Operating systems and cost management

This paper introduces the emerging area of operating system-based cost management. It argues that new developments are dramatically shortening the time constants in cost-based decisions and markedly increasing their complexity. This is particularly true of mobile computing where usage charges will be applied to communication and to the rapidly developing market in for-fee services. Consequently, system software must become aware of costs and must include the user in its optimization process. This paper is an attempt to initiate discussion about operating system services that deal with monetary costs and mentions some basic issues involved. The work has several speculative components; especially those that deal with prediction of interfaces that involve charges. It looks at the evolving nature of computing costs and introduces the notion of a cost-aware abstraction which requires the transfer of money in return for some service.