TDE: Supporting geographically distributed software design with shared, collaborative workspaces

Abstract

Telecom Design Environment (TDE) is a software product that combines three challenging technology dimensions: 1) Information management dimension: TDE allows direct, interactive, visual management of documents and other design information in a shared, versioned, graphical working space; 2) CASE tool dimension: TDE provides graphical design tools for supporting different design notations that are helpful in designing and communicating about software systems; 3) Collaboration dimension: TDE serves as a virtual whiteboard system that allows designers to share the same graphical working space location-transparently, and to work on the same graphical designs even at the same time if necessary. The key focus area in TDE is team collaboration. Unlike most other information management systems, TDE never locks anything, but it allows multiple designers to access the same diagrams and designs simultaneously, providing notification services for keeping multiple designers' work up to date. In a way, TDE can be seen as a "writable, collaborative web" that provides many of the same services as the WorldWide Web, except that TDE is always fully interactive, supports shared, direct data manipulation, and enables online collaboration with the other persons using the system. TDE is based on client-server approach and distributed object-oriented database technology, and it utilizes metamodeling technology to achieve better flexibility and tailorability.

Adoption of integrated process and product support for software engineering in SP Jyvaskyla

“…In the beginning of 1999, SP Jyvaskyla started introduction of TDE (Telecom Design Environment), which is a Nokia in-house tool for analysis and design phases [15]. Previously, SP Jyvaskyla has used a single user version of TDE.…”

“…The main goals of the project have been to produce tools to support global information management, team communication and co-operative work and to support the use of visual information in, e.g., analysis and design of Telecom systems (see an overview in [15]). …”

Columbus - reverse engineering tool and schema for C++

“…for reverse engineering UML Class Diagrams for Nokia's UML design environment TDE [26]) and in the Maisa project of the Helsinki University for recognizing standard Design Patterns in C++ programs [9].…”

Data exchange with the columbus schema for c++

“…The first application was by Nokia Research Center in Nokia's proprietary UML design environment TDE [18]. The Maisa project of the Helsinki University for recognizing simple standard Design Patterns [8] in C++ programs also successfully utilized the output created by Columbus [4].…”