Discrete Event Systems, Manufacturing Systems, and Communication Networks

The study of discrete event dynamical systems (DEDS) has become popular among researchers in systems and control, in communication networks, in manufacturing, and in distributed computing. This development has created problems for researchers and potential consumers of the research. The first problem is the Babel of languages, formalisms and approaches, which make it difficult to determine the commonalities and distinctions among the competing schools of approaches. The second, related problem arises from the different traditions, paradigms, values and experiences that scholars bring to their study of DEDS, depending on whether they come from control, communication, computer science or mathematical logic. As a result, intellectual exchange among scholars becomes compromised by unexplicated assumptions.