Survey of Selected Groupware Applications and Supporting Platforms
François Cosquer, and Paulo VerÃssimo
INESC Technical Report (RT/21-94)
Abstract
This document characterizes the structuring of interactive groupware
applications according to various aspects of group activity and group
orientation. The overall framework is used to systematize the
relationship between groupware application needs and underlying
distribution and communication support. The reviewing criteria, such
as group dynamics, scaling and robustness requirements, are discussed
within the context of each type of application. Furthermore, a
classification of groupware platforms is proposed based on a
combination of general characteristics, the type of underlying support
and the level at which it is provided. A selection of existing
generic groupware platforms is presented illustrating the variety of
design approaches and proposed features. Finally, this study is used
to extract a number of issues which are considered to be important to
enable further development of collaborative applications. Future
directions of research are discussed highlighting the potential
benefits of group-oriented systems for supporting the construction of
collaborative applications.
Also available as
INESC TR/21-94 (gzip postscript).