Grooviquette

Groove Virtual Office is a proprietary peer-to-peer software package aimed at the enterprise. It's acquisition by Microsoft was announced in March 2005.

Groove workspaces

On its most basic level, Groove is desktop software designed to facilitate collaboration and communication among small groups. It is a Windows-based commercial product invented by Lotus Notes creator Ray Ozzie (former CEO of Iris Associates). A key concept in the Groove paradigm is the shared workspace. A Groove user creates a workspace and then invites other people into it. Each person who responds to an invitation becomes a member of that workspace and is sent a copy that is installed on his or her hard drive. All data is encrypted both on disk and over the network, with each workspace having a unique set of cryptographic keys. This local copy avoids the physical distance between the user and his data. In other words, a workspace is the private virtual location where users who are members interact and collaborate. From that moment on, Groove keeps all the copies synchronized via the Internet or the corporate network. When any one member makes a change to the space, that change is sent to all copies for update. If that member is offline at the time the change is made, the change is queued and synchronized to other workspace members when the member comes back online (see horizon of connectivity). Via the workspace, one or more peers (members) now have a context for collaboration.

Collaboration tools

Groove's basic set of services (including always-on security, reliable messaging, store-and-forward 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 the workspaces you create in order 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 space drive the nature of the person-to-person collaboration that ensues. Users are able to add and remove tools at any time in order to adapt to evolving requirements.

Related software

Groove is only available for Microsoft Windows. Those familiar with Lotus Notes will soon feel comfortable with Groove, as the concepts are similar.

External links

• Groove homepage
• Groove weblog
• Microsoft press release on Groove acquisition
• PopG adds support for mac/unix & PDAs
• Info Share The use of Groove in conflict transformation and peacebuilding