Multimasher: Providing architectural support and visual tools for multi-device mashups

Abstract

The vast majority of web applications still assume a single user on a single device and provide fairly limited means for interaction across multiple devices. In particular, developing applications for multidevice environments is a challenging task for which there is little tool support. We present the architecture and tools of MultiMasher, a system for the development of multi-device web applications based on the reuse of existing web sites created for single device usage. Web sites and devices can be mashed up and accessed by multiple users simultaneously, with our tools ensuring a consistent state across all devices. MultiMasher supports the composition of arbitrary elements from any web site, inter-widget communication across devices, and awareness of connected devices. We present both conceptual and technical evaluations of MultiMasher including a study on 50 popular web sites demonstrating high compatibility in terms of browsing, distribution and linking of web site components.