Library Technology Guides

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Volume 6 Number 03 (March 1986)

Mainframe vs minis in large libraries

Large libraries, in their consideration of automation options, need not limit their choices to IBM mainframe systems. Minicomputer-based systems may be able to handle their job load at a lower cost. For example, a minicomputer—based system of the type currently offered by more than a dozen vendors can support hundreds of terminals. Several public library systems already support over 200 terminals each and three vendors have contracts for 500- terminal systems capable of handling 25,000 or more transactions per hour.

There are stiff performance guarantees in those contracts but the vendors are not worried about meeting the requirements because, 1) minis are getting more powerful; 2) up to 16 minis can be clustered or linked into a single system; and 3) in non-library applications, mini-based systems are routinely supporting 1,000 or more terminals.

To demonstrate how powerful minis have become, the editors offer the following comparisons between popular IBM mainframes and their Digital (DEC) equivalents using millions of instructions per second (MIPS) as the basis for comparisons:

MIPS	IBM	DEC
28	3090-200	2 VAX8800s & 1 VAX 8650
25	3080 (Dual)	2 VAX 8800s
16	3081 (Dual)	1 VAX 8800 & 1 VAX8650
8	3083	2 VAX 8600s
4	4381-2	1 VAX 8600

On the above comparisons, in some cases it takes two or even three DEC VAX minicomputers to equal the capability of a single IBM mainframe. So, why buy several VAXes instead of one IBM? First, because a library may find that the VAXes may more closely meet its functional requirements, and second, it may be a less expensive alternative. (A VAX cluster of 8800 and 8650 CPUs over five years of ownership will cost $1 million less than the equivalent IBM 3090-200.)

While the foregoing comparisons are based on DEC equipment, a similar comparison could have been made using Data General equipment. Data General has just introduced a 7.5 MIPS supermini designated the MV 2000.

The Editors are not suggesting that large libraries rule out mainframes. Rather, it is suggested that they not conclude that their size restricts them solely to the consideration of mainframe-configured systems. As is the case with libraries of all sizes, the primary consideration when choosing an automated system should be functionality and ongoing vendor support.

IBM joins COS

The Corporation for Open Systems (COS), the non-profit computer industry group organized to promote interconnection among incompatible computer systems, has persuaded IBM to join its ranks. IBM had been the most important holdout among the major computer manufacturers. IBM's statement on joining the group emphasized that it “agrees with COS's stated objective to help accelerate the implementation of standards.”

COS was formed to accelerate manufacturer, vendor, and user support for products that conform to industry standards such as those being promulgated under the Open System Interconnection Reference Model. The organization will not set standards, but will monitor the progress of standards being formulated by national and international bodies and certify compliance with the standards receiving its endorsement. The COS annual budget will be over $8 million. Its staff will be over 100 and will include technicians who will test products for compliance. Offices have been established in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

[Contact: Corporation for Open Systems, 700 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 607, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 739—2300.]

AVIAC formed

COS will have a counterpart in the library automation industry: the Automation Vendor Interface Advisory Committee (AVIAC). The group is modeled on the approach used by the book jobber vendors when they developed BISAC. It will seek to focus on the development of a written set of specifications, at the application level, for the inquiries and responses necessary to exchange information among local library systems. Chairman of AVIAC is Jim Michael of Data Research. Other members of the group will be designated by CLSI, Geac, OCLC Local Systems, and VTLS. Consultant Richard W. Boss of ISCI and Director of Automation Katharina Klemperer of Dartmouth will also serve on the group.

[Contact: Jim Michael, Data Research Associates, 9270 Olive Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132—3276, (800) 325—0888.]

