Context. When dealing with large data sets and heavy calculations the common solution is clusters, supercomputers or Grids of these two. However, there are ways of gaining large computational power by utilizing the unused cycles of regular home or office computers, this are referred to as Desktop Grids. Objectives. In this study we review the current field of solutions for open source Desktop Grid computing capable of dealing with a heterogeneous set of clients and dynamic size of the Desktop Grid. We investigate current use, interest of use and priority of key attributes of Desktop Grids. Finally we want to show how time effective Desktop Grids are compared to execution on a single machine and in the process show effort needed to setup a Desktop Grid and start computing. The overall purpose of this study is to provide a path for industry organizations to take when taking the first step into Desktop Grid computing. Methods. We use a systematic review to collect information of existing open source Desktop Grid solutions. Studies are selected based on inclusion criterions and a quality assessment. A survey questioner is used to assess industry usage, interest and prioritization of attributes of Desktop Grids. We will conduct an experiment to show execution speedup as well as setup effort. Results. We found ten open source Desktop Grids fulfilling our requirements. The survey shows that Desktop Grids is used to a very little extent within industry while a majority of the participants state that there is an interest for Desktop Grids. As result of the experiment, we can say that we achieved very high speedup and that effort needed to setup a Desktop Grid is about 40 hours for one person with no prior experience to the selected Desktop Grid system. Conclusions. We conclude that industry organizations have a possible need for Desktop Grids but in order to be more successful, Desktop Grid developers must put more effort into areas as automated testing and code compilation.

In this study a Q-sort was used to measure differences in academic and public librarian attitudes toward computers, desktop publishing systems and expert systems. Fifty-two academic and sixty-two public librarians responded. The responses were sorted into groups based on the type of library and whether or not the respondent followed the stated Q-sort distribution.

Regression testing is important but time consuming. Automating the testing have many benefits. It will save money for companies because they will not have to pay testers to manually test their applications. It will produce better software with less bugs as testing can be done more frequently so bugs will be found faster. This thesis has compared two techniques used to automate regression testing. The more traditional component level record and replay tools and Visual GUI testing tools that uses image recognition. Eight tools in total was tested and compared, four from each technique. The system under test for this project was a fat client application used by Trafikverket. After automating a test suite using all tools, it could be concluded that the component level record and replay had some advantages over visual GUI testing tools, especially when it comes to verifying the state of the system under test. The benefits of visual GUI testing tools comes from their independence from the system under test and that the technique more correctly mimics how a real user interacts with the GUI. / Regressionstestning är en viktig men tidskrävande del av mjukvaruutveckling. Att automatisera testningen har flera fördelar. Det sparar pengar för företag eftersom de inte behöver betala testare för att manuellt utföra testerna. Det resulterar i bättre mjukvara med färre buggar eftersom man kan testa oftare och därmed hitta buggar tidigare. Det här projektet har undersökt och jämfört två tekniker som kan användas för att automatisera regressionstestning och verktyg som använder dessa tekniker. Dels de traditionella verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå samt verktyg som istället använder sig av bildigenkänning för att identifiera objekt. Totalt testades och utvärderades åtta verktyg, fyra av varje tekniktyp. Systemet som testades under projektet är en skrivbordsapplikation som används av Trafikverket. Efter att ha automatiserat en testsekvens med varje verktyg kunde konstateras att verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå har flera fördelar över verktyg som enbart använder bildigenkänning. Detta gäller främst när det kommer till verifiering av systemets tillstånd. Den största fördelen med bildigenkänningsverktygen visade sig vara dess oberoende från systemet, samt att tekniken mer efterliknar en verklig användare.

Regression testing is important but time consuming. Automating the testing have many benefits. It will save money for companies because they will not have to pay testers to manually test their applications. It will produce better software with less bugs as testing can be done more frequently so bugs will be found faster. This thesis has compared two techniques used to automate regression testing. The more traditional component level record and replay tools and Visual GUI testing tools that uses image recognition. Eight tools in total was tested and compared, four from each technique. The system under test for this project was a fat client application used by Trafikverket. After automating a test suite using all tools, it could be concluded that the component level record and replay had some advantages over visual GUI testing tools, especially when it comes to verifying the state of the system under test. The benefits of visual GUI testing tools comes from their independence from the system under test and that the technique more correctly mimics how a real user interacts with the GUI. / Regressionstestning är en viktig men tidskrävande del av mjukvaruutveckling. Att automatisera testningen har flera fördelar. Det sparar pengar för företag eftersom de inte behöver betala testare för att manuellt utföra testerna. Det resulterar i bättre mjukvara med färre buggar eftersom man kan testa oftare och därmed hitta buggar tidigare. Det här projektet har undersökt och jämfört två tekniker som kan användas för att automatisera regressionstestning och verktyg som använder dessa tekniker. Dels de traditionella verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå samt verktyg som istället använder sig av bildigenkänningför att identifiera objekt. Totalt testades och uvärderades åtta verktyg, fyra av varje tekniktyp. Systemet som testades under projektet är en skrivbordsapplikation som används av Trafikverket. After att ha automatiserat en testsekvens med varje verktyg kunde konstateras att verktygen som identifierar objekt på komponentnivå har flera fördelar över verktyg som enbart använder bildigenkänning. Detta gäller främst när det kommer till verifiering av systemets tillstånd. Den största fördelen med bildigenkänningsverktygen visade sig vara dess oberoende från systemet, samt att tekniken mer efterliknar en verklig användare.

