Lost and found in software space

Two problems often occur when implementing large software projects in a group: the problem of orientation and the problem of finding competent partners for tight cooperation. The paper presents a spatial representation of the shared source code under development called software space. It shows how awareness about another person´s activities can be provided, which helps to find appropriate partners. Software space dynamically adapts to the user´s preferences and thus improves during usage. The paper illustrates how the adapted representation can assist users in finding their way in software space.