Abstract * Foil Index for this file
See also color IMAGE
Given by NPAC Team at SC95 Tutorial on December 4,95. Foils prepared December 2,95
Abstract * Foil Index for this file
See also color IMAGE
| This tutorial will provide comprehensive coverage of interactive WWW technologies and their integration with HPCC from the perspective of distance education. |
| The presenters will outline their vision of the Virtual University for modern education and discuss interactive WWW, HPCC backends, and agent-based communication as three critical enabling technologies in this framework. |
| They will illustrate these concepts with demonstrations of WWW spaces and courses developed at the University of Syracuse such as KidsWeb,Science for the 21st Century, Living Textbook, and Computational Science for the Information Age. |
| They will explain component technologies and infrastructure such as WebTools, parallel databases, and video and computational servers. Finally, they will discuss their concept of WebWork and WebWindows as an emergent, collectively developed integration framework for the WWW, agents, and HPCC-based Simulations-on-Demand, |
| They will present prototype demonstrations of interactive and collaborative modules for distance education. |
This table of Contents
Abstract
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| Supercomputing 95 |
| Monday December 4,1995 |
| San Diego Convention Center |
| NPAC |
| Geoffrey Fox, Wojtek Furmanski, Marek Podgorny with |
| Gang Cheng, Roman Markowski |
| Syracuse University |
| 111 College Place |
| Syracuse |
| NY 13244-4100 |
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| This tutorial will provide comprehensive coverage of interactive WWW technologies and their integration with HPCC from the perspective of distance education. |
| The presenters will outline their vision of the Virtual University for modern education and discuss interactive WWW, HPCC backends, and agent-based communication as three critical enabling technologies in this framework. |
| They will illustrate these concepts with demonstrations of WWW spaces and courses developed at the University of Syracuse such as KidsWeb,Science for the 21st Century, Living Textbook, and Computational Science for the Information Age. |
| They will explain component technologies and infrastructure such as WebTools, parallel databases, and video and computational servers. Finally, they will discuss their concept of WebWork and WebWindows as an emergent, collectively developed integration framework for the WWW, agents, and HPCC-based Simulations-on-Demand, |
| They will present prototype demonstrations of interactive and collaborative modules for distance education. |
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Firstly we can use this technology to implement HPCC on a broad technology base
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| Secondly we can use technology to implement Virtual University to teach internally and across the Globe |
Thirdly we can teach our students about these concepts
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| This implies that we look at both Grand Challenges and National Challenges but we suggest this is not enough: |
| WebWork Builds HPCC technologies on a broad not niche base starting at bottom (Web,PC's) |
| not top (MPP's, Supercomputers) of computing pyramid |
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It provides a pervasive and highly innovative technology base
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| Note Intel Teraflop computer will have 9000 P6's but WWW will have at least one thousand times as many possible nodes varying (eventually) from supercomputers to settop boxes |
| WWW is important as it allows rich (world wide linkage of simulation and information capabilities) open and portable environment |
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| High Performance (Parallel) Computers on High Speed (ATM) Networks linked to clients at a network performance that supporting realtime Video at a resolution between VHS,HDTV . |
MPP's as Internet/Web/NII/GII Servers
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Dual-Use Philosophy must be extended to Multi-Use
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Standards must be used
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| Each of three components (network connections, clients, servers) has capital value of order $10 to $100 Billion |
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InfoVision is ultimate "client-server" application
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Democracy on the NII (Gore)
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| Web Servers use "Web Technology" to service World Wide Web and other forms of networked multimedia information |
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| Living SchoolBook Material for SC95 San Diego Dec 95 |
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| Living SchoolBook Material for SC95 San Diego Dec 95 |
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Application Specific NII Specific Services for
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| There are evolving/confusing/overlapping capabilities ... |
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| Clients (such as Mosaic and Netscape) support browsing of hyperlinked documents but have no internal interactive/compute capability |
| Servers read HTTP and deliver requested service to client |
| HTML -- a document format supporting hyperlinks |
| HTTP -- a Transport Protocol defining Interaction between Web servers and Clients |
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| MIME -- a data format allowing agent-like (extended email) communication |
| CGI -- a standard interface allowing sophisticated server extensions |
| PERL -- a rapid prototyping language(script) aimed at text and file manipulation |
| Web Search engines such as YAHOO, HARVEST, WAIS -- early distributed database access technology supporting search and indexing |
| net.Thread, WebTools, RealAudio are early Web Interactive services |
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| Relational databases -- Oracle,DB2 have Web Interfaces |
| Collaboration from Console Units (PIctureTel, CLI), Desktop (SGI Inperson) to MOOs |
| Compression from MPEG and Wavelet to host of proprietary solutions -- a faction of 20 to 200 saving in space and bandwidth |
| Geographical Information Systems |
| Security will enable commerce on the Internet -- essential for Defence as well |
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| Produced by Gang Cheng April 1995 |
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There is a larger Better Quality Image available |
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| Oracle 7 Interface to Usenet-Prepared October 27,1995 |
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Associated material may be found starting at Oracle-Web Interface to Usenet and other Services |
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| Oracle 7 Interface to Usenet-Prepared October 27,1995 |
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Associated material may be found starting at Oracle-Web Interface to Usenet and other Services |
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| Combines strengths of Web and Database Information models to eliminate many weaknesses of each |
| Uses Oracle's WOW Web-Oracle-Web Interface |
| Many capabilities demonstrated in NPAC's implementations with mh mail, newsgroups, education databases, remote data entry |
| Important for research, education and industry |
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Characteristics
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Characteristics
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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| Database techniques used in Web technology: data storage; data caching; index searching; data processing |
| Networking techniques used in distributed database technology: distributed database; two-phase commit; data replication; client/server model |
Web server integrated with database is enhanced with:
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Database server linked to web server is enhanced with:
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Mail databases: internal corporate utility
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Usenet Newsgroups: http://asknpac.npac.syr.edu/
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Education databases
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| Health care: demo patient record database |
| Oracle SQL*TextRetrieval full text search of 3 online books |
| Corporate product databases (under development) |
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Education
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Research
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Industry
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| Note: the gateway wowstub program simply passes PL/SQL program name and input parameters gathered from forms to DB server. |
| The DB server does both SQL query and HTML processing/formatting |
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| We describe the general architecture and major components of a Web Search System |
| (a short version prepared for SC'95) |
| See longer HPDC95 Version for more details |
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| Information Discovery - Locate Relevant Sources (URLs) with Reasonable Efforts/Time |
| A Centralized Web Data Repository- Cache/Replicate Information to Alleviate Regional Network and Server Overhead |
| A Unified Internet Search Interface - Search for Various Information Sources, HTTP, FTP, Gopher, WAIS, Usenet Newsgroups, Archive, On-line Databases and Libraries, etc. |
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Data Volume
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Data Diversity
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User Base
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| There are at least 30 web search systems on the net |
| InfoSeek - free service for web search (text database indexed from 400K URLs, total 2GB), paid-service for 15,000 USENET newsgroups (most recent 4 weeks, 2 million articles, total 7GB) and other on-line databases. Full-text indexing. Database and web servers run on 8 SUN10s |
| Lycos - free service for web search (database indexed from ~10 million URLs, 1.8 GB summary text, 1.1 GB inverted index (10-20% of full text), run on 7 replicated workstations) |
| OpenText - free service (text from ~1 million URLs, 985 million words, run on a worstation cluster). Full-text indexing. |
| WebCrawler - free service for web search. Partial-text indexing. |
| Yahoo - hierarchical listing of URLs by topics. A web site, not a search service (custom-made database system and web servers, run on several SGI Indy's and Pentium-based PCs running UNIX) |
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| Gather WWW pages/files from remote web servers and filter them into indexed text database |
| Use 'Web Robot' or 'Web Agent' technology - a class of programs that automatically traverse network hosts and bring back information via various network protocols (e.g. HTTP) |
Major issues - direct impact on database size, search coverage and performance
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| How text of web documents/files are internally stored/indexed in the text database to efficiently and effectively support searching |
| Common approach - 'inverted index' |
Major issues - direct impact on database size and search performance
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| Built on the indexed database |
Basic functions/algorithms - keyword-based search
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Advanced functions - concept-based search
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| Form-based CGI - integration of a Web server and the backend database search engine |
| Requires high-performance server to support large number of concurrent users - parallel technology can play a big role here ! |
Major issues
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| ATM, ISDN, Wireless, Satellite will be hybrid physical implementation of NII |
| CORBA, Opendoc, OLE, SGML, Hytime are critical file and document standards |
| High Performance Multimedia servers to enable digital information delivery on demand |
| Data transport from MPI/MSGWAY/PVM to AAL to CBR/VBR |
| Windows95/NT -- the last of the the non social(Web) operating systems -- will follow dinosaurs(IBM mainframes) into extinction except as WebServer/Client platforms with only base operating system services |
| Personal Digital Assistants -- WebNewtons done right -- Learn from Telescript (agent based communication) and Magic Cap operating system |
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| WebWindows -- the open nonproprietary operating system of future supplanting UNIX, Windows95/NT, Apple etc. -- manages with a single interface all machines either individually or collectively on the NII |
| WebWork -- Implements Computing for both Simulation and Information ontop of WebWindows-- the correct implementation of HPCC ideas such as HPF,MPI with pervasive technologies and good software engineering |
| WebScript -- The evolving Middleware of scripted languages including PERL5, Java, Telescript, MOVIE (NPAC early prototype), domain specific Problem Solving Environments |
| This will lead upto Ultimate Goal! Televirtuality -- All Web Users are linked into a single virtual world |
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| Java -- an interpreted C++ like language (script) allowing fully interactive clients which execute applets. Has full set of classes to make clients such as HOTJava. Licensed by Netscape |
| VRML -- a 3 dimensional HTML allowing universal description of physical objects and allowing interchange of virtual worlds, commercial product designs etc. |
| PERL5 -- an extension of PERL4 with full object oriented characteristics and extended pointer(array) constructs -- allows construction of Web Software obeying good software engineering practices |
| Telescript -- forced into semiopen by Java (!?) -- dynamic Web Transport and Server technology replacing HTTP,MIME .. |
| Multithreaded WebServers integrating current Web, Compute and digital multimedia delivery services -- future Enterprise Systems |
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| WebTools -- Early NPAC Prototype of WebWindows Equivalent to Program Manager with Navigation, File manipulation, Mail |
| WebDeskTop Publishing -- an early killer application under WebWindows supplanting Word, Wordperfect, LOTUS123 , Persuasion etc. Java allows clear powerful implementation. |
| WebRDBMS -- Integration of Relational and Distributed databases with both agent based heuristics, formal indices and free text search |
| Metadata -- Common attributes to allow integration and search of heterogeneous databases |
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| An example of HotJava applet that makes essential use of Java multithreading. |
| Three different sorting algorithms are visualized on a single HotJava page. |
| Each algorithm can be started independently or they can all run concurrently. |
| Concurrent mode allows for real-time visual comparison of various algorithms and their performance. |
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| Latest results prepared for HPDC95 Tutorial August 1,1995 |
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| HotJava Demonstration |
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| HotJava Demonstration |
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| Living SchoolBook Material for SC95 San Diego Dec 95 |
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| Living SchoolBook Material for SC95 San Diego Dec 95 |
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| WebTools -- Early NPAC Prototype of WebWindows Equivalent to Program Manager with Navigation, File manipulation, Mail |
| WebDeskTop Publishing -- an early killer application under WebWindows supplanting Word, Wordperfect, LOTUS123 , Persuasion etc. Java allows clear powerful implementation. |
| WebRDBMS -- Integration of Relational and Distributed databases with both agent based heuristics, formal indices and free text search |
| Metadata -- Common attributes to allow integration and search of heterogeneous databases |
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| WebSpace -- Televirtual implementation of full 3D MOO like environment building on LabSpace at Argonne for the virtual scientific laboratory |
| WebFlow -- NPAC prototype of Web based extended Khoros/AVS supporting dataflow linkage of computers for simulation and people and data for workflow management |
| WebScript -- the evolving Middleware of scripted languages including extended PERL5, Java, Telescript, MOVIE(NPAC compute oriented script) etc. |
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| Like UNIX or MS-DOS or Windows 3.1(NT,95), WebWindows is an operating system for a "computer" |
| The "computer" is a metacomputer consisting of the 50,000 Webservers (currently--eventually hundreds of millions) on Internet for the World Wide Web |
WebWindows can also be used for the metacomputer (collection of heterogeneous networked computers) which is a business enterprise system
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WebWindows is a multi-client multi-server technology
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| Includes World wide multimedia File access and dissemination -- current immediate Browser Services |
| Initial Websearch and agent technology such as World Wide Web Worm, Lycos,Yahoo, Harvest etc. |
WebTools is initial NPAC Project to illustrate future WebWindows
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| WebWindows development team will run using a network of WebTools servers -- each user will run personal server |
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| It does not provide multi-threading/multiu-user support, memory management, device drivers and such base services -- these are supplied by UNIX, Windows or Mac O/S |
| Rather it provides equivalent of higher level O/S services such as available under UNIX shell or applications supplied under Windows |
| In the future one will build applications for WebWindows not UNIX / PC windows etc. |
