A distributed processing system includes a plurality of cells where each cell processes information in response to a type of event, and cells communicate with each other according to an (asynchronous) event-reaction protocol. According to one embodiment, each cell is responsive to a single type of event and includes a plurality of scripts which are executed upon the occurrence of an event of the appropriate type. At least some scripts include directions to send information to one or more scripts in another cell. According to another embodiment, some cells communicate with other cells according to a (synchronous) streaming protocol and other cells communicate according to an (asynchronous) event-reaction protocol. The cells communicate with each other via a shared memory or via a communications bus. The communications protocol utilized by the cells enables the use of virtually any networking medium. Thus, cells may reside in the same chip or may be separated from each other by thousands of miles.