Lost and Found in Software Space

Abstract

Two problems often occur when implementing large software projects in a group: the problem of orientation and the problem of finding competent partners for tight co-operation. This paper presents a spatial representation of the shared source code under development called software space. It shows how awareness about other person's activities can be provided, which helps to find appropriate partners. Software space dynamically adapts to the user`s preferences and thus improves during usage. We will illustrate how the adapted representation can assist users in finding their way in software space. Keywords: team programming environments, navigation, synchronous groupware, spatial model, awareness, coordination, program analysis, TUKAN 1. Introduction Hypertexts (such as a set of interwoven HTML documents) have evolved as efficient media to impart complex information to the reader. One problem in the reception of hypertext is that of orientation. The question here is, how a user can avoi..