J-SEAL2—A Secure High-Performance Mobile Agent System

Even though the advantages of mobile agents for distributed electronic commerce applications have been highlighted in numerous research works, mobile agent applications are not in widespread use today. For the success of mobile agent applications, secure, portable, and efficient execution platforms for mobile agents are crucial. However, popular mobile agent systems do not meet the high security requirements of electronic commerce applications, are not portable, or cause high overhead. Currently, the majority of mobile agent platforms is based on Java. These systems simply rely on the security model of Java, although it is not suited to protect agents and service components from each other.In contrast, J-SEAL2 is a mobile agent system designed to meet the high security, portability, and performance requirements of large-scale electronic commerce applications. J-SEAL2 extends the Java environment with a model of strong protection domains. The core of the system is a micro-kernel fulfilling the same functions as a traditional operating system kernel: protection, communication, domain termination, and resource control. For portability reasons, J-SEAL2 is implemented in pure Java. This paper focuses on the design of the new communication model in J-SEAL2, which allows convenient, efficient, and mediated communication in a hierarchy of strong protection domains.     

Assessing e‐commerce systems success: a respecification and validation of the DeLone and McLean model of IS success

Abstract. DeLone & McLean (2003) propose an updated information systems (IS) success model and suggest that it can be extended to investigating e‐commerce systems success. However, the updated IS success model has not been empirically validated in the context of e‐commerce. Further, the existing IS/e‐commerce success models have been subject to considerable debate on the ‘IS Use’ and ‘Perceived Usefulness’ constructs, and the nomological structure of the updated DeLone and McLean model is somewhat inconsistent with the IS acceptance and marketing literature. Based on the IS and marketing literature, this paper respecifies and validates a multidimensional model for assessing e‐commerce systems success. The validated model consists of six dimensions: Information Quality, System Quality, Service Quality, Perceived Value, User Satisfaction and Intention to Reuse. Structural equation modelling techniques were applied to data collected by questionnaire from 240 users of e‐commerce systems in Taiwan. The empirical evidence suggests that Intention to Reuse is affected by Perceived Value and User Satisfaction, which, in turn, are influenced by Information Quality, System Quality and Service Quality. The nomological structure of the respecified e‐commerce systems success model is concurred with that of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the IS field and the consumer behaviour models in the traditional business‐to‐business and retail contexts. The findings of this study provide several important implications for research and practice. This paper concludes by discussing the contributions of this study and the limitations that could be addressed in future studies.     

个性化电子商务购物模型研究

电子商务的蓬勃发展极大地改变了传统的购物行为,越来越多的人愿意尝试通过互联网购物。本文提出了一个个性化购物模型,该模型采用代理技术来促进互联网购物自动化,提高购物效率,在代理技术的基础上,购物模型集成了基于知识的决策生成方法和偏好获取方法,进而为自动购物提供决策支持,最后,实现了一个用于轿车购物的实验原型系统以验证提出的购物模型。结论表明,本系统运行效率高,能够为利用互联网购物的客户节省大量时间。     

Transforming society by transforming technology: the science and politics of participatory design

This article attempts to shed historical light on some of the social, political, and ethical issues that have arisen from two disparate perspectives on technology which have both come to integrate an explicit consideration of social factors into systems design. It presents two distinct historical traditions which have contributed to the current field of participatory design methodologies—Joint Application Design (JAD^®), and the British “socio-technical systems” and Scandinavian “collective resources” approaches—and which in practice integrated the end-users in different ways consequent upon their differing perspectives on workers, professional relationships to technology, and stated goals. One interest in examining the independent development of methodologies from these two perspectives is that, despite their differences, the approaches ultimately converged on a set of shared concerns and very similar practices.The paper also examines the relation of these traditions to transformations in the theorization of business organization and trends of corporate restructuring which helped to secure a place for variants of related methodologies in major US and multinational corporations. It concludes with an examination of some broader issues in the relationship between technology and society and the prospects for the critical study of technology. I argue that participatory design and its related methodologies are best understood as a model for involving users, designers and the technology itself in a process of technological development. Rather than seeing participatory design as merely the insertion of public dialog within technological design practices, as several observers have done, we should see it as a model for the critical practice of developing technological designs.     