Very interesting is WebWindows version of Lotus Notes to support Business Enterprise systems -- build from Web components such as those prototyped in WebTools
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| Note we are implicitly discussing both the implementing of general education with Web Technologies and the teaching of these technologies to a broad audience -- our new form of Computational Science in the Information track |
Education needs wonderful Information Delivery -- we call this InfoVision for
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| But also collaboration where this leads upto full televirtual environments where individuals are projected into a simulated world |
| We will mention some synergies with needs of Business Enterprise Systems -- a larger market! |
| We can divide into server and client but the (future) Web is a server -- server scenario for every PC can be a server and we can run both server and client on same (home) machine. So real division is "big" and "personal" systems |
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CGI PERL enhancements are illustrated by
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| Servers will support computing to implement WebWork with pervasive integrated support of distributed/parallel computing and Software Engineering |
| Multimedia databases will support Video and Audio Streaming and based on Living Schoolbook we will discuss educational video on demand with relational databases supporting text indexed video |
| ISDN is particularly interesting opportunity to deliver video to "everybody" today using preferably nifty compression technologies |
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| Telescript seems an important server and communication (agent) technology which we should either use or learn from and "copy" if it remains too proprietary |
| Java is a critical client technology which allow construction of proper balanced client-server systems which is relevant for computing, collaboration and WebTop productivity (WebFoil as a customized browser/authoring tool) |
| VRML is the new data structure of the future implementing everthing from 3DHPF to Geographical Information Systems used by Living SchoolBook to provide virtual fieldtrips and by Nintendo/Sega for racing games ... |
| Illustra illustrates power of object oriented database to support object based technologies such as VRML |
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| Stripped down Windows NT is all we need as a general operating system -- WebWindows will provide portable user level applications |
| Nifty searching of the web will put the equivalent of 100 (today) to 10,000 (not so far in future with digital video) CD-Rom's at your mouse-click |
| Hyper-G and WebTools attempt a start on a more disciplined information space navigation model |
| TCL is another scripting/GUI system which shows that we can expect many overlapping environments which need to be integrated in WebScript |
| Televirtual Environments motivate VRML enhancements, distributed simulation and Java Integration with a multi-threaded system |
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In future one will NOT write software for either
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| Rather one will write software for WebWindows defined as the operating environment for World Wide Web |
WebWindows builds on top of Web Servers and Web Client open interfaces as in
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Applications written for WebWindows will be portable to all computers running Web Servers or Clients
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From foilset WebTools (Spring '95) |
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Associated Foil can be found |
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Postscript also Available |
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| It does not provide multi-threading/multiu-user support, memory management, device drivers and such base services -- these are supplied by UNIX, Windows or Mac O/S |
| Rather it provides equivalent of higher level O/S services such as available under UNIX shell or applications supplied under Windows |
| In the future one will build applications for WebWindows not UNIX / PC windows etc. |
Very interesting is WebWindows version of Lotus Notes to support Business Enterprise systems -- build from Web components such as those prototyped in WebTools
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| Persuasion and Powerpoint are rather similar monolithic packages which can for instance only be clumsily ported to UNIX as cannot access internal data-structures defining foils |
| WebFoil (NPAC prototype WebWindows presentation package) has |
Extended open HTML source manipulated by powerful PERL5 scripts allowing global changes and linkages of foils from many sources
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| WebFoil Uses Hotjava to display HTML with full Web Power including applets to enable Multimedia and dynamic presentations |
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| Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
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The WebTop Productivity environment will be built in a more modular fashion than current PC Windows or Macintosh arena
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| Java is key to understanding how WebWindows application/service software will look as it allows balanced client server applications to be built |
| Note require an open display software so can produce appropriate customized interfaces for browsing, presenting, word processing etc. |
| Java may or may not be accepted by Web Community and Sun/Netscape may or may not allow it to used openly |
| However the concept is essential and roughly right -- one or more such open technologies will become available and used on the Web |
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| Initial webfoil 0.1 release Halloween 1995 |
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Desktop Publishing and Productivity Tools in WebWindows (WebTop Productivity/Publishing)
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InfoVision: Delivery on Demand of Information from:
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| Commerce -- digital Cash and signatures with appropriate authentication and security. Enables both Web Commerce (shopping) and use of Web for proprietary information |
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Interactive and "batch" Collaboration
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Metacomputing -- the collection of world wide computers as a coordinated (in subgroups of computers) computational engine (for simulation or information processing)
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| This is distributed databases for supporting cost effective healthcare with less fraud, better use of existing information for establishing care-plans etc |
| This is collaboration, remote instrument control for telemedicine |
| Could be full televirtuality for virtual-reality controlled remote surgery in battlefield or accident scenarios |
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| This is basis of Virtual University and NII can be expected to be much more succesful than videosystems because interactive, collaborative, explorative and full multimedia information at student and teachers fingertips |
Base of Distance Education is InfoVision for full interactive curricula
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| Rich Collaboration environments including televirtual MOO's for student-student and student-teacher interactions |
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| InfoVision is "successor" to TV with any multimedia information delivered on demand( choice from infinite number of channels) |
| Community Networks will define local societies and will have significant impact on local government |
| Shopping on the Web will include multimedia digital yellow pages , Commerce, online catalogs (which is InfoVision again) as well as perhaps powerful VR interfaces where you can try out new clothes and cars |
| Collaboration (gossip as in computer forums) could be an important and dominant use but perhaps not initial major one |
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OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) such as approving and recording credit card transactions. This is a type of InfoVision and Commerce which is operational today
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| Decision Support varies from fraud detection, inventory planning and market segmentation for optimizing shopping by mail |
| Decision support can vary from search of a single giant relational database to galaxy-wide search of heterogeneous distributed database |
| Workflow Support as in LOTUS Notes integrates Collaboration, Project Management and Distributed Databases. This supports ongoing distributed enterprise -- this is also essential in collaboratory |
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The World Wide Web will develop a marvellous WebTop Environment allowing users to access Web versions of Word Excel(Lotus123) Persuasion(Powerpoint) Databases Lotus Notes etc.
