Approved-By:  EDTECH Moderator <21765EDT@MSU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Date:         Fri, 11 Dec 1992 23:29:44 EST
From:         Gleason Sackman <sackman@plains.nodak.edu>
Subject:      xLibrary Version 2 for the (from PACS-L)

Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1992 18:17:35 CDT
From: Frank Sainsbury <Frank_Sainsbury.LIBRARY_MAIL@qm.utas.edu.au>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@uhupvm1.bitnet>
Subject: xLibrary Version 2 for the

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
REGARDING                xLibrary Version 2 for the Mac
xLibrary 1.0.2
Product Description.

xLibrary is a fast,simple to use, library orientered communications package for
the  Macintosh.   This is the second release of this project.  This release
includes Tim Endres' TGETCP Tool which needs to be installed in the system
folder prior to using the ten example services.

The package has been designed specifically with librarians in mind to provide a
simple and secure way of connecting to a variety of remote #212#services#213#. A
 #212#service#213# is defined as any process  running on a local or remote
 computer,
e.g. an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC).  The product utilises Apple's
Communications Toolbox technology, consequently connectivity is only limited by
the range of Connection and Terminal Emulation tools that are available for
your machine.    xLibrary can be used for other purposes, production control,
developement and administration.


xLibrary allows for multiple, simultaneous services to be active at any one
time.   A typical session might therefore include a serial connection to your
local OPAC in one window, whilst another window displays information from a
Campus-Wide Information System (CWIS), and a third displays a remote tcp/ip
network connection to a second OPAC. In addition, a fully editable text window
may be activated that enables the easy accumulation of selections from any of
the other windows. For instance, using the above example, the text window could
be used to accumulate the results from a comparative search of the two (local
and remote) OPACs. The resulting text may then be printed, saved to a file for
later use or copied and pasted to your favourite word processor.

The package consists of two HyperCard#170# stacks, xLibrary and xLibrary
 Installer.

The installer stack allows the definition, testing, storage, installation and
removal of service definitions. A service definition is a set of parameters
that together define the external parameters of a #212#service#213#. Each
 service is
defined by 14 parameters all of which are held on a single hyperCard#170# card.
Typical parameters are :
a.      the connection method (communication settings) required to attach to the
computer upon which the service is available.
b.      the terminal emulation (configuration settings) to use to display the
service output.
c.      the login and logout scripts required to activate/close the service once
connection has been achieved with the host computer.
        etc, etc.....

Once the service definition has been created and tested in xLibrary Installer
it may then be installed into the xLibrary stack. Once installed the name of
the service becomes another menu option in the 'Go' menu. The service may then
be invoked simply by selecting its name from the menu.  In this fashion an
individualised xLibrary stack can be created for each environment.

Requirements.

xLibrary requires a Macintosh with the Communications toolbox installed and
HyperCard 2.0 or later.

Availablity.

xLibrary is a shareware product and may be downloaded from the following
anonymous ftp sites :

        sumex-aim.stanford.edu          Info-mac/comms
         archie.au                              Micros/mac/info-mac/comm
Older versions are available at
        ftp.ucsc.edu                    Mac/comm

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