Maintenance prices moderate

The maintenance cost of local systems is a major expense and must be factored jnto a library's decision to automate. A $250,000 system costs approximately $2,500 a month in hardware and software maintenance, and this figure has been subject to annual increases averaging 10 percent. Over a five year period a typical library has thus paid approximately 60 percent of the initial cost of the system in maintenance charges. Recently, however, there has been some evidence of moderation in maintenance prices. Several major vendors--including CLSI and Geac-have agreed to limit the escalation of maintenance charges to five percent per year instead of the more usual 10 percent. In addition, several vendors have become more flexible in the determination of when maintenance payments should begin. (The old requirement of 30 days after initial system acceptance has in some cases been renegotiated to one year after initial system acceptance.) The library automation industry has been helped, in part, by the fact that warranties on computer equipment are now generally three to twelve months, instead of only 30 days which was formerly the case. The vendors have been motivated to make these changes because many libraries are now considering five year cost rather than the original purchase price when comparing bids.

PDP-II lives

The Editors have recently been asked about the future of the PDP-II line of computers. Will the line be dropped? It does not appear so. Despite the success of its VAX systems, Digital Equipment Corporation continues to strengthen its PDP11 line. The newest model--introduced in November 1985—is the Micro PDP 11/83 supermicro. The 11/83 is DEC's new top-of-the-line machine using its Q-Bus design. It is similar in performance to the 11/84 model, which uses the older UNIBUS. The 11/83 provides about 65 percent of the performance of the VAX—11/780. Prices range from $22,600 to $53,420.

Rainbow-IBM PC link

Digital Equipment Corporation has subsidized the third-party development of an IBM PC emulation subsystem for its Rainbow PC that will enable it to run virtually all IBM PC software. The chip interface, called RB Link, was developed by Disc Tech One of Santa Barbara, CA. Digital is also testing a more limited emulation product, RB Link Junior, which gives the Rainbow “data compatibility” with the IBM PC. This will allow data prepared on one machine to be used on the other.

The price of the RB Link is $1,400; RB Link Junior is tentatively priced at $800. The products will be available only from micro dealers.

[Contact: Disc Tech One, 849 Ward Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93111, (805) 964-3535.]

1.4 million passwords

There are now more than 1.4 million passwords in use by subscribers to online services in North America. According to the Digital Information Group of Stanford, CT., CompuServe leads the industry with nearly 260,000 passwords. Indicative of their popularity, the following providers of online services were reported to have issued the following numbers of passwords to subscribers: Dow Jones, 235,000; Mead Data, 180,000; Dialog, 70,000; and I.P. Sharp, 37,000.

Videotex venture

Nynex, Citicorp, and RCA have announced that they will form a joint venture company to research the market potential for videotex communications services and to develop technologies in support of those services. Initial funding is expected to be in excess of $100 million. Interestingly, this announcement came at about the same time that KnightRidder Newspapers and Southern Bell revealed that their Viewtron service is only marginally successful and still unprofitable. (The total number of Viewtron subscribers is fewer than 3,000.) Gateway, the only other videotex system in the U.S., will not release its figures.

Nynex contends that videotex is “the wave of the future.” Perhaps the reason for Nynex's optimism is its partnership with a major bank. To date, the only truly popular application of videotex has been home banking.

Telenet and Uninet plan merger

Two of the largest Value Added Networks (VANs) in America plan to merge. The parent companies--GTE and United Telecommunications——have signed a letter of intent to create U.S. Sprint Data Communications Company. The new company will rival Tymnet in size. Study groups will be set up to determine which parts of each network are to be preserved and the nature of any links connecting the networks. Telenet is likely to be used as the marketing name for the revamped network because it is better known than Unmet.

Grateful Med

The National Library of Medicine has developed a superior search helper for users of its Medline and Catline data bases. The name may be a little corny, but Grateful Med is an impressive product. Not only can end users do their own searching using the clear prompts of the system, but more experienced users can use an expert mode to facilitate searching.

To minimize connect time the selection of the data base and formulation of the initial search are done off-line. Search results are downloaded to the storage of the micro to further limit connect time and to facilitate editing. However, because 60% of all records contain abstracts and a floppy disk can therefore accommodate only 70—80 citations, the prograx will automatically limit the data transfer to the capacity of a floppy disk unless a micro with hard disk is being used.

