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