Operating systems for component software environments

Abstract

Although component software has emerged as one of the most significant and commercially successful technologies of the past few years, few operating systems (OSs) are designed to host and manage component software effectively. Components impact OS architectures in the areas of security, process isolation, code sharing, installation management and user interface design. A more radical question is: can effective OSs be built of modular, interchangeable component parts? The thesis of this paper is that effective support of components is a key requirement for OSs of the future.