Apparently-To: decnews@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
Approved-By:  01-Sep-1992 1146 <decnews@MR4DEC.ENET.DEC.COM>
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Date:         Tue, 1 Sep 1992 08:48:37 PDT
              <DECNEWS@UBVM.BITNET>
From:         01-Sep-1992 1146 <decnews@mr4dec.enet.dec.com>
Subject:      Sept. '92 DECNEWS for Education & Research
X-To:         decnews@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu

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    |  D E C N E W S                                                      |
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    |                F O R   E D U C A T I O N   A N D   R E S E A R C H  |
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    September 1, 1992                                         Vol. 1, No. 7


    "DECNEWS for Education and Research" is a monthly electronic
    publication from Digital Equipment Corporation for the education and
    research communities worldwide.

    Readers may obtain additional information about DECNEWS items by
    requesting full texts of supporting documents, which are marked with an
    asterisk at the end of each item.  For instructions on how to subscribe
    or copy supporting documents, please see the end of this newsletter.

    DECNEWS is published by Digital's Education and Science Business Unit.
    Your contributions and feedback are welcome.  Contact the editor at
    decnews@mr4dec.enet.dec.com or simply send your response by return
    mail.  Because DECNEWS is a moderated list, your response will be sent
    to the editor only.


    IN THIS ISSUE:
             Announcements
             . U.S. Desktop Reseller Program to Be Launched
             . Programs Ported for DECmpp 12000 Systems
             . Distributed UNIX System Management Delivered
             . InfoServer 150 Now Supports Macintosh PCs
             . Nth Graphics NPGL to Run on Alpha Workstations
             . Digital to Develop 3D Tools with SGI Toolkit
             . Genome Conference in U.S. to Boast Data Fair

             Customer News
             . Drew University Students Learn With Notebook PCs
             . VAX Notes Empowers Disadvantaged in New York
             . Liberal Arts School Opens $16-Million Facility


    U.S. DESKTOP RESELLER PROGRAM TO BE LAUNCHED..........................

    This fall, Digital is launching a U.S. Campus Reseller Program to make
    its full line of desktop computers available in campus stores at
    competitive prices.  Some 25 U.S. colleges and universities and a K-12
    consortium have already signed up to participate.  Through the new
    program, Digital offers students, faculty, and administrators a
    significant discount on all products in its DESKTOP DIRECT telephone
    ordering program--including MS-DOS based PCs, laptops, notebook
    computers, software, printers, and peripherals.  Digital's RISC/UNIX
    and VAX workstations are also offered at a discount through DECdirect,
    and new low-end products will be added as they are introduced.

    * List of some of the U.S. colleges and universities currently
    participating in the Campus Reseller Program, news0701.txt
    Contact: Paula Modano, Campus Reseller Program Manager,
    modano@mr4dec.enet.dec.com


    PROGRAMS PORTED FOR DECMPP 12000 SYSTEMS..............................

    C-DYNA3D, FIDAP, and SESTRA -- applications from independent software
    developers -- are now available for running on Digital's massively
    parallel computers, the DECmpp 12000 series.  C-DYNA3D, from CONDAT
    GmbH, is a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) program that
    can measure strength and other properties of a variety of solids.
    Fluid Dynamics International's FIDAP is a FEA program for measuring
    fluid dynamics.  SESTRA, from Veritas Sesam Systems, is a structural
    analysis program used in the design and engineering of offshore and
    marine structures.  The programs are available from their developers.

    * Press release on new applications ported, news0702.txt


    DISTRIBUTED UNIX SYSTEM MANAGEMENT DELIVERED..........................

    Digital recently announced DEC FullSail, the first comprehensive
    application available for managing distributed UNIX systems
    efficiently.  Designed for systems personnel, DEC FullSail incorporates
    an easy-to-use Motif-based graphical user interface that simplifies
    day-to-day system management of user accounts, filesystems, and system
    performance.  Using the software, system managers can be proactive in
    identifying and preventing potential system problems affecting end
    users.  Each of the product's three modules can be accessed from any
    workstation or X-terminal on the network.

    * Press release announcing DEC FullSail, news0703.txt


    INFOSERVER 150 NOW SUPPORTS MACINTOSH PCS.............................

    Digital recently introduced the InfoServer Client for Macintosh,
    software that enables Macintosh users to access applications on
    Digital's InfoServer 150 network storage server.  InfoServer Client for
    Macintosh works with the InfoServer 150, which stores and transmits
    information for up to 100 users in Macintosh, NetWare, MS-DOS,
    PATHWORKS, VMS, ULTRIX, and other environments.  The new software
    brings a 30 to 60 percent performance improvement to network multimedia
    applications running on Apple's Quicktime multimedia standard.  Using
    the product, networked Macintosh users can access CD-ROMs, hard drives,
    and magneto-optical drives from a centralized resource on the network.

    * Press Release on InfoServer Client for Macintosh, news0704.txt


    NTH GRAPHICS NPGL TO RUN ON ALPHA WORKSTATIONS........................

    Nth Graphics Ltd. has agreed to port its Nth Portable GL (NPGL)
    graphics software library to Digital's Alpha-based workstations
    running DEC OSF/1.  NPGL mimics the IRIS GL V4.0 graphics programming
    environment from Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI).  Once NPGL is ported, it
    will enable graphics-intensive programs written for current SGI systems
    to be ported quickly to Alpha-based workstations.


