_Current_Cites_ Volume 4, no. 5 May 1993 Information Systems Instruction & Support The Library University of California, Berkeley Edited by David F. W. Robison ISSN: 1060-2356 Contributors: Teri Rinne, Vivienne Roumani-Denn, Lisa Rowlison, Mark Takaro, Roy Tennant -------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Note: Back issues of Current Cites are now available from our own ftp server! The server is located at ftp.lib.berkeley.edu and the issues are in directory /pub/Current.Cites. The issues stored at this site should be considered the definitive archive of Current Cites. Back issues will also be maintained at ftp.eff.org and ftp.cni.org. Thanks are definitely due for these folks! - DR Hyper- and Multimedia Adie, Chris, ed. A Survey of Distributed Multimedia Research, Standards and Products. 1st ed. Amsterdam: RARE, January 25, 1993. Available via anonymous ftp from edinburgh.ac.uk in directory /pub/mmsurvey and via Gopher. A comprehensive survey of multimedia projects from the RARE (Reseaux Associes pour la Recherche Europeenne) Working Group on Multimedia Networking that presents a summary of work being carried out by a variety of organizations. Highlighting current multimedia work and with an emphasis on network applications, this highly structured document offers a brief but thorough view of the range of activities in the field, both in the United States and abroad. - MT Adie, Chris. Remote Access to Multimedia Information. 1st draft. Amsterdam: RARE, April 30, 1993. Available via anonymous ftp from UCS.ed.ac.uk in directory /pub/mmaccess. Providing a broader context for the survey cited above, the author discusses user requirements and possible solutions to issues in the areas where networked information, database, and multimedia technologies intersect. While only a draft at present, the finished portions of this paper give a detailed look at protocols, resource structures, and other requirements to enhance a readers perspective on the projects surveyed in the paper above. - MT Information Transfer Jensen, Mary Brandt. "Electronic Reserve and Copyright" Computers in Libraries 13(3) (March 1993):40-45. A discussion of the applicability of the copyright code to reserve readings that have been scanned and made available to patrons in electronic form. Although the article is not for the legal faint of heart, any library that contemplates such a reserve reading project would do well to study the legal implications of the copyright code as delineated in this article. - RT Tuck, Bill. "Approaches to Document Delivery" Electronic Documents 1(12) (December 1992):12-16. Tuck describes a model of integrated electronic document delivery over international computer networks, and briefly describes representative projects in Britain, the US, France, and Japan. Sidebars depict the integrated document delivery model and describe the X.400 electronic messaging standard. - RT Networks and Networking Blau, Andrew. "Congressman Boucher Introduces NREN Applications Bill--Offers Greatly Expanded Vision of Applications Program for Widespread Social Benefit" EFFector Online 5(7) (April 30, 1993). Blau offers a section-by-section analysis of the successor bill to NREN II, formally titled, the "High Performance Computing and High Speed Networking Applications Act of 1993." Overall Blau views this bill as a major step forward, focusing attention and dollars on user applications along with greater participation in the planning and implementation process by various user groups: K-12, libraries, and community groups. There is some concern that the bill's pledge to establish broadband connections to the broad base of users may slow down the implementation of any connection to some of these groups. This bill looks good, and Blau's analysis helps in sorting out the details. - DR Broad, William J. "Doing Science on the Network: A Long Way From Gutenberg" The New York Times 142(49,335) (May 18, 1993):B5, 10 [Western Edition]. Broad offers an interesting and accurate description of the way the use of the Internet is transforming scientific research. Broad describes how scientists are increasingly using the net to share data, exchange e-mail, and publish papers and preprints. Especially attractive is the fact that this article covers a wide variety of network ingissues without missing the details. - DR Dern, Daniel P. "Leveraging the Internet: Counterpoint Uses Popular Internet Gopher, WAIS, and Internet Navigator/Search Tools for Value-Added Delivery and Access to Daily U.S. Government Federal Register, Commerce Business Daily Information" Internet World 4(3) (April 1993):4-5. Dern describes one of the few commercial services to appear on the net that actually uses the network to add value to its product. Using data created by the federal government, Counterpoint Publishing has begun publishing the Federal Register and Commerce