Event-based vs. multi-agent systems: Towards a unified conceptual framework

Event-based systems (EBS) are nowadays the most viable sources of technologies and solutions for large-scale distributed applications. On the other hand, multi-agent systems (MAS) apparently provide the most viable abstractions and coherent methods to deal with complex distributed systems, in particular when advanced features - such as mobility, autonomy, symbolic reasoning, knowledge management, situation recognition - are required. In this position paper we discuss how the core concepts of EBS and MAS can in principle be matched and integrated, providing a sound conceptual ground for a coherent discipline for the engineering of complex software systems.