No. 28

December 6, 2000

 

Technology:

Groove

If this were a newsletter aimed at investors, I would advise you not to invest in this company, because I don't think their product will ever reach beyond a small niche market. It is one of those interesting yet somewhat impractical ideas, like putting a Web "browser" on a cell phone. But the technology is, indeed, intriguing, so I couldn't resist the temptation to introduce it in the Spotlight.

On one level, Groove is simply another example of "teamware": an online environment for collaboration and communication within small groups of people, e.g. a project team. Yet Groove tries to go in the opposite direction from that taken by other teamware developers: rather than rely on a thin client (these days it is usually a standard Web browser) accessing services on a central server somewhere on the Internet, Groove is build on the peer-to-peer model, popularized recently by the notorious Napster.

Each member of a Groove team has to have a "thick" Groove client installed on his machine and registered with the Groove server, which stores the user's profile and notifies him when other team members go online. Here, however, the role of the central server ends. Members' Groove clients communicate directly with each other and the content of the collaborative environment (files, calendar entries, discussion posts) is distributed among the member's machines.

One might be tempted to call the Groove an "instant messenger on steroids" but this does not even come close to describing this powerful, versatile environment. What can Groove-equipped team members do? A lot: store and exchange files; hold asynchronous discussions; communicate in real time via VoIP (Voice over IP) or textual chat; scribble collaboratively on a whiteboard; browse the Web together; synchronize their calendars; participate in multiple Groove teams;  send and receive instant messages or e-mail.

So, why am I reluctant to predict a bright future for Groove? For one thing, the peer-to-peer model becomes a pain outside of a corporate LAN, where the peer computers are always on, always ready to share resources. Keeping the content of a collaborative space distributed among peer machines means that I can't get to a file or a calendar stored on another machine, unless this machine happens to be on, connected to the Internet, and with the Groove client running. Yes, I do have an option to copy anything I want (and am allowed to) to the Groove space on my machine, and the client will synchronize both copies every time I am connected, but this copying and synchronization can be a real drag whenever I am using a dial-up connection. Secondly, the thick client makes it extremely hard to access my Groove stuff when I'm on the road without my laptop, on which the Groove client has been installed. I don't know of any public libraries or cybercafes, that would allow patrons to install new software; here's where browser access to stuff (e-mail, files, calendar, etc.) has real advantage.

However, I'm sure that for certain types of users the Groove will be a godsend. I do not consider myself one of those users, but you may be. Therefore I encourage you to try the free Groove client (currently in beta) and decide for yourself whether it meets your needs.

Groove (click on thumbnail):
Main gateway 
Collaborative browsing

For more information please visit the Groove site or search the ACT database of Groupwork Tools.
 

Conference:

Fourth Annual Ubiquitous Computing Conference
  • Held January 4-6, 2001 in South Orange, NJ
  • Sponsored by EDUCAUSE and the Institute for Technology Development of Seton Hall University, this conference will allow faculty and information technology professionals at colleges and universities to discuss the important challenges facing campuses concerned with providing universal access to computing. This year's program includes the experiences of more than 30 institutions from the United States and Canada, which represent a wide range of Carnegie classifications. The presenters are provosts, deans, faculty, CFOs, CIOs, and leaders in higher education. The keynote speaker for the conference is Diana Oblinger, EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) consultant.


Initiatives:

Applying technology to transform the nonprofit sector.

Nonprofit Tech's mission is: "(..) to inform, educate, support and advocate for nonprofits in their efforts to implement and use technology". It seeks to "(...) enhance the adaptive capacity of nonprofits, to create learning organizations, and to harness organizational knowledge using technology ; to revitalize missions, instruct providers, strengthen organizational infrastructure, and expand intra- and inter-agency collaboration & communication efforts."
Its services include: technology planning and training, help in Web page creation, Web publishing, systems management, and a few software products. It is currently developing a comprehensive Web site (now in beta), which will contain: a virtual tech library, discussion boards, chat rooms, news section,  job postings, directory of relevant sites, etc.
Alnisa Allgood is the Association's Executive Director. More information can be obtained by visiting Nonprofit Tech's Web site at    http://www.nonprofit-tech.org/

She said, he said:

"The Internet is like fire: it can cook your food or burn your house to the ground. It all depends on how you use it." -- one of the participants at the "America on the Net" town hall meeting.


© 2000 Vlad Wielbut and the Alliance for Community Technology