The desire to have any type of information easy to enter requires that the input interface be expandable. We propose to use object oriented technology to provide this expandability. Objects are entered into the notebook. The notebook user or third parties could extend the type of objects supported in order to customize a particular notebook. Notebook Security Access to a particular electronic notebook, its contents, and authentication of entries in a notebook are fundamental security issues that any notebook must address.
Every notebook has a list of authorized users.
Thus privacy is handled at the notebook access level. If it is a list of one, then it is a private notebook. If the list is greater than one then it is a group notebook. A group notebook may be set up for remote collaboration, or it could be used by the list of authorized users of a particular scientific instrument to document experiments. To provide non-tamperability of entries, the design of the notebook automatically dates, and digitally signs each entry, then appends the entry to the last page of the notebook.