462 lines
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462 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
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_Current_Cites_
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Volume 4, no. 9
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September 1993
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Information Systems Instruction & Support
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The Library
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University of California, Berkeley
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Edited by David F. W. Robison
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ISSN: 1060-2356
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Contributors:
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David B. Rez, Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani-Denn, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant
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_______________________________________________________________________
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Electronic Publishing
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Cronk, Ronald D. "Unlocking Data's Content" Byte 18(10)
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(September 1993):111-120. The data in a document is often richer
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and more informational than a simple text or numerical figures.
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Electronic documents can be made to work for an organization in
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ways paper documents never could. Various applications running
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on different platforms can be linked to run as one document.
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Markup languages are one way to make the data computer readable
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across different applications. SGML (Standard Generalized Markup
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Language) is the most widely used tagging language. One drawback
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of SGML is that there is no universal standard for the specific
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processing rules used for encoding and decoding documents,
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another is that SGML itself only works on text. Another way to
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solve the problem of document interchange is to link multiple
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applications in a single document. This method is known as
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compound document architecture (CDA). The two leading CDAs are
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Open Document Architecture and DEC's Compound Document
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Architecture. An attractive element of CDAs are that they are
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not limited to text, but also allow for the interchange of
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images and graphics.
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- DBR
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Lu, Cary. "Publish it Electronically" Byte 18(10) (September
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1993):94-110. Organizations of any size might benefit by
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publishing their documents electronically. Ease of searching,
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and reduced storage requirements and paper use make online
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document databases attractive to many users. There are some
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hurtles to overcome, however: so far the technology is best
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suited for minimally formatted text documents and there is no
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clear standard solution for managing electronic documents. The
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benefits of electronic document delivery are best realized with
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computer-readable text. This means that non-electronic documents
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need to be optically scanned and run through OCR (optical
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character recognition) software, which can be time consuming and
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labor intensive. Software companies (e.g., Adobe Systems and No
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Hands Software) are working on "print-to screen" technology that
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allows for better graphics and typography in searchable
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electronic document delivery. - DBR
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Murray, Phillip C. "Documentation Goes Digital" Byte 18(10)
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(September 1993):121-129. Electronic reference documents (ERDs)
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are becoming more popular and more prevalent in today's workplace.
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ERDs (sometimes employing hypertext) are supplanting their hard
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copy predecessors at an accelerating rate in part due to their
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flexibility and the increased ease of access to the information
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they contain. Their flexibility allows ERDs to be useful in a
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wide range of documents from technical handbooks to organization
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policy manuals. As it stands ERD technology is young, there is not
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yet the wide base of experience found in desktop publishing.
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Consequently paper documentation is not going to disappear soon.
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However, as organizations become more comfortable with them, the
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future is likely see a wider and more creative use of ERDs. - DBR
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Hyper- and Multimedia
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Anson, Louisa. "Image Compression: Making Multimedia Publishing a
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Reality" CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993):16-29. A
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thorough overview of current and possible future image
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compression technologies, including the JPEG standard and the
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Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) upon which it is based. Research
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into Fractal Transform image compression indicates that it may
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outperform the DCT-based algorithms, particularly with images
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that are compressed once and then accessed many times. By
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treating "whole images" rather than image blocks as is the case
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with DCT compression, the Fractal Image Format (FIF) more closely
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approximates the originally scanned image, and enhancing image
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quality and providing better performance, particularly with
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moving images. - MT
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Beer, Jeffrey. "Video for Windows: Microsoft's Latest Multimedia
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Winner" CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993):44-46. Beer
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offers a short review of the new Video for Windows describing the
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video capture and edit features, audio linking and the updated
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runtime version of the Windows Media Player. A video capture
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board and Video for Windows may be all that you need to get a
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start in the Windows multimedia world. - MT
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Fetterman, Roger L. "Multimedia Networks for Business" CD-ROM
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Professional 6(5) (September 1993):78-81. The first of a two-
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part article on multimedia networks for business applications
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examines the range of needs within the world of commerce for
