COLLABORATIVE VERSION CONTROL IN AN AGENT-BASED HYPERTEXT ENVIRONMENT

In this work we discuss a number of issues for the design of hypertext systems in an agent-based model of computation. We examine how the '' traditional'' fundamental concepts which are at the basis of the desig n of hypertexts can be re-visited under a new perspective of collabora tive expert agents. The paper presents how some principles of high-lev el concurrent programming are applied as new methodologies for the des ign and development of complex software, such as hypertext systems. By adopting an agent-based framework, we gain powerful control on versio n management that presents considerable difficulties for the developme nt of hypertext systems; a general distributed version control mechani sm is applied, without significant differences, both in single-user an d in collaborative multiuser mode. In both cases, the underlying hyper text architecture is defined in terms of computational agents interact ing each other in order to accomplish common goals. In this paper we p resent a first-level prototype implemented in a concurrent object-orie nted language, realized on the top of the Common Lisp Object System.