The same is the same

[Rivanciw@darcom-hq]

In an earlier message I mentioned that DARCOM runs the same
software on the big machines as it does on the personal
workstations. Let me elaborate.

The workstations we are using to date are not single-user micros.
We are currently experimenting with the Onyx Box supporting 8
users. Our architecture for office automation requires that our
personal workstations are general purpose computers (with a
complete set of compiliers and utilities) that support UNIX (or a
UNIX look alike).

By zeroing in on UNIX, we are able to run a great variety of
applications on our office machines - software which is in the
public domain. In fact, with UNIX comes a message system and a
screen editor. There are at least three message systems and
three editors that I know of that run under UNIX and are in the
public domain. Naturally, DARCOM enhances the mail systems and
editors for our use, but it is very cost effective to do so
because there are no license fees for this software (the editors
and message systems). Thus, we offer our OA users vertually free
software. Considering the number of users we have, software
changes costs per user is minimal.

These same applications run on all the office automation machines
be they 11/70s or Onyx Boxes. The dey to integration of these
machines is the RELAY computer, or more specifically the RELAY
software. Part of the software for communicating with the RELAY
is embedded in each machine we use. Therefore, when I give the
send command to my message system it "awakens" the relay software
to communicate the message to the RELAY computer who in turn does
that actual computer to computer communications.

JWALKER's thoughts on having a big machine do the bulk work like
formatting a 300 page document are right on the button. If
communications between machines are well planned this
interoperability can become a reality. This same concept can be
used to process graphics. We are developing an application which
will allow a user to develop briefing charts in any editor on any
machine in office automation. Their charts will then be
communicated to a graphics work station for lettering, fonts,
coloring, etc then sent to a color xerox for printing. This will
not provide full graphics to the oa workstation, but it will
provide an easy way to build vuecharts and simple pie charts, bar
graphs, and tables from any workstation with or without a
graphics capability.

The bottom line is that one cannot evaluate a personal
workstation without considering how it fits into the
organizations architecture for office automation. The problem
in most organizations is that they don't have an overall
architecture (not even conceptual) for office automation.
Therefore, they evaluate each piece of equipment and each
application as an island. The result is an embedded base of
equipment and software that, at best, communicates in a very
limited fashion.

Randy