    DIGITAL TO DEVELOP 3D TOOLS WITH SGI TOOLKIT..........................

    Digital recently began licensing IRIS Inventor, an object-oriented 3D
    toolkit from Silicon Graphics, Inc., to develop its own open, object-
    oriented 3D application development environment.  IRIS Inventor simpli-
    fies interactive 3D application development, an important step in
    improving productivity and enabling application access to 3D
    technology.


    GENOME CONFERENCE IN U.S. TO BOAST DATA FAIR..........................

    Leading genetic sequencing researchers worldwide who attend this year's
    Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference will be able to compare their
    research results in real time with data in GenBank and other sequence
    databases.  The conference, scheduled Sept. 26-30 in Hilton Head, South
    Carolina, will introduce a Sequence Data Fair where participants will
    exchange data sets and compare analysis results.  Digital will provide
    an open, client-server environment with multiple systems, including a
    DECmpp 12000, acting as servers to networked multivendor workstations,
    PCs, and Macintosh computers running leading data analysis
    applications.

    Contact for registration information: +301-869-9056


    DREW UNIVERSITY STUDENTS LEARN WITH NOTEBOOK PCS......................

    Incoming undergraduate and graduate students at New Jersey's Drew
    University in the U.S. are carrying a new type of notebook to class
    this fall, a notebook PC.  Each owns a DECpc 320P Notebook with 2 MB of
    RAM, a 40 MB hard drive, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, and a mouse.  Drew was
    one of the first U.S. schools to provide PCs as part of students'
    tuition--eight years ago.  The university has since designed various
    courses around the use of PCs in class.  Recently, Drew joined
    Digital's new Campus Reseller Program, which makes Digital's desktop
    systems available in campus stores at competitive prices.  Drew
    evaluated systems from vendors including IBM, Zenith, and Dell, but
    found the Digital notebooks provided the best overall quality.

    Contact: Bill Beyer, Director of Technology Systems,
    bbeyer@drew.drew.edu


    VAX NOTES EMPOWERS DISADVANTAGED IN NEW YORK..........................

    At New York's Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), computer systems
    are liberating those with physical impairments and helping them become
    more productive members of society.  Dr. Norman Coombs, a blind
    professor of history at RIT, is teaching students -- some of whom are
    hearing impaired or totally deaf -- online.  He conducts class dis-
    cussions using Digital's VAX Notes computer conferencing system and
    sends and receives all assignments, including take-home exams, via
    VAXmail.  Dr. Coombs reviews the assignments using a PC with DECtalk,
    Digital's voice synthesizer.  Convinced that "VAX Notes is a fantastic,
    easy-to-use tool for teaching," he has written a 17-page, non-technical
    beginner "Faculty Manual for Computer Conferencing."  Currently, he is
    exploring the use of conferencing for distance deaf education.  VAX
    Notes is available through the Campuswide Software License Grant and
    DECcampus Programs.

    * Faculty Manual for Computer Conferencing, news0706.txt
    Contact: Dr. Norman Coombs, RIT Professor, nrcgsh@ritvax.isc.rit.edu


    LIBERAL ARTS SCHOOL OPENS $16-MILLION FACILITY........................

    This fall, the 5,900 students attending Maryland's Salisbury State
    University in the U.S. will be rounding out their liberal arts
    education in a new $16-million facility.  The new building houses five
    teaching labs and the university's academic and administrative
    computing systems.  Among the teaching labs are three PC labs equipped
    with some 80 Digital PCs and 20 Digital graphics terminals, one
    workstation lab with Digital ULTRIX workstations, and a Macintosh lab.
    Digital's PATHWORKS is used to manage and integrate the diverse
    systems, enabling students to communicate and access data from any lab.
    Also, a VAX 6310 is handling administrative computing while a VAX 4300
    handles academic computing -- both managed by one director.

    Contact: Brad Taylor, Director of Academic and Administrative
    Computing, bwtaylor@sae.ssu.umd.edu


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Copyright 1992 by Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved.
    Note: Programs and pricing are implemented in a phased approach and may
    differ from one country to another; please check with your local
    account representative.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation:
    DECdirect, DEC FullSail, DECmpp, DECpc, DECstation, DECtalk, DECsystem,
    DESKTOP DIRECT, InfoServer, MicroVAX, PATHWORKS, Personal DECstation,
    ULTRIX, VAX, VAX 4000, VAX 6000, VAX Notes, VAXstation, VMS, and VXT.
    Apple is a trademark and Macintosh and Quicktime are registered
    trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.  Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox
    Corp.  FIDAP is a trademark of Fluid Dynamics International.  IBM is a
    registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.  Motif is
    a registered trademark and OSF and OSF/1 are trademarks of the Open
    Software Foundation, Inc.  Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks
    of Novell, Inc.  Nth Portable GL and NPGL are registered trademarks of
    Nth Graphics Ltd.  Silicon Graphics and IRIS are registered trademarks
    and IRIS Inventor is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.  UNIX is a
    registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.  Windows and
    Windows NT are trademarks and MS-DOS and Microsoft are registered
    trademarks of Microsoft Corp.  X/Open is a trademark of X/Open Company
    Limited.

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