This book describes a model agent system and promotes a public domain standard, examining all of the elements of a good agent system. Includes software agent on the enclosed disk.
There's a considerable amount of media and industry hype concerning software agents on the Internet that would serve as our virtual online doggies, doing our bidding while we sleep, and electronically ordering newspapers, airline tickets -- and even books from Amazon.com. There is some promise to these premises, and Wayner does a good job of providing practical LISP and TCL programming tips, modules, and explaining the security issues of digital cash essential for developing software agents for financial transactions.
So don't let the title fool you: Wayner is in fact promoting responsible Agent-hood, and has no interest in agents "unleashed". In fact, the book would have more accurately been entitled, "Keeping Your Agents on a Leash."