A new programming language developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge in England is designed to reduce the complexity of building applications for ad hoc peer-to-peer mobile device networks.

Such peer-to-peer mobile device networks, called "pocket-switched networks," could allow communications between wireless devices without the need for conventional cellular networks, thereby eliminating the need for cell towers and base stations, researchers said in a recent issue of MIT's Technology Review.

For example, with an ad hoc network, if a hurricane knocked down cell towers, as happened when Hurricane Katrina hit near New Orleans in 2005, people using wireless devices could theoretically contact one another over pocket-switched networks.

Ad hoc networks would also make it possible for, say, a tourist visiting a city to get information about hotels and restaurants directly from local residents or businesses, instead of having to log onto the Internet for such information.

Peer-to-peer networking is a fairly commonplace idea in wired networks, but linking wireless smartphones and other handheld computers through pocket-switched networks would require using Bluetooth or another short-range wireless network.

The new D3N (Data-Driven Declarative Networking) language was described in a recent paper by University of Cambridge computer science professor Jon Crowcroft and a research team.

More: http://computerworld.com/s/article/9137298/