Communication in support of software sharing and collaborative development
To be successful, software which is shared among several users requires a means of reporting trouble and receiving help. This is even more critical in the case of a collaborative software development effort. The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) collaboration uses the Internet as its major communication medium. In addition to conventional electronic mail and occasional use of MBONE teleconferencing a distributed listserver system is used to announce releases, ask for aid, announce the discovery and disposal of bugs, and to converse generally about the future development directions of EPICS tools and methods. The EPICS listservers are divided into several subject categories, and since all questions, answers, and announcements are archived for future reference, some statistics can be gleaned from these records. Such statistics and information from the collaborators show that they make use of this system and find it helpful. As a manager, I have found that the system gives reassuring evidence that the collaboration is alive, responsive to calls for aid, and helpful even to those not actively participating in the question and answer activity.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 197158
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ASD/CP-87668; CONF-951036-12; ON: DE96004287; TRN: 96:008236
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International conference on accelerator and large experimental physics control systems, Chicago, IL (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The Internet - an information pipeline for petroleum
Feasibility study of networks. Progress report, July 15, 1976--December 14, 1976. [ARPANET]