Joe McMahon

WebWebX is an open-source, Perl "whiteboard" - a Web-based means of archiving text-based interactions between a set of participants, with the participants themselves dynamically controlling the presentation of the information with their browsers. It requires only a Web server and minimal privileges to install and run.

Rather than a static, hierarchical framework into which information is organized either chronologically, e.g. mhonarc, or by subject, e.g. HyperNews, WebWebX whiteboards are dynamically organized by the participants, who can easily edit their own or others' contributions and reorganize, or even remove, information at any time. Participants may "signpost" suggestions for potential discussion, creating links to pages which are dynamically created only when the link is visited and data is added to the new page.

WebWebX provides the basic page editing and linking mechanisms available in other whiteboards, and adds a number of new features: a portable page archive management scheme; a page-level locking mechanism to prevent simultaneous updates; "back to previous page" support in all out-of-line functions (e.g., editing, administration, renaming, etc.); a "fishbowl" mode, in which anonymous users may read but not alter pages; and a "sign-in" option, allowing a user to change from anonymous user to a registered one at any time.

This presentation describes what a whiteboard is and how it works, both technically and from the standpoint of a participant. It details its database, dynamic linking, versioning, and locking features. It includes a demonstration of a WebWebX being used to track a large, complex software project of ~ 100K lines and 8 developers, handling its requirements, design, code review, bug tracking, and general "group memory". Finally, it discusses the current program structure and its weaknesses, and outlines future plans for an object-oriented "plug-and-play" development framework.