Shadow netWorkspace 2 (SNS 2) is a completely redesigned system from Shadow netWorkspace 1 (SNS 1). The idea behind, and the purpose of, SNS 2 is the same as SNS 1. But, SNS 2 takes a new approach to the user interface and the technology that is used to implement applications.

When SNS 2 is released, it will have the ability to update SNS 1 communities to SNS 2 communities. All of the users, groups and data in an SNS 1 installation will be translated for an SNS 2 installation allowing SNS 1 to upgrade to SNS 2. The current preview releases do not allow an upgrade from SNS 1 to 2. The current preview releases only allow new installations and upgrades from one version of SNS 2 to a later version of SNS 2. When the releases begin supporting an upgrade from 1 to 2 they will explicity state that they support the upgrade process. Once the release version of SNS 2 is available that supports upgrading from 1 to 2, SNS 1 will no longer be supported and there will be no further updates to SNS 1. It is expected that anyone who is currently using SNS 1 will upgrade to SNS 2 when the option becomes available.

The following is a screen shot from SNS 2.

The user interface for SNS 2 operates much more like a desktop operating system. The current application is displayed in a window. The window can be closed, minimized and refreshed. Applications that are currently "running" are listed in the Tasks section of the dock on the right. When a task is maximized from the dock (by clicking on its icon in the dock) it returns to the state it was in before it was minimized. When a new application is launched it is displayed in the window as the current application. The previously displayed application is minimized into the dock. If the current application window is closed, the most recently minimized application in the dock is maximized into a window as the current application. The dock also includes a list of system applications at the top that can be used to launch the applications that provide the main functionality of the system. At the bottom of the dock and in the bar across the top of the screen are agents that display information or provide specific functions. For example, there is an agent that indicates the number of messages waiting for the user and can be used to launch Shadow Express (a tool for sending an receiving messages in the SNS system.)

The SNS 2 applications are written very differently that those in SNS 1. SNS 2 applications are event driven and are based on a web application operating system called Eclipse. Eclipse provides support for creating event dispatchers and handlers, for creating and managing Eclipse processes (server side objects that represent an executing chunk of code), the ability to have parent processes create child processes, and for the maintainence of application (process) state on the server. Eclipse makes it possible to create the type of environment where a user can switch between applications that maintain state and that allow programmers to develop very component oriented web applications.

The above information doesn't adequately describe SNS 2, how it works, why it is good, or how applications are developed for it. More information is coming! We just wanted to get up some information that introduces you to SNS 2 and gives you an idea of where the project is heading.

Content file last updated on 11/21/2001 at 12:16

Unique page hits = 9990

Total page hits = 24598