MultiLog: a tool for the control and output merging of multiple logging applications

MultiLog is a logging tool that controls, gathers, and combines the output, on-the-fly, from existing research and commercial logging applications or “loggers.” Loggers record a specific set of user actions on a computing device, helping researchers to better understand environments or interactions, guiding the design of new or improved interfaces and applications. MultiLog reduces researchers’ required implementation effort by simplifying the set-up of multiple loggers and seamlessly combining their output. This in turn increases the availability of logging systems to non-technical experimenters for both short-term and longitudinal observation studies. MultiLog supports two operating modes: “researcher mode” where experimenters configure multiple logging systems, and “deployment mode” where the system is deployed to user-study participants’ systems. Researcher mode allows researchers to install, configure log filtering and obfuscation, observe near real-time event streams, and save configuration files ready for deployment. Deployment mode simplifies data collection from multiple loggers by running in the system tray at user log-in, starting loggers, combining their output, and securely uploading the data to a web-server. It also supports real-time browsing of log data, pausing of logging, and removal of log lines. Performance evaluations show that MultiLog does not adversely affect system performance, even when simultaneously running several logging systems. Initial studies show the system runs reliably over a period of 10 weeks

Supporting Mobile Developers through A Java IDE

There exist several challenges in supporting mobile applications. For example, creating a separate target application for each device type, leaving developers with a huge maintenance chore. Most desktop applications run on largely homogenous hardware so instead of writing the same code over and over again, developers only need to write modules to implement a particular need. This is because even though there are differences in PC hardware configurations, the same desktop application will work fine on any hardware as the operating system provides an abstract layer. This is the way mobile applications are expected to work. However, this has been divided into dozens of ill-assorted versions. Java mobile applications developers spend more time rewriting code to run on different versions of mobile devices more than they do actually creating application in the first place. This is an intolerable burden for small mobile developers, and it stifles mobile software innovation overall. Mobile devices differ in a variety of attributes, such as screen size, colour depth and the optional hardware devices they support such as cameras, GPS etc. The differences often require special code or project settings for successful deployment for each device a developer is targeting but this creates a huge logistical overhead. One potential solution that is shipped with NetBeans IDE is to add a new configuration for each device, modify the project properties, add some pre-processing code, then build and deploy the application. In most cases, one configuration for each distribution of the Java Archive (JAR) one plans to build for the project is created. For example, if a developer is planning to support three different screen sizes using two sets of vendor specific APIs, one needs to create six configurations. This reduces the performance of the application drastically and increases the size at the same time. This is not acceptable for mobile devices where memory size and processor performance are limited. The goal of this research work is to support mobile application development through a Java IDE (the NetBeans IDE in this case). Therefore, our approach will be to modify the NetBeans IDE to better address the difficulty that was mentioned above – namely targeting applications for different platforms. Our solution is to integrate another type of a preprocessor into the NetBeans IDE that will help alleviate the problems of the existing tool. Our approach is to directly implement this inside the NetBeans IDE to further support mobile application development with the NetBeans IDE

Understanding and improving cross-application interaction in desktop computing

Cross-application interaction on modern computer operating systems is becoming more prevalent as users begin to work more dynamically and utilise more applications simultaneously to complete a task. Such tasks could consist of writing a research paper, developing software or preparing a presentation. These tasks all require the use of multiple applications to complete. However, the interaction between these applications is still poorly understood. At present the research community does not have an extensive overview of the ways in which users work with multiple applications to complete tasks. Previous research mainly focusses on interaction within windows which lacks the cross-application element. Data flow between applications is also not fully understood. Research into a more conceptual, higher level approach to working, with a view to understanding how interaction and communication between these applications aids users when completing tasks, is required. This work has two main aims: 1) To understand how users utilise the open application set to complete tasks and 2) To improve cross-application interaction for users. Within (1) MultiLog (an extensive logging framework) is presented. The MultiLog system is used to gather data during a 90 day study logging users’ interactions with their PCs. This data is then analysed and presented. Within (2) this thesis uses these results to inform the design of QuickFileAccess which aids users when locating folders by dynamically managing the Windows Quick Access list. The results of the log study enabled previously published results to be updated. New results in the area of data transfer, covered a deep understanding of not only how users employed the Windows clipboard to transfer data between applications, but also how participants utilised the “drag-and-drop” facility for data transfer. Results informed the design and development of the QuickFileAccess tool

Combining SOA and BPM Technologies for Cross-System Process Automation

This paper summarizes the results of an industry case study that introduced a cross-system business process automation solution based on a combination of SOA and BPM standard technologies (i.e., BPMN, BPEL, WSDL). Besides discussing major weaknesses of the existing, custom-built, solution and comparing them against experiences with the developed prototype, the paper presents a course of action for transforming the current solution into the proposed solution. This includes a general approach, consisting of four distinct steps, as well as specific action items that are to be performed for every step. The discussion also covers language and tool support and challenges arising from the transformation

Axmedis 2005

The AXMEDIS conference aims to promote discussions and interactions among researchers, practitioners, developers and users of tools, technology transfer experts, and project managers, to bring together a variety of participants. The conference focuses on the challenges in the cross-media domain (which include production, protection, management, representation, formats, aggregation, workflow, distribution, business and transaction models), and the integration of content management systems and distribution chains, with particular emphasis on cost reduction and effective solutions for complex cross-domain problems