Askemos

The aim of Askemos is to enable reliable and justiciable data processing. A modelling framework for Societal Infrastructure Software. See comments on Dan Bricklin's essay "Software that lasts 200 years" for a discussion on applicable software-ecologic principles.

Askemos is real: The Askemos web site itself is just one application (albeit a rather new one) we run at the Askemos/BALL development network (details). A web-alike but peer-to-peer distributed application server featuring a free programmable level instead of any special purpose application as usually found in overlay networks. Implementations of an Askemos peer can be obtained from ball.askemos.org. Note that Askemos.org site is a work in progress concerned with the rationale and abstract specification exclusively; including data formats, protocols, service interfaces etc. - however not the actual implementations.

Askemos combines incorruptible privilege delegation and non-repudiable replication of communicating processes into a trustworthy network. Physical machines under control of their operators execute applications processes under permanent multilateral audit. The network's honest majority of hosts provides users with exclusive control, and thus real ownership of processes. Askemos models a "virtual constitutional state" where physical hosts bear witness to the interactions of virtual agents (akin to citizens). Self verifying identifiers can confirm that original documents have not been tampered with.

The real potential for using Askemos is for identity and time stamp services, informationmanagement in public administration and libraries attaching metadata and archives, with the goal of establishing robust systems that can endure for centuries. German tax law, for instance, has storage requirements, which makes Askemos interesting even for private, individual use. Also Activist groups, non-profits and people who desire privacy and reliability in a chaotic and unpredictable world have much to gain from this software.