AmbientTalk: Object-oriented Event-driven Programming in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

In this paper, we describe AmbientTalk: a domain- specific language for orchestrating service discovery and composition in mobile ad hoc networks. AmbientTalk is a distributed object-oriented language whose actor-based, event-driven concurrency model makes it highly suitable for composing service objects across a mobile network. The language is a so-called ambient-oriented programming language which treats network partitions as a normal mode of operation. We describe AmbientTalk's object model, concurrency model and distributed communication model in detail. We also highlight influences from other languages and middleware that have shaped AmbientTalk's design.