Architecture and Implementation of a Java Package for Multiple InputDevices (MID)
Juan Pablo Hourcade, Benjamin B. Bederson · University Libraries (University of Maryland) · 1999
A major difficulty in writing Single Display Groupware (co-present collaborative) applications is getting input from multiple devices. We introduce MID, a Java package that addresses this problem and offers an architecture to access advanced events through Java. In this paper, we describe the features, architecture and limitations of MID. We also briefly describe an application that uses MID to get input from multiple mice: KidPad. Keywords Single Display Groupware (SDG), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Multiple Input Devices (MID), Multi-Modal Input, Java, DirectInput, Windows 98, Universal Serial Bus (USB), KidPad, Jazz, Pad++. INTRODUCTION Communication, collaboration, and coordination are brought to many people's desktops thanks to groupware applications such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange, some of the leading commercial products in the field of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). They help people collaborate when they are not in the same place at th...