Signs of a Revolution in Computer Science and Software Engineering

Several characteristics distinguish today’s complex software systems from “traditional” ones. Examples in different areas show that these characteristics, already the focus of agent-oriented software engineering research, influence many application domains. These characteristics will impact how software systems are modeled and engineered. We are on the edge of a revolutionary shift of paradigm, pioneered by the multi-agent systems community, and likely to change our very attitudes in software systems modeling and engineering.