Kraemer and King [ Kraemer King ] have divide GDSS systems into several classes:
Electronic Boardrooms-- computers used in these rooms for generating and/or controlling audiovisuals. By our definition of a collaborative application, the software here is not by itself collaborative,
The Teleconferencing Facility-- allows users in two or more locations to communicate with each other. The software here simply provides digital transmission of voice, data, and pictures. Examples: Video Walls.
The Information Center-- allows collaborators to generate and modify reports, manipulate and analyse data, and make spontaneous inquiries. Example: regular databases.
The Decision Conference-- provides software that influences the decision making process by supporting some formal, quantitative decision analytic technique. Example: University of Arizona and Minnesota tools.
Collaboration Laboratory-- provides software that influences the decision making process by supporting informal, qualitative, brainstorming techniques such as writing and argumentation. Example: Colab.
The Group Network-- provides support for same time use of scheduling and other applications (e.g word processors, spreadsheets) by small groups. A meeting chair is associated with the conference. Example: RTCAL with a shared window system.
This framework is useful more for classifying groups of hardware and software tools together
rather than individual collaborative applications.