A conceptual framework for computer supported cooperative work is presented.
Cooperative work is seen as an aspect of the context of the work.
The use relation is defined to be the relation between the context of the work, including the use situation, and the computer system. Computer supported cooperative work is defined as a quality of this relation. This quality is obtained when the computer system is used in such a way that the cooperative aspects of the work are supported. This definition denies that computer supported cooperative work should be seen as a property of the context of the work or of the computer system alone. The use relation can be of many kinds.