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| This (as developed) enables a wonderful new software industry as Microsoft no longer has key advantages |
This (as used) enables very effective (business) enterprise systems where "Web" used internally to an enterprise
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Focus on manufacturing industry
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Large industry typically has
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WWW information system support
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Incorporate database in WWW information system
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WWW internal information server
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With incorporated database support
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| Groupware is major new direction for many industries |
| Huge market for Lotus Notes groupware |
Groupware elements (according to Lotus Notes)
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Information systems and database operations of Lotus Notes
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Network (including WWW) based open systems Groupware
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Current interactivity: CGI perl, C, database
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Java or Java-like capabilities
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VRML for 3-D visualization
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WebTools: server to server communication
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| Critical feature is realtime, "come as you are" adaptive linked computers and people |
| Judgement support extends decision support into an "exploratorium" scenario as crises tend to be unexpected |
| Major need to search community and government databases for immediate information on resource location and availability etc. Metadata(summaries) essential |
| Collaboration between commander in field , specialized anchor desks (domain experts) and those in field. |
| User Interface essential as user will be tired and searching unfamiliar data |
| Geographical Information Systems and browsing multiple video sources (InfoVision again) will be critical as judgements will depend critically on spatial data. |
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| This is future model for (inter)national distributed research |
| Rich Collaboration environment essential as collaborative research requires nontrivial person to person interactions |
| Searching distributed databases basis of much scholarly work (infoVision and Digital Library) |
| Metacomputing for multidisciplinary, multi-institutional simulations and for control and data storage and analysis from remote instruments whether satellites, telescopes, accelerators etc. |
| Distributed (people) Software Engineering support for production of distributed computing software |
| Needs workflow support as distributed enterprise |
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| Critical feature is closely integrated collaboration of very many people and computers requiring |
| Metacomputing Simulation and distributed database support as in Collaboratory |
| Workflow support including configuration management and central CAD databases |
| Rich collaboration environment to support distributed design decisions |
| Standards and Security to allow interlinking of people and software from different organizations |
| Key special requirement is distributed coordination |
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| A set of manufacturing companies -- Rockwell International, Northrop Grumman, McDonnell Douglas, General Electric and General Motors is studying the NII implications for a particular MAD system "Affordable Systems Optimization Process" (ASOP) |
Interesting parameters are that next major aircraft to be built could involve:
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| For instance as part of my New York State Industrial HPCC outreach program InfoMall, I found that a major manufacturer of large consumer machines had no interest in MPP's for simulating them to improve design |
However very interested in
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| Here Perl manipulates text from database to HTML |
| Java enables down-loaded simulations |
| VRML enables universal definition of 3D objects -- products and buildings |
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| VRML illustrates how one can store real world objects in a universal fashion |
| Game vendors can build modules that interact and enable development of amazing profitable virtual worlds! |
| Manufacturers can use VRML as basis of universal product definitions enabling collaborations between several vendors needed for Multidisciplinary analysis and design cf: PDES/STEP standards |
The Web "levels" the playing field for all software products
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| For instance VRML allows new powerful versions of Geographical Information Systems |
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| Using San Diego VRML Viewer Webview |
| Little Neck Bay in Northern Long Island (altitude exaggerated by factor 7) |
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| From Living Schoolbook Project |
| Hot buttons linking to weather page in Albany area |
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| From Living Schoolbook Project |
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We can use Web technologies to develop new very important tools for education enabling
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We can teach these new technologies as world hungry for people understanding these technologies
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Living Schoolbook -- Prototype of K-12 Educational Environment of year 2000
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HPDC95 Tutorial and Other Computational Science Courses CPS600, CPS615
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Physics 105/106 -- Science for the 21st Century (for non-Scientists) -- Some course modules built around Multimedia Information Systems
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This hyperlinked material accounts for about 10% Phy 105, 20% Phy 106 and expect to increase if success continues
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| The Living Schoolbook is a New York State funded Initiative to create K-12 educational applications that exploit leading information technologies |
Living Schoolbook Base Educational Services are:
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Living Schoolbook Leverages Information Technologies
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The Project Team
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Upstate Project Schools
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Downstate (New York City) Project Schools
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| askERIC Educational Database for teachers with consultation |
| The Discovery Channel -- Video Content Provider |
| NewsBank -- Text Content Provider |
| Reuters News Service |
| Syracuse Language Systems -- Learn Foreign Languages on Demand |
| TravelVenture -- Interactive travel information on Demand |
| US Air Force Rome Laboratory -- InfoVision technologies |
| WorldView Corp. : Interactive Client-Server Geographic Information System |
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| Video and Server Technology Network is prototype of Wire Service of future using Web Technology to service Mass Communications Industry |
| Partner with this field (Newhouse School) to find out how to author on-line video and other multimedia material |
| NYNET ATM network extended internally to allow linkage of NPAC to Newhouse School of Public Communications and University Electronic Media Production Unit |
Faculty and students -- the multimedia digital journalists of the future will use:
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| Study Integration digital editing (AVID) technology of media field with digital web and powerful computer technology. |
Industrial partners from traditional print and analog video fields
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| FLAG is an enterprise in which NYNEX Network Systems Company is a major (roughly 40%) investor. |
| Current fiber link from U.K. to Japan (via Africa) is being constructed at an approximate $1.4B cost |
| Natural Strategy is for Web Servers in U.S.A.. to deliver educational material via FLAG to Africa and Far East |
This would set up hierarchically as:
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| Real-Time Compression critical for interactive use of FLAG as lines are costly -- note Internet is free but needs compression as overloaded .... |
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Many students from these countries come to the U.S.A.. now but ...
