Simultaneos

Simultaneos is a term used in theoretical discussions of concurrency and distributed coordination to denote a system property and method enabling the alignment of actions, events, and perceptions across multiple agents at the same time. The term is a coined form of simultaneity, reflecting a focus on true temporal alignment rather than rapid sequential processing.

Core concepts: Decentralized coordination, time-slicing into simultaneous windows, and robust synchronization under partial synchrony. Mechanisms include logical clocks (vector clocks, Hybrid Logical Clocks), consensus protocols, and conflict-resolution strategies.

Definitions: Two related notions are simultaneity of events across nodes and the shared view of a "simultaneos window" within which actions are considered co-occurring.

History: The term emerged in academic and industry discussions in the 2010s as researchers explored synchronized collaboration and real-time distributed simulations. Its use remains specialized.

Applications: Multi-agent robotics, distributed simulations, synchronized live performances and streaming, collaborative editing, and real-time analytics.

Comparison: Distinct from general concurrency, which cares about ordering within a single timeline, and from partial synchronization which tolerates looser alignment.

Limitations and challenges: Clock drift, network delays, partitions, and the need for common time abstractions. Critics argue about feasibility and scalability in ad-hoc networks.

See also: Concurrency, distributed systems, logical clocks, CRDTs, distributed consensus.