[news.eclipse.technology.etf] Re: identity management for collaboration

["Dan Perl" <danperl@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jeff,

Yes, ECF also looks like an interesting project and I will look into it.  I 
already subscribed to the ecf-dev mailing list.  Thanks.

Dan

"Jeff McAffer" <jeff_nospam_mcaffer@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message 
news:ct8v9p$jn5$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Dan,
>
> You should check out the ECF project as well (on the communication front).
> Note that XMPP enables some of what you are talking about.
>
> As for integrated into RCP, it would be great to have it be available to 
> RCP
> application writers but they are a very heterogeneous group of people so 
> it
> should not be fundamental to RCP.
>
> Jeff
>
> "Dan Perl" <danperl@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:crvpak$pdj$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> I have an idea for a collaboration tool that could be based on the 
>> Eclipse
>> IDE.  This is only an idea at this stage and I may never follow up on it,
>> but it illustrates some uses for identity management that I think could 
>> be
>> relevant to the ETF project.  The ETF project is definitely going to be
>> useful if I ever make my idea into a project.
>>
>> I am thinking of a tool that allows several users in different locations
> to
>> view and modify a project in the Eclipse IDE at the same time.  It could
> be
>> used for code reviews and for pair programming.  Here are some 
>> interesting
>> features for identity management in such a tool:
>>
>> 1. Roles for different identities, with different rights.  For instance,
>> moderator, reviewers and author in the case of code reviews.  A reviewer
> can
>> highlight some code and can post a comment on that code.  The moderator
>> allows only one of the reviewers to execute actions on the code at any
> time.
>> In the case of pair programming, two clients have equal roles but only 
>> one
>> of them can modify a file at a particular time.  The two clients 
>> cooperate
>> in relinquishing that right to each other.
>>
>> 2. Entities that may be associated with an identity.  I guess this is the
>> context mentioned in the ETF proposal.  Entities may be a file or the
> entire
>> project, or it may be the moderator's ability to assign the file to one 
>> of
>> the reviewers.
>>
>> 3. Creating and managing identities.  In an enterprise, it may be
> achievable
>> and even desirable to keep identities in a centralized directory.
> However,
>> in a case like a small open-source project, a better solution would be to
>> allow each client to create an identity for himself/herself and share it
>> with another client through a mechanism like email.  Once two clients 
>> have
>> each other's identity, they can start a "trusted" session in the
>> collaborative tool.
>>
>> I have not searched yet for tools of this kind.  I suspect that there are
>> some tools that have at least some elements of this idea.  But I think it
>> would be interesting to have such a tool integrated with the Eclipse IDE.
> I
>> hope that the features I mentioned are relevant here.  Either way, they
> make
>> me have an interest in the ETF project.
>>
>> On another topic, not too long ago I was thinking about unified messaging
>> systems and how it will probably happen in the not-so-distant future.
>> Identity management is central in that too.  Imagine having a single
>> identity on your home computer, your computer at work and your mobile
> phone.
>> They could also be three "sub-identities" associated to a "parent
> identity"
>> (for lack of better terms), with different capabilities.  By sending a
>> message to your identity, the message may reach you on all your
>> "sub-identities" or only on your "active" one.  Or imagine a "Jetsons
>> family" identity, where a message is sent to all the family members'
>> identities at the same time or in a specified order (until one of the
> family
>> members acknowledges the message).  Would something like unified 
>> messaging
>> be within the scope of the Rich Client Platform?  I should take a look at
>> RCP anyway.
>>
>> Dan Perl
>>
>>
>
>