Tens of thousands of interesting pages about object-orientation and component-orientation exist on the Internet. Searching for a particular aspect or a certain page is often very difficult. Search engines offer support, but they frequently show too many unsorted pages with regard to the content.

This is where the Cetus Links come in: They help to organise and structure the variety of interesting information, offer quick access and a comprehensive overview of each subject. The Cetus Links, therefore, can be regarded as an index to Internet addresses (http, ftp and mailto) about object-orientation and component-orientation.

The Cetus Links originated in the spring of 1996. At that time, I resumed my interest in object-orientation. As I was searching the Internet for relevant information about methods, tools, languages, databases, architectures etc. I was surprised about the abundance of accessible pages. This is how the first small collection of Cetus Links started. And now they have grown beyond my greatest expectations...

In the spring of 1997, I asked people in different Internet newsgroups who would be willing to help to further develop and extend the Cetus Links. Several specialists from different backgrounds and countries showed an interest. That was the birth of the Cetus Team. Currently we are collecting links as well as discussing tools and ways for improvements.

If you are wondering about the word Cetus ... Cetus is the name of a star constellation. The word Cetus origins from Latin and means whale. Cetus was the hostname of my first Linux PC. So I kept this name for the Cetus Links...

The Cetus Links rely on the following principles. They are...

• non-commercial
• free of charge
• free of advertising
• quickly accessible
• mirrored all over the world
• independent of any organisation
• developed and maintained by private people
• protected by copyright

The Cetus Links are divided into the following main areas: General Information, Distributed Objects & Components, Architecture and Design, Languages, Databases and Repositories, Related Topics An overview page for each area exists.

Each main area is subdivided into different sections: the Related Topics, for example, are subdivided into the sections Project Management, Metrics, Reuse and Testing, Mostly there is one page per section. If a section name is followed by a "..." (e.g. Java ...) then this sections refers to other sections (e.g. Java / Tools).

Each section is structured into different paragraphs. Today, these are (mostly): Start here, Examples, Central Sites, Related Sites, Link Collections, Tutorials, FAQs, Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, General Articles, Special Articles, Books, Magazines, Organizations, Conferences etc.

Cetus Links uses only a few graphics which makes a faster access to the pages possible. The layout aims for a simple, clear and fast overview of the pages. The pages are optimised for the HTML 3.2 standard and the two most important Internet browsers Netscape Navigator/Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

New links are furnished with aicon. Its description reflects the calendar week of the entry (e.g. New/Week 23). Links whose URL, description or author have been changed, have anicon (also with the calendar week annotated). However, the NEW or UPDATE-icon do not relate to the content of the page that is pointed to by the link. The icons for new or updated links are deleted 4 weeks after they were inserted.

The link collection's main purpose is to show and search the Cetus Links pages online and is used as a starting navigation point. On the Download page, you have the opportunity to download the complete web site. On the start pages as well as on the pages containing OO links there are user interfaces to the Cetus Links search engine at www.cetus-links.org.

The members of the Cetus Team work for different companies or universities. But they develop and maintain the Cetus Links as private persons, independent of their employers and in their own time without any financial interest. That is why their aims sometimes precede the actual situation and the advances of the Cetus Links. The Cetus Team, however, makes every effort to keep the collection of links up to date and to improve the user interface, the functionality and the technical aids permanently.

The Cetus Links try to supply a fast and convenient access to a comprehensive collection of information about object-orientation and component-orientation. You can help with your feedback to achieve this goal. The Cetus Team is very glad if you...

• give pointers to new interesting pages
• correct mistakes and ambiguities
• fill in the survey
• inform us about suggestions, wishes and comments.

If you want to

• establish a mirror site
• or translate the Cetus Links,
• or if you are interested in constructing and shaping the Cetus Links together with the Cetus Team

Have fun surfing with the Cetus Links...