Business Daily using a number of Internet tools. The combination of speed of access, ease of access, and world-wide availability makes this service especially attractive to many customers. - DR EARN Association. Guide to Network Resource Tools. May 3, 1993. Available via e-mail from LISTSERV@EARNCC.BITNET by sending the command "GET filename", where the filename is either NETTOOLS PS [for PostScript] or NETTOOLS MEMO [for plain text]. EARN, the European networking agency, has compiled an excellent manual describing network resource tools. Each tool is described in detail in terms of what it is, who can use it, and how it is used. The instructions are clear, and the list of commands for each system is really helpful. It would be nice to see a few more examples of some of the commands and parameters, but on the whole, this is an excellent document. The tools covered are: Gopher, World-Wide Web, WAIS, ASTRA, archie, WHOIS, NETSERV, TRICKLE, BITFTP (e-mail-based ftp), and NetNews. - DR EFFector Online 5(8) (May 14, 1993). This issue of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's newsletter is devoted to recent discussions of the Clipper Chip digital encryption proposal. Included are copies of a letter and a sample of the over 100 questions sent to President Clinton about the proposal from the Digital Privacy and Security Working Group (major computer companies, the EFF, CPSR, and ACLU), excerpts from the testimony of Whitfield Diffie, the father of American cryptography, before the House Subcommittee on Science, and a request for public comment on the proposal by the National Institute of St andards and Technology. - DR Foster, Jill. "IETF - Columbus: Mar 29-Apr 2, 1993: Trip Report" posted on NETTRAIN@UBVM.BITNET (May 7, 1993) [also available via e-mail from Mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk by sending the following message "send wg-isus ietf.03.93" or via anonymous ftp from mailbase.ac.uk as file pub/wg-isus/ietf.03.93]. Foster provides a detailed report on the last Internet Engineering Task Force Meeting which covered such areas as: IP name space problems, description of network resources, URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers)/URLs (Uniform Resource Locators)/URNs (Uniform Resource Numbers)/ URCs (Uniform Resource Citations), WHOIS++, the integration of Internet information resources (resource discovery, resource location, resource access, and resource management), InterNICs, WWW (World-Wide Web), Networked Information Services Infrastructure Working Group (WG), the next IETF meeting in Amsterdam in July, Networked Information Retrieval Working Group, Gopher, Privacy Enhanced Mail (for non- US citizens), Internet Talk Radio, Internet Training Materials WG. - DR Gibbons, John H. "J. H. Gibbons Testimony on Information Infrastructure" Posted on Clinton-News-Distribution@ campaign92.org (April 27, 1993). Gibbons, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, offers testimony (excerpted here) in support of the High Performance Computing and High Speed Networking Applications Act of 1993 (HR1757), to the House committee on Science, Space, and Technology. This testimony goes over in quite a bit of detail the current state of government efforts in high-performance computing, as well as the Clinton-Gore administration's position. Gibbons notes with satisfaction that this latest bill places "additional emphasis on the development of applications technology for manufacturing, health care, education, libraries, and other sectors of the economy. It also authorizes additional Federal funding for connecting schools and non-profit organizations to high-speed networks." - DR "Initial EFF Analysis of Clinton Privacy and Security Proposal" EFFector Online 5(6) (April 16, 1993). The Electronic Frontier Foundation outlines three areas of concern over the recently announced Clipper Chip proposal for an encryption standard. First is that there has been no public discussion or comment on the proposal before the decision was made; second, the algorithm has not undergone rigorous testing in the open, unclassified arena and may have a hidden back door; the constitutional and other legal ramifications of the split-key, dual escrowed system have not been fully explained or explored. - DR Internet World 4(3) (April 1993). Special section on the Internet in Britain. The focus of this issue is the British perspective on internetworking: a general overview, commercial, and academic services. o Dern, Daniel P. "PIPEX: Commercial Internet Service in the United Kingdom," pp. 12-14. The founders of PIPEX describe, in an interview, their experience with the start up of a commercial Internet service provider in the UK. Providing full Internet service and network consulting services, they have experienced unparalleled growth since their start and expect to stay competitive by maintaining leading