An agent server for the next generation of Web applications

Abstract

We expect that the next generation of Web applications will provide services based on information about individual users, and will be integrated with e-mail notification services. However, existing approaches are not adequate for developing such applications. We therefore provide a framework and running environment, named Caribbean. The framework is based on a concept of multi-agent systems. Modules, namely agents, are partitioned in accordance with the roles of participants. The authors first explain the type of applications for which Caribbean is intended by describing two examples that were developed. Then, they introduce the Caribbean framework. Finally, they discuss the benefits of the framework for application developers.