A review of the history of an office system application is presented, highlighting the learning process that took place during its evolutionary development. This office system has served as the basis for a PRPQ (customized program) recently announced by IBM and known as the Professional Office System (PROFS). The general application architecture is discussed, with a specific focus on the use of virtual machines. Functional details of the various components are described, and the key distinction between office systems and office automation is addressed. The paper also discusses usage of the system and points up some of the benefits being realized by current users of a prototype system in IBM. The application function review details the electronic document distribution capabilities of the system.
PDF