WebNet
Home Page

Proceedings
Preface

Keynote &
Invited Speakers

Pre-Conference
Mini-Course

Post-Conference
Tutorials &
Workshops

SIGs

Session
Schedule

Medical
Applications
Panel

Registration
Rates

Committees

Preface

On behalf of the Program Committee and AACE, it is our pleasure to present to you the proceedings of the fourth WebNet conference – WebNet 99. This conference addresses research, new developments, and experience related to the Internet, Intranets, and Extranets.

The 394 contributions of WebNet 99 presented in this volume consist of the Full and Short Papers accepted for presentation at the conference from a collection of 912 submitted from 49 countries. All submissions were carefully reviewed by at least three members of the Program Committee and their recommendations used for selection. Borderline cases were reviewed at a special Program Committee meeting where appropriate decisions were made based on re-reviews.

Of the accepted contributions, 18 were considered outstanding based on reviewer's scores and comments. These outstanding papers represent the top 4.5% and are acknowledged in the table of contents. Authors of outstanding papers will be invited to submit extended versions of their papers to the WebNet Journal.

The coverage of the contributions is very wide, which is one of the features that distinguish the WebNet series of conferences from others that focus on more specific areas. Our intention has been to provide an application oriented conference - a meeting place of developers, researchers, practitioners, and users - as a forum wherein persons from disparate but related fields can meet and learn about new developments that impact their activities.

This volume contains position papers by leading experts in the field; descriptions of ideas that are on the borderline between an idea, a prototype, and products; reports on concrete applications of the Web and its impact on various aspects of life; and considerations as to how society might adjust and react to the resultant changes.

The major areas covered at the conference and presented in this volume include:

• Commercial, Business, Professional, and Community Applications

• Educational Applications

• Electronic Publishing and Digital Libraries

• Ergonomic, Interface, and Cognitive Issues

• General Web Tools and Facilities

• Personal Applications and Environments

• Societal Issues, Including Legal, Standards, and International Issues

• Web Technical Facilities.

These general areas have been divided into 56 more specialized topics.

In addition to the papers included in this volume, participants in the conference heard leading experts present Keynote and Invited lectures; participated in tutorials, workshops, small-group discussions, and poster sessions; and had a chance to see demonstrations of various items of interest. The conference was preceded by a minicourse and followed by two days of tutorials and workshops. This printed record cannot show all aspects of this highly interactive, media-rich Web meeting, but it does convey the depth and breadth of the conference.

Let us take the opportunity to urge you to plan now to attend WebNet 2000 in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 30 - Nov. 4. To attend and observe the WebNet series is one of the best ways to stay current with the rapid and intriguing developments of the Web. Periodically check http://www.aace.org/conf/webnet/ for information.

All of us realize that the Web is coming to have a major impact in international society. There is increasing confusion and concern on the part of many, in a wide variety of fields, as to what the implications and possibilities of the Web are. We all, as persons immersed in the topic, have a responsibility to explore, and clarify for others, the practical possibilities. We urge that you, and those with which you are in contact, consider these matters and reflect that thinking in your participation in WebNet 2000.

In closing, we would like to thank all authors for submitting their work, and all members of the Program Committee, listed on the following page, for their cooperation and time spent reviewing submissions. Special appreciation is extended to Gary Marks (AACE), who is one of the main driving forces behind this volume as well as the WebNet series of conferences, and the AACE staff who contributed so much to the success of the conference.

Program Chairs:

Paul De Bra, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
email: debra@win.tue.nl

John J. Leggett, Texas A&M University, USA
email: leggett@cs.tamu.edu