title: Easing the Transition from Inspiration to Implementation: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Wireless Medium Access Control Protocols

authors: Armstrong, Dean Andrew

subjects: wireless

abstract: Packet broadcast networks are in widespread use in modern wireless communication systems. Medium access control is a key functionality within such technologies.  A substantial research effort has been and continues to be invested into the study of existing protocols and the development of new and specialised ones.  Academic researchers are
restricted in their studies by an absence of suitable wireless MAC protocol development methods.

This thesis describes an environment which allows rapid prototyping and evaluation of wireless medium access control protocols.  The proposed design flow allows specification of the protocol using the specification and description language (SDL) formal description technique.  A tool is presented to convert the SDL protocol description into a C++ model suitable for integration into both simulation and implementation environments.

Simulations at various levels of abstraction are shown to be relevant at different stages of protocol design. Environments based on the
Cinderella SDL simulator and the ns-2 network simulator have been developed which allow early functional verification, along with detailed and accurate performance analysis of protocols under
development.

A hardware platform is presented which allows implementation of protocols with flexibility in the hardware/software trade-off. Measurement facilities are integral to the hardware framework, and provide a means for accurate real-world feedback on protocol performance.

text: Easing the Transition from Inspiration to Implementation: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Wireless Medium Access Control Protocols Packet broadcast networks are in widespread use in modern wireless communication systems. Medium access control is a key functionality within such technologies.  A substantial research effort has been and continues to be invested into the study of existing protocols and the development of new and specialised ones.  Academic researchers are
restricted in their studies by an absence of suitable wireless MAC protocol development methods.

This thesis describes an environment which allows rapid prototyping and evaluation of wireless medium access control protocols.  The proposed design flow allows specification of the protocol using the specification and description language (SDL) formal description technique.  A tool is presented to convert the SDL protocol description into a C++ model suitable for integration into both simulation and implementation environments.

Simulations at various levels of abstraction are shown to be relevant at different stages of protocol design. Environments based on the
Cinderella SDL simulator and the ns-2 network simulator have been developed which allow early functional verification, along with detailed and accurate performance analysis of protocols under
development.

A hardware platform is presented which allows implementation of protocols with flexibility in the hardware/software trade-off. Measurement facilities are integral to the hardware framework, and provide a means for accurate real-world feedback on protocol performance.

year: 2007

title: Usability processes in open source projects

authors: Nichols, David M.

subjects: computer science

abstract: We explore how some open source projects address issues of usability. We describe the mechanisms, techniques and technology used by open source communities to design and refine the interfaces to their programs. In particular we consider how these developers cope with their distributed community, lack of domain expertise, limited resources and separation from their users. We also discuss how bug reporting and discussion systems can be improved to better support bug reporters and open source developers.

text: Usability processes in open source projects We explore how some open source projects address issues of usability. We describe the mechanisms, techniques and technology used by open source communities to design and refine the interfaces to their programs. In particular we consider how these developers cope with their distributed community, lack of domain expertise, limited resources and separation from their users. We also discuss how bug reporting and discussion systems can be improved to better support bug reporters and open source developers.

year: 2006

title: Kua Tupu Te Pā Harakeke: Developing Healthy Whānau Relationships

authors: Pihama, Leonie

abstract: We have opened this chapter with our ‘pēpeha’. Pēpeha are ways through which our people introduce ourselves. These vary from tribe to tribe. The essence of pēpeha is that they link us to our tribes and all associated with that. Our mountains, our rivers, our canoes, our ancestral lines. It links us to each other. It places us, as Māori, within a wider collective consciousness and relationships. It is important to highlight that the term ‘Māori’ is a term that brings us as tribal peoples together. It is a term that our people have chosen to use as a means of unifying ourselves in the wake of the arrival of our colonizers. Prior to colonization all identification was done through our whānau (extended family structure), hapū (subtribes) or iwi (tribes). The term Māori means to be ‘normal’ or ‘pure’, as such it is a fitting term for an Indigenous People. We have, however, also been active in maintaining our hapū and iwi identities and it is through pēpeha that we can culturally share that identity with each other. Our people have been doing this for generations. And in spite of colonization seeking to undermine our cultural identity, many of us continue to do this.

text: Kua Tupu Te Pā Harakeke: Developing Healthy Whānau Relationships We have opened this chapter with our ‘pēpeha’. Pēpeha are ways through which our people introduce ourselves. These vary from tribe to tribe. The essence of pēpeha is that they link us to our tribes and all associated with that. Our mountains, our rivers, our canoes, our ancestral lines. It links us to each other. It places us, as Māori, within a wider collective consciousness and relationships. It is important to highlight that the term ‘Māori’ is a term that brings us as tribal peoples together. It is a term that our people have chosen to use as a means of unifying ourselves in the wake of the arrival of our colonizers. Prior to colonization all identification was done through our whānau (extended family structure), hapū (subtribes) or iwi (tribes). The term Māori means to be ‘normal’ or ‘pure’, as such it is a fitting term for an Indigenous People. We have, however, also been active in maintaining our hapū and iwi identities and it is through pēpeha that we can culturally share that identity with each other. Our people have been doing this for generations. And in spite of colonization seeking to undermine our cultural identity, many of us continue to do this.

year: 2012