Operating systems support for collaborative work

There are a cluster of new facilities that OSs should provide to next-generation software applications, of which collaborative applications form an important subset. Providing these facilities involves both the introduction of new mechanisms at the kernel level and the ability to extend these into what has traditionally been termed the user level, to provide the ability to tailor a computer system with respect to the kinds of object one can manipulate and the ways in which group members can perform such manipulations. Object-oriented operating systems are in a unique position to address the provision of these facilities, given the naturally open and extensible nature of object-oriented systems in general. Getting the correct kinds of openness and extensibility requires close collaboration with the potential users of the facilities. The authors urge the evolution of a symbiotic working relationship between the designers and implementors of next-generation object-oriented operating systems and CSCW tool implementors, in order to ensure that the appropriate facilities are provided.< >