Dissemination and Communication -
Collaborative Research Tools and Platforms - Repository
The following applications were selected and analysed. For details on characteristics of each
application, please visit the corresponding web sites.
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| Skype |
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Skype aims to offer free global telephony, to make unlimited, superior quality voice calls via
its next-generation peer-to-peer software.
Skype’s mission is providing a simple, reliable and friendly communications tool like an useful instant chat for your daily work.
Skype is simple to install regardless of your PC environment
and will set up with no server or workstation configuration.
http://www.skype.com
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Collaboration Platform |
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An Open Source messaging tool that could be described as a Jabber-based instant messaging
client and was developed in the framework of a previous IST project
(IST-1999-10345). It is a very generic tool for both synchronous and asynchronous communication - designed to be able to support any clinical
collaboration. This means that files can be attached, but the application itself does not do anything else than transport these files. Visualisation is only achieved through external
applications, so it does not have visualization capabilities by
itself. There is an invitation and notification feature in the application that allows the user to search for experts who would be able to help with a
problem; after an invitation is made to expert(s) to participate in a
context, they will be notified about the invitation via e-mail, SMS or pager. The chat support is more like a forum than a chat
itself. It uses the Qt library and is available for Windows, Mac and
Linux. It is a relatively recent application, still currently being tested in a number of
projects. Security issues are simply handled by using the application on a ‘closed’ national network in Denmark. But there is also a test server (or server for academic use) without security, that can be freely downloaded and used by anyone.
http://www.cittis.org/
Defined as a “secure, firewall-friendly platform for peer-to-peer
networking”. It allows to hold secure connections with trusted
users through a key exchange protocol. It seems that it is possible
to integrate several applications with Privaria in order to transmit
secure data, share desktop, etc. (Coccinella, TightVNC). Its
advantage seems to be its user-friendliness when dealing with
certificates, keys, etc. http://eepatents.com/privaria/
An Open Source, multiplatform (Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux) Jabber (instant
messaging tool) client with a “Paint-like” shared board, which
is the most significant feature of this collaborative software. It
supports also foreign character sets as well as the possibility to
write down equations by importing the necessary fonts from
Mathematica. You can also import different MIME types directly into
canvas through a plug-in architecture or applets. It allows
peer-to-peer connections without any intermediate server, or the use
of a central server. However, it lacks streaming audio. It is
distributed under the GPL license system. http://hem.fyristorg.com/matben/
Defined as a “free remote control software package”. This is a
client/server package that allows remote access to graphical
desktops using the local mouse and keyboard. It basically sends
snapshots of the desktop to the clients. It is a cross-platform (available
for Windows and UNIX), free application using a GPL license. The
drawbacks for its use as collaborative software seem to be the
following: full access to remote desktop, no moderation facilities,
insecure (data is not encrypted). It seems to be addressed mainly to
customer support and education applications. http://www.tightvnc.com/
This tool is web-based and must run through an external server (owned
by the WebEx company). As web based, it supports virtually all
platforms such as UNIX, Windows or Mac. It has whiteboard, desktop
and application sharing facilities; chat; streaming video and audio;
moderation; log reports and many other options. The main problems
are confidentiality (as the communication is done by using the WebEx
servers and there is no encryption). There are several billing
options; the simpler one is to pay by minute / concurrent user. http://www.webex.com/
It is a commercial, multi-platform secure
environment tool. The Marratech's licensed e-Meeting Portal works on
Mac, Linux, Windows and Solaris servers. The server software can be
installed remotely and typically takes 60 minutes to implement. The
portal can be installed on either a company network or a hosted
Internet server; upgrades and extra licenses are available instantly.
The Portal has support for many simultaneous users and expands
through simple clustering and IP Multicast. The system allows the
user to control bandwidth limits, media selection, encryption and
network port settings making the Portal adaptable to more complex
network scenarios.
It encrypts voice, video and documents. Among its features, the
possibility for the participants to record and playback the entire
meeting including voice, video and whiteboard must be remarked. It
also allows private 'one-to-one' conversations with any participant,
the sharing of applications, documents and images, with the option
of using pointers, markers and making annotations with text or
graphic tools, and the possibility of calling remote people into the
meeting even if they are away from an internet connection. It
provides free client software for all operating systems so that any
number of users may be included in the meeting without them
incurring additional costs. http://www.marratech.com/
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