Component-based Groupware Tailorability using Monitoring Facilities

Tailorability has long been recognised as a key issue concerning groupware applications in general and component-based groupware applications in particular. Tailoring activities are usually classified according to three levels, viz., customisation, integration and extension. This paper presents an approach to component-based tailoring based on the use of monitoring extensions. Our approach allows the extension and integration of new components into a legacy groupware application without the need for changes in the existing components

Conceptual frameworks for the development of CSCW systems

Models and theories concerning cooperation have long been recognised as an important aid in the development of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) systems. However, there is no consensus regarding the set of concepts and abstractions that should underlie such models and theories. Furthermore, common patterns are hard to discern in different models and theories. This paper analyses a number of existing models and theories, and proposes a generic conceptual framework based on the strengths and commonalities of these models. We analyse five different developments, viz., Coordination Theory, Activity Theory, Task Manager model, Action/Interaction Theory and Object-Oriented Activity Support model, to propose a generic model based on four key concepts common to these developments, viz. activity, actor, information and service

A Combined Approach for Component-based Software Design

Component-based software development enables the construction of software artefacts by assembling binary units of production, distribution and deployment, the so-called software components. Several approaches addressing component-based development have been proposed recently. Most of these approaches are based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML has been increasingly used in component-based development, despite some shortcomings associated with this language. This paper presents a methodology for the design of component-based applications that combines a modelbased approach with a UML-based approach. This combined approach tackles some of the limitations associated with UML, allowing a better control of the design process. Our combined approach is illustrated using some excerpts from a case study carried out on a chat application

An Architectural Model for Component Groupware

This paper proposes an architectural model to facilitate the design of component-based groupware systems. This architectural model has been defined based on (1) three pre-defined component types, (2) a refinement strategy that relies on these component types, (3) the identification of layers of collaboration concerns, and (4) rules for the coupling and distribution of the components that implement these concerns. Our architectural model is beneficial for controlling the complexity of the development process, since it gives concrete guidance on the concerns to be considered and decomposition disciplines to be applied in each development step. The paper illustrates the application of this architectural model with an example of an electronic voting system