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| In Virtual University, one sets up a partnership between U.S.A.. and overseas University where key curricula and its delivery are provided over GII (Global Information Infrastructure of which FLAG is one example) |
| High-end PC's should be included as possible Web server for Africa even we use SP-2, multi-processor SGI etc. as server in U.S.A.. University |
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| A NYNEX Joint Venture |
| This shows fiber draping Africa with coast off ramps |
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See electronically for actual home page |
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| Computational Science is an interdisciplinary field that integrates computer science and applied mathematics with a wide variety of application areas that use significant computation to solve their problems |
Includes the study of computational techniques
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Includes the study of new algorithms, languages and models in computer science and applied mathematics required by the use of high performance computing and communications in any (?) important application
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| Includes computation of complex systems using physical analogies such as neural networks and genetic optimization. |
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| World Wide Web basics : HTTP,MIME, servers,clients |
| PERL4 and object-oriented features in PERL5(to be finished) |
| Wavelet and Other Compression Technologies |
| Collaboration Technologies from MBONE to CLI |
| ATM Networks with comparison with ISDN and traditional LAN |
| Parallel Relational Databases and Web Integration |
| Thread based Communication Environments |
| Video servers and network management for good quality |
| Parallel Web Servers (to be finished) |
| Advanced Web Technologies -- agents, VRML, Java (to be finished) |
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IMM is a Joint Program Set Up Between
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| IMM could be cornerstone of proposed "Information Initiative" |
| IMM degree involves 36 units -- 12 courses of which 6 are required |
| Courses are divided into Four Tracks |
6 required Courses are:
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Track1: Multimedia Systems and Tools -- this is
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Track 2: Multimedia Design and Applications -- this is
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Track 3: Aesthetics and Ethics in Multimedia -- this is
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Track 4: Management and Evaluation of Multimedia --
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| Each track has a core required course and a set of introductory and advanced electives |
| Student must take 6 electives -- one of which must be in each track |
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| Electives will be offerred at various times but basic cycle is summer to summer (1.3 year time) |
| Summer: Proseminar |
Fall: Core course for Track 1: Multimedia Systems
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Fall: Core course for Track 2: Multimedia Design
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Spring: Core course for Track 3: Aesthetics and Ethics
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Spring: Core course for Track 4: Management and
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| Summer: Capstone Experience |
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SImulation Track -- Graduate
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| Masters in Computational Science built around these core copurses CPS615,713 |
Simulation Track -- Undergraduate
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| CPS 401/601 IMM 601 Multimedia Systems and Tools -- Core course for Track 1 of IMM degree |
| CPS 403/703 Computational Science Elective: 1 Lecture a week -- rest Laboratory -- elective for IMM |
| CPS 406/606 Introduction to Information technologies and Systems -- designed as elementary elective for IMM |
| CPS 616 Overview of Information Track Computational Science -- advanced elective for IMM |
| CPS 714 Case Studies in Information Applications of Computational Science -- advanced elective for IMM |
| "Web Technology"/Information Track of Computational Science Masters built around CPS 616,703,714 |
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| Certificate in Computational Science offered at Peking University and Harbin Institute of Technology Spring 1996 is a prototype of Syracuse University (ECS/NPAC) based extension school |
As Internet Connections to China are not guaranteed to be great(!) we will use Web Technology but assume that Electronic Course material will be packaged at NPAC(SU) in a Pentium PC running WindowsNT and Java
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| This will be updated in batch mode by Syracuse -- China Connection |
| Students in China will Interact with mentors in China and with NPAC via Internet (web and email) |
| Project designed by Fox,Leskiw(NPAC), Xiaoming Li(Harbin and Peking visiting NPAC) |
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| Graduate Students -- initially 5 to 10 at each of 2 University |
| 4 Courses -- each 10 1 hour lectures -- offered Spring 1996 over 20 week period |
ICPS 700: Introduction to Simulation Track of Computational Science
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ICPS 701: Parallel Programming Laboratory
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ICPS710: World Wide Web Technology
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ICPS711: Web Programming
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| WebWork is an open, world-wide distributed computing environment based on computationally extended Web Technologies |
| The backend computation and information infrastructure is provided by the World-Wide Virtual Machine -- a mesh of computationally extended Web Servers (called Compute Servers) |
| These servers manage (via CGI mechanisms) a collection of standardized computational units called WebWork Modules. |
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| Geographically distributed and Web-published WebWork modules interact by HTTP/MIME based message/object passing and form distributed computing surfaces called Compute-Webs |
| The front-end user/client interfaces are provided by evolving Web browsers with increasing support for two-way interactivity (e.g. Java, VRML) that facilitates client side control and authoring. |
| A natural user-level metaphor -- WebFlow -- is supported in terms of visual interactive compute-web authoring tools. |
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| Implements the "Viable Base" Enterprise Model of HPCC Software identified in Pasadena2 workshop |
| This will allow good programming tools to be developed and mnaintained as larger enough base to support software industry |
| Implements a powerful software engineering framework for parallel computing by integrating parallel programming with the World Wide Web Productivity Tools |
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RSA security systems based on numbers
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| Bank of England and English Savings and Loan based on m=155 (512 binary digits) |
| RSA129 cracked by factoring with email team using sophisticated version of Quadratic Sieve. RSA155 will use better Number Field Sieve |
| Need x2 = y2 mod(RSAm) as then gcd(x+y,RSAm) likely to be interesting factor |
Find x and y by finding lots of interesting a's
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| Given these a's factored into primes, multiply together so powers of primes are even. This gves desired x |
| This last step requires graph theory and solution (for Bank of England) of 5 million linear equations |
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| RSA155 requires about 300 teraops hours to solve with NFS |
| RSA129 needed about an order of magnitude less time. Can be done today faster if use Number Field Sieve |
| We have roughly one to five million independent calculations which form the rows of matrix (after clever graph theory manipulates and combines) |
Set of master servers publish problem to solved with suitable demos, description of algorithm and full marketing attention.
