DIF8914 Distributed Information Systems Collaborative applications – architectural issues

Within the fields of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL), collaborative applications are the enabling technologies making it possible for people who are geographically distributed and connected through a network to collaborate. Whether the applications being utilized are seen as successful highly depends on how they are designed and implemented. An essential part of designing collaborative systems is to decide which software architecture to use. In this essay I will present some key architectural issues being discussed in the literature; Moving from the most fundamental definitions to a more generic classification model. Subsequently I will discuss some architectural issues facing computer scientists in designing and implementing collaborative applications. And finally I will use the generic classification model to demonstrate architectural differences between two existing groupware applications. Introduction Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) are multidisciplinary fields of research focusing on people working/collaborating using computers as mediating tools. Both fields are generally addressing the same kinds of requirements when it comes to the types of technology being utilized. The difference between them is essentially the way they approach the process. “CSCW should be conceived as an endeavour to understand the nature and characteristics of cooperative work with the objective of designing adequate computer-based technologies. Core issues in the field of CSCW are articulating cooperative work, sharing an information space and adapting the