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The major features are:<br />

Figure 1 Mediator implementation on the World Wide Web<br />

User Interface: At the center of the Mediator architecture is a user <strong>in</strong>terface based on an <strong>in</strong>teractive visual language tool<br />

support<strong>in</strong>g active concept maps (Ga<strong>in</strong>es and Shaw, 1995a). This user <strong>in</strong>terface, XConMap, was orig<strong>in</strong>al software<br />

developed for the purpose of this thesis. XConMap is a recursive, network aware, object oriented conceptual map editor<br />

and browser which is the <strong>in</strong>terface to Mediator1, and the only stand-alone piece of applications software created for this<br />

implementation.<br />

Applications: Interaction with Mediator1 occurs predom<strong>in</strong>antly through pre-exist<strong>in</strong>g applications software. In the design<br />

and creation of Mediator1, the use of as much pre-exist<strong>in</strong>g software as possible was a design goal, due to the <strong>in</strong>tended<br />

use of Mediator1 by <strong>in</strong>dustrial as well as academic partners with<strong>in</strong> the IMS consortium. To satisfy the design objective<br />

of utiliz<strong>in</strong>g as much pre-exist<strong>in</strong>g software as possible, software packages were chosen that operated on multiple<br />

platforms, had data sets that were transferable across platforms and could be manipulated by the web.<br />

In Mediator1, this architectural aspect is supported by the follow<strong>in</strong>g list of applications:<br />

XConMap--XConMap has the dual role of act<strong>in</strong>g as the user <strong>in</strong>terface as well as act<strong>in</strong>g as a support<strong>in</strong>g member<br />

application. When a user accesses an XConMap file, (or a concept map file from another platform) the XConMap<br />

edit<strong>in</strong>g environment is automatically loaded and the data viewed with<strong>in</strong> it. This is the reason that the application<br />

XConMap is referred to as recursive, because it can load, through a node, a concept map and all of its constituent<br />

Internet l<strong>in</strong>ks.<br />

Netscape--Netscape, beside help<strong>in</strong>g to fulfill some of the communication protocols of the lower levels of the<br />

Mediator architecture, also acts as a support<strong>in</strong>g application allow<strong>in</strong>g the display of multimedia files.<br />

AutoCAD--AutoCAD files are stored throughout the Internet and l<strong>in</strong>ked to by the nodes <strong>in</strong> XConMap. When the<br />

l<strong>in</strong>ks are followed the AutoCAD data is served by the process and communication layer of Mediator, and the<br />

AutoCAD application is launched to allow the user to <strong>in</strong>terface with the accessed data.<br />

AutoSolid--In much the same manner as AutoCAD, l<strong>in</strong>ks to AutoSolid files across the Internet are ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed by<br />

the XConMap <strong>in</strong>terface, and when these l<strong>in</strong>ks are followed, Mediator serves the data to the <strong>in</strong>terface on the<br />

desktop by launch<strong>in</strong>g an AutoSolid model<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stantiation for the user to <strong>in</strong>teract with the accessed data.<br />

FrameMaker--FrameMaker data is accessed <strong>in</strong> the same manner as AutoCAD.<br />

CNC Tools--The data from exist<strong>in</strong>g CNC editors and applications can also be served up with an HTML <strong>in</strong>terface<br />

via Netscape for display and <strong>in</strong>teraction.<br />

Process Plann<strong>in</strong>g Software--As with the data from exist<strong>in</strong>g CNC editors and applications, the data from exist<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Process Plann<strong>in</strong>g software can also be served through an HTML <strong>in</strong>terface via Netscape for display and

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