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| Clients return results -- not so easy except by email and cut and paste |
| Best done as a set of cooperating servers where server performing factorization publishs it solution as a file on the WWW. |
| Cooperating servers also better for computer administrators as can control set of clients at a given site |
| Initially use humans but replace by agents when software ready |
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| Factoring on the Web Project |
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| Factoring on the Web Project |
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| Factoring on the Web Project |
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| WebWork is based on a three-layer architecture shown in figure 2, including: World_Wide Virtual Machine (WWVM) in the (bottom) layer 1, Middleware layer 2 of agents, wrappers, mediators etc., and high level programming environments (e.g. HPFCL) and user interfaces (e.g. WebFlow) in the (top) layer 3. |
| All base WebWork concepts can be implemented in terms of today's Web technologies (HTTP, MIME, CGI) and a prototype is under development at NPAC. |
| The overall design is open and ready to upgrade the existent (e.g. browsers or servers) and include new (e.g. agents or distributed object brokers) Internet/Web technologies |
| One starting point for the WebWork construction is provided by NPAC WebTools -- a CGI-extended Web server with enhanced content authoring and database navigation functionalities. WebTools Server is used as a prototype WebWork node server. |
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| Illustrates 3 base layers of WebWork architecture and all main system components. |
A 4--node compute-web is represented
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| Java/HotJava model is used for WebFlow front-end implementation |
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The paper describing this project is available at SCCS715 in NPAC technical report series |
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| WebWork pilot project is a collaboration between NPAC, Boston University and Cooperative Systems Corporation, MA. It will prototype a candidate VSL, WWVM, Java based user interfaces, and port selected Grand/National Challenge applications to this platform. |
| The project will use NPAC WebTools to bootstrap the software process and will prototype WWVM in terms of current Web technologies (Screen 1) |
| Technically, early WWVM will include existent Web Servers with add-on CGI (Perl) scripts that build server-to-server communication and offer document database management, and module publication and linkage/instantiation support. |
| This base model will be further extended and refined by using and driving evolving Web technologies. For example, the disk-based model in Screen1a will likely evolve towards memory-mapped model based on multi-threaded interpreted compute-servers (Screen 1b) |
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Illustrates implementation of WebWork message passing in terms of
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| This diagram illustrates point-to-point communication between Web servers, used to implement a webflow channel between compute-web modules. Two extreme implementation modes are described: a) based on today's Web server technology, and b) based on thread memory mapped high performance implementation, expected in future Web compute-servers. Subsequent steps, represented by a sequence of labelled lines in the figure, are described below in both implementation modes. |
| a) Today's Web server mode: (1) -- M1 locks O1 on S1 disk. (2) -- M1 sends POST HTTP message to S2 with M2 URL in the header sector and with O1 URL in the body sector. (3) -- S2 activates M2 via CGI and passes O1 URL as a command-line argument. (4) -- M2 sends GET method to S1 with O1 URL in the header. (5) -- S1 fetches O1 from its document tree. (6) -- S1 sends the content of O1 to M2 which completes the GET exchange. (7) -- M2 saves O1 by overwriting current I2 on the S2 disk. If I2 is locked, M2 waits (blocks). (8) -- After O1 is saved on the S2 disk, M2 returns 'end-of-transfer' acknowledgment to M1 which completes the POST exchange. (9) -- M1 unlocks O1 and exists. |
| b) Compute-server (future Web server) mode: (1) - M1 locks its memory object O1. (2) - M1 checks if socket connection to M2 is in M1 connection table. If yes, go to (5) below. Otherwise, M1 connects to S2 and sends M2 creation script. (3) - S2 spawns M2 and acknowledges. (4) - M1 receives acknowledge message and saves new socket in connection table. (5) - M1 gets O1 handle. (6) - M1 writes O1 to M2 using socket lib calls. (7) - M2 reads O1 using socket lib calls. If I2 is free, O1 buffer is copied directly to I2 buffer. If I2 is locked, M2 creates O1 clone and blocks. (8) - M2 sends acknowledge to M1. (9) - M1 unlocks O1 and blocks. |
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User-level WebWork metaphor is given by WebFlow -- a distributed dataflow model built in terms of WebWork modules and MIME object/document communication channels.
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| WebWork users will build and control distributed computing applications (compute-webs) using Web browsers based visual interactive editors and monitors. |
| We are currently prototyping such WebFlow front-ends at NPAC using Java/HotJava model. WebWork modules are represented by Java threads (Screen 6) and visualized as interactive interconnected icons (Screen 7) |
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| Early prototype of AVS or Khoros like visual compute-web editor. |
Two interactive modes are supported:
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| In mode a), each click in the active editor window places a new module box there. |
| In mode b), each click on module port generates links with all other modules. |
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| More generally, this Middleware Layer 2 will be rather complex and populated by a spectrum of proprietary (e.g. Telescript, ScriptX, CORBA) and public (e.g. Perl, Tcl, Harvest, Java, VRML) scripted languages, brokers, agents, wrappers, mediators etc. see Screens |
| In WebWork, we refer collectively by WebScript to the whole ensable of these models. |
| At the current stage, it isn't clear if WebScript as a common intermediate language is a practical concept. An alternative is to live in the multi-language Web medium and emply interoperability agents to translate between various protocols. |
| Practical initial implementation platfrom for this dual approch is provided in WebWork by an integrated collection of WebTools CASE tools based HySource Worlds for various languages. |
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| One current WebWork/WebFlow application, prototyped at NPAC, is Software Project Manager (Screen 8). Each software developer runs his/her WebTools server and uses HySource CASE tools. These servers are WWVM-connected to agent and manager servers. Agent server receives automatic notifications from developers servers on each software volume update, and uses customizable thresholds to decide when to fire a report to the manager or a deadline reminder to a developer. |
| Software Project Manager tools contains a simple agent server that mediates between client/consumer ( here manager) and servers/producers (here developers). |
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| A front-end for the software project manager tool. |
Three types of modules are supported:
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| Developer modules are linked to the agent module and report automatically all changes in the software volume (handled by WebTools CASE toolkit integrated with WebTools editor). |
| The agent module integrates the results and uses customizable threshold to decide when to fire a report to the manager or a deadline reminder to a developer. |
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| HyPerl World page, generated automatically by the WebTools CASE package, and integrating documentation with the source. |
| More generally, we call by HySource the hypertext documentation with navigable source code included. |
| Function calls and external variable references are 'blue' and point to the corresponding HySource pages. |
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| The compilation system is accessed through a Web Browser. The HPF program and requests are POSTed to the HTTP Server using HTTP Protocol. |
| HTTP Server analyzes the incoming request and activates the HPF Service Master which is a CGI module. |
| HPF Service Master starts the Compile module which translates a given HPF program into Fortran 77 with message passing calls (i.e.MPI), and produces an object file using a node compiler. |
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| Link module links the generated object code with Common Runtime Support (CRS) and MPI libraries. |
| Run module forks copies of the executable code on the nodes of a workstation cluster. |
| After the request has been satisfied, HPF Service Master puts the results into HTML format and sends back to the HTTP Server. |
| HTTP Server sends the results to the Web Browser via the HTTP Protocol. |
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| The WWVM is accessed through a Web Browser and requests are sent to the server through HTTP Protocol. |
| HTTP Server starts a service master which translates given HPF program to F90 with message passing calls and starts-up other client servers. |
| HTTP Servers at the client side get the requests through the HTTP protocol connection, and activates a Interpreter CGI module. |
| Interpreter makes calls to the Runtime Support and Communication Server that sends and receives messages using PVM daemons. |
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| We need to do more than make HPF available on PC/Workstation networks and shared memory multiprocessors |
| We need to make HPF (and similar HPCC technologies) the languages that typical(many) PC/WS user will adopt because it supports the distributed computing opportunities of the World Wide Web |
This implies that we need to build HPF on top of common Web or distributed computing standards.
