Coping with Heterogeneity in Software Architecture

<p>For software, as for buildings, no single architectural style can solve all problems: Heterogeneity is inevitable. Just as inevitable, diverse components and systems will have to work together. Distinct architectural styles often require different component packaging and interactions; these complicate the interoperation problem. We need to improve our ability to recognize mismatches among heterogeneous parts, to organize our current <em>ad hoc</em> techniques for coping with these mismatches, and to develop design guidance for selecting the appropriate mismatch resolution technique for each specific problem. This position paper lays out a preliminary structure for discussing the problem and suggests useful directions.</p>