PALplates Questions and Issues
Please add to this page ("~toomey/public/palplates/issues.html") with your questions/concerns/issues, etc.
Basic Questions
- Why do we need PALplates?
- Raise user involvement to increase their relevance. Personalization.
- As specialized information sinks; for example typically a message about a particular printer is sent to
all@pal.xerox.com; people read it and store the message. When they actually need the information, they look
through mail folders to find the information. With PalPlates, printer messages are send to
printer@palplate.pal.xerox.com; this way you channel and see information when/where you need informatin
(saves storage too!)
- Can a laptop or a generic computer not do what is envisioned for PALplates?
- PALplate distinguished by being "less functional" [actually targeted functionality] devices that are distributed.
- What are various tasks for PALplates?
- Justification for each task.
- What tasks accomplished through PALplates can be completed by alternative existing infrastructure?
- Compare these methods for suitability.
- What is different about PALplate from other ubiquitous computing solutions?
- They need user level discriminators and technical discriminators.
- What is it exactly that PALplate does and what does it not do?
- What type of information can be managed through the PALplates?
- Is there a systematic way to determine where PALplates should be located?
- Do PALplates fit the telephone model?
- Cost issues in transferring lab model to real world.
Software Related
- What is the best software architecture for PALplates?
- How to program PALplates from remote locations?
- How to keep the information on PALplates updated?
- What kind of internet connection is needed?
- Are Netscape, http, html, cgi scripts suitable for PALplates? What are the alternatives?
- Role of the browser-like interface?
- How will information enter the system and how will information be managed so that it is consistent and up to date?
User Interface Related
- What user interfaces are needed for PALplates at office doors, copier/printer/fax, business meeting rooms, public
information places, airport terminals, hospitals, etc.,?
- How to integrate domain and geographic location information with the user interface of PALplates?
- How to make the UI "familiar" as in telephones?
Hardware Related
- What hardware design is most appropriate?
- Is the hardware of PALplates same for all locations?
- Interoperability of PALplates with rest of the computing/phone infrastructure?
Other
- What are the hardware/software requirements?
- Let the task scenarios drive the requirements.