Electronic devices have acquired an increasingly important role in our society and are integrated in our lives making both the users and their devices more accessible. Currently in the western world most families have at least one computer. This computer is generally equipped with multimedia accessories and an Internet connection. Portable devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, are part of this technological and social environment. One might think about using a hands free Bluetooth headset together with a mobile phone, to obtain better sound quality, using a keyboard such as the Handykey Corp. Twiddler in order to dial/type quicker or send SMS messages in an easier way, watching a video on a large computer screen that had previously been downloaded to your mobile phone, etcetera. However, there is a problem when it comes to the interconnectivity between all these devices. Today users face many difficulties when attempting to use what should be the aggregated possibilities of their devices, rather than simply the functionality of each device. The hypothesis of this project is that the user's difficulties could be overcome if their devices could be internetworked. For example, even though mobile phones and PDAs often have a USB interface, unlike typical desktop or laptop computers these devices have been designed to only be USB slaves -- hence other USB devices cannot be directly attached to them. There are some signs of this changing with the introduction of USB On-The-Go - but we believe that this is a short-sighted evolutionary step. The obvious solution is to internetwork these devices. For example, by attaching these various USB devices to a computer that is a USB bus master (host) - we can enable the user to use their USB Twiddler with a USB phone. In this way, a user could remotely access the functions of the set of all of their portable devices - without worrying about how to directly interconnect them in pairs. This could enable new functionality, such as the user being able to answer an incoming call to their cellular phone with the keypad of the Twiddler, while using the audio input and output functions of their Bluetooth headset. We begin by examining a number of means to establish and use remote connections to access systems remotely. We have focused on the most popular desktop sharing systems, specifically those that use remote desktop protocols. Initially we require manual configuration or use of a discovery protocol to identify the different devices. Later we will examine additional protocols, along with some potentially automatic configuration mechanisms. / Elektroniska apparater har fått en att starkare position i vårt samhälle, integerationen i våra liv gör dem mer tillgängliga. Nu för tiden har de flesta familjer i västvärlden, minst en dator per hushåll. Datorerna har allt som oftast flera multimedia tillbehör och en internett uppkopling. Handhållna aparater så som mobiltelefoner och PDA’er är också en del av teknologiska och sociala miljön. Kanske vill man andvända en handsfree med blue tooth för att förbättra ljudkvaliteten, eller ett tangentbord t.ex. ett Handykey Corp. En twiddler för att ringa eller skicka SMS. Se på högkavitets video på en stor skärm som du tidigare lastat ner till din mobiltelefon, etc. Hur som hälst uppstår det problem vid sammankopplingen mellan olika tillbehör. Dagens användare får en stor utmaning i användade av den kombinerade funktionen i stället för den ensamstående apparatens funktioner och förmåga. Hypotesen av detta projekt är att detta problem kan övervinnas om alla apparater var ihopkoplade via internetwork. Till exempel, även om de flesta mobiltelefoner och PDA’er har USB gränssnitt, har dem tillskillnad från vanliga stationära datorer och laptops bara designats för att vara USB-slavar. Detta betyder att USB-tillbehör inte kan kopplas direkt till apparaten. Det finns tecken på tekniker som t.ex. USB On-The-Go men detta ser ut som en kortsiktig lösning. En uppenbar lösning är att parkoppla dessa apparater via internetwork. Om man t.ex. kopplar alla dessa USB-tillbehör till en stationär eller bärbar dator, kan vi låta användaren komma åt dessa via sin telefon med USB. På så sätt kan användaren trådlöst komma åt alla tillkopplade tillbehör, utan att oroa sig över att para samman dem fysiskt. Möjligheten för nya funktioner och användningsområden visar sig då, som t.ex. att svara på inkommande samtal med den tillkoplade twiddler’n medans samtidigt tala via det trådlösa headsettet. Vi börjar med att undersöka olika tekniker för att upprätta trådlös tillkoppling till olika system. Vi har focuserat på de populäraste datasystemen, framför allt de som använder trådlösa protokoll. Sådana som kräver manuell installation eller använder upptäkande protokoll för att identifiera olika tillbehör. Senare visar vi exempel på andra protokoll med några potensial att automatisk konfigurera tillkopplingen. / 1F1421 Project report Oral presentation given 2008-07-30 14:00 http://www.ict.kth.se/info/GRU/Events/Old-Seminars/2008/20080730-14.00-CCS-Exjobb-presentation.html

