Foxboro Controls Inc. in Foxboro, Mass., has made its Dynamic Performance Monitor software package Internet-ready. The Dynamic Performance Monitor takes data from instruments throughout the plant, performs mathematical and statistical calculations, and translates the results into terms that a manager can readily use, such as financial information. Information security is accomplished mostly by requiring passwords to access various screens. Foxboro is also working on making document-management software ready for the Internet. A Web browser is useful even for short distances, since it is becoming the standard display interface for a variety of information applications.
Web browsers are platform-independent, and many users are already familiar with the Web format.
Browsers also offer fast start-up, and running one takes few computing resources and little administration. Microsoft Corp. has made Internet capability an integral part of its distributed component object model. When applications are based on this model, the server and the client can communicate with each other via the Internet, making distance between the two computers irrelevant. The above was adapted from an article by Greg Paula, Associate Editor. The full text may be found in the December 1996 issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine.