Enabling Global, Dynamic Web-Based Software Reuse -- Mashware Revisited

In the emerging era of web-based software, applications no longer require installation or manual upgrades - they are simply loaded on the fly. The associated delivery model, referred to as on-demand software, or Software as a Service (SaaS), has recently become very popular. A natural extension of this model is to enable the creation of applications by composing them out of prefabricated components that are downloaded dynamically from the Web. Offering software components as on-demand services will enable software reuse in the global scale. However, there are unforeseen challenges in this kind of "mash ware" approach that require reconsideration of certain basic assumptions that have been valid when developing conventional, installable software. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of the Web as a platform for applications that are constructed using global, shared online components and resources. Moreover, we also address the present state of the practice regarding on-demand software and applications built using this approach.