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Research paper : Realization of a collaboration system for everyone to develop and manage (K. Eto et al.)−97 Synthesiology - English edition Vol.1 No.2 (2008) page. The Wiki site can be accessed only by members of the ML. Addition of members can be done by mail or Wiki. Addition of members can also be done by sending mail to the ML with cc mail addresses of members to be added. From Wiki, members can be added by directly editing the the member list of the Wiki page. Any member can take part in this member management maneuver, so no single manager is burdened.In qwikWeb, Wiki plays the role of archiver, but unlike ordinary ML archiver, it can be edited because it is Wiki. For example, minor typing error that does not have to be notified by mail can be easily corrected by directly editing the Wiki page. Also, when mail “We want to set a date, so please check the day which is convenient for you” is sent to the ML, one can check the convenient day directly onto the mail on the Wiki page, rather than responding to the mail. When a file is attached to the e-mail, that file is shared on the Wiki.With qwikWeb, exchanges on the ML can progress seamlessly to collaborative editing. Unlike e-mails, however, since not all members check the Wiki, some users may not notice that editing has taken place. Therefore, qwikWeb has a function where the system automatically and regularly sends update information of a Wiki page (of the name of user that did the update and the update time) to the ML. All Wiki pages are version controlled, so items can be recovered even if someone deletes them accidentally. Also, there is time machine function that allows the editing status of the Wiki page to be viewed easily. This is a function where one can see the sequential change over time of a Wiki page by moving the slide bar to left or right.In user participation, there is always a concern for security. Therefore this system was designed with utmost care. For example, a mail address is used as ID and a password is automatically generated by the system. The password cannot be obtained by typing in someone else’s mail address, so impersonation is difficult. In case one forgets the password, it is sent when one enters the mail address, but it is sent to the mail address entered so only the owner of the address may receive it. Of course, if the password is stolen or accidentally sent to someone else, impersonation becomes possible as in other systems. However, if the impersonator alters the website, the alterations are notified to the members, so the actual person will know someone else has engaged in unauthorized maneuver. Since all web pages keep past history, the undesired change can be restored to a desired state, and future impersonation can be prevented by deleting the ID registration. Recovery is also easy in case wrong entries are made since past entry history is stored.5.2 Points of implementationqwikWeb was developed, not just as a mere practical web system, but as “the ideal solution for a web system” and we tried to get close to the ideal as much as possible. Specifically, we followed the REST architectural style by Roy Fielding. In the beginning of qwikWeb development, there was no web application framework that could be used easily, so we created parts of the framework including templates and plug-ins. To keep installation and maintenance simple, we selected mechanism of using a file system only as storage rather than database.In general, increasing stability as a system for practical service and adding functions occasionally as a system for research are two contradicting activities. If functions are added, bugs occur and the system becomes unstable. However, both must be done simultaneously to satisfy both research and practical aspects. To accomplish the two contradicting properties, we attempted to decrease bugs as much as possible by thorough function test descriptions. Since we created the web application framework ourselves this time, and also created the test framework, it was easier than usual to describe the function tests for the web system. Since a function test was described beforehand at all times during the development, there was almost no function without a function test. Hence, we were able to operate the system with hardly any length of downtime. For both development and operation, the Author (Eto) alone has been able to continue the operation for four and half years.6 Operation of qwikWeb6.1 Access analysis of qwikWebUsing the implemented qwikWeb, research operation started in August 2003, and the system continues to be in operation as of present. Users must agree to the terms and conditions (such as data will be used for research purposes without identification of individual users) when using the system.Figure 3 shows the cumulative values of the number of MLs, the number of closed MLs, and the number of MLs using Wiki. As of May 2007, there were 3,110 MLs and 18,519 users (excluding data for ML set up by developers). Maximum number of users in a single ML was 648 people, Fig. 3 Time transition of number of MLs.Feb-04Apr-04Jun-04Aug-04Oct-04Dec-04Feb-05Apr-05Jun-05Aug-05Oct-05Dec-05Feb-06Apr-06Jun-06Aug-06Oct-06Dec-06Feb-07Apr-07Jun-073500300025002000150010005000Number of MLsClosedWiki use(25)−

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