Design and development of a general purpose collaborative environment

This paper presents a system that allows any legacy computer application to be used for collaborative work over internet or wireless connections. The applicability of the system is wide and encompasses all aspects of engineering, education, manufacturing and general use. A recent report concerning the use of collaborative software worldwide, indicates that collaboration will expand and grow at a fast pace in the next few years. The development presented here has been specifically designed to address these needs in a flexible, expandable and generic manner. The product has a modular structure, which we view as essential for providing collaborative capability to applications, since it allows developers and users the ability to customise the system for individual needs.