Re: Mobile Lua - coming on strong

[Josh Simmons <simmons.44@...>]

On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 11:05 AM, Stefan Reich
<stefan.reich.maker.of.eye@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi earthlings =)
>
> OK, so I want to get very serious with this Mobile Lua idea now.
>
> The execution core works. Hyperjumps work. Admin interface is functional
> too. (All in the next release.)
>
> So it is time for some heavy duty marketing.
>
> Here's what I know:
>
> I know that the Mobile Lua concept is both innovative and sound; I know that
> the applications are boundless; and I pretty darn sure know that it is going
> to catch on pretty quickly.
>
> What I am now looking for is a way to convince people of the advantages of
> code mobility.
>
> Maybe you guys can help me out a little here.
>
> For starters, I took a look at the list of the most popular programming
> languages and checked if they offer mobility. Here's the result (most
> popular languages listed first):
>
> Language       Mobility
> -------------------------
> C              not mobile
> Java           only in browser; not transitive
> C++            not mobile
> PHP            not mobile
> JavaScript     only in browser; not transitive
> Python         not mobile
> C#             not mobile
> Perl           not mobile
> SQL            not mobile
> Ruby           not mobile
> Shell          not mobile
> Visual Basic   only in browser (VBS); not transitive
> Assembly       not mobile
> ActionScript   only in browser; not transitive
> Objective C    not mobile
> Lisp           not mobile
> Delphi         not mobile
> Pascal         not mobile
> Scheme         not mobile
> Haskell        not mobile
> Tcl            not mobile
> Fortran        not mobile
> Ada            not mobile
> Lua            full transitive mobility (as Mobile Lua)
>
> "Mobility", here, is defined as the ability of any program to move to
> another computer at any time while preserving its full inner state
> (code+data+threads). (Outside connections, naturally, may have to be
> recreated after moving.)
>
> "Transitive mobility", then, is defined as the ability to move between
> computers more than once per script invocation.
>
> (Note: There may be mobile agent frameworks for multiple languages listed
> above; but if they exist, they don't seem to be in widespread use. So it
> seems they are either too complicated, too heavy-weight or not practically
> usable for other reasons. I am very open for counterexamples if there are
> any!)
>
> So it seems that Lua, with the advent of Mobile Lua, is now the only popular
> language offering full code mobility.
>
> Question is: Are people aware of the advantages of code mobility? Are you
> aware? If not, what would it need for you to understand these advantages?
>
> I have different ideas on how to demonstrate the possibilities of a mobile
> Lua - but I thought I'd check with you guys first to see if you have
> anything to say on this. I really hope that this list will prove a positive
> place and not one of "I want to criticize so I can bring you down".
>
> -- Stefan
>
> PS: Of course, the primary question for any new technology always is: Can it
> do porn? =) (I'll leave the answer to the readers, for now. =)
>

What are the advantages? More importantly, what are the use-cases?

To me the issue with writing applications that run across multiple
machines is reliable concurrent access to shared data, not maintaining
a consistent internal program state.

So I guess the answer to your question is no and probably I'd need a
compelling application that was considerably improved by using this
paradigm.