(also see: Speakeasy @ PARC solutions)
the issue: interoperability
The number of networked devices and services is increasing, bringing with them an exponential increase in the number of potential connections and interactions among these devices. This fact forces us to reconsider how we conceive, build, and use applications that take advantage of networked resources. Will such a world be truly usable? Or will it be a frustrating morass of islands of interconnectivity, as devices that were explicitly created to work with one another can interoperate, while others cannot?
the solution: recombinant computing
The Speakeasy project at PARC has developed an approach called recombinant computing. Recombinant computing brings new approaches to interoperability. It allows devices and services to use previously unseen networked resources, and even previously unseen types of resources. It allows devices and services that were not explicitly written to use one another to interoperate fluidly.
our directions: patterns and users
The project is working in two directions simultaneously. First, we are developing a set of mobile-code based "patterns" for recombinant computing. These patterns support discovery, sensemaking, and interconnection of components in a distributed world. Second, we are looking at the user experience in a world of richly interconnected devices and services. This includes not only the user interface, but also issues such as security and collaboration.
Using Speakeasy for Ad Hoc Peer to Peer Collaboration. W. Keith Edwards, Mark W. Newman, Jana Z. Sedivy, Trevor F Smith, Dirk Balfanz, D. K. Smetters, H. Chi Wong, Shahram Izadi. In Proceedings of CSCW '02. (November 2002) [pdf]
User Interfaces When and Where They are Needed: An Infrastructure for Recombinant Computing. Mark W. Newman, Shahram Izadi , W. Keith Edwards, Jana Z. Sedivy, Trevor F Smith. In Proceedings of UIST '02. (October 2002) [pdf]
Challenge: Recombinant Computing and the Speakeasy Approach. W. Keith Edwards, Mark W. Newman, Jana Sedivy, Trevor Smith, Shahram Izadi. In Proceedings of Mobicom '02. (September 2002) [pdf]
Designing for Serendipity: Supporting End-User Configuration of Ubiquitous Computing Environment. Mark W. Newman, Jana Z. Sedivy, Christine M. Neuwirth, W. Keith Edwards, Jason I. Hong, Shahram Izadi, Karen Marcelo, Trevor F Smith. In Proceedings of DIS '02. (June 2002) [pdf]
The Case for Recombinant Computing. W. Keith Edwards, Mark W. Newman, Jana Z. Sedivy. Xerox Palo Alto Research Center Technical Report CSL-01-1. April 20, 2001. [pdf]
Keith Edwards (kedwards@parc.com)
Mark Newman (mnewman@parc.com)
Jana Sedivy (sedivy@parc.com)
Trevor Smith (tfsmith@parc.com)
Mark Howard (mahoward@parc.com)Alumni:
Shahram Izadi (University of Nottingham)
Jason Hong (UC Berkeley)
Karen Marcelo (Survival Research Labs)
Christine Neuwirth (Carnegie Mellon University)
Niels Castle Andersen (Roskilde University, Denmark)
Last Revised: 14march2003