Microsoft Groove
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| Microsoft Office Groove 2007 (Windows) | |
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 The Workspace in Microsoft Office Groove 2007. |
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| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Latest release | 12.0.6211.1000 (2007 SP1) / December 11, 2007 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows |
| Platform | x86 |
| Available in | multilanguage |
| Development status | Active |
| Genre | Office program |
| License | MS-EULA |
| Website | Microsoft Office Groove Homepage |
Microsoft Office Groove is a peer-to-peer application targeted at teams with members who are usually off-line or who do not share the same network security clearance. The product was originally developed by Groove Networks of Beverly, Massachusetts until Microsoft's acquisition of Groove Networks in March 2005.
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[edit] Groove workspaces
Groove is desktop software designed for the collaboration and communication of the members of small groups, initially developed by Lotus Notes creator Ray Ozzie for the Windows platform. The basic idea is a set of files to be shared plus some aids for group collaboration which is a shared workspace. A Groove user invites other Groove members after creating a workspace. By responding to an invitation the person becomes an active member of that workspace and is sent a copy of the workspace that is installed on their hard disk drive. All data is encrypted both on disk as well as over the network, with each workspace having a unique set of cryptographic keys. Members interact and collaborate in the workspace which is a private virtual location. Henceforth, all changes being made are tracked by Groove and all the copies are synchronized via the network in a peer-to-peer manner, almost instantaneously.
All the members are sent the changes made to the workspace by any of the users and the documents are updated automatically. The change is queued and synchronized to other workspace members, if that member is offline at the time the change is made, but the user's copy is updated when the member comes back online. The change is temporarily stored at the server, if Office Groove Server is used, which is relayed when the user is back online. Multiple copies are kept for the editors, when more than one person edits a document at the same time, who must agree which changes to save.
[edit] Collaboration tools
Groove's basic set of services (including always-on security, persistent chat, store-and-forward messaging delivery, firewall/NAT transparency, ad-hoc group formation, and change notification) may be customized with tools. Tools are mini-applications that rely on Groove's underlying functionality to disseminate and synchronize their contents with other members' copies of the workspace. Groove provides many tools that can be used in a workspace to customize the functionality of each space (for example, calendar, discussion, file sharing, outliner, pictures, notepad, sketchpad, Web browser, etc.). After a member creates the workspace, the tools that members use in the workspace drive the nature of the person-to-person collaboration that ensues. Tools can be added or removed as needed.
Groove is only available for Microsoft Windows. Many of its security concepts are similar to those in Lotus Notes. Groove's uses have included coordination between emergency relief agencies[1] where different organizations don't share a common security infrastructure and where offline access is important, and amongst teams of knowledge workers such as consultants who need to work securely on client sites. It is also used as a staging system for documents in development, where content can be worked up then transferred to a portal when complete.
Groove 2007 includes a presence subsystem, which keeps track of which users in the contact store are online, and presents the information in the launchbar. If Groove server is used, a user is considered online when they log on to the server. In absence of a server the Device Presence Protocol (which comes in different variants for LANs and WANs) is used. Groove also allows sending instant messages to peers. All session and user information is stored by the Groove client at the client side.
Groove 2007 file sharing workspaces are only available for 32 bit versions of Windows. Microsoft is currently not planning on releasing a version for 64 bit operating systems until the next release of Office.
[edit] Versions
Groove Virtual Office 3.1 was the last version before Microsoft's acquisition of Groove Networks. The following version has been released since:
- Groove 2007 (Included in Office 2007 Ultimate and Enterprise editions)
Groove 2007 is also available as a separate product and as an annual subscription-based service called Office Live Groove 2007.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Microsoft Office Groove 2007 homepage
- Communication protocols used by Groove: Presence, Data bridge
- Microsoft press release on Groove acquisition
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