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multimedia computing. Videoconferencing and electronic
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performance support systems join training, merchandising and
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presentations as avenues which will benefit from the use of
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multimedia technology. The merging of multimedia computing with
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networked work groups could produce substantial improvements in
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the abilities of businesses to improve worker productivity. - MT
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Grossman, Becky Lockwood. "A User's Guide to Multimedia CD-ROM
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Drives" CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993):150-152. A
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useful description and handy comparison table for various
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multimedia CD drives. Multimedia PC (MPC) specifications and
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the aligning of CD-ROM formats are briefly covered in this
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article which indicates some of the cross-compatibility of
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devices that are presently on the market. - MT
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Kappe, Frank, Gerald Pani, and Florian Schnabel. "The
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Architecture of a Massively Distributed Hypermedia System"
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Internet Research 3(1) (Spring 1993):10-24. Progressing from a
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description of present networked hypermedia implementations
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towards the future of such systems, the authors introduce a
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project which would provide better performance and global
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coverage for networked hypermedia systems. Extending the Hyper-G
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system used at the Graz University of Technology and employing a
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link server and document cache servers, performance improvements
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and solutions for updating changing information are made easier
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under the described model. Multimedia document types, advanced
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searching, links that can be traced bi-directionally and document
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security features promise to yield a robust networked hypermedia
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system, a pilot of which should be available by late 1993. - MT
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Networks and Networking
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Breeden, Laura, and Lawrence Bouman. "Demythologizing the
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Internet: Lessons from the Real World" EDUCOM Review 28(5)
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(September/October 1993):29-35. Breeden and Bouman examine some
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of the myths surrounding the Internet and its funding sources.
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As the executive director of FARNET, Inc. and senior vice
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president for Network Engineering at MCI, respectively, Breeden
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and Bouman are insiders with a mission to clear up the common
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misconception that the loss of Federal subsidies to networking
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organizations will end networking as we know it. As they point
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out, "The federal investment in the Internet represents a small
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but critical fraction of the total, perhaps as small as 10
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percent overall." This money has been considered critical
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because, in the past, it provided seed money for development in
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high-risk areas. Now that the Internet has reached a certain
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level of maturity, this money may not be so critical. The
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authors also note that there is legislation under consideration
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in Congress that would provide direct funds for networking to
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various research and education organizations including libraries
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and K-12. - DFWR
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Dern, Daniel. "Start Here: How and Why to Join the Internet and
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Get Going" Internet World (September/October 1993):67-77. Dern
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offers a fairly complete, though article-length, guide to
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getting connected to the Internet. Describing the advantages,
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disadvantages, and costs of the various options available to
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both individuals a organizations of all sizes, Dern offers
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potential users a way out of the muddle of connection acronyms
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and promises. To whet the appetite, Dern includes a "handful"
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of the many reasons to join the Internet world (as if we didn't
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know already ;-). - DFWR
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Deutsch, Peter. "Peter's Soapbox" Internet World (September/
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October 1993):48-49. Deutsch introduces his new column in
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Internet World. He describes his plans for musing on
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various aspects of the Internet and its ongoing development,
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concentrating on social and technical issues. Much of the
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discussion in this installment is about the possible effects of
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the rapid commercialization of the Internet. Deutsch wonders
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whether the anarchic, local-initiative-oriented aspects of the
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Internet will survive, and opines that this is the time to try
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and influence the future direction of the network. - DFWR
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Digital Privacy and Security Working Group. "Outline of
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Testimony Before NIST Advisory Board" EFFector Online 5(16)
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(September 3, 1993).
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<URL=ftp://ftp.eff.org//pub/EFF/newsletters/effector5.16> The
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Digital Privacy and Security Working Group, a coalition of over
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50 telecommunications, computer and public interest organizations
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chaired by EFF, testified before the National Institute of
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Standards and Technology on the Clinton administration's Clipper
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Chip/Slipjack proposal. They stated that the proposal could be
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accepted if use of the Clipper Chip/Slipjack were completely
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voluntary. Among the requests made by the Working Group were a
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relaxation of export controls on encryption technology and a more
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complete, public evaluation of the Clipper technology. [NIST h
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as asked for public comment by September 28, 1993; comments may
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be emailed to cryptnow@eff.org by 8pm EDT Sept. 27th, where they
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will be printed and delivered to NIST] - DFWR
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Estrada, Susan. Connecting to the Internet: A Buyer's Guide.
