Distributed Wikis: A Survey

International audienceSUMMARY "Distributed Wiki" is a generic term covering various systems, including "peer-to-peer wiki," "mobile wiki," "offline wiki," "federated wiki" and others. Distributed wikis distribute their pages among the sites of autonomous participants to address various motivations, including high availability of data, new collaboration models and different viewpoint of subjects. Although existing systems share some common basic concepts, it is often difficult to understand the specificity of each one, the underlying complexities or the best context in which to use it. In this paper, we define, classify and characterize distributed wikis. We identify three classes of distributed wiki systems, each using a different collaboration model and distribution scheme for its pages: highly available wikis, decentralized social wikis and federated wikis. We classify existing distributed wikis according to these classes. We detail their underlying complexities and social and technical motivations. We also highlight some directions for research and opportunities for new systems with original social and technical motivations

UniWiki: A Collaborative P2P System for Distributed Wiki Applications

International audienceThe ever growing request for digital information raises the need for content distribution architectures providing high storage capacity, data availability and good performance. While many simple solutions for scalable distribution of quasi-static content exist, there are still no approaches that can ensure both scalability and consistency for the case of highly dynamic content, such as the data managed inside wikis. We propose a peer to peer solution for distributing and managing dynamic content, that combines two widely studied technologies: distributed hash tables (DHT) and optimistic replication. In our "universal wiki" engine architecture (UniWiki), on top of a reliable, inexpensive and consistent DHT-based storage, any number of front-ends can be added, ensuring both read and write scalability, as well as suitability for large-scale scenarios. The implementation is based on a Distributed Interception Middleware, thus separating distribution, replication, and consistency responsibilities, and also making our system transparently usable by third party wiki engines

Building a collaborative peer-to-peer wiki system on a structured overlay

International audienceThe ever growing request for digital information raises the need for content distribution architectures providing high storage capacity, data availability and good performance. While many simple solutions for scalable distribution of quasi-static content exist, there are still no approaches that can ensure both scalability and consistency for the case of highly dynamic content, such as the data managed inside wikis. We propose a peer-to-peer solution for distributing and managing dynamic content, that combines two widely studied technologies: Distributed Hash Tables (DHT) and optimistic replication. In our “universal wiki” engine architecture (UniWiki), on top of a reliable, inexpensive and consistent DHT-based storage, any number of front-ends can be added, ensuring both read and write scalability, as well as suitability for large-scale scenarios. The implementation is based on Damon, a distributed AOP middleware, thus separating distribution, replication, and consistency responsibilities, and also making our system transparently usable by third party wiki engines. Finally, UniWiki has been proved viable and fairly efficient in large-scale scenarios

UniWiki: A Reliable and Scalable Peer-to-Peer System for Distributing Wiki Applications

The ever growing request for digital information raises the need for content distribution architectures providing high storage capacity, data availability and good performance. While many simple solutions for scalable distribution of quasi-static content exist, there are still no approaches that can ensure both scalability and consistency for the case of highly dynamic content, such as the data managed inside wikis. In this paper, we propose a peer to peer solution for distributing and managing dynamic content, that combines two widely studied technologies: distributed hash tables (DHT) and optimistic replication. In our ``universal wiki'' engine architecture (UniWiki), on top of a reliable, inexpensive and consistent DHT-based storage, any number of front-ends can be added, ensuring both read and write scalability. The implementation is based on a Distributed Interception Middleware, thus separating distribution, replication, and consistency responsibilities, and also making our system usable by third party wiki engines in a transparent way. UniWiki has been proved viable and fairly efficient in large-scale scenarios

