CMPT 470 Technology Evaluation
Each project group is responsible for installing, demonstrating and evaluating a particular server-side web technology. This can be done on the group web server provided in CSIL.
You will receive marks for the following components:
- Demonstration web site: 5%. Construct a web site that illustrates the technology you have chosen in an application of your choice. You can email the URL of this page to if you'd like it posted on the course web site.
- Written comparison: 5%. Write an evaluation summarizing the technology you have chosen and compare it with at least n-1 comparable technology alternatives suitable for similar applications (where n is your group size). This evaluation should be roughly 200n words in length. It should be written in valid XHTML and posted on your web site.
- Presentation: 8%. You will be responsible for a presentation that demonstrates the technology you have chosen. The presentation should be no longer than 20 minutes, with a little time for a few questions.
- The presentation should give overview of tool to a technical audience (the class). For example, since the audience is generally looking at the technology from the perspective of developers, it's reasonable to show code and technical features. Don't focus too much on your comparison here, since the presentations of the other groups will contrast other technologies. You should tell us what sets this tool apart from others and give us an idea of when we would want to use it to solve a problem.
- Presentation summaries: 2% (individual). You will be responsible for submitting short written summaries of the presentations given by the other groups.
In the demonstration and written evaluation, you should focus on the overall aspects of the tool, as opposed to lists of features. You should focus on questions like (but not limited to) these:
- Why is X useful?
- What kinds of problems does X solve well?
- What makes X cool?
- Does X have surprising features?
In your written evaluation, you will also compare your topic with alternative or competing technologies. Your demonstration web site should support your presentation and written evaluation. Since your written evaluation is web-based, it would make sense to link to relevant parts of your demonstration site.
The presentations will begin in lecture on 28 June, 5 July, and 12 July. All components of the evaluation are due by 19 July
The schedule for the presentations will be announced later.
Topics
In order to ensure good breadth in the topics covered, different groups will not be allowed to cover conflicting topics. (“Conflict” will be determined by Abhijit.) Groups presenting first will get priority when resolving conflicts. That is, if you present first, you can talk about whatever you want. If you present second, you can talk about anything except what the first group does. If you present last, you will have less choice but more time to prepare.
Groups that propose their topics by June 7 will get their topic in this priority. After that, it's first-come, first-served.
Your email can simply be a list of your choices of topics (in order of preference). You can expand a little on what you intend to talk about if you like, but it's not necessary.
Please be sure to send several choices of topic. If your first choice isn't available, will look at the next, and so on. If none of the topics on your list are available, you'll go into the first-come, first-served category.
You can find some sample example of topics suggested in the past: in submit your demo and written comparison, create a .tar.gz file containing:
- The source code for your demonstration web site and any other files you think are relevant. You can post the source on your web site if you prefer.
- A plain text file about.txt containing:
- The URL of your written evaluation and your demonstration site.
- Any comments you want to make about the files you included/posted.
One of your group members should submit it through the submission server.
Return to CMPT470.