Transparent and flexible data sharing for synchronous groupware

Viac o knihe

Synchronous groupware connects geographically distributed users via a network, facilitating collaboration through applications like whiteboards and text editors. Developing such applications is challenging, as they must establish network connections, manage parallel inputs, support collaboration-awareness, and handle shared data—one of the main obstacles in this process. This thesis introduces DreamObjects, a platform designed to streamline shared data management. It provides flexible and extensible solutions for common data-sharing issues, ensuring maximum transparency for developers by concealing the complexities of shared state management. DreamObjects accommodates various distribution schemes, allowing developers to select whether data is shared with one site, all sites, or a dynamically changing group. Additionally, developers can opt for different concurrency control mechanisms or integrate their own if necessary. Users joining a session can choose to participate with a replay or direct state transfer, both of which are fault-tolerant, decentralized, and do not disrupt current participants. Lastly, DreamObjects includes a decentralized persistence service to facilitate smooth transitions between asynchronous and synchronous work, enhancing the overall collaborative experience.