Distributed systems are a popular and powerful computing paradigm.

Yet existing examples have serious short-comings as a base for general-purpose

computing. This chapter explores the characteristics, strengths,

and weaknesses of distributed systems. It describes a model for a

state-of-the-art distributed system that can do a better job of supporting

general-purpose computing than existing systems. This model system

combines the best features of centralized and networked systems,

with improved availability and security. The chapter concludes by

outlining the technical approaches that appear most promising for

structuring such a system.

Publisher  Addison-Wesley
All copyrights reserved by Addison-Wesley 1993.

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