Jade - Java Agent DEvelopment Framework

JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment Framework) is a software Framework fully implemented in Java language. It simplifies the implementation of multi-agent systems through a middle-ware that complies with the FIPA specifications and through a set of graphical tools that supports the debugging and deployment phases. The agent platform can be distributed across machines (which not even need to share the same OS) and the configuration can be controlled via a remote GUI. The configuration can be even changed at run-time by moving agents from one machine to another one, as and when required. JADE is completely implemented in Java language and the minimal system requirement is the version 1.4 of JAVA (the run time environment or the JDK).

The synergy between the JADE platform and the LEAP libraries allows to obtain a FIPA-compliant agent platform with reduced footprint and compatibility with mobile Java environments down to J2ME-CLDC MIDP 1.0. The LEAP libraries have been developed with the collaboration of the LEAP project and can be downloaded as an add-on of JADE from this same Web site.

JADE is free software and is distributed by Telecom Italia, the copyright holder, in open source software under the terms of the LGPL ( Lesser General Public License Version 2). Since May 2003, a JADE Board has been created that supervisions the management of the JADE Project. Currently the JADE Board lists 5members: Telecom Italia, Motorola, Whitestein Technologies AG , Profactor GmbH, and France Telecom R&D.

The latest version of JADE is JADE 3.6 released on 5th May 2008.

Telecom Italia acknowledges that this project is partially supported
by the Italian M.I.U.R. through the Te.S.C.He.T. Project .

WADE (Workflows and Agents Development Environment) is a JADE extension that allows agents to execute tasks defined according to the workflow metaphor.

05.05.2008
JADE 3.6 and WADE 1.0 released

JADE 3.6 and WADE 1.0 have been released. WADE(Workflows and Agents Development Environment) is a domain independent software platform, built on top of JADE, that gives JADE agents the ability to execute tasks defined according to the workflow metaphor. The key component of the WADE platform is the WorkflowEngineAgent class that extends the basic Agent class of the JADE library embedding a small and lightweight workflow engine. Besides normal JADE behaviours, a WorkflowEngineAgent is therefore able to execute workflows represented according to a WADE specific formalism. This formalism is based on the Java language: a WADE workflow is actually a Java class with a well defined structure. This approach makes it possible to combine the expressiveness of the workflow metaphor with the power of a programming language such as Java, and enables the usage of workflows for system internal logics definition.