Fallacies of Distributed Computing

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Peter Deutsch asserted that programmers new to distributed applications invariably make a set of assumptions known as the Fallacies of Distributed Computing and that all of these assumptions ultimately prove false, resulting either in the failure of the system, a substantial reduction in system scope, or in large unplanned expenses required to redesign the system to meet its original goals.

Contents 1 The fallacies 2 History 3 See also 3.1 External links 3.2 References

[edit] The fallacies

The fallacies are summarized as follows:^[1]

1. The network is reliable.
2. Latency is zero.
3. Bandwidth is infinite.
4. The network is secure.
5. Topology doesn't change.
6. There is one administrator.
7. Transport cost is zero.
8. The network is homogeneous.

[edit] History

The list of fallacies generally came about at Sun Microsystems. Peter Deutsch, one of the original Sun "Fellows," is credited with penning the first seven fallacies in 1994; however, Bill Joy and Tom Lyon had already identified the first four as "The Fallacies of Networked Computing"^[2] (the article claims "Dave Lyon," but this is considered a mistake). Around 1997, James Gosling, another Sun Fellow and the inventor of Java, added the eighth fallacy.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Distributed computing

[edit] External links

• The Eight Fallacies of Distributed Computing
• Fallacies of Distributed Computing Explained by Arnon Rotem-Gal-Oz

[edit] References

1. ^ "The Eight Fallacies of Distributed Computing". http://blogs.sun.com/jag/resource/Fallacies.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Deutsch's Fallacies, 10 Years After". http://java.sys-con.com/read/38665.htm. 

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