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Aucbvax.1771 fa.apollo utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!Rivanciw@Darcom-HQ Tue Jun 16 06:28:09 1981 The same is the same

In an earlier message I mentioned that DARCOM runs the same software on the big machines as it does on the personal workstations. Let me elaborate.

The workstations we are using to date are not single-user micros. We are currently experimenting with the Onyx Box supporting 8 users. Our architecture for office automation requires that our personal workstations are general purpose computers (with a complete set of compiliers and utilities) that support UNIX (or a UNIX look alike).

By zeroing in on UNIX, we are able to run a great variety of applications on our office machines - software which is in the public domain. In fact, with UNIX comes a message system and a screen editor. There are at least three message systems and three editors that I know of that run under UNIX and are in the public domain. Naturally, DARCOM enhances the mail systems and editors for our use, but it is very cost effective to do so because there are no license fees for this software (the editors and message systems). Thus, we offer our OA users vertually free software. Considering the number of users we have, software changes costs per user is minimal.

These same applications run on all the office automation machines be they 11/70s or Onyx Boxes. The dey to integration of these machines is the RELAY computer, or more specifically the RELAY software. Part of the software for communicating with the RELAY is embedded in each machine we use. Therefore, when I give the send command to my message system it "awakens" the relay software to communicate the message to the RELAY computer who in turn does that actual computer to computer communications.

JWALKER's thoughts on having a big machine do the bulk work like formatting a 300 page document are right on the button. If communications between machines are well planned this interoperability can become a reality. This same concept can be used to process graphics. We are developing an application which will allow a user to develop briefing charts in any editor on any machine in office automation. Their charts will then be communicated to a graphics work station for lettering, fonts, coloring, etc then sent to a color xerox for printing. This will not provide full graphics to the oa workstation, but it will provide an easy way to build vuecharts and simple pie charts, bar graphs, and tables from any workstation with or without a graphics capability.

The bottom line is that one cannot evaluate a personal workstation without considering how it fits into the organizations architecture for office automation. The problem in most organizations is that they don't have an overall architecture (not even conceptual) for office automation. Therefore, they evaluate each piece of equipment and each application as an island. The result is an embedded base of equipment and software that, at best, communicates in a very limited fashion.

Randy

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