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Portable and Scalable Multi-platform Runtime Support
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Integrated Multilanguage Support
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Syracuse University
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Cooperating Systems
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Harvard University
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Indiana University
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Rice University
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University of Maryland
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University of Rochester
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University of Texas, Austin
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| PCRC embodies the Parallel Computing Synchronization and collective parallel algorithms and runtime that will enable efficient Web-based computing |
| Replace user interface of HPF or HPC++ with the Web(work) and use pervasive Web Technologies in infrastructure (World Wide Virtual Machine -- WWVM) |
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| We need to use compilers on tightly coupled systems such as MPP's (shared and distributed memory) |
But for metacomputing, the hardware intrinsically has latencies that suggests increased flexibility of interpreters is more appropriate
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| Maybe frontends should be built with interpreters such as object-oriented PERL5 so easier to link with Web. |
Note that interpreted environment will have best software engineering support and so suggestion is -- taking SP2 as example:
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This implies that we should allow hybrid model not just for task (interpreted) versus data parallelism(compiled)
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Current Web Interpreters include Java TCL and PERL(5) which are optimized for different application domains
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This leads to WebScript Concept of interoperable interpreters optimized for different domains
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| Java is a C++ subset which interestingly does not have pointers as these are unsafe in necessary secure metacomputing environment. |
| Thus Java has removed the part of C++ which is hardest to parallelize |
| Java may not "survive" but if it doesnt something better will! Thus it makes sense to study and experiment with it |
Natural first step is to use Java to build the interpreted "shell" which we called HPFCL for HPF coordination Language.
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Java is partially compiled as you take basic Java high-level code and compile down to a universal Java machine language. This is very similar to concepts in ANDF (Architecture Neutral Distribution Format) but with a different goal
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| VRML -- Virtual Reality Model Language -- is an object oriented database built as a subset of the SGI Inventor System |
| VRML can be considered as another script optimized for graphics but not many interesting processing (compute) capabilities are in current standard |
VRML can be considered as an example of a universal data structure allowing exchange of 3D objects over the Web.
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| Thus useful to consider data parallel VRML and building CC++ or HPF(Fortran90) modules to support VRML |
| HPCC community should join with the Web to ensure that standards such as VRML can be implemented efficiently either in parallel (maybe a niche) but also in a distributed network (similar issues where HPCC can contribute and clearly very important) |
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| WebWork Interpolates and Integrates pervasive Web HPCC and (nonHPCC) commercial software as in following table comparing computing concepts in three "worlds"; HPCC -- Commercial mainstream -- Web |
| Current Web model needs computational extensions for banking/financial applications, manufacturing, interactice shopping/videogames etc |
| HPCC can provide Web both parallel computing programming models, libraries and language/runtime concepts which coordinate components of distributed or parallel system |
| HPCC needs the Web (or equivalent) to give it viable distributed computing and software engineering base |
| The Web interpolates between "flaky" research software and solid but closed corporate solution. Clear trend away from proprietary towards open software models. |
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| Current HPCC, Current Commercial Mainstream, Current and conjectured future Web |
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Print this from Postscript Version |
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The paper describing this project is available at SCCS715 in NPAC technical report series |
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| Gregor von Laszewski, |
| gregor@npac.syr.edu |
| NPAC at Syracuse University, |
| Syracuse, NY 13244 |
| URL Location: |
| http://www.npac.syr.edu/users/gregor/PAPERS/SlidesTCL/SlidesTCL.html |
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| Siblings in a family of products for programming the Internet |
| Each language has particular strengths |
| Choose one or the other or both, depending on the needs of their applications |
Tcl/Tk structured as a
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| Similar to UNIX shells, but it is embeddable and portable and can be used for Internet scripting |
| High-level scripting language |
| Rapid development of Small and medium-sized applications |
| Reuse of other Tcl/Tk scripts is easy |
| Large amount of scripts available |
| Interpreted -> slow for large iterative calculations |
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| Java is something like C++, simpler, more powerful, adds facilities for sending Java programs around the Internet as executable content. |
| More structured than Tcl/Tk |
| Easier to build large complex applications |
| Java is also compiled and so should be faster |
| Multi threading |
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Tcl/Tk:
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Java:
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Tcl/Tk and Java:
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| Designed by John Ousterhout |
| Primary FTP site for Tcl and Tk core distribution is http://www.sunlabs.com/research/tcl |
| ftp://ftp.aud.alcatel.com/tcl is the primary archive site |
| Current version Tcl 7.4 and Tk 4.0 |
One of its strong points: runs on mayor Operating Systems and computers
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| Experimental version Tcl7.5 and Tk4.1 (alpha 1) |
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| Tcl: is a small text-oriented embedded language with add-on extensions that allow it to also function as a shell. |
| Tk: is a GUI library that is designed to interoperate with Tcl |
| It provides a very easy way to create sophisticated applications |
| The appearance of Tk is very similar to Motif. |
| Famous Example using Tcl: Expect |
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| + Greatest strength: uniform representation of everything as a string. |
| - Greatest weakness: uniform representation of everything as a string. |
| + may be used as an embedded interpreter |
| + exceptions, packages (called libraries) |
| - only a single name-space |
| + provide/require |
| + dynamic loading (newest version) |
| + 8-bit clean |
| - only three variable types: strings, lists, associative arrays |
| - No multithreading |
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| Variables: set a 24 |
| Expression: set a [expr 100.0 / 24.0 ] |
| Evaluation of strings: eval {seta156} |
| Using GUI: button .b -text Hallo -command hello |
| Procedures: proc hello {} {puts$a} |
| Lists: concat, join, length, search, replace, ..., (LISP) |
| Strings: regexp, first, last, length match, ..., (LISP,PERL) |
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| Extensions make Tcl/Tk very atractive |
| BLT - hypertext and graph widgets |
| Incr Tcl - object oriented programming |
| TclX - enables access to UNIX commands |
| DP - enables access to TCP/IP |
| TIX - more motif like extensions |
| Some of these extensions should be part of the core Tcl/Tk. |
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| Support for mpeg, GIF, ... |
| Support for audio |
| Slideshows |
| HTML MAP creators |
| HTML library for text widgets |
| Surfit - WWW Browser. Execution of large Multimedia applications (alpha), Execution of TCL Scripts via Internet similar to Java |
For instance, Application Surf-o-matic automatically loads Web pages at random
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| XPVM - GUI to PVM |
| CODE - Code generation, e.g. PVM |
| netCDF - Accessing netCDF files |
| March'96 using MPI, NPAC at Syracuse University |
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The homepage of the Tcl/Tk project is
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| Primary archive site is ftp://ftp.aud.alcatel.com/tcl |
A good collection of slides for information about Tcl/Tk, Java and Visual Basic can be found at
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A good introduction talk to Tcl can be found at
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| Another good starting point on the WWW for TCL/Tk is the Page http://cuiwww.unige.ch/eao/www/TclTk.html |
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| The Agent/Communication Technology |
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| General Magic started as an Apple Computer Advanced Technology Group project, code name Paradigm, aimed at novel, better-than-just-windows and yet affordable and pervasive model for personal digital communications. |
The company was founded in 1990 by
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| Magic Cap -- an intuitive human interface, based on spatial navigation through components of a virtual office, extensible via portals to other offices and to other business units in a virtual downtown. |
| Telescript -- a communication language and a propagation medium for intelligent agents, linking Magic Cap units with distributed databases and other Magic Cap units. |
Specific implementation of the concept, based on a series of PDA -- Personal Digital Assistants -- consumer electronic products, conforming to the Magic Cap model and developed by General Magic partners
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| General Magic sponsors include Sony, Motorola, Phillips and Matsushita in consumer electronic sector and AT&T in the telecommunication sector. |
It is too early yet to measure the level of success or failure of this line of products.
