Minutes of the
Williamsburg Internet Association Meeting
October 15, 1996 at 7:00 PM.
MAIN PROGRAM:
Featuring Gary Warren, of Unified
Research Laboratories, Inc.
Unified Research Laboratories, Inc., is a software company working to help
K-12 schools establish a low-cost connection to the Internet without sacrificing
good performance. The company was developed in January, 1996, as a commercialization
of NASA'S HPCC K-12 Program (High-performance Computing and Communications
Program), originally started by Senator Gore.
Features of the Unified Network Solutions (UNS) software bundle UNS
allows class or group leaders within the schools to control Internet activity
by creating, deleting, and monitoring student access levels while focusing
net exploration to appropiate areas of study. Each software program assists
the leaders as outlined below:
QuickSilver
Gary described the Internet Superhighway as the Internet "Super Parking
Lot;" images don't change very often but take a long time to load each
time a page is accessed. This software allows one server to get a file and
store, or cache, it locally. When a computer hooked to the server asks for
the page, the server delivers it much faster than getting it from the original
source. The brochure Gary handed out after his talk says that 20 computers
can access the Internet with a single, standard phone line,
while experiencing the performance of a high-speed leased-line. This is
important because schools typically have very large networks of computers
(for example, 16,000 in Newport News) but relatively little money to run
them.
SafetyNet
This software product is an Internet filter that rates webpages on the fly.
Unlike other filter programs that are based on word lists alone, SafetyNet
looks at words, word combinations, and proximity to determine which webpages
it will forbid access to. This system allows a student to search the word
"breast" for research (it brings up pages on breast cancer, for
instance) but forbids a search on "breasts." Filters can be set
to levels based on individual users (based on user IDs) and are network-based,
allowing sharing of allow and deny filters between teachers and administrators.
NetVisor allows monitoring of Internet activity as it happens. Teachers/administrators
can view the images and text accessed by any computer on the network.
PowerAdmin enables easy administration of Unix-based computers (which
normally require the services of an expensive system administrator) using
a secure, web browser interface. This software makes adding and removing
user accounts, file backup, and assigning permissions for email, web access,
and file transfers easy to manage.
Gary included small businesses as a target audience for this software bundle.
For more information, email URLabs
<information@urlabs.com> or call 1-757-220-8601.
Breakout Session (Advanced) - WebPhone- Featuring Will
Caulford
WebPhone allows you to place calls around the world FREE though the internet.
This is done by using a microphone, speakers, and a sound card. Anyone can
download the demo software from <http://www.netspeak.com>
or the Widomaker Communications software archive at <www.widomaker.com/sup/software>.
(For the full working version of the software, you will need to spend $49.50.)
The demo gives you 3 minutes per session maximum and does not allow conference
calls.
To use WebPhone, you will need a 486 DX166 or a pentium processer, 8 megs
of RAM, and a 28.8 modem to get decent sound quality and little voice delay.
WebPhone is made for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Will is not sure whether
WebPhone is going to be available to Mac users.
Breakout Session (Beginner) - Internet Basics- Featuring
Ben Loyall
Internet Basics, the first session of 4 planned sessions The basics
of getting on the Internet and getting the files you need to start experiencing
the web were covered and notes may be posted by Ben sometime in the future...if
he gets around to creating the links in between all his other activities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Membership to Williamsburg Internet Association: Membership is $10 per year
for each unit, either an individual or a family unit. Membership entitles
you to one vote per unit, and to be on the Majordomo mailing listserver.
Members can get minutes, send and receive information to/from all other
members.
Attendance tonight was 40 people. We need to get the word out that we are
here! If you would like to help with publicity, please contact Dana
Metheny . Thanks!
NEXT MEETING:
Tuesday, November 19, at 7 P.M. at the Williamsburg Regional Library.
The Featured Speaker will be Berna Heyman, who will speak about the
use of the Internet at the Swem Library at the College of William and Mary.
Berna will also point out those services that are available for the general
public's use.
DISTRIBUTION
These minutes (and other important announcements from the WIA) are being
e-mailed to all members of the WIA majordomo mailing list. They will also
be posted to the newsgroups:
- comp.org.user-groups.meetings
- va.general (a statewide newsgroup).
- williamsburg.events (a local / regional group)
See you at the next meeting.