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Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 1993. This timely and
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concise handbook covers most of the bases when it comes to
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getting connected to the Internet in the US. Designed to help
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users select the best choice of connection type and service
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provider, Estrada's guide explains how each type of connection
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works, what parts of the connection the user needs to be
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concerned with, and what are the relative advantages and
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disadvantages of each option. Appendices include a list of
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dial-up providers, dedicated connection service providers, and a
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glossary. - DFWR
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Godwin, Mike. "The Law of the Net: Problems and Prospects"
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Internet World (September/October 1993):52-54. Godwin, legal
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services counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, offers
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a brief primer on some of the emerging legal issues surrounding
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network activities of various sorts. Many legal doctrines of
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the past are challenged by the network, and in less than
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obvious, but still profound ways. Among these challenges: what
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does libel mean when the injured party can publish just as
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easily as the party that published the libelous statement? What
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about the international nature of the network, where individuals
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in one can country can contact thousands of users in another?
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Godwin also describes how the net effects criminal, negligence,
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and of course, copyright law. - DFWR
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Kelly, Kevin. "When Bandwidth is Free: The Dark Fiber Interview
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with George Gilder" Wired 1(4) (September/October 1993):38-41.
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Gilder, a writer on technology and society, describes some
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aspects of the future he sees where networking bandwidth is
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free. Arguing that fiber optics can offer virtually unlimited
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bandwidth, Gilder claims that the ultimate resource will be the
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human mind and where we will need to economize. Advances in
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computing will also give immense information power to
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individuals, power that formerly was only in the hands of a few.
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- DFWR
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Klensin, John, and Randy Bush. "Expanding International E-mail
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Connectivity: Another Look" ConneXions 7(8) (August 1993):25-29.
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Klensin and Bush note that when email-based personal networking
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and collaboration become available to users, they quickly become
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dependent on it. In fact, "previously-unanticipated
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collaboration seems to come into being almost spontaneously."
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To increase the availability of email in those areas that lack
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the infrastructure and expertise, a number of factors need to be
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considered: consider the local conditions as even in the
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"developed" world, expecting an elementary school to obtain a
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dedicated phone line may be asking too much; address the basic
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needs of the user community rather than aiming too high and
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possibly scaring them off (e.g., dial-up access at 2400 baud
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rather than a 56K line). Typically, small beginnings will breed
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further development with little or no outside encouragement. -
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DFWR
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Lawton, George. "The End of the Party Line" Wired 1(4)
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(September/October 1993):66-69. With Russia's telephone network
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barely beginning to enter the latter half of this century,
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efforts are underway to provide digital service in St.
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Petersburg and Moscow. In the meantime, however, a number of
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networks connected to the Internet have sprung up in the last 3
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years. Among the service providers are FidoNet, Glasnet,
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Relcom, and a commercial network, Sovam Teleport. Levels of
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service and prices vary widely among these providers, and often,
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the fastest line available is only 2400 baud. Ironically, the
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US government's rules limiting sales of high technology
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equipment to "communist" countries is limiting the development
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of an open and easily-accessible network in Russia. - DFWR
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Markoff, John. "A New Information Mass Market" The New York
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Times (September 3, 1993):C1, C4 (Western edition). With the
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announcement that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has acquired
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the Delphi Internet Services company comes the recognition that
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the Internet is now a mass market opportunity. Murdoch plans to
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distribute some of his newspapers online, and other companies
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are offering services such as Internet fax, a cheaper
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alternative to standard fax. Clearly, this news heralds a new
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era for the Internet. - DFWR
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Peters, Paul Evan. "Are We Gardeners or Are We Farmers?: Guiding
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Internet Resource and Service Planners and Developers" EDUCOM
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Review 28(5) (September/October 1993):60-62. Peters describes
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how Internet resource and service planning and development
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strategies fall into three categories: modernizing, innovating,
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and transforming strategies. A modernizing strategy simply
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updates an old solution (e.g., email); an innovative strategy
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solves an old problem that heretofore was unsolvable (e.g.,
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Z39.50); a transforming strategy is one which solves a problem
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that heretofore did not exist. In this last instance, the
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"problem" is the accumulation and aggregation of knowledge and
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specialists in a single virtual space. Peters points out that
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the Internet is "brimming with noteworthy initiatives by
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individuals who seek to modernize, innovate, and/or transform
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the ways knowledge is created, managed, and utilized within
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their communities." - DFWR
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Reynolds, Dennis. "Evaluating Dial-Up Internet Access Options"
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Computers in Libraries 13(8) (September 1993):86-93. Reynolds
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provides a library perspective on the more popular questions of
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the day, "How do get on the Internet?" Similar to Estrada's
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book, and Dern's article, this article describes the issues
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user (in this case librarians and library staff) must consider
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when purchasing a dial-up connection to the Internet: base
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costs, hourly costs, user support, interfaces and editors, and
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performance. Unfortunately the article fails to clearly
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explain all the advantages of a SLIP or PPP connection other
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than the improved speed of data transfer. For the library that
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knows it wants a dial-up Internet account, this article is a
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good place to start learning about the important concerns.
