Agora combines introspection with web search engines to reduce the costs of bringing software components to, and finding components in, the software marketplace. Click here to use the Agora prototype. Until recently, surfing was a typical approach for finding information on the Web. Search engines, such as Webcrawler, Lycos, AltaVista and InfoSeek, enable information published on the Web to be searched and discovered more effectively. Search engines use indexes that are automatically compiled by computer programs, such as robots and spiders that go out over the Internet to discover and collect Internet resources.
Searchers can connect to a search engine site and enter keywords to query the index.
Web pages and other Internet resources that satisfy the query are identified and listed. Introspection is a term associated with JavaBeans that describes the ability of JavaBeans to provide information about their own interfaces. The combination of introspection with component search is a necessary but insufficient element of an on-line component marketplace. Elements required by a component marketplace that are not addressed by this work include security, electronic commerce, and quality assurance.