edge technology and standards compliance. o Ingram, Darren P. "An Overview of Internet Services in the United Kingdom," pp. 9-11. While Internet service in the UK is not nearly as well developed as it is in the US, there are signs of real progress. And even now, service in Britain is so superior to that of the Continent, that many users there dial up to British providers for their Internet access! Included is a sidebar listing both service providers and contact information. o Stone, Peter. "A Library-Oriented Overview of JANET," pp. 14-16. Stone offers an overview of the history and development of the Joint Academic Network which has connected institutions of higher learning to each other and to the Internet. Also included is a list of some of the services available via JANET. - DR Kambitsch, Tim, et al. "Trip Notes From Internet Gopher 93 Conference" posted in two parts on PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET (April 13, 1993). Kambitsch and other participants in the recent Gopher Conference at the University of Minnesota describe the proceedings. Topics included: the growth of Gopher, Gopher+ development, Gopher clients on various platforms, Veronica, subject-oriented Gophers, the issue of sensible organization of data on a Gopher, and the use of back-end databases with Gopher. - DR Kessler, Jack. "Baby Bell Libraries? An Update" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):26-29. Kessler poses the networked information question of 1993 as "not so much whether, or when, but precisely how the Baby Bell giants [RBOCs] will become involved in information and, yes, in library work." Kessler invisions a three-tier structure of the Baby Bells, network nodes, and information marketers (ideally including librarians) to assume responsibility for implementing the new national network. Oddly, though, Kessler does not mention either long distance carriers nor ISDN services. The need for interaction between each of the tiers is emphasized. - TR Lagan, Bernard and Anne Davies. "New Digital Phones on Line Despite Objections" Sydney Morning Herald (April 28, 1993) [as posted on CPSR@GWUVM.BITNET]. Lagan and Davies report that the Australian Federal government has decided to allow two phone companies to market very secure digital cellular phones. This comes over the objections of law enforcement officials [the same objections the FBI and NSA have in the US] who want access to the data. With the new system, it could take two years to complete a "wire" tap. The Government made this move to avoid crippling the digital cellular industry. - DR Levy, Steven. "Crypto Rebels" Wired 1(2) (May/June 1993):54- 61. Levy describes a meeting of cypherpunks, those who write cryptographic code as freeware for the purpose of protecting the privacy communications. There are other players in the cryptography game, the NSA, the FBI, RSA Data Security, the company that has patented public-key cryptography, and Pretty Good Privacy, a freeware company that has distributed a public- key program on the network. Levy covers the interrelationships between these parties and the history of cryptography in the US. - DR Malamud, Carl. "Internet Talk Radio" ConneXions 7(3) (March 1993):28-31. Malamud describes his pioneering Internet sound file "radio" program that began appearing on the net as a monthly program in April. The sound file is playable on a number of platforms (a conversion utility may be required) and consists of half-hour programs (15 MB of data) with conference presentations, interviews, speeches, and essays. The flagship segment is the Geek of the Week series comprised of interviews with network techies. The file will be available via anonymous ftp and broadcast on some networks. Listen for more info on this new development in network news. - DR Marks, Kenneth and Steven Nielsen "The Networked Local Library: Developing the Vision Thing" CWIS Campus-Wide Information Systems 10(2) (March/April 1993):26-31. Using the occasion of the implementation of a locally-networked library (i.e. client-server computing within the organization as well as access to the Internet), Marks and Nielsen describe their vision of the library of the future. While not far fetched, this vision is quite interesting, and takes into consideration the development of, among other things, multimedia resources, wireless networks, and the notion of one stop shopping in an effort to be client/patron friendly. - DR Mulliner, Kent. "Southeast Asia Collections and Resources on the Internet" originally appeared in CORMOSEA Bulletin 21(2) (December 1992):1-5, version 2.51 (April 13, 1993) available by sending the following message to LISTSERV@MSU.BITNET, "GET MULLINER CORMOSEA". Mulliner provides an interesting list of networked resources in the area of South Asian studies. Included are library catalogs, a Singaporean Gopher, and other resources. There is a brief