Collaborative Software Development over the Internet: Tools and Experiences

Abstract

Abstract. The deve/opment of/arge-sca/e software systems requires the interaction ofspecialists with diflerent areas ofexpertise. Communication and coordination among these specialists is of key importance to the success of a project. With the g/oba/ization ofthe software industry, these specia/ists are often distributed in severa/ p/aces complicating their coordination. This paper describes our experiences in the deve/opment ofan Internet-based groupware environment to support software deve/opment. This environment, which integrates a set oftoo/s that support severa/ technica/ and administrative software deve/opment activities, was deve/oped as the result ofan evo/utionary four-year process, where each year a different software deve/opment project was undertaken. We high/ight the differences in coordination at different stages ofthis process arisingfrom the use, or /ack ofuse, ofInternetbased collaborative too/s.