Re: [discuss] Re: [Evolution] Re: [discuss] GROUPWARE - what is it, anyways?

[Sander Vesik <Sander Vesik ireland sun com>]

On 9 Feb 2001, Lloyd Llewellyn wrote:

> > So, what is 'groupware'?
> >       * calendaring
> >       * email access
> >       ? newsgroup access
> >       * email alias/list management
> >       * shared file access (webdav?)
> >       * todo lists
> >       * project/progress tracking
> >       * address book(s)
>
> All of the above qualify.  Some other thoughts:
>
>     - Links between items
>     - Item views (hierarchical folders, etc)

Applies to only some items.

>     - User-administrable permissions system
>     - Replication

Level 2

>     - Concurrency control

Hopefully supported in underlying protocols, inc. webdav. I think going
for a full revision control would be a bit overboard. 

>     - Distributable (off-line + syncing, PDA's etc)

That's level 2 or 3. 

> Prioritizing is important.

Yes - hopefully it will apply to mails aswell (yet another header line?)

> > Where does Mozilla fit into this?
>
> Should it?  Except as a potential client?

A buy-in from Mozilla would be very good. It would get the project a very
prominent, visible application with a huge installed base.

> Where do Evo and OO fit in?  Interest and assistance from existing
> projects that might use these services would be a big help.

Two projects that do/used to do groupware things and want to do it (or
whose user base wants them to do it)? 

> What can we learn from Gnu Glue?  The concept is closest to what I had
> in mind.  Markus seemed to be opposed to a server-based model though,
> and I can't see an *entirely* distributed model working in practice.

Non-server based models aren't of much use to those who want things
centralised (it has it's advbanteges in administrartion, backup,
resources, etc.) - esp. if we try to be able to actually make use of as
much existing applications as possible.

If you took a multi-layered, high level view of it, you would see:

              1 server
                  |
           replicated servers
                  |
        fully distributed system


And it is not a 'is better' pyramid but an 'increasing distribution'
pyramid. We should start at the top and slowly move downwards - starting
at the bottom IMHO unncessarily complicates things for no clear gains. 

        Sander

One day a tortoise will learn to fly
        -- Terry Pratchett, 'Small Gods'