Before we can answer the challenge posed by the title of this paper, we need to define what a metasystem is. Physically, a metasystem is a collection of geographically separated resources (people, computers, instruments, databases) connected by a high speed network. A metasystem is distinguished from a simple collection of computers by a software layer, often called middleware, which transforms...

Garbage collection in the Microsoft .NET common language runtime environment completely absolves the developer from tracking memory usage and knowing when to free memory. However, you’ll want to understand how it works. Part 1 of this two-part article on .NET garbage collection explains how resources are allocated and managed, then gives a detailed step-by-step description of how the garbage co...

MIMAS is a national UK data centre which provides networked access to resources to support learning and research across a wide range of disciplines. There was no consistent way of discovering information within this cross-domain, heterogeneous collection of resources, some of which are access restricted. Further these resources must provide the interoperable interfaces required within the UK hi...

Recent research in mobile computing for survey data collection has focused on implementing paper-based procedures for field activities on handheld and tablet devices using a structured client-server interaction model developed for computer-assisted telephone interviewing labs. As these applications have evolved, little attention has been given to new and emerging information technologies. The g...