Abstract

Our increasing ability to construct large and complex computer and information systems suggests that the classical manner in which such systems are understood and architected is inappropriate for the open and unstructured manner in which they are often used. With the appearance of mathematically complex and, more importantly, high scale, non-deterministic systems, such as the World Wide Web, there is a need to understand, construct and maintain systems in a world where their assembly and use may not be precisely predicted. In Addition, few have thus far attempted to study such Web-scale systems holistically so as to understand the implications of non-programmable characteristics, like emergence and evolution – a matter of particular relevance in the new field of Web Science. This collection of prior published works and their associated commentary hence brings together a number of themes focused on Web Science and its broader application in systems and software engineering. It primarily rests on materials presented in the book The Web’s Awake, first published in April 2007.