Queues Are Spaces - Yet Still Both Are Not The Same?

This paper compares two different paradigms for machine-tomachine communication: messaging and space-based communication. As with human communication, one can distinguish between message-based, directed communication (email – abstracted into “messaging”) on the one hand, and anonymous communication based on persistent publication (Web – abstracted into “spaces”) on the other. However, despite these obvious differences, a closer analysis reveals that messaging can simulate spacebased communication, as well as the other way around, and that both communication styles can, in a certain sense, be viewed as an implementation layer for the other. In our paper, we elaborate on these contradicting views and draw conclusions on the relationship between messaging and spaces on conceptual, technical, functional, and pragmatic levels. Conceptually, space-based communication will replace messaging in heterogeneous environments. Technically, messaging will implement many space-based communication solutions. Functionally, both technologies will nearly perfectly simulate one other. Pragmatically, it must be acknowledged that while, in principle, space-based communication may indeed be the “better” technology, in comparison to the mature message-based industry standards, it faces significant challenges at becoming an adequate and adopted machine-to-machine communication mechanism. However, as the Web established itself as a complementary communication technology five years after the widespread adoption and maturation of email, this point of view may be simply too pessimistic. As usual, it is difficult to predict the future – even, or especially, for the experts in the field. Queues Are Spaces Yet Still Both Are Not The Same?