Description

Demonstrated is the current IMAP prototype. Since the content manager is not included here, the content (owned by CNN) is still static. Sample scenario is the I-News, a virtual newspaper. Starting point is the DFKI homepage.

1. The URL of the experimental server is pasted into the browser.
2. The server requests the permission to store a cookie on the client side (used for session tracking).
3. The server submits a page with the context retrieval applet to the browser. The context analysis requires that the security bounds of the browser are lowered. The applet is certified to help the user to decided if he grants this process or not.
4. The context data are sent back to the server (invisible).
5. Based on these data, a portal page is constructed on the server and sent to the browser. It gives the reader access to the documents selected by the content manager.
6. One of the documents is selected ("Texas manifesto: Stop the shrimping, spare the sea turtle"). The server responds to the selection by creating a layout for the selected document.
7. Since the retrieved document does not fit into the browser window, and since scrolling is not granted in the style sheet applied here, the document is split into several pages.
8. Then a resize takes place. The layout, which was optimal before, is now bad: it requires many scrollbars.
9. Thus the reader requests a further optimization.
10. The server sends back a reconstructed portal page.
11. Again, a document is selected ("Shevardnadze hurt as car bomb goes off"). In response, an document optimized for the new context is retrieved.
12. Finally, the document selected first ("Texas manifesto: ...") is selected again.
13. The large pictures in this document make a layout without scrolling impossible in the current, small window. Regarding the current style sheet, this is a worst case: the layout generation fails (invisible).
14. The server uses a fall-back solution: it sends the source HTML document to the browser. Result is a layout, which combines optimized and non-optimized layout.