Distributed data mining on Agent Grid: Issues,platform and development toolkit

Centralized data mining techniques are widely used today for the analysis of large corporate and scientific data stored in databases. However, industry, science, and commerce fields often need to analyze very large datasets maintained over geographically distributed sites by using the computational power of distributed systems. The Grid can play a significant role in providing an effective computational infrastructure support for this kind of data mining. Similarly, the advent of multi-agent systems has brought us a new paradigm for the development of complex distributed applications. During the past decades, there have been several models and systems proposed to apply agent technology building distributed data mining (DDM). Through a combination of these two techniques, we investigated the critical issues to build DDM on Grid infrastructure and design an Agent Grid Intelligent Platform as a testbed. We also implement an integrated toolkit VAStudio for quickly developing agent-based DDM applications and compare its function with other systems.     

电子商务中的隐私保护技术研究

随着电子商务在全球范围内的迅猛发展.商业机构都通过网络进行各种商务活动.电子商务给人们生活带来诸多便利的同时,出现了一些新的问题,其中之一就是个人隐私泄漏.总结电子商务环境下所采用的隐私保护关键技术,主要包括匿名通信技术、数据变换技术、密码和密码协议、K-匿名技术.     

Integrity protection for Code-on-Demand mobile agents in e-commerce

The mobile agent paradigm has been proposed as a promising solution to facilitate distributed computing over open and heterogeneous networks. Mobility, autonomy, and intelligence are identified as key features of mobile agent systems and enabling characteristics for the next-generation smart electronic commerce on the Internet. However, security-related issues, especially integrity protection in mobile agent technology, still hinder the widespread use of software agents: from the agent's perspective, mobile agent integrity should be protected against attacks from malicious hosts and other agents. In this paper, we present Code-on-Demand (CoD) mobile agents and a corresponding agent integrity protection scheme. Compared to the traditional assumption that mobile agents consist of invariant code parts, we propose the use of dynamically upgradeable agent code, in which new agent function modules can be added and redundant ones can be deleted at runtime. This approach will reduce the weight of agent programs, equip mobile agents with more flexibility, enhance code privacy and help the recoverability of agents after attack. In order to meet the security challenges for agent integrity protection, we propose agent code change authorization protocols and a double integrity verification scheme. Finally, we discuss the Java implementation of CoD mobile agents and integrity protection.     

多Agent系统中软构件的动态绑定机制及其操作语义

近年来,越来越多的以计算机网络为平台的应用系统表现出自主性、动态性、开放性和异构性的特点,这使得软件开发理论和技术需要从软件体系结构的角度对这类系统的开发提供支持.面向Agent的软件开发技术提供了高层和自然的抽象方式对软件系统进行分析和设计,但现有面向Agent的方法学将Agent Class或者Agent Type视为多Agent系统软件体系结构的软构件,与Agent之间的关系仅仅是实例化的关系,这难以满足复杂系统对动态性的需求.从软件体系结构的角度上分析了多Agent系统中软构件的形式和机制,将Caste作为软构件,并以此为基础提出了Caste与Agent之间的动态绑定关系,定义了支持该机制的4个基本操作:join,quit,activate和inactivate及其操作语义,用以来指导多Agent系统软件体系结构的设计和实现.     

基于移动Agent的电子商务模型研究

在分析电子商务中应用移动代理技术的原因和优势的基础上,设计并实现了一个基于移动代理的电子商务系统模型。描述了一种用以设计和开发电子商务系统的移动Agent技术的概要性实现框架。在电子商务中采用Agent技术的目的主要是为了解决用户在使用电子商务中遇到的相关问题,并且以较低的代价增强商家为用户提供商品和服务。移动代理技术的引入将进一步增强电子商务的吸引力及其服务的能力,有效地解决目前电子商务发展中出现的诸多问题,如资源发现、交易协商,以及交易自动化等。     

基于Java ME和Java EE的移动商务系统设计与实现

随着移动通信广泛应用和电子商务技术的成熟壮大,移动商务已经具备了发展的基础条件,电子商务逐渐向移动商务迁移,但移动商务服务领域仍很薄弱.本文针对移动商务环境,提出了一种基于Java ME和Java EE的移动商务系统架构,并进行系统分析与设计,采用Eclipse、WTK等开发工具编程实现,经过实验证明该系统能够有效地实现移动商务处理,该架构和开发技术可以应用于移动商务服务系统以及其他移动应用系统的构建.     

