JMS - Java-based meeting space

The convergence of business, technology, and market forces have brought abo ut the computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) phenomena. Many CSCW syst ems adopt an inflexible style of collaboration and coordination. The proble m becomes obvious when different application tools are integrated into a si ngle, comprehensive CSCW system and various applications need different deg rees of interaction mode. We introduce JMS (Java-based meeting space), an o bject-oriented framework for developing synchronous collaborative applicati ons. The JMS framework provides a comprehensive collection of services that supports cooperative interaction at system level. The application develope rs can tailor some of these services to the specific needs of particular co llaborative applications and usage situations. These services are grouped i nto three main categories. First, FIS provides session management service s upporting dynamic integration of application tools as well as dynamic membe rship. Second, group awareness service guarantees allotted communications w ithin a session. Third, JMS offers floor control service accommodating a se t of policies as well as underlying mechanisms. The application developer c an bind a floor control to an application tool and switch from one floor po licy to another during the session. Our implementation is based on a fully, object-oriented replicated architecture in which the application and manag ement services are replicated at each site. To illustrate the feasibility o f FIS in a practical organizational environment, an electronic meeting inco rporating voting has been built on the JMS framework. We also provide a bri ef overview of CSCW and its significance in organizational computing-in ele ctronic meeting, in particular-and compare JMS with other related works.