CSC2636, CSCW Course: Assignment 1 Overview

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CSC2636, CSCW Course Assignment 1 Overview

• Assignment 1 Page http//honeybrown.ca/cscw

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Resources for Assignment 1

• Anand Agarawala
• anand_at_dgp.toronto.edu
• Starting Point http//honeybrown.ca/cscw
• Detailed how-tos with groupware packages/toolkits

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2 Options

• Assignment 1a
• Evaluating 4 Groupware packages
• Microsoft LiveMeeting, SMART Bridgit, UTorontos
  ePresence, Microsoft Groove
• Assignment 1b
• Create a Groupware app with one of 2 toolkits.
• UCalgary SDGToolkit
• UCalgary Collabrary.

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2 Options

• Assignment 1a
• Evaluating 4 Groupware packages
• Microsoft LiveMeeting, SMART Bridgit, UTorontos
  ePresence, Microsoft Groove
• Assignment 1b
• Create a Groupware app with one of 2 toolkits.
• UCalgary SDGToolkit
• UCalgary Collabrary.

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Assignment 1a MS LiveMeeting

• Web-based conferencing (Java based?)
• Integration with phones (via PBX protocol)
• Present can put up Items Whiteboard, PowerPoint
  slides, Polls, Browsable Websites, etc

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Assignment 1a SMART Bridgit

• Screensharing software, suppors SMART boards
• Support for audiovideo channel, scribbling

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Assignment 1a UT ePresence

• Webcasting and media archiving
• In this class we will be looking at existing
  archived sessions

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Assignment 1a MS Groove

• IM-based, workspace collaboration
• Saved, persistent workspaces and networked drives
• Workspaces have several items whiteboard,
  slides, games, etc

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2 Options

• Assignment 1a
• Evaluating 4 Groupware packages
• Microsoft LiveMeeting, SMART Bridgit, UTorontos
  ePresence, Microsoft Groove
• Assignment 1b
• Create a Groupware app with one of 2 toolkits.
• UCalgary SDGToolkit
• UCalgary Collabrary.

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Option 1 SDG Toolkit

• Easily use n-mice or keyboards on a single
  machine
• few lines of code (characteristic of UCalgary
  toolkits)
• Example applications ToolGlass, Tabletop
  software, Collaborative or Competitive Games (ie,
  a Puzzle). Text-editor.

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SDG Toolkit Tutorial

• (follow website instructions)

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Option 2 Collabrary Toolkit

• Collabrary Collaboration Library
• Powerful library of data structures facilitating
  networked, multi-media apps
• Few lines of code to do complex things
• (ie, grab frames of video from webcam and send to
  remote user)
• No fuss with low-level details driver
  communication, DirectX, networking, sockets, etc.

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Collabrary Toolkit

• Examples of what you can build
• Shared Whiteboard
• users can draw on a shared surface and gesture
  with telepointers.
• Online Media Space
• people can post live streaming audio/video, text,
  pictures, desktop snapshots, and web snapshots.
• Ie Notificaiton Collage

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Collabrary Example Usage

• Notification Collage (left) Community Bar
  (right)

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Collabrary Toolkit

• Key Data Structures
• SharedDictionary (rebuilt in GroupLab.Networking
  toolkit)
• remote hashtable that can store keys and their
  corresponding values.
• Values can be any type integers, strings, 2D
  arrays, pictures, audio data, custom objects, etc
• Clients can send, retrieve or subscribe to keys

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Collabrary Toolkit

• Key Data Structures
• Camera provides on-demand still image snapshots
  from a digital video camera/webcam
• Photo datatype used by Camera for its
  Camera.Frame's property. Can be dumped directly
  into a C picture box for viewing.
• Microphone and Speaker
• Similar to Camera/Photo for grabbing audio from a
  microphone

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Collabrary Example App

• (demo app)
• Instructions on website