we’re looking for people to use a collaborative file sharing tool called Cimetric

we’re looking for people to use a collaborative file sharing tool called

Cimetric

We began by looking for users in our lab…

As the app became more mature, we wanted to cast a wider net

why use Cimetric?

• you edit files on several different computers and don’t want to store your partially-finished work in a shared directory

• you work with colleagues on file content, and need to manage multiple versions of your writing and data files by– syncing files among computers and collaborators– notifying collaborators of new versions– setting advisory locks and annotating files with short notes– managing/maintaining versions in your working folders

• version control systems are too much of a hassle

• (possibly) you’re working with colleagues outside the firewall

but most importantly…

you’d like to help us evaluate and learn from Cimetric….without incurring too steep a cost!

we’re following a tradition of evaluating systems, ideas, and UX through small-scale local deployments

the deployments occupy a space somewhere between dogfooding and participatory design

how does Cimetric work?• Worksets are folders with your working files that you

want replicated among your computers.hint: the files don’t all need to be shared with your colleagues

• Repositories contain files you share with your collaborators.hint: repositories have every version you or your colleagues have shared

• Check in/check out allows you to move files from your workset to your copy of the repository and vice-versa.hint: you can choose when to incorporate other peoples’ changes.

workset

repository

Laptop

Work desktop

Home

Work desktop

check out/check insynchronize repositorysynchronize working files

repository

Laptop

workingfiles

Ted’s stuff

Doug’s stuff repository

workingfiles

repository

repository

workingfiles

repository

workingfiles

repository

workingfiles

When colleagues work together, they often each work on multiple computers.

They usually store their work for the collaboration locally, in a Windows folder. In Cimetric, we call these working files a workset.

Cimetric syncs worksets among each user’s multiple devices. The user need not share them until s/he is ready.

On each computer is a local copy of the collaboration’s repository. This is where users store the files they are sharing. The files in the repository are versioned.

A copy of the repository may also be stored in the cloud (in Azure). This may be used for backup, or to ensure the repository is reachable when computers are offline.

The local repositories are synced opportunistically with their peers.

Users move files from workset to repository and vice-versa through an explicit check in/check out process. This ensures changes are never overwritten without the user’s consent, and files are not shared before the user is ready.

hint: a workset is just a folderit’s easy to work the way you normally do.

and if you decide to leave Cimetric for any reason, you can just stop running it; your files will be fine.

Syncing (in its many forms) is important AND harder than it looks; Cimetric is an app that gives us a window onto what users expect of sync

“Getting sync right is the essence of everything,” [Ray Ozzie] says. “If you don’t, everything else fails.” (Wired, November 2008)

“Automatic file synchronization has the potential to simplify managing information and roles across devices, but only if users are willing to [use] it. Our findings suggest that people do not trust automatic file synchronization, even though they employ automatic synchronization for other types of information….

We believe [trust may be engendered] though greater visibility: showing the user what will happen, what is happening, what has happened, and allowing them to easily undo an action. (Dearman and Pierce, Proc. CHI 2008)

You work with Cimetric via a simple browser. Each tab represents a different collaboration.

workingfiles repository

every repository item has a version history that allows you to inspect and potentially restore old

versions

Cimetric gives you the ability to inspect synchronization state

use this site to download and install Cimetric• easy to install (all you need

is .NET framework)

• easy to use

• work like you normally would (use it with your normal editors)

• easy to get support

• low risk: easy to bail out when and if you want to

to install the app,use the download button on this site

http://sharepoint/sites/cimetricor contact any of us:

Cathy Marshall (cathymar)Rama Ramasubramanian (rama)

Doug Terry (terry)Ted Wobber (wobber)