introduction to networked services, as well as a helpful glossary of some networking and computer terms. - DR "NREN Applications Bill Summarized" ALAWON 2(18) (May 10, 1993). Available from the list server LISTSERV@UICVM.BITNET (send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the LISTSERV). The latest NREN legislation (HR 1757, introduced by Rick Boucher and strongly endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation), authorizes, among other things, appropriations for a number of applications: Internet connections and training for the education, library, and state and local government communities; test-bed projects for new technologies; and government document depositories and a federal information locator system. - DR Saffo, Paul. "Hot New Medium: Text" Wired 1(2) (May/June 1993): 48. Saffo says that new technologies are not making text obsolete, but rather freeing the medium from the paper ball and chain. The ease of publishing in the electronic medium means that more people than ever are forging ahead and publishing on the net. For those concerned that images might replace text, Saffo offers a palliative: as images become manipulable through multi-media technologies, "Text will emerge as a primary indicator of trustworthiness...." - DR Sobel, David L. "New NIST/NSA Revelations" posted on CPSR@ GWUVM.BITNET (May 6, 1993). Documents released, though heavily censored, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility indicate the government's digital signature standard (DSS) was designed by the National Security Agency (NSA), rather than the National Institute for Standards Technology as directed by Congress. The main concern is that the NSA's involvement is the reason that DSS was chosen over RSA (see Levy above) because is it less secure and that the same is true for the Clipper Chip proposal. [CPSR has filed a brief in an FOIA lawsuit in federal court on this subject, the text of which is available for anonymous ftp at cpsr.org, filename cpsr/crypto/dss.brief.5.93.txt.] - DR Wilson Library Bulletin 67(7) (March 1993). Section on the Z39.50 information search and retrieval protocol. o Anderson, Eric. "Concerning Bibliographic Sincerity," pp. 46-48. While Anderson focuses on bibliographic standards here, his argument is relevant to the standards issue at large: simpler standards will be more wide-spread, and therefore more useful. Information professionals should not forget that standards are created for their own sake, but to be used. o Harris, Patricia. "The Standards Matrix: Developers, Users, Vendors: Introduction," pp. 33-34, 117. Harris provides an introduction to both the standard and the articles that follow in the section. o Lynch, Clifford. "Interoperability: The Standards Challenge for the 1990s," pp. 38-42. Lynch takes a step back and looks at networking and information standards from the broader perspective, and reminds us that, "standards are not the goals, but rather are the tools for interoperability among systems." Lynch also describes the ways that standards become standards, and how international standards (like OSI-see below) tend to fail as tools by their very diplomatic nature, whereas the de facto standards (like TCP/IP) end up being much more useful. In the end, Lynch asks that we make pragmatic decisions based on true, demonstrable interoperability rather than "politically or philosophically correct" notions of such. o McCallum, Sally. "Information Technology Standards: Implementation, Maintenance, and Coordination," pp. 43-45, 117- 118. Using the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocol as a model, McCallum describes the "principle stages and the activities necessary in each stage to keep technical standards useful." One of the more salient conclusions McCallum arrives at is that, "Applications standards should be developed and managed by application-oriented technicians." o Michael, James. "Developing a Standard Vision," pp. 35- 37, 117. Michael, Corporate Director for Standards at Data Research Associates, argues that, "Librarians should...understand the social and technological factors that have led to the need for these [information retrieval] standards." To force standards development forward, librarians and vendors must work together. - DR Optical Disc Technologies Bovenlander, J. H., et al. "CD Net on Ethernet Using Novell Netware 3.10: The Experiences of Erasmus University Rotterdam" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):30-35. This article provides an overview of a LAN configuration which allows for wide-area access via a campus ethernet-based network. Problems encountered and described include multiple microcomputer platforms, memory limitations, device drivers, Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX) limitations, and the inability to access the CD-ROM server directly from UNIX systems. Future plans