mechanisms to issues in self-organizing software engineering - i.e. how to program software agents that can self-organize to solve real problems. We also speculate how tags might inform the design of an unblockable P2P adaptive protocol layer. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.