Editorial

Despite the current issue being labeled with no. 3, it is actually the first regular issue of ComSIS published this year. Due to increasing interest in our journal, the two previous issues were special issues devoted to publishing extended articles selected from proceedings of international conferences. Besides regular papers, the current issue also contains six articles selected for extension and publication from proceedings of IDC 2009, the Third International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing. We would like to use this opportunity to thank the guest editor of this issue, Costin Bădică, who co-initiated and co-organized IDC, for helping to include high-quality contributions to this issue of ComSIS. Also, we are pleased to announce that ComSIS has been included in the Index of Information Systems Journals, maintained by Deakin University, Australia.

The first of the regular papers in this issue is “The Integration of Learning Object Repositories and Learning Management Systems” by Krešimir Fertalj, Nataša-Hoić Boţić and Hrvoje Jerković, which addresses the problem of integration of content from federated e-learning repositories into courses included in a Learning Management System (LMS). The article analyzes current repository frameworks, placing emphasis on Flexible Extensible Digital Repository Object Architecture (FEDORA), and presents a pilot application which demonstrated how the interaction between a repository and LMS can be effectively implemented.

Next, Igor Dejanović, Gordana Milosavljević, Branko Perišić and Maja Tumbas, in their paper “A Domain-Specific Language for Defining Static Structure of Database Applications,” present DOMMLite - an extensible domain-specific language (DSL) for static structure definition of database-oriented applications. DOMMLite incorporates the model-driven engineering (MDE) approach, with the language structure defined using the openArchitectureWare framework, and DSL execution semantics defined through source code generation for target platforms. The DSL is capable of generating source code for GUI forms with Create-Read-Update-Delete-Search (CRUDS) and navigation operations.

In “Prompt System Redesign: Shifting to Open Source Technology to Satisfy User Requirements,” Igor Svetel, Aleksandar Đurović and Vencislav Grabulov describes a redesign project undertaken in a short period to adapt a software system to user needs and shift it to Open Source software, as is was recognized as the technology that would enable sustainable system development. The paper chronologically describes all phases of the project and provides reasons for all decisions taken during the development process.

Motivated by the observed isolation of testing techniques within specific lifecycle phases or functional areas, “Software Testing Optimization by Advanced Quantitative Defect Management” by Ljubomir Lazić presents a set of best practice models and techniques integrated in optimized and quantitatively managed software testing process (OptimalSQM) throughout the software lifecycle. The article also discusses how the Quantitative Defect Management (QDM) Model can be enhanced to be practically useful for determining the priority of activities leading to early and cost-effective software fault detection.

Dragan Mišić, Dragan Domazet, Miroslav Trajanović, Miodrag Manić and Milan Zdravković, in their article “Concept of the Exception Handling System for Manufacturing Business Processes,” tackle the issue of exceptions in predefined workflows, which can appear in many business process scenarios, and should be handled automatically, if possible, by adapting the workflow to the new situation. The paper presents a workflow management system MD, which offers a solution to the problem of handling detected exceptions.

The paper “Reasoning With Linguistic Preferences Using NPN Logic” by Goran Devedţić, Danijela Milošević, Lozica Ivanović, Dragan Adamović and Miodrag Manić surveys the basics of negative-positive-neutral (NPN) logic and relations, and proposes an adaptive approach to causality weights assessment which involves linguistic models and fuzzy cognitive maps. Particular attention was paid to modeling possible side effects, since they were identified as having particular importance for successful decision making in real-world environments.

Finally, Ţivko Bojović, Emil Šećerov and Vlado Delić, in their article “QoS Testing in a Live Private IP MPLS Network with CoS Implemented,” describe testing conducted on a private IP/MPLS network of a Telecom operator during service introduction, motivated by establishing a basis for defining a stochastic traffic generator/simulator. Testing involved DiffServ and E-LSP policies for bandwidth allocation, traffic generation for creating worst-case scenarios, and measurement of QoS for individual services (voice, video, data and VPN).

On behalf of the Editorial Board and the ComSIS Consortium, we would like to thank all authors and reviewers for their high-quality contributions and efforts expended in preparing this issue of ComSIS.

Editor-in-Chief
Mirjana Ivanović

Managing Editor
Miloš Radovanović