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The following topic is from the Groupware SIG on America Online.

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* Christopher Allen - Consensus Development
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:: topic "One Vision of Groupware" from America Online ::

Subj:  One Vision of Groupware               90-03-04 18:08:43 EDT
From:  AFL MacDev                            Msgs:  4 (90-04-25)

Science and Engineering inspire science-fiction, and yet SF often
returns the inspiration. I personally find this short "vision" of
groupware inspiring.

"Limon...left three men to manage a twenty-four hour computer
bulletin-board game called 'Consensus' that held the full set of
lunar colony laws, plus rules for updating those laws.  To change
them you had to be a very good player.  It was a game of skill.
Nobody understood the purpose of the game even if they liked to
play; whatever changes you might manage to make in the laws with
the help of other players weren't 'legally binding'.  And yet,
within a year, by consensus, there were no other lunar laws.  No
one even minded that eight year olds were allowed to play.  If you
had the skill to win, you had a 'vote'."

This is quoted from page 469 of the science-fiction novel "Moon
Goddess and the Son", by Donald Kingsbury, published by Baen Books
in 1986.

Chris Allen - AFL MacDev

Subj:  Groupware modeled by SF               90-04-19 20:05:48 EDT
From:  Ted Lesley

There is a book called David's Sling by Marc Steigler that
postulates a "groupware" future.  The book also included an address
that you could send $20 for a HyperCard version of the Book.  He
mentioned some SF source material in the stack.

It also suggested a giant HyperIBIS-like idea duelling forum.  It
was really entertaining and I consider it a must read.

Are there any other groupwaresque SF that points in interesting
directions?

Subj:  re: SF groupware                      90-04-20 02:17:54 EDT
From:  AFC JLloyd

Well, there is all the cyberspace stuff, with the prime example
being William Gibson's books _Neuromancer_, _Count Zero_, and _Mona
Lisa Overdrive_.  However, these books are really quite extreme
extrapolations of groupware; to the point that the groupware
component is almost unrecognizable.

However, they're great books, groupware or no. :)

Jim Lloyd - AFC JLloyd

Subj:  Cyberpunk = groupware?                90-04-25 01:05:48 EDT
From:  Shep T

I love cyberpunk books, but they tend to postulate an almost
"anti-groupware" where people are working AGAINST each other via
the network, instead of working towards a common goal.  There's
always a huge NEGATIVE factor in these visions.

I see groupware as helping people work together towards common
goals.

I'd love to hear about any other examples in SF literature of this
kind of thing.