Searching can be by author, title, and subject. Boolean searching is facilitated by clearly formatted English language screens. Searches can be qualified to retrieve English language only, reviews only, or from specified journals--the last by entering the journal abbreviation. The system asks the searcher if the initial search is to be repeated against backfiles, and if so, for how many years. The software makes it possible to print all of the citations or only selected ones.

While designed to facilitate end User searching, the package will also be very helpful for general librarians who only infrequently access Medline and Catline.

The price of the package is only $29.95. It must be ordered through NTIS. It operates on PC-DOS or any IBM PC or IBM PC clone. A Hayes 1200 or 2400 SmartModem is also required.

[Contact: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, (703) 487-4600.]

PC page scanner available

Dest Corporation has introduced an optical character recognition (OCR) device that captures information on paper for transfer to IBM-PCs and their clones. The device--known as PC Scan--has a companion software package to facilitate text entry into a number of word processing packages: Multimate, Word Star, Word Star 2000, Display Write 2 and 3, Word Perfect, Microsoft Word, etc.

PC Scan can read a page of text in under 30 seconds. The user simply inserts the sheet into an automated paper feed. The software recognizes common business type styles and inserts tabs, indents, centers, underscores and puts in end of page codes.

Unfortunately, the system cannot be used for conversion of catalog cards on account of their format and unusual characters. The hardware price is $1,959 and the software package is $595.

[Contact: Dest Corporation, 1201 Cadillac Court, Milpitas, CA 95035, (408) 946—7100.]

Options for IBM System/34 users

IBM ends support of the System/34 this month. The machine is one of the most popular among small to mid—size public libraries having undertaken in-house software development. The chance to lure away some IBM customers has led both Digital Equipment Corporation and Wang Laboratories to develop conversion packages which will facilitate migration away from the IBM minis.

Digital charges $15,000 to $20,000 for its package, including a week of on-site planning assistance and a year of remote diagnostic support. Wang charges only $750, but offers only the software and written documentation.account of their format and unusual characters. The hardware price is $1,959 and the software package is $595.

[Contact: Dest Corporation, 1201 Cadillac Court, Milpitas, CA 95035, (408) 946—7100.]

Martin on local control

Librarians and information specialists who are frustrated over their lack of control of their automation projects may wish to consult James Martin's 1984 publication entitled An Information Systems Manifesto. In Chapter 3, “The User in the Driver's Seat,” Martin persuasively argues that control over an automation project should not lie in the hands of university, municipal, or corporate data processing specialists, but should be at the departmental or area level where the system is to serve. The book, albeit an uneven patchwork of ideas drawn from Martin's 30 other books, contains useful and practical information.

[Contact: Prentice Hall Inc., Route 9W, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, (201) 592—2000.]

Lotus 1-2-3 is top seller

According to Sentry Publishing, publishers of Software News and other software industry journals, Lotus 1-2-3 is currently the most popular personal micro software package among large business and institutional users. The integrated spreadsheet, word processing, and graphics package came out ahead of AshtonTate's Multimate word processing package and Ashton-Tate's dBase III data base management system. Microstuff's Crosstalk XVI communications package was fourth. Rounding out the top 10 were Symphony, Chart-Master, Multimate Advantage, Sidekick, PC—DOS 3.1, and Sign-Master.

All of the top five packages are available both in PC and MS-DOS formats. The remainder of the top 10 are available only in the PC-DOS format.

New Chart-Master available

Chart-Master has released version 6.1 of its business graphics package. It is available in PC- and MS-DOS formats. It requires 192 KB of memory and sells for $395.

Chart-Master was rated the top business graphics program in 1985 by Software Digest, a leading software industry journal. The Chart—Master package rated 7.0 or better in all five categories: ease of learning, ease of use, error handling, performance, and versatility; its overall rating was 8.3 on a scale of 10.0. The next highest overall rating awarded was 7.8.

