IntraNets and Business Enterprise Information Systems Intranets have been popular recently. These correspond to building enterprise information systems using WebWindows technology. WebWindows can encompass the world (clients talking to large servers around the globe) or just a single machine (a PC Web browser linked to a server on the same machine). Further, we can apply these ideas flexibly to any enterprise of intermediate size and use Web technology to build general information services. These will use traditional concepts (e.g., databases) but link these to the rich WebTop environment. Note that this means one should not reject Web technologies because of today's low bandwidth or insecure Internet. If we build, today, a WebWindows Intranet, it can have whatever bandwidth and security the enterprise network supports. One of the applications explored by NPAC is a politics information system built around Newt Gingrich's recent visit to the University. This illustrates how WebWindows systems can be built for information storage and on-line discussion of any loosely knit enterprise from political parties through special interest organizations. WebMed---Web Technologies in Health Care The Intranet ideas above can, of course, be applied to medical enterprises where one can use Web-linked databases combined with several different user interfaces. Here, we use Java so that we can customize the `look and feel' and access privileges so that doctors, hospital administrators, insurance companies, nurses, and patients can share the same information. NPAC has two interesting local projects---one with the University College of Nursing with a prototype system to help K--12 school nurses; the second uses simple virtual reality technology from David Warner [http://www.ponfar.com/i3] to allow disabled persons to both navigate the Web and to transmit medical sensor data from their homes to Web servers where it can then be analyzed conveniently by doctors. Web Technology in the Financial Industry An area of interest to NPAC is use of WebWindows in the financial industry. Here, Java can be used to provide excellent PC (home, office) interfaces to real time trading data. Java will allow downloading of simple modeling packages to aid on-line trading. However, today's complex financial instruments require computationally intensive Monte Carlo algorithms for accurate simulation. Here, we use Web technology to allow investors access to stock data, and simulation systems running on the classic MPPs developed in the HPCC program. Education on the Web As well as developing WebWindows products to support education, we also are teaching students about these new Web technologies. Not unexpectedly, there is currently tremendous demand both for our students and for our tutorials on the Web technologies from enterprises wanting to get into these areas. Amusingly, we can bootstrap this process and use Web technologies to put all our courses and laboratory material online. Thus, the Web community can use the Web itself to both collaborate, teach, and learn.
Our prototype (and evolving Netscape 1.1, Hotjava, and now Netscape 2.0) WebFoil system now stores over 160 separate presentations, and 6,500 ``foils'' with quite complete courses available in practical information, and simulation HPCC technologies. We see this as quite quickly evolving to a virtual university. Already, we are offering a small scale ``Graduate Certificate in Computational Science'' (focused on MPI, HPF, PERL, and Java with applications) remotely to Harbin University in China. Combining these online resources with the customized virtual reality interfaces mentioned above seems to allow remarkable new ways of delivering education to the disabled.