Anthropoid agents

In the study of agents on the Internet, we often ascribe to them human qualities, such as beliefs and intentions. These qualities are best understood as metaphors that give developers a way to talk about and design the capabilities and applications of agents. Despite all the progress in computing, users have been slow to accept the technology. They have often accepted what was thrown at them, but only under economic duress. Bringing the technology closer to their emotional needs might ease this resistance. So how can we put a human face on computing? Maybe by putting an animated face on it! Thus, an interface may consist of an agent, which has an explicit presence (for example, as an on-screen animated figure) and appears to have a personality. In computer human interfaces, especially for education and commerce where a large variety of people must deal with computers, an anthropoid agent might be more inviting. Depending on the situation, the agent might appear shy, friendly, stern, or knowledgeable. For example, people might better accept advice offered politely by a shy agent, or heed warnings uttered seriously by a stern agent. And they might be more likely to purchase goods or services offered by a friendly, knowledgeable agent that could appear empathetic to their needs     

Improving facility planning with decision technology systems

Facility planning is a complex process that requires art, science, and technology. Several methodologies have been generated to facilitate this process. Computer information systems (CIS) have been developed to deliver these methodologies and to provide knowledge relevant for effective facility planning. Since accurate decisions are required at each step of the process, the development effort has focused on CISs that support decision-making.Traditionally, the support has been provided in a segmented fashion and for separate phases of the decision-making process. To be absolutely effective, the support should be integrated and complete. There have been efforts to provide the required CIS support, but these systems have inherent conceptual shortcomings. Moreover, the newer and enhanced systems create additional problems that will prevent them from providing integrated support for all decision making phases in facility planning.This paper examines the facility planning process. Then traditional and enhanced information systems support is reviewed and the inherent shortcomings and unresolved integration problems are explained. Finally, an alternative approach, referred to as a Decision Technology System (DTS), is proposed to resolve the difficulties.     

入侵检测系统在电子商务中的应用研究

Internet技术的不断发展,电子商务在全球经济一体化的进程中越来越得到重视,成为人们关注的焦点。在电子商务活动中,安全性是一个至关重要的问题,必须要保证信息交流的绝对安全。本文通过对电子商务及其安全进行分析,以及对目前的入侵检测系统进行了分析和研究,提出了一种主动的分布式入侵检测系统,并将其应用在电子商务当中。     

基于多代理的分布式智能电子商务系统设计

传统电子商务系统结构比较单一,一般是由若干个固定的服务器组成,每个服务器提供固定功能的服务,这样就限制了系统的安全性和鲁棒性的提高。同时,系统的交易形式不够灵活,无法让交易双方在任意时间就商品的价格、折扣和交易时间等问题进行即时协调和协商,以达到尽最大努力促使交易成功,从而达到双赢的目的。针对以上问题,本文提出了基于多代理的分布式智能电子商务系统设计,即利用多代理技术实现系统结构的分布式设计和交易过程的智能化,让智能代理按照客户的意愿自动地帮助客户进行交易商品的查询、谈判和交易。本方法不仅有效地提高了系统的鲁棒性、安全性和健壮性,而且促进了系统向智能化方向发展。最后利用JADE平台实现系统,从而证明了实现方案的可行性。     

Effects of organizational context and inter-group behaviour on the success of strategic information systems planning: an empirical study

The strategic value of information systems (IS) and the impact of information technology (IT) on business competitiveness has increased the need for effective strategic information systems planning (SISP). However, numerous strategic information systems planning methodologies stress the rational and formal aspects of organizational life, while ignoring the complexity of actual organizational situations which are characterized by human behaviour. Additionally, although numerous researchers have conducted empirical studies examining the relationship between various factors and strategic IS planning effectiveness, many factors have received little attention. This study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyse the effects of organizational context and inter-group behaviour on the success of SISP. A survey of senior IS executives in Taiwan was used to test the relationships between the constructs in the research model. The results showed that certain factors relating to organizational context and inter-group behaviour influenced the success of SISP. Finally, the implications of this finding for IS practice and future research are examined.     

