[e2e] About the primitives and their value

[Pekka Nikander]

Joe,

> If we saw a paradigm that didn't relocate the problem (e.g., as
> publish/subscribe does), sure. I haven't seen one yet. From an
> information theoretic view, I'm not sure it's possible, either, but  
> I'd
> be glad to see suggestions.

I'm afraid you may be underestimating the value relocating a problem  
might have.

Having a tussle locally, where there may be some jurisdiction that  
applies to both parties, may be easier to solve than having a tussle  
that must be fought over the network, with many interest holders and  
jurisdictions over the way.

Hence, while sub/pub or pub/sub may "just" relocate "the problem"  
compared to send/receive, that relocation may have real life effects  
on the scale of macro-economic problems (spam) caused by "the  
problem" (the cost of sending being lower than the cost of receiving).

In other words, IMHO, it is important for us to understand that macro  
behaviour results as an emergent property from individual micro- 
behaviours and strategies, which in turn are affected by the local  
tussle grounds created by the limitations posed by the technical  
system AND the local jurisdictions (and other factors, such as  
culture in the large).  If a technical system manages to limit some  
problem so that it can be localised to apply between two mutually- 
strongly-identifiable parties, preferably under a single  
jurisdiction, that changes the tussle grounds by creating larger  
possibilities for local retaliation, acting as disincentive for  
misbehaviour.  That in turn may have sizeable visible effects in the  
macro behaviour, since it has the potential of changing "good  
behaviour" from a bad strategy into a sustainable one.

A partial reading list for me to still wade through: Shelling,  
Micromotives and Macrobehaviour; Young, Individual Strategy and  
Social Behaviour; and Dörner, Logic of Failure.  Plus of course  
Axelrod, which I already referred to.

--Pekka