[614] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Dialog on the Internet and Dialog Survey
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Fri Jun 26 11:52:13 1992
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 1992 10:34:26 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
2 Messages, 121 Lines
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From: Mark Ferguson <MAFERGUS@WISCMACC>
Subject: Survey Results for Internet Access to DIALOG
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This message is being cross-posted to LIBREF-L and PACS-L.
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WHAT FOLLOWS IS A SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO MY QUERY ABOUT INTERNET
ACCESS TO DIALOG, WHICH WAS POSTED IN LATE APRIL.
Thanks to all who took the time to respond. A special thanks to
Tim Dugdale, now of Georgia State University, for his valuable
assistance.
A WORD ABOUT THE SURVEY:
This was an informal, non-representative survey that I conducted
for a class project. The survey was only intended to provide
insight into how some librarians are doing with this new method
of accessing DIALOG. It is hoped that by sharing the survey's
results, more librarians can take advantage of the cost-savings
that Internet access offers.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES:
There were a total of 33 responses, the vast majority of which
were from librarians at academic and research institutions. Here
is how they stacked up:
--13 said they enjoy trouble-free access to DIALOG and are
pleased with the high speed and low cost of using the Internet.
--9 said they can access DIALOG via the Internet, but have had or
are currently having some kind of trouble, such as the backspace
key not working.
--5 said they either cannot or will not access DIALOG via the
Internet, because of connection, equipment, or policy
considerations.
--6 requested that the results of this survey be E-mailed to them
or posted on LIBREF-L or PACS-L.
The three most common problems cited by those who are having
trouble with Internet access were:
--The difficulty of capturing search results, including
accounting information. Solutions to this problem were as varied
as the respondents suggesting them, and I don't have space to
elaborate on them here. Some librarians use the same
communications software they used for dial access and have no
trouble, while others have had no end of trouble.
--The backspace key doesn't work. This problem seems to occur
when a customer's version of telnet software does not pass
control characters to the DIALOG computer. Last December on
LIB_HYTELNET, Thomas Keays, a librarian at the Syracuse
University Science and Technology Library, suggested using the
MODE LINE command in telnet, which changes the way telnet
interacts with a remote computer. Instead of sending each
character to the DIALOG computer (character mode in telnet), MODE
LINE sends lines of text.
--Passwords are echoed to the screen during log-in. At the time
of the this survey, Catherine Jennings, a PC product technical
specialist at DIALOG, said that DIALOG was working on this
potentially serious security problem and hoped to have it solved
soon.
If anyone has further comments or questions, feel free to contact
me directly. Thanks again to all who responded.
Mark Ferguson
"Have job, will travel"
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
E-mail: mafergus@macc.wisc.edu or mafergus@wiscmacc.bitnet
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From: TTRIPP@NRCNET.NRC.CA
Subject: Online searching problems on Internet
Our reference department has started using internet access to
connect to Dialog and other vendors. Initially everything was
wonderful, but in the last couple of weeks they have been
experiencing some problems. If anyone has any insights on the
following problem descriptions, we'd certainly appreciate them.
Thank you in advance.
Problems encountered with online searching using the INTERNET:
1) Is anyone else experiencing what are termed by DIALOG personnel
as "abnormal disconnects" ? This problem manifests itself when the
logoff command on DIALOG is used. The logoff is immediate hence
only some of the logoff information is received before you are
requested for an INTERNET command. No help has been forthcoming
from DIALOG. We are using PROCOMM PLUS.
2) Is anyone else experiencing what appear to be INTERNET slow-
downs? In our experience this happens more often in the afternoons
(11:30-16:00 EST) although it seems to be occurring more and more
in the mornings. During an online session, again using PROCOMM
PLUS search software, the search stops mid-line or mid-command and
may not resume activity for several seconds or more often minutes.
Should any keystokes be entered during this time, the searcher is
kicked out of whatever system they are using and asked to respond
with an INTERNET command. Success in reconnecting is not
consistent and often the searcher experiences the same problem
again. Vendors contacted during these slow-downs have reported
that their systems are functioning as usual.
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* Client Services * FAX: (613) 952-8244 *
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