Although the pervasive computing revolution has already begun to affect our lives in ways we do not even notice, there are many challenges ahead to fully realize the objectives of pervasive computing. Among the myriad of tools expected to support these are: resource location framework, data management (e.g., replica control) framework, communication paradigms, and smart interaction mechanisms. Also, the infrastructures needed to support pervasive computing applications and information appliances should be easy for anyone to use and the interaction with the devices should be intuitive. This issue contains a collection of papers that explore these topics. These papers will help technologists to share in the successes of others in this field and also to understand problems researchers are having in creating ubiquitous computing environments. Our experiences are conveyed to motivate further work in the area and to help all of us envision and create the future.