include remote dial-in access to the CD-ROMs. - TR Bruce, Bob. "Walnut Creek CD-ROM's Bob Bruce Answers Internet Readers' Questions on CD-ROM" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):136-141. This month's Q & A column features guest columnist Bruce answering "frequently asked questions" (FAQ) about CD-ROM technology from the alt.cdrom Usenet newsgroup. Here is a sampling of the wide range of questions included: "Is it important to have a fast CD-ROM drive?" "Where can I get the latest version of MSCDEX?" "What is CD-I, CD-ROM XA?" "What are Rock Ridge extensions?" "Which CD-ROM drives will work with Microsoft Windows NT?" "How do I put a CD-ROM drive on a Novell network?" - TR Clark, Katie. "CD-ROM Retrieval Software: The Year 1992 in Review" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):130-132. Clark outlines trends and changes with CD-ROM retrieval software. Recent software releases by CD Plus, Compact Cambridge, SilverPlatter, and UMI are highlighted. Clark also explores the merits and drawbacks of graphical user interface development for CD-ROMs and discusses attempts being made to develop a standard user interface utilizing a client/server protocol. - TR Dataware Technologies, Inc. "CD-R: The Next Stage in CD-ROM Evolution" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):79-83. This excerpt of a white paper on CD-R (recordable CDs) prepared by Dataware Technologies begins by outlining the advantages of CD-ROM technology before introducing CD-R as an enabling technology. The remainder of the article explains CD-R technology and reviews application development costs and staffing needs. - TR Desmarais, Norman. "CD-ROM Market Study" CD-ROM World 8(4) (May 1993):59-61. Desmarais presents the results of UMI's annual market survey of the CD-ROM industry. Key findings of the study include: database licensing or tape leasing will increase nearly threefold in academic research libraries (ARLs) between 1991 and 1994; while less than a third of ARLs had networks in place in 1991, almost all expect to by 1994; use of CD-ROM products within academic and public libraries is extremely high, ranging from a minimum of 69% in public libraries to 99% in academic libraries. - TR Desmarais, Norman. "Compton's NewMedia Introduces Multiple Operation System Technology (MOST)" CD-ROM World 8(4) (May 1993): 54-57. Desmarais describes the Compton's NewMedia development called Multiple Operation System Technology (MOST). MOST was designed to eliminate one of the major obstacles preventing widespread acceptance of CD-ROM-based software--incompatibility of formats on a variety of hardware platforms. MOST will allow the same CD-ROM disc to operate on a variety of platforms including DOS, Windows, Macintosh, and Sony's new multimedia player format, MMCD. - TR Marks, Kenneth E. and Steven P. Nielsen. "LANs: A Moving Experience" Computers in Libraries 13(4) (April 1993):19-21. Marks and Nielsen describe the agony and the esctasy of moving from an original CD-ROM LAN server to a new and improved server configuration, offering many tips and suggestions along the way. - TR Martin, Mike. "Compact Disc Media Evaluation: What We Now Know About Disc Quality" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):74-77. Martin reviews the various government and industry tests of CD- ROM longevity. Contrary to published reports, the article concludes, CD-ROM is probably the most durable and long-lived media in existence today. The real job, according to Martin, is making sure that the data we put on the plastic discs is well- documented and worthy of transfer to future generations. - TR Richman, Barry. "Online or OnDisc: When to Choose CD-ROM for Your Database" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):53-54. Dialog's Richman discusses the issues considered by his company in determining whether an online database should be offered in CD-ROM. Although this article is targeted toward publishers, it holds value for the information professional as well. In addition to a list of the trade-offs between the online and CD-ROM media, Richman also offers a personal checklist used when reviewing potential CD-ROM projects. - TR Skjoerestad, Lars-K. "A Beginner's Experience with CD-ROM Networking" CD-ROM Professional 6(2) (March 1993):118-121. Another agony and ecstacy experience (this time from Norway) in installing a CD-ROM local area network, utilizing an OPTI-NET server. Problems and solutions encountered during the process are featured. - TR ------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Cites 4(5) (May 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. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collections at no cost. An archive site is maintained at ftp.lib.berkeley.edu in directory /pub/Current.Cites. This message must appear on copied material. 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