CoWord
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| CoWord | |
 A CoWord session |
|
| OS: | Windows XP |
|---|---|
| Use: | Word Processor |
| License: | Free |
| Website: | cooffice.ntu.edu.sg/coword |
CoWord is a collaborative software component which converts Microsoft Word into a real-time collaborative word processor without making any change to the original Word application. CoWord allows multiple geographically dispersed users to edit any objects in the same MS Word document at the anytime (the same time or different times) over the Internet. CoWord is not a stand alone application, it require MS Word (2000, XP, or 2003) to have already been installed.
Editing is still performed via Word, so CoWord retains the "look-and-feel" and functionalities of Word. Currently, not all features of Word are supported. The current version supports the basic editing features of Word, including: text format, graphics, table, bulleting and numbering, track change, paragraph alignment, undo, etc.
CoWord is distributed with an FTP like repository client and server. CoWord is launched only when the user double-click on a file from the CoWord repository client. Otherwise, Word is launched as usual.
[edit] Collaboration
CoWord (plus Word) is a collaborative real-time editor. CoWord allows users to edit anywhere in the document at anytime. Moreover, the effects of a user's editing actions will appear at other collaborating sites immediately (only limited by the network propagation delay). This is in contrast to other real-time collaborative editing systems where users have to take turns to edit. However, the turn taking editing mode is a feature in CoWord that can be turned on/off.
[edit] History
The first version of CoWord was developed in 2002, and it has been available for public use since 2003. CoWord was demonstrated in Microsoft (Redmond) in 2003, and ACM Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work in 2004.
CoWord is based on over 10 years research efforts by a team of researchers led by Professor Sun Chengzheng, conducted in Griffith University, Australia, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The path leading to CoWord includes the building of a real-time collaborative text editor in 1997, called REDUCE, a real-time collabrative graphics editor in 2000, called GRACE, and numerous research publications.
After building the initial version of CoWord, the developer also applied the same technology to build CoPowerPoint (in 2004). CoPowerPoint enables real-time collaboration with MS PowerPoint. However, due to resource limitation the development was suspended. Currently, CoPowerPoint is only a proof-of-concept, semi-usable prototype system.
