[1239] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
The Internet Room at LITA Conference
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU ((Rick Gates))
Thu Sep 17 13:37:54 1992
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1992 12:33:34 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: "(Rick Gates)" <lb05gate%UCSBUXA.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
GREETINGS FROM DENVER !!
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I thought folks on the Net might be interested in a report on what I
feel was one of the highlights of the LITA conference here in Denver:
The Internet Room.
The Internet Room is a small-to-medium sized conference room at the
Colorado Convention Center. What sets it apart from other rooms is
the presence of 10 Wyse terminals, 2 PCs, and 5 Macs. Each of these
stations has a network connection to Colorado SuperNet, and thus to
the rest of the world!
Rather than just a room for e-mail fanatics, the Internet Room has
served conference participants in many other ways.
Some of my best conversations/discussions/arguments occurred in the
Internet Room. How nice to have a station nearby to settle a question
or illustrate a point!
Other participants were baby-sitting new systems. The ability to
check up on things with a few keystrokes was invaluable. Many users
(myself included), were able to get quite a lot of work done remotely.
Two personal experiences illustrate some of the value of the Room.
I received a mail message from a group about some impending down-time
for a network segment that could end up affecting many terminals at my
library. Since I had access to my mail, I could forward this message
to others at my library for their further investigation and
preparation.
I received another message from a person wishing to get my comments
for a publication. Attempts to reach me by phone hadn't succeeded.
My ability to let her know where I was, and give her preliminary
remarks kept me from missing this opportunity.
In short, more and more of us find ourselves in an environment where
access to networks is crucial to our success. The Internet room
provided this access and much more.
(Note: Please don't think that all was rosy. There were a few
difficulites, many on the first day, and mostly with users trying to
connect to IBM hosts. It was a learning experience for many.)
Thanks should go to:
Apple Computer Inc. (Steve Cisler & Janet Vratny-Watts)
Betty Bengston and Dottie Smith.
CARL Systems Inc.
Central Colorado Library Systems
Colorado SuperNet
IBM Corp.
Wyse
...and everyone else who contributed their time and expertise! Kudos
to all!!!
From Denver,
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Rick Gates (805) 893-7225
Dir. of Library Automation
Univ. of California lb05gate@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
