Introduction

Although agents and agent-based computing have been an active research area for many years, it is only until now that these topics begin to gain industrial relevance: agent technology is beeing recognized as a powerful tool for the development of large and complex systems. These days, typical software architectures contain many dynamically interacting components, each with their own thread of control and engage in complex coordination protocols [Ciancarini and Wooldridge, 2000]. Therefore, a new programming metaphor that captures these systems is needed. Although the basic structural elements of the agent-based approach as well as their connections are not yet fully understood, it nonetheless seems to be a promising means for dealing with these highly complex systems.