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- DFWR
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Sandfort, Sandy. "The Intelligent Island?" Wired 1(4) (September/
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October 1993):52-55, 116. While the US has a plan for its "data
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superhighway", Singapore is already well along the technological
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path to ubiquitous, multimedia, networked computing. But
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currently, their Teleview system is has no international links.
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What will happen is a country that censors the foreign press and
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officially has no drugs or prostitution offers Internet
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connections to the general public? One economist who has spent
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time teaching in Singapore says, "Their big problem is what to do
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when Singaporeans are introduced to the world." - DFWR
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The White House. National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for
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Action. Version 1.0. September 1993.
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<URL=ftp://ftp.ntia.doc.gov/pub/niiagenda.asc>
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<URL=gopher://gopher.nist.gov/DOC Documents/niiagenda.asc>.
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This is the latest release from the Clinton/Gore administration
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regarding the National Information Infrastructure (NII)
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initiative, and provides some of the clearest information yet
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about the administration's plans. For the first time, there is
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a clear articulation of the goals of the NII initiative itself,
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as well as the specific programs both planned and in progress
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designed to effect the overall plan. One sentence, from the
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Executive Summary, describes the administration's overall
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position on the government's role in the development of the NII:
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"Carefully crafted government action will complement and enhance
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the efforts of the private sector and assure the growth of an
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information infrastructure available to all Americans at
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reasonable cost." Outlined in the text are 9 principles of the
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NII. Among these are: "universal service"; a trustworthy and
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secure network, "protecting the privacy of its users" - but
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still allowing authorized wiretaps; protection of intellectual
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property. Towards these ends, the President has convened a
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Federal inter-agency Information Infrastructure Task Force
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(IITF) that will work with Congress and the private sector with
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three committees focusing on telecommunications policy,
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information policy, and applications. The administration will
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also establish a private sector Advisory Council on the National
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Information Infrastructure to advise the IITF. Included in the
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report is a list of government actions taken in each of the 9
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focus areas and description of projects in business, health
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care, civic networking, research, life-long learning, government
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operations. It is a pleasure to see that the administration
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recognizes the value of the participatory nature of the network,
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writing, "the NII will be of maximum value to users if it is
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sufficiently 'open' and interactive so that users can develop
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new services and applications or exchange information among
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themselves, without waiting for services to be offered by the
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firms that operate the NII." - DFWR
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Wilford, Neville. "Cello: Getting a Window on the World Wide
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Web" The World Wide Web Global Network Newsletter 1
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(September/October 1993):11-12. Wilford reviews Cello, an MS
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Windows World-Wide Web browser similar to Mosaic that is
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available via anonymous FTP. While still in beta testing,
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Wilford claims Cello is stable and quite useful as an Internet
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front-end, supporting WWW, FTP, Telnet, and email. Wilford also
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includes handy tips for loading the software and extensions for
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handling sounds, graphics, and PostScript. - DFWR
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Optical Disc Technologies
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Hartigan, John M. "Compact Disc Recording: A Technical Overview"
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CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993):102-106. "In an age
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of revolutionary products and revolutionary ideas," writes
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Hartigan, "one product stands out as the most revolutionary: a
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recorder with the ability to record compact discs at the
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desktop." Hartigan enthusiastically describes both the
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innovative technology and its promising market potential. - TR
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Herther, Nancy K., et. al. "CD-ROM Distribution Today: Surveying
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Attitudes of Top Computer Distributors" CD-ROM Professional
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6(5) (September 1993):86-91. This article presents the results
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of a survey targeting computer distributors, designed to
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determine the nature and scope of CD-ROM acceptance in the
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traditional computer distribution channels. The results of
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the survey provide evidence of a major shift by computer
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distributors to not only include CD-based products in their
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product line, but to actively support and promote these products
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to their clients. - TR
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Herther, Nancy K. "Dancing With Life: Talking About the Future
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of CD-ROM and SilverPlatter with Bela Hatvany" CD-ROM
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Professional 6(5) (September 1993):71-76. CD-ROM Professional
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Editor in Chief Nancy Herther interviews Bela Hatvany,
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SilverPlatter's Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer.