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| This was expected to be easy to accomplish for AT&T, but the WWW became a major competitive force over the last few years. |
| General Magic decided recently to publish Telescript technology --- the distribution was started on a Telescript conference in October '95. |
| At the moment, only Telescript binaries seem to be published -- source code and the whole Magic Cap sector remain with General Magic and partners. |
| Incidentally, we note a lot of analogies between Java and Telescript histories. Both projects started with the focus on consumer electronic communicators, both are implemented in terms of interpreted object-oriented languages, both are based on abstract virtual machines and both use virtual assembler as a communication protocol, both started in the same time as secret future oriented corporate projects, and both were published in 1995. |
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| Future of both Java and Telescript is unclear as the degree of openness is yet to be clarified in both cases. In any case, both models provide now a powerful reservoir of corporate software design ideas that will be quickly assimilated by the Web community. |
| In the Web context, Telescript is currently more suitable as a server technology and Java is more suitable as a client technology. |
| However, this may change if Java team decides to drop the HotJava development, or when General Magic decides to publish Magic Cap. |
| We have just installed and inspected Telescript at NPAC. It seems to be a much better supported software product than Java and it offers a rather powerful development environment for distributed computing, including visual class browsers and interactive visual debuggers. |
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| The Telescript language is a pure (everything's an object!) object oriented, interpreted, software agents-enabling language. |
To run a Telescript program you need a Telescript Engine. Various Engines are available for a number of different platforms.
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There are two language levels to Telescript: High Telescript and Low Telescript.
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The basic network configuration is to run a Telescript Engine on each node in the network.
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The most important class in the Telescript language is the Process.
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| Place and Agent are the two important subclasses of the Telescript Process. |
A Place object represents a virtual space in which other objects can interwork (through local communication).
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An Agent object is a Process object which can migrate between Places.
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Places provide meeting locations for Agents.
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| Telescript Engines implicitly save and recover object state information. |
| This is as a failure recovery mechanism where objects are automatically recovered to the state previous to a system failure. |
| Persistency is also transparently supported when objects migrate. |
When an Agent transports itself (using the "go" method) from one Place to another Place on a different Engine:
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Agents have "attributes" such as "identify" and "owning authority" which uniquely identify the Agent and the entity responsible for it.
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Telescript objects also have a "permit" attribute which may be used to limit the amount of resources which they may consume
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The Telescript world is divided into "regions".
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Places and Agents are identified using "Telenames":
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Telescript Agents can only interact when they are co-located within the same Place.
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Roughly speaking, an object may have 3 types of method:
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Important Place methods include:
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| These Agent methods include: |
| "live" --- the `main' code of the Agent. A codification of the Agent's destiny! |
| "go" --- self.go(ticket(telename(localName,regionName),...)) |
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| Distributed Applications - Ranging from Web-based services, to High Performance Applications Telescript has all the capabilities to develop these. |
| Games - Telescript can be very useful in developing Interactive games, to facilitate users to connect and play various Interactive games, like Chess, tic-tac-toe, etc.. |
| Corporate - Evidently the corporate people have already taken advantage of this Technology, in the form of Communicators, and other set-top devices. |
| Also useful in Financial Management applications (Stocks are reported when a particular price is reached at the Stock Exchange) |
Personalized Services - Can be anything from a News-server, to E-mail ,to reminders, alarms, pagers, and any combination of the above in just a small new device like the communicator.
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| It is a general purpose, large-scale, distributed, multi-user, hypermedia information system |
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| Hyper-G is being developed by a team of researchers in Graz, Austria at the Institute for Information Processing and Computer Supported New Media(IICM) of Graz University of Technology and the Institute for HyperMedia Systems (IHM) at Joanneum Research in Graz, Austria |
As a Side Note:
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| The VRweb viewer is based on the Harmony (Hyper-G's native client -- More about it later) 3D Scene Viewer for Hyper-G and is designed to work in concert with popular World-Wide Web browsers, such as Mosaic and Netscape, as well as Hyper-G and Gopher clients |
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| The Byte article "Hyper-G Organizes the Web" in the November'95 issue, puts it very eloquently |
| "An Avalanche of servers,documents, and hyperlinks, compounded by the exponential growth in web usage, has all but buried its usefulness for real work by any but the most determined. |
| And the work needed to maintain a thriving WebSite can become a problem. |
| But that is nothing compared to the The problem of organizing massive amounts of unstructured data on the web. |
| The answer maybe Hyper-G? |
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| Thus Hyper-G was conceived to avoid certain problems associated with the current information system such as |
Disorientation:This problem is characterized by:
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Authoring:
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Information Distribution:
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Browsing and Searching is designed to be Convenient in Hyper-G which offers a blend of:
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| All Information as part of a collection hierarchy: |
Every Hyper-G document is a member of one or more collections, which are in turn members of one or more collections. There are three types of collections:
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| So far clients have been designed for most of client platforms. |
| Harmony is a native Hyper-G client for X-windows on UNIX and for SGI platforms |
| It is a multi-process UNIX application written in C++ |
| The primary process is the session manager that communicates with the server, provides navigational facilities, and coordinates all other activities |
| Harmony displays the users position in a 2-dimensional map of the collection hierarchy |
The most catchy part about harmony(currently only available for SGI platforms) is the Information Landscape.
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| Amadeus is the native Hyper-G client for the windows platform, and it incorporated most of the features except the information landscape mentioned above |
Compatibility with Web and Gopher
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| Hyper-G is not perfect yet. |
Clients like Harmony and Amadeus do not handle defective or syntactically incorrect HTML documents.
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| However, it is a stable and powerful alternative that confronts, head on, the problem of organizing massive amounts of data on the WWW. |
Some Hyper-G servers around the world
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