AGORA: a search engine for software components

Using JavaBeans and CORBA agents in conjunction with Web search technologies, this prototype search engine (Agora), automatically generates and indexes a worldwide database of software products, classified by component model. Users of Agora can search for components in this database by describing specific properties of a component's interface. The system combines Web search engines with an introspection process. Introspection, primarily associated with JavaBeans, describes the capability of components to provide information about their own interfaces. The Common Object Request Broker Architecture offers a similar capability, although this data is maintained external to the CORBA server in an interface repository.