Technology is advancing rapidly and intelligent devices are becoming affordable and wireless infrastructure is becoming pervasive. Personal information technology appliances have become part of our life, via cellular phones, PDAs, Bluetooth headsets, handheld keyboards, GPS, and digital cameras. In the future, new intelligent devices will be invented as technology evolves. However, because multiple devices provide similar (but different) functionality it is complex for the average user to choose a single device. Moreover, today it is hard to configure, administer, and use several different appliances together. In order to be utilized in an effective manner and in an accessible way, personal devices should be aggregated, i.e., connected together via a local area network so that they can appear to the user as if they were a single device. This paper introduces a connection model based on device aggregation to realize shared state, the behavior of a shared appliance, and with the superset of the individual device functionality. Such an aggregated logical device might even exhibit functions which a user would have a very hard time realizing by manually combining devices. This will facilitate the user’s control over their appliances (build of different devices), but acting as one device. The project was a joint effort with David Sabaté Mogica. We developed such a system based on Dynamic Host Client protocol (DHCP) and Service Location Protocol (SLP) for service discovery and Virtual Network Computing (VNC) for remote desktop control. The system builds on a laboratory network environment. This thesis concerns the implementation and evaluation of service discovery. The Remote desktop control was researched and implemented separately and will be reported separately. Service discovery between two computers has been implemented using a custom program developed for a PDA. However, at present the PDA only sends a DA request packet with DHCP. However, service discovery has been successfully tested between two computers. This provided an important base for the programming on PDA and the future development of a similar program for a cellular phone. / Den snabba tekniska utvecklingen ger våra apparater mer och mer intelligens, priset på avancerade produkter är överkomligt och trådlösa infrastrukturer binder samman allt fler produkter. Tekniska produkter har blivit en del av vår vardag: Mobiltelefon, PDA-er, trådlösa hörlurar och tangentbord med blåtandsradio, GPS och digitalkameror. I takt med den tekniska utvecklingen kommer hela tiden nya intelligenta och kommunicerande produkter. Man kan hitta liknande funktioner i olika produkter, och det är svårt för den vanlige användaren att välja den optimala produkten. Dessutom har de avancerade produkterna många parametrar att ställa in, och att använda olika produkter tillsammans kräver att användaren är djupt insatt i tekniken. Genom att aggregera, koppla ihop, produkterna i ett lokalt nätverk, kan deras funktioner användas effektivt och göras bättre tillgängliga genom att de för användaren ser ut som om de tillhör en enda produkt. Denna avhandling introducerar en kommunikationsmodell baserad på produktaggregering genom delade gemensamma tillstånd och reaktioner hos de ingående produkterna, med tillägg av respektive produkters särskilda funktioner. En sådant logiskt produktaggregat kan också fås att utföra funktioner som användaren annars skulle ha väldigt svårt att realisera genom att manuellt kombinera de nödvändiga produktfunktionerna. Det underlättar alltså användningen av systemet (byggt av flera olika produkter), som fungerar som om det vore en enda produkt. Projektet har genomförts tillsammans med David Sabaté Mogica. Vi har utvecklat ett system för produktaggregering baserat på Dynamic Host Client protocol (DHCP) och Service Location Protocol (SLP) för att identifiera tillgängliga fuktioner och Virtual Network Computing (VNC) för ”remote desktop control”. Systemet är byggt i ett laboratorienät. Avhandlingen fokuserar på hur identifiering av tillgängliga funktioner och tjänster genomförs och utvärderas. ”Remote desktop control” utvecklades och infördes separat och kommer att rapporteras separat. Ömsesidig identifiering av funktioner mellan två datorer har genomförts med ett program utvecklat speciellt för en PDA. Hittils sänder emellertid PDA’n bara ett DA-frågepaket med DHCP. Den ömsesidiga funktionsidentifieringen är dock testad och fungerar mellan två datorer vilket gav den nödvändiga grunden för programmeringen av PDA’n och för framtida utveckling av liknande program för mobiltelefoner.

