Engineering on the Internet for global software production

Over the past two decades, researchers and tool vendors have introduced techniques and tools to improve software engineering processes. Most of these are host-centered systems with closed architectures, fixed database drivers, specific network requirements, and platform-dependent client and server software. These restrictions make sharing information difficult, complicate tool integration, and limit global user access from diversified software environments. These are the major obstacles in global software production. Today´s Internet technology provides a powerful and cost-effective means of overcoming these obstacles. Internet technologies allow distributed networking, global access, platform independence, information sharing, and internationalization. The Internet provides a nearly ubiquitous communication infrastructure, enabling team members to connect to the development process easily. This article reports the authors´ innovative work in the arena of constructing an Internet-based, global software engineering environment