Keynote: recent discoveries from Paxos

Summary form only given. The rapid decrease in the cost of computing and networks has made fault tolerance much cheaper. The gradual increase in the IQ of system designers is leading to a switch from programming hacks to provably fault-tolerant algorithms. These developments have motivated the resumption of archaeological research on Paxos. Some lower-bound theorems have recently been dug up, along with algorithms that achieve them. Rigorous examination of the hypotheses of these theorems have led to more efficient algorithms in certain interesting cases. Great excitement has been generated by a recently discovered parchment. There are indications that it was considered very significant by the Paxons. If it can be deciphered in time, its contents will be presented.