Improving the functionality of software design environments using hypertext
The book presents an academic dissertation of the Faculty of Science, University of Oulu in 1997.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThis dissertation examines how software design environments can be improved to serve better the needs of system developers. Emphasis is placed on CASE environments which provide natural support for knowledge structures that echo those found in the human mind. A systematic approach is suggested for determining how and to what extent the functionality of software design environments can be improved using hypertext, and an effort is made to implement such support. A multi-method approach is adopted which assigns a central, integrative role to systems development, while the whole procedure is composed of observation, theoretization, systems development and experimentation.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEA key assumption for this dissertation is that information system developers use different ways to express their ideas and to communicate them to other team members, depending on the development phase, the methods and techniques being used, individual styles of processing information, or other factors. In the author's opinion it is possible to express a deeper understanding in an informal manner by means of hypertext. Thus, a means of supporting the coexistence and integration of different degrees of information structuredness can be provided in a flexible CASE environment.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe main result is the need for CASE support by document integration, representation of semi-structured information and developer collaboration using hypertext. A conceptualization of special hypertext software providing this support was developed, known as the intermediary hypertext agent in CASE environments. This viewed hypertext systems as forming part of a CASE environment that mediates between organizational actors, between conceptual user roles and between software components.
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