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Institutional repositories have become an important means of publishing, disseminating, and preserving the digital information of organisations. The majority of them run on open software tools. Institutional repository projects are being carried out following an evaluation of the software's features. Nevertheless, the evaluations to date have been comparative, focussing on the features offered by each tool, rather than on other factors. In order to overcome this limitation, this work analyses the different published models for evaluating institutional repository software, studies the approach adopted in each case, and proposes a model. This model is oriented toward the study and definition of informational–documental processes, the users, the characteristics of the collections, and the context of the project in which it is framed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in information technology have made Internet-based collaboration much easier. It is now possible for a software team to draw on talented developers from around the world without the need to gather them together physically. However, being able to tap into a large pool of talent does not guarantee success. Software managers have to be able to manage these distributed teams. They need to define sharper processes and ensure that they are followed. They also need to better control project execution. To do so effectively, we have developed a tool that integrates features for both project and process management. Existing project management tools were originally designed for projects on a single site. Many of them do not provide the features necessary to support cooperative multi-site software projects or process management. We have developed a tool, called IPPM, which supports these features. IPPM, which integrates features for process and project management, resolves differences between existing project and process tools, and provides a number of unique features to support multi-site development. IPPM has been implemented and used by several development teams working in different regions in Hong Kong and Mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software engineering is an often used term to describe the activities, methods, and tools of large scale software development. There is an ongoing discussion whether Software Engineering can be considered as an engineering discipline. In many respects the development of software shares common properties of other engineering disciplines. In contrast to “classical” engineering fields, theories, questions, and approaches from the social sciences are more important than those from the natural sciences. This is investigated here by comparing the situation found in software engineering with several concepts of engineering in general. Three viewpoints are used to guide this comparison: one is a social stereotype of engineers; the second is the organization of engineering profession organizations; and the third are capabilities which the engineers of the future will need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents insights and views of the author concerning the nature and purpose of class characterization in the context of computer software industry. The author discusses the role stereotypes which help characterize initial candidate objects and communicate the ideas. The stereotypes presented by the author includes information holder, structurer, service provider, controller, and coordinator. Class characterization is a key step of object design. It serves two purposes: to clarify at a glance some important aspects of a class's expected behavior and to communicate its design intent to others.

The article reflects on the increasing concern over the problem in computer security system. The author has explained some of the promising solutions initiated by software developers, including automated password reset, and the "Firefox" software. This notwithstanding, he noted some of the more "unseen" consequences. Noting on the confusing interplay of technology, policy, and human behavior, he has instead recommended full responsibility among IT staff the protection of users, and the application of flexible security policies that best serve their goals using whatever information technologies available. The idea is to consider the issue as a developmental problem, rather than view it as static, timeless and universal.