Distributed aop middleware for large-scale scenarios

En aquesta tesi doctoral presentem una proposta de middleware distribuït pel desenvolupament d'aplicacions de gran escala. La nostra motivació principal és permetre que les responsabilitats distribuïdes d'aquestes aplicacions, com per exemple la replicació, puguin integrar-se de forma transparent i independent. El nostre enfoc es basa en la implementació d'aquestes responsabilitats mitjançant el paradigma d'aspectes distribuïts i es beneficia dels substrats de les xarxes peer-to-peer (P2P) i de la programació orientada a aspectes (AOP) per realitzar-ho de forma descentralitzada, desacoblada, eficient i transparent. La nostra arquitectura middleware es divideix en dues capes: un model de composició i una plataforma escalable de desplegament d'aspectes distribuïts. Per últim, es demostra la viabilitat i aplicabilitat del nostre model mitjançant la implementació i experimentació de prototipus en xarxes de gran escala reals.In this PhD dissertation we present a distributed middleware proposal for large-scale application development. Our main aim is to separate the distributed concerns of these applications, like replication, which can be integrated independently and transparently. Our approach is based on the implementation of these concerns using the paradigm of distributed aspects. In addition, our proposal benefits from the peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and aspect-oriented programming (AOP) substrates to provide these concerns in a decentralized, decoupled, efficient, and transparent way. Our middleware architecture is divided into two layers: a composition model and a scalable deployment platform for distributed aspects. Finally, we demonstrate the viability and applicability of our model via implementation and experimentation of prototypes in real large-scale networks

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Blogging Groups, and Interpretation in the Literature Classroom

Community college world literature students are often ill prepared to analyze and interpret passages of creative fiction because traditional, teacher-centric pedagogical approaches do not promote students’ literary interpretive authority. However, a method to fill the interpretation gap remains unclear. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the efficacy of using computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) blogging groups to promote students’ interpretive authority and critical thinking skills. Blending transactional reading theory, social constructivist theory, and transformative learning theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Participants were 8 students and their instructor from a purposefully selected community college literature class in the Northeast United States that included group blogging as part of its approach to interpreting literature. Data sources were student journals, blog posts, student questionnaires, and an instructor questionnaire. Data analysis was an inductive coding process to discover emerging categories and themes. Results indicated that students felt more comfortable and capable of interpreting literary texts after engaging in a CSCL literary interpretation process, and the course instructor affirmed the perception that students gained authority in interpreting literary texts. Findings may be used by community college literature instructors to promote CSCL blogging activities as a student-centered pedagogical approach for literary interpretation

Factors influencing the effective use of an online collaborative learning environment as experienced by Saudi male students in King Abdulaziz University

This research explores and identifies factors that may influence the effective use of the Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) environment in the Saudi higher education context. Within this setting, the current OCL is in its early stages of adoption. Therefore, this study is a platform to assess how this environment can be used more effectively to improve teaching and learning, as well as identifying any underlying factors that may affect the students‘ overall learning experience when using the OCL environment. In doing so, the study provides an important contribution for educational institutes and policy makers, by drawing attention to factors that could be addressed to improve pedagogy and the effectiveness of the learning environment. In order to gain a clear insight into both the potential and the challenges that ensue when using OCL setting in Saudi higher education, the study investigates the experience of students: the participants (n=729) are Saudi male undergraduate distance students in their preparatory year, attending King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The participants have been exposed to the OCL environment and therefore are in a position to provide incisive information pertaining to its overall use, including underlying factors and challenges. The research methodology for this study adopts a sequential mixed-methods approach. The data reveals certain factors that are significantly influencing how effectively the OCL setting can be used within this context. Among those factors identified, the technology related aspects (i.e. Internet speed and technical support), the student characteristics (i.e. their awareness and willingness) and the tutors‘ roles (i.e. their attitudes towards a collaborative learning environment as well as their ICT skills) were viewed as significant. It is envisaged that the findings from this study may be used to assist in the development and implementation of OCL environments, not only in this context, but also within diverse contexts and environments found in developing countries

HAWAIIAN MORPHEMES: IDENTIFICATION, USAGE, AND APPLICATION IN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Ph.D.Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 201