FileSpot Collaborative File Manager

1. FileSpotCollaborative File Manager Andy Hou

2. Operational Concepts • FileSpot is a collaborative file manager that is fast and simple to use. • It is meant to be a replacement for built in file managers like Windows explorer and Mac OS X finder. • It is based around the idea of instant search to find files instead of browsing a directory tree. • It will support social collaboration like file permissions, viewing and reverting previous versions, and merging changes into one file.

3. System Requirements Essential Features: • Browse files stored on local hard drives or over a network and perform basic file operations. • Share files with people. • Browse previous versions of files. • Search for files. Results will show up as you type. Recommended Features: • Tag files with one or more labels. • Scheduled backups for files. • Plugin manager.

4. System and Software Architecture • Client and server architecture. Server can be run locally or remotely. Java will be used: • Platform independent. • Powerful enough to do all the file system backend. • GUI can be created with a GUI builder like Visual Editor for Eclipse.

5. Lifecycle Plan • Week 1: Flesh out feature requirements. • Week 2-3: Get client/server framework in place. Basic functionality implemented. • Week 4: Searching implemented. • Week 5: Polished up the GUI and release beta. • Week 6-7: Further improvements and features. • Week 8: Testing and final release.

6. Feasibility Rationale • FileSpot is not a web-based service. It is assumed that users will set up their own servers and host their files on their own hard drives. • Everyone should be familiar with Java. Risks • Searching may not be fast enough for displaying results as you type. • Merging may be difficult for binary files. • Moving large files over the network may be slow.