Service Oriented Computing: A New Challenge for Process Algebras

Service Oriented Computing is emerging as a reference model for a new class of distributed computing technologies such as Web Services and the Grid. We discuss three main aspects of Service Oriented Computing (loose coupling, communication latency, and open endedness), and we relate them with traditional process algebra operators. We also indicate some new issues, raising from the combination of these three aspects, that require the investigation of suitable new process algebra operators.