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This research considers two modes of training Army infantry officers in initial training to conduct a platoon live fire exercise. Leaders from groups that were training with the current classroom training methods were compared to leaders from groups whose training was augmented with a PC based training system known as the Rapid Decision Trainer (RDT). The RDT was developed by the US Army Research Development and Engineering Command for the purpose of aiding in the training of tactical decision making and troop leading procedures of officers in the initial levels of training to become rifle platoon leaders. The RDT allows the leader in training to run through platoon level operations prior to live execution in a simulated combat environment. The focus of the system is on leadership tasks and decision making in areas such as unit movement, internal unit communication and contingency planning, and other dismounted infantry operations. Over the past year, some Infantry Officer Basic Course platoons at Ft. Benning have used the RDT in an experimental manner. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the system is beneficial in training IOBC officers. The Army Research Institute (ARI) conducted a preliminary evaluation of the RDT in March 2005 (Beal 2005). However, no quantitative measures were used in the evaluation of the RDT, only subjective evaluations of the users. Additionally, there were no formal evaluations by the training cadre, only the users themselves. This experiment continues the work of ARI and uses qualitative and quantitative data from both users and the evaluating cadre. In this experiment, the effectiveness of the RDT was evaluated through measuring leader behaviors and personal preferences. Three measurement approaches were used; (1) quantitative performance measures of leader actions, (2) qualitative situational awareness and evaluations of inclusion in the non leader players, and (3) a qualitative evaluation of the system's usability and effectiveness by system users. Analysis reveals statistically significant findings that challenge the current norms.

Uppsatsens syfte är dels att identifiera konsumenternas e-handelspreferenser men även att ta reda på eventuella skillnader gällande användarpreferenser via smartphone respektive persondator. Uppsatsen identifierar e-handel som ett fenomen som blir allt starkare och som är på väg att konkurrera ut den traditionella detaljhandeln.För att kunna svara på vår problemformulering tar vi hjälp av olika metoder. Utifrån våra undersökningar tillsammans med våra utvalda metoder har vi kommit fram till att konsumenterna hellre sitter vid en persondator vid konsumtion av en vara. Det hör samman med att konsumenterna vill sitta i sitt hem där de i lugn och ro kan göra sitt köp. En annan betydande faktor är att skärmstorleken är för liten på smartphone. En detalj som konsumenterna nämner är att gränssnittet på en smartphone är sämre än på en persondator.Nyckelord: e-handel, smartphone, mobil e-handel, persondator / The purpose of this paper is to identify consumer e-commerce preferences but also to trace any differences regarding consumer’s preferences via smartphone or PC. The paper identifies e-commerce as a phenomenon that is becoming stronger and that is going to rival the traditional e-commerce. The goal of this paper is to identify consumer’s e-commerce preferences.To solve our issue we will use different methods. Based on our studies, together with our selected methods, we found that consumers prefer sitting at a personal computer with the consumption of a commodity. It is linked to the consumer wants to sit in their homes where they quietly can make their purchase. Another significant factor is that the screen size is too small on the smartphone. One detail that consumer’s mention is that the interface on a smartphone is worse than on a PC.Key words: e-commerce, smartphone, mobile commerce, Personal Computer

Advancements in computer technology are making video conferencing a viable communication medium for desktop computers. These same advancements are changing the structure and means by which information workers conduct business. From a human factors perspective, however, the study of new communication technologies and their relationships with end users presents a challenging research domain. This study employed two diverse research approaches to the problem of reduced video frame rate in desktop video conferencing. In the first study, a psychophysical method was used to evaluate video image quality as a function of frame rate for a series of different scenes. Scenes varied in terms of level of detail, velocity of panning, and content. Results indicate that for most scenes, differences in frame rate become less detectable above approximately 10 frames per second (fps), suggesting a curvilinear relationship between image quality and frame rate. For a traditional conferencing scene, however, a linear increase in frame rate produced a linear improvement in perceived image quality. High detail scenes were perceived to be of lower quality than the low detail scenes, while panning velocity had no effect. In the second study, a collection of research methods known as ethnography was used to examine long-term use of desktop video by collaborators in a real work situation. Participants from a graduate course met each week for seven weeks and worked on a class project under one of four communication conditions: face-to-face, 1 fps, 10 fps, and 25 fps. Dependent measures included interviews, questionnaires, interaction analysis measures, and ethnomethodology. Recommendations are made regarding the utility and expense of each method with respect to uncovering human factors issues in video-mediated collaboration. It is believed that this research has filled a significant gap in the human factors literature of advanced telecommunications and research methodology. / Ph. D.