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In the Editorial note our CCS Editors Mikkonen, Tyrväinen and Abrahamsson outline the future of the journal.
The Industry Articles in our first issue focus on technical aspects of Cloud Computing and provide good overviews on IDE as a Service and Cloudbursting.
The Research Articles consider both technical and business viewpoints by introducing a mobile device cloud concept, discussing vulnerabilities of web browsers, presenting a classification of SaaS firms and discussing the importance of inteface design in Cloud services.
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- Info
Current issue
Communications of the Cloud Software, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2011 (published Dec 23rd, 2011)
From the Editors
The Cloud paradigm is changing the way we utilize software. Companies have been quick in adopting this change and finding ways to utilize the emerging opportunities. At the same time, research activity is gaining momentum both in industry and in universities, and new research results are looking for fast and reliable outlets for publishing the results to the community.
A year ago we found a half a dozen of conferences, tracks and workshops around the cloud theme, but not a single peer-reviewed journal focusing on cloud software. There certainly exists a need for such and therefore a decision was made to establish such. And here it is – the first peer-reviewed issue of the Communications of Cloud Software.
Communications of Cloud Software is not just a regular journal. We wanted to create a journal satisfying the needs of the cloud generation of today and tomorrow. That is, Communications of Cloud Software
• is an open-access journal accessible for free from the web,
• is also available in form of printed issues with an ISSN,
• includes both industrial and academic articles,
• prefers publishing compact articles, and
• publishes in a author-friendly and timely manner, having a turnaround time of just three months.
Further, Communications of Cloud Software opens up new avenues: It…
• is an open-review journal, where
• submissions are published in a couple of days from submission as discussion papers, which will be permanently accessible with URN,
• the reviewer comments are visible for the readers, and
• also the readers are able to comment, criticize or praise the submissions,
• impacting the acceptance of the submissions to the peer-reviewed issues.
We are proud of this approach, which enables industrial experts and academic researchers to share their views and comment on the latest results without unnecessary publishing delays, but still within the reliable peer-reviewed framework.
This first issue includes the first peer-reviewed articles which were invited from Cloud Software Program (cloudsoftwareprogram.org). We wish that You to enjoy the scale of articles varying from cloud development environments and mobile device cloud to innovative cloud based applications and business models. Both industrial and academic papers are present.
Finally, we challenge You as the reader to comment on the discussion papers under review as well as to submit your own contributions to the Communications of the Cloud Software. Please, state your case!
- Editors
Industry Articles
Designing IDE as a Service
Authors: Timo Aho, Adnan Ashraf, Marc Englund, Joni Katajamäki, Johannes Koskinen, Janne Lautamäki, Antti Nieminen, Ivan Porres, Ilkka Turunen
Keywords: Cloud, Integrated development environment
Abstract:
While the popularity of web applications is growing, most of the software is still developed using desktop tools. Nevertheless, a browser-based development environment could offer a multitude of advantages. For example, only an up-to-date web browser is needed and therefore the user has no need to carry out complex tool installation and update procedures. Furthermore, publishing the applications to the web is easy to offer as a feature of an IDE, and since the users are already connected via server, collaborative features are easier to implement. For beginning businesses, effortless publishing offers new possibilities. In this paper, we present Arvue, a browser-based tool that enables simple development and publishing of web applications. Arvue applications are created on the browser using a user interface designer and an integrated code editor. The applications are stored in a version control system provided by Arvue and they can easily be published to the cloud. Publishing the user-created applications may impose resource usage and security issues, which are also addressed in the paper.