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Hatvany, one of the early believers in CD-ROM technology,
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describes the humble beginnings of Silver-Platter, originally
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called INCubator, residing in a 10' x 10' office space. A decade
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later, SilverPlatter is intent upon being the world's best
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distributor of information in electronic form. Hatvany's future
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vision of SilverPlatter includes heavy investment in four areas:
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distribution (naturally), internal systems, technology, and
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market-specific publishing. - TR
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Kovacs, Diane K. "The Best and the Worst Government Printing
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Office CD-ROMs: Govdoc-L Reports Again" CD-ROM Professional
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6(5) (September 1993):58-61. This article presents the results
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of a survey ranking GPO CD-ROMs which was conducted on a
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government documents electronic discussion list, Govdoc-L. Since
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the GPO no longer distributes some of its material in printed
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format, libraries often have no choice regarding CD-ROM
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collection development. The overwhelming favorite for best CD-
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ROM was the National Trade DataBank; the "favorite" choice for
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worst GPO CD-ROM product was the Congressional Record. - TR
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McDonald, Dennis D. "Access to Data While on the Road: A
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Hands-on Look at Portable CD-ROM Systems" CD-ROM Professional
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6(5) (September 1993):120-127. McDonald provides a personal
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perspective on portable CD-ROM systems. Portable CD-ROM systems
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are defined, the connection between the CD-ROM drive and the
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computer is explained, and salient issues such as portability,
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battery life, performance, durability, and display are discussed.
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The author cautions that both portable computing and CD-ROM-based
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electronic publishing are changing rapidly. What was considered
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state-of-the-art only six months ago may be obsolete tomorrow, or
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it might still be in use five years from now. - TR
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McQueen, Howard. "CD-ROM Servers: An Overview" CD-ROM
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Professional 6(5) (September 1993):54-57. This article reviews
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various CD-ROM server configurations, ranging from the simple to
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complex. Among the systems described are access to CD-ROMs
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attached to individual workstations, dedicated CD-ROM (only)
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servers, and dedicated file server/CD-ROM servers. - TR
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Richards, Trevor and Christine Robinson. "Evaluating CD-ROM
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Software: A Model" CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993): 92-
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101. Richards and Robinson start by summarizing the literature
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of CD-ROM evaluation and then present their own model of product
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evaluation which concentrates primarily upon user interface
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criteria.- TR
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Rugg, Tom. "Installing a Low-Cost LAN: Fool-Proof Tips From a
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Pro" CD-ROM Professional 6(5) (September 1993):114-118. The
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major drawbacks of local area networks (LANs) are the expense and
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|
the complexity. Rugg presents alternatives, utilizing two of the
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most popular, low-cost network operating systems, LANtastic and
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NetWare Lite. If conditions are ideal, LANs can be installed for
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as little as $150 per PC. - TR
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Current Cites 4(9) (September 1993) ISSN: 1060-2356
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Copyright (C) 1993 by the Library, University of
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California, Berkeley. All rights reserved.
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All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
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their respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication
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does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product.
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Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized
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bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and
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libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
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collections at no cost. An archive site is maintained at
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ftp.lib.berkeley.edu in directory /pub/Current.Cites
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<URL=ftp://ftp.lib.berkeley.edu/pub/Current.Cites>. This message
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|
must appear on copied material. All commercial use requires
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|
permission from the editor, who may be reached in the following
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ways:
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drobison@library.berkeley.edu // drobison@ucblibra // (510)643-9494
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