A flexible authoring process for collaborative authoring based on document fragments and contracts

Many research work on collaborative authoring focuses on providing an adequate framework for the authoring process. In this article, we propose document farms as a simple computer infrastructure from which it is possible to derive various authoring processes. We follow a structured document approach, with a document model completed by fragment and contract definitions. The result is a collaborative authoring process which can be constrained during the document class definition, or during the document instantiation. The general architecture of a document farm is described, as well as interfaces that promote more intimate interaction with the document structure.