Resource-Oriented Computing with NetKernel

I am writing this book with two purposes in mind. Firstly, I want to create a straightforward path to learning about the concepts and details of resource-oriented computing (ROC)¹. I feel that documentation provided within the NetKernel software is not, and cannot be the right place to this. The need for cross-references makes it hard for the quite reader to find a solid route from novice to expert. Ideally, I can create a pathway from zero, via getting a handle on the concepts, all the way through to learning how to put them into practice and starting to think in a resource-oriented way. Then you can build systems that take advantage of the approach.

The second purpose is to capture the thinking and philosophy behind many of the concepts. I'll try to do this in a way that can be skipped so that it won't affect your ability to proceed.

Preamble

In this book, we describe resource-oriented computing. In doing so, it is necessary to also discuss NetKernel. Resource-oriented computing came out of our work in developing NetKernel, and as such, particularly in the more practical aspects, it is sometimes difficult to untangle the two. Where this appears to be happening, I will try to make the distinction.