<s>
In	O
computer	O
science	O
,	O
soft	B-Architecture
state	I-Architecture
is	O
state	B-Application
which	O
is	O
useful	O
for	O
efficiency	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
essential	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
regenerated	O
or	O
replaced	O
if	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
is	O
often	O
used	O
in	O
network	O
protocol	B-General_Concept
engineering	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
in	O
general	O
less	O
efficient	O
than	O
well-designed	O
"	O
hard	O
state	B-Application
"	O
protocols	O
when	O
tuned	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
network	O
regime	O
,	O
soft	B-Architecture
state	I-Architecture
protocols	O
behave	O
much	O
better	O
than	O
hard	O
state	B-Application
protocols	O
in	O
an	O
unpredictable	O
network	O
environment	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