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Elastic Build Service
Author: Ville Seppänen
Keywords: Cloud computing, cloudbursting, build system, software build, OBS, Open Build Service, computing cluster, distributed system, virtualization
Abstract:
Linux-based operating systems such as MeeGo consist of thousands of modular software packages. Compiling source code and packaging software is an automated but computationally heavy task. As the load on a build cluster can vary greatly, a local infrastructure is difficult to provision efficiently. In this paper the elastic acquisition of cloud resources is presented as a means to ensure sufficient computing capacity for a software build system in case of rapid growth in the popularity of MeeGo. A proof-of-concept implementation was done using a specific build system commonly used for MeeGo development. This system is Open Build Service, a centrally managed distributed build system capable of building packages for several distributions and architectures. Main concerns were the technical feasibility, security and efficiency of the proposed solution. A script was implemented to autonomously manage the elastic cloudbursting, monitoring resource usage and demand and making decisions whether new machines should be requested or idle ones terminated. The implementation was evaluated by comparing build times with and without the support from the cloud. The latencies incurred by the physical distance to the cloud were not insurmountable and the system scaled up in a matter of minutes. The main advantage achieved with cloud usage in this work was the advent of seemingly infinite number of resources on-demand, ideal for handling sudden bursts of packages that can be built in parallel.
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Reseach Articles
Towards Mobile Device Cloud
Authors: Mikko Raatikainen, Varvana Myllärniemi, Subhamoy Ghosh, Jari Pääkkö, Tomi Männistö, Mikko Ylikangas, Olli Korjus, Eero Uusitalo, Niko Mäkitalo, Heikki Peltola, Tommi Mikkonen, Tapani Leppänen, Timo Aaltonen
Keywords: Cloud, Software, Mobile Device
Abstract:
Although cloud computing has established itself as a novel paradigm, mobile devices have unique characteristics and capabilities that are not inherently made part of a cloud. This paper presents the notion of a mobile device cloud: mobile devices become active members in the cloud, sharing content, resources, and services with each other. We discuss how the concepts of cloud computing can be applied to mobile device clouds. Further, a prototype implementation of some key components in a mobile device cloud is presented. Finally, management aspects of mobile device cloud by a means of self-management capabilities are outlined.
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Security Testing of Web Browsers
Authors: Pekka Pietikäinen, Aki Helin, Rauli Puuperä, Atte Kettunen, Jarmo Luomala, Juha Röning
Keywords: Web browser, security testing, vulnerability testing
Abstract:
Web browsers have an enormous install base and vulnerabilities in them can result in wide-spread infections. In this paper we describe our methodology, experiences and results based on continuous browser testing performed during 2010-2011. The work was done using Radamsa, a general purpose black-box fuzzer being developed at OUSPG, which automatically generates test cases based on samples of unknown formats. In addition to making browsers and various programs using the same libraries more secure, this has given us valuable feedback as to how well the various techniques employed by the tool work in practice for finding previously unknown vulnerabilities in real-world programs. Over the last two years approximately 60 new bugs have been found and reported in widely used browsers, over half of which had potential security impact.
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Software-as-a-Service Business Models
Authors: Eetu Luoma, Mikko Rönkkö
Keywords: Software-as-a-Service, Business model, Classification, Cluster analysis, Software Industry
Abstract:
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering is beneficial to both SMEs and larger corporations, who wish to outsource software-related activities and use simple and low-cost software systems. The expected pros and cons of SaaS offering and technological details are well represented in the contemporary academic and trade literature. However, comprehensive understanding of SaaS as a business model seems to be missing. By synthesizing existing literature and using survey data collected from Finnish software industry, this article reveals two different configurations and the typical factors of SaaS business models. The resulting classification contributes to understanding how software companies need to align and balance otherwise separate business model elements in order to run successful business.
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Cloud Based Concept For A Future Contact Book
Authors: Maini Williams, Eija Kaasinen, Minna Kulju, Aleksi Rinta-Kauppila
Keywords: Cloud computing, contact book, co-creation, user interface design, evaluation, prototype, identities
Abstract:
People are using several different devices and services for communication purposes. Managing and synchronizing contact information becomes challenging when the number of different contact books increases. In this paper we describe the development of a future contact book concept that utilizes the possibilities of cloud computing. A cloud based contact book can serve various devices and applications and it is available anywhere and anytime. The cloud based contact book could indicate availability of people and it could help in selecting the preferred communication channel simplifying the initial contact. It also enables people to have different identities in their daily lives. The contact book concept was co-created with potential end users in different ideation activities. In this paper the concept of cloud based contact book and initial user evaluation results are described. One of the key findings of the study was that users are having different identities. These identities could be used to determine who is able to reach the person at any given moment and what communication channel is used to make a contact.
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