A Dual-Mode Exerciser for a Collaborative Computing Environment

Abstract

Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) supports groups with communication and coordination functionality during the execution of their activities. It allows physically dispersed teams to engage in a common task by providing an interface to a shared workspace. A variety of synchronous applications are playing a major role in distance education, joint program development, cooperative publishing, etc. As these applications are usually platform-dependent, groupware programmers have to develop new applications for each groupware platform. In this paper, we present a collaborative application development environment called CollabRunJava, which allows the groupware developers to concentrate only on application-specific details. CollabRunJava supports two modes for developing applications. In the instant-develop mode, user can immediately execute and test the classes. In the runtime-evolution mode, user can observe an application's behavior, debug applications and change the codes of running applications without re-execution. Our system can be further enhanced using plug-in components with the above mechanisms. For example, with the aid of visualization components, our system can help users explore a program's behavior. In addition, all these activities can be performed in a collaborative way. This makes it also helpful for distant learning and program testing.