Component‐based ad hoc systems for ubiquitous computing

Abstract

PurposeThe problems with poor performance and quality of ubiquitous applications due to limited computing resources are addressed.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of ad hoc systems is introduced based on the idea that a resource‐limited device may cooperate with computers around to complete a complex task. Subsequently, the adaptive software framework, FRAME, may be improved to realize ad hoc systems.FindingsIt is possible to apply the adaptive software framework to the challenges of ad hoc systems, including a lot of user intervention and unstable computing environments.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study provides a starting‐point for further research in exploring and utilizing ubiquitous resources to achieve a better user experience.Practical implicationsThe component‐based architecture provides a flexible development approach of ubiquitous applications from the software engineering perspective.Originality/valueOur analysis and experimental results show that the concept of ad hoc systems is practical and can be realized by the adaptive software framework.

Anywhere/Anytime Software and Information Access via Collaborative Assistance

“…For instance, the ubiquitous presence of computers allows people to carry with them only a minimal amount of computing hardware and software, depending on ambient computers to boost performance as needed. A smart phone may not have sufficient computation power to playback a high-definition movie but,rather than running the media playback software on a single device, one could look for available computers nearby and connect them together to constitute an ad-hoc system (Ko et al, 2008). The software can then utilize the resources of all participating devices to accomplish the execution collaboratively.…”