From computer communications to computer supported co-operative work

Although high-speed/broadband telecommunication networks like B-ISDN may be necessary for the implementation of new types of services, the availability of such networks is not sufficient to ensure their success. Considerable research and development are still necessary to ensure that: (1) flexible tools are available to build distributed applications, (2) through experimentation with a range of new services, insight is gained into what is really useful, (3) attractive user interfaces are built, and (4) adequate activity/traffic models exist so that the new networks and their capabilities can be economically planned. It should be noted that many of the proposed research topics are not directly dependent on quantitative characteristics like resolution or bit rate. Rather, characteristics at the system level have to be investigated