Formalized systems development methodologies: a critical perspective

Systems development issues occupy a position of central importance in the information systems field and much has been prescribed in the quest for successful systems development. However, given the well-documented 'software crisis', success is far from guaranteed for systems development projects. Many researchers see the solution to the software crisis in terms of increased control and the more widespread adoption of rigorous and formalized system development methodologies. This paper presents some arguments and pressures which support the use of methodologies and some evidence of the literature bias which favours methodologies is provided. However the problems associated with the use of methodologies have not perhaps received as much attention in previous research. This paper identifies a number of arguments and pressures which question the value of methodologies, and reports the results of a field study which investigated the role of methodologies in practice. The critical perspective adopted throughout shows that, contrary to the predominant view in literature, the assumption that increased adoption of methodologies addresses the problems inherent in systems development is by no means proven.     

Link and <link.library>: Resources for north‐south library development

The rapid growth of the Internet in recent years as a means of delivering information has had a number of profound effects. Information providers (such as libraries and publishers) wish to provide full text document delivery, although they often have concerns about receiving remuneration for it This is balanced by end‐users becoming aware that, despite the vast amount of ‘free’ information on the Internet, and especially the World Wide Web, ‘good’ information may require payment In parallel with this, the growing commercialisation of the Internet has resulted in the development of mechanisms and systems which support commercial transactions over open, public networks. A European funded research project, COPINET, has been investigating all these areas. Part of the COPINET project workplan was to conduct a survey of the available technologies for electronic commerce over the World Wide Web and this paper gives an overview of the main systems available. The whole domain is undergoing such rapid changes that it is almost impossible to be completely current, but most of the systems described here have been in existence for the life of the project     

ELDAMeth: An agent-oriented methodology for simulation-based prototyping of distributed agent systems

In application domains, such as distributed information retrieval, content management and distribution, e-Commerce, the agent-based computing paradigm has been demonstrated to be effective for the analysis, design and implementation of distributed software systems. In particular, several agent-oriented methodologies, incorporating suitable agent models, frameworks and tools, have been to date defined to support the development lifecycle of distributed agent systems (DAS). However, few of them provide effective validation methods to analyze design objects at different degrees of refinement before their actual implementation and deployment. In this paper, ELDAMeth, a simulation-based methodology for DAS, which enables rapid prototyping based on visual programming, validation, and automatic code generation for JADE-based DAS, is presented. ELDAMeth can be used both stand-alone for the modeling and evaluation of DAS and coupled with other agent-oriented methodologies for enhancing them with simulation-based validation. In particular, the proposed methodology, which is based on the ELDA (Event-driven Lightweight Distilled StateCharts-based Agents) agent model, provides key programming abstractions (event-driven computation, multi-coordination, and coarse-grained strong mobility) very suitable for highly dynamic distributed computing and is supported by a CASE tool-driven iterative process seamlessly covering the detailed design, simulation, and implementation phases of DAS. A simple yet effective case study in the distributed information retrieval domain is used to illustrate the proposed methodology.     

Systems Planning in Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce Environments

Past research demonstrates that inter-organisational systems' (IOS) planning lacks appropriate methodological guidelines, and it tends to be practised in an insular manner. To understand IOS planning better, this paper examines the planning and implementation undertaken in three business-to-business electronic commerce networks. Analysis reveals that systems planning processes are heavily influenced by the planning environments within which they take place. Based on these environments, recommendations for IOS planning guidelines are developed. These relate to the planning process, planning roles, the incorporation of business strategy, changes in organisational activity, as well as systems and technology planning.     

Mobile agents with Java: The Aglet API

Java, the language that changed the Web overnight, offers some unique capabilities that are fueling the development of mobile agent systems. In this article we will show what exactly it is that makes Java such a powerful tool for mobile agent development. We will also draw attention to some shortcomings in Java language systems that have implications for the conceptual design and use of Java-based mobile agent systems. Last, but not least, we will introduce the aglet – a Java-based agile agent. We will give an overview of the aglet and, its application programming interface, and present a real-world example of its use in electronic commerce.