Middleware 2008

This volume contains the proceedings of the International Middleware Con- rence, held in Leuven, Belgium during December 1–4, 2008. This year marked the ninth rendition of this annual conference in its current format initially - opted in 1998, aspiring to serve as the premier venue focusing exclusively on important middleware results. A lot has happened over the intervening 10-year span. Middleware has become pervasive in an increasinglyinterconnected world, with its concepts now securely embedd