Atomic Commits in Distributed Systems
From two-phase commit through Paxos commit and Spanner's TrueTime, we trace the moving definition of "atomic" as the network gets larger and the speed of light stays the same.
The science of exchange, plainly told.
transactology.org is a public institute devoted to the study of how value, information, and obligation move between parties. We publish bulletins, host fellows, and maintain a public archive of every paper we have ever cited.
§ 01 · Charter
The Institute exists to make the study of transactions legible — to anyone with the patience to read carefully. We refuse the priesthood model of technical knowledge. Every concept here is documented at three depths: a sentence, a paragraph, and a paper.
- Open archive · all primary sources are free to read, without account.
- Plain language · jargon is glossed on first appearance, and the gloss is hyperlinked.
- Reproducible · every claim is traceable to a numbered source.
§ 02 · Research
Three lines of inquiry, each with its own active reading group. New members are welcomed monthly.
Transactions and Trust
What does it mean for a stranger to keep their side of a deal? We read across cryptography, contract law, and game theory to map the surfaces where trust gets engineered.
The Long Tail of Failure Modes
A catalogue of every novel failure mode reported in the literature since 1979 — partition, skew, drift, replay, and the specifically ugly one nobody has named yet.
§ 03 · Fellows
The Institute hosts six rotating fellows each cycle. Below is the spring 2026 cohort.
- MR M. Reyesqueueing theory
- JK J. Kowalskidistributed consensus
- AT A. Tanakacontract semantics
- NF N. Forrestlogic of obligation
- SP S. Patelstorage durability
- EO E. Okaforauditability
§ 04 · Bulletin
A monthly digest, delivered first as a printed pamphlet and second as an open archive entry. The most recent issues:
- 011"On the Word Commit"apr 26
- 010"Time, Clocks, and the Ordering of Events"mar 26
- 009"What Can Be Witnessed"feb 26
- 008"Two-Phase Reconsidered"jan 26
- 007"A Field Guide to Skew"dec 25
§ 05 · Archive
The full archive holds 2,847 papers across 38 disciplines, every one indexed by primary claim.
2,847papers
38disciplines
11,920citations mapped
0paywalls
You gave:your time_
You received:knowledge of exchange
// receipt#4209-spring-26
contact: institute@transactology.org · membership: apply.transactology.org
© 2026 Institute for the Science of Exchange · open archive · CC-BY 4.0