Corporate email and calendaring solutions embedded in a strategy for Computer Supported Cooperative Work

Abstract

This diploma thesis should give an overview of the current situation of the group calendaring market. Group calendaring is a Groupware application, and Groupware is the implementation of the studies of the field "Computer Supported Cooperative Work". Therefore this environment will also be investigated to show that there is not only group calendaring, but even more applications that help groups working together. This diploma thesis will show some of the standards involved in Groupware, and the fight for survival of proprietary solutions and the creation of the Internet Calendaring standards are investigated. A closer look to one open source groupware solution will show that still a lot of work has to be done. The reader will realise how difficult it is to build an application with a clean structure and readiness for future extensions when several people are voluntarily working on a project.