[Contact: Decision Resources, 25 sylvan Road, Westport, CT 06880.]

Dupont and Philips in joint venture

I.E. Dupont Company and N.V. Philips of the Netherlands have entered into a joint venture to manufacture and supply compact discs, CD-ROM, optical digital disks, and videodisc. Initial assets of the enterprise will include the world's largest compact disc manufacturing facility in Hanover, West Germany, an optical digital disk and videodisc facility in England, and optical disc development facilities in Wilmington, Delaware and Einhaven, The Netherlands. A major U.S. production facility is planned.

The objective is to produce 200 million discs a year by 1990, half for data storage. Initial capitalization is nearly $500 million and reflects the partners' confidence in the future of optical media, said Vice President Gerrit Jeelof of Philips..

Data bases on CD-ROM

Corporate Information Database, a major new data base service has been launched using CD-ROM technology. The Corporate Information Database by Datext contains comprehensive information on more than 10,000 companies permitting users to profile companies, examine financial data, review executive information, make comparisons among companies, etc. The Datext software is menu driven to facilitate access by inexperienced users. The disks are updated monthly. Included in the annual price of $9,600 to $19,600 are not only the data subscription, but also the use of the CD-ROM disk drive, a controller card and cable, software license, documentation and maintenance.

[Contact: Datext Inc., 444 Washington Street, Woburn, MA, 01801, (617) 938— 6667.]

NICEM, the National Information Center for Educational Media, will make its data base available on CD-ROM. The annual subscription for the data base service and the access software which operates on an IBM PC or IBM PC clone will be $800. [Contact: NICEM, c/o University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90007.

Compendex is now available on CD-ROM. There are three options: Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Each has approximately 120,000 records for the period July 1983 through June 1985. The MicroBASIS retrieval software comes on every disk. The disks will run with IBM PC-XTs using DOS 2.1 or 3.0, IBM PC-AT using DOS 3.0, and MicroVAX using VMS 4.1 or 4.2.

The disks will be updated quarterly and cost $1,195 for a one—year subscription.

[Contact: Engineering Information, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017, (212) 705-7600.]

Voice/data service coming

Bell Atlantic Corporation's operating subsidiaries have begun offering simultaneous voice and data transmission over local-exchange facilities using devices that split voice and data at the central office. The new equipment, which is being installed at BOC central offices and on customer premises, will make it possible to transmit data at up to 19.2 Kbits per second over twisted-pair wiring simultaneous with voice communication. Customers who wish to avail themselves of the new service will need to install General Datacoimn DATX 2000 data/voice modula tion devices to telephones and terminals on their premises.

Bell South and Pacific Bell are also pursuing voice/data service.

The three companies say they will not be ready to talk seriously with prospective users until late 1986.

Long distance phone bills

MCI has introduced a new WATS-like telephone service targeted at organizations with long distance phone bills of $1,500 or more per month. The service, Prism II, differs from AT&T's WATS (wide area telephone service) in that all lines have nationwide coverage and distance-sensitive rates. (With WATS a line is dedicated to one geographic band, with calls outside the band charged at higher rates.)

Prism II customers will pay $130 per month for each telephone line and $.19 to .29 per minute for calls during regular daytime hours. This is 10 to 15 percent below AT&T's rates for band 5 WATS.

Prism I, targeted at accounts spending more than $10,000 per month, is already available. Prism III is planned for late 1986 introduction, and will target users who spend $150 to $1,500 per month.

AT&T has announced that it will introduce new services to match Prism II and III.

Contrary to popular opinion, AT&T is not always the most expensive long distance telephone option. On short distances of under 50 miles it is often the least expensive. For example, a 10 minute direct-dial call from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland, is $1.98 with AT&T, $2.00 with Allnet, $2.90 with GTE—Sprint, and $3.32 with MCI. For an organization which has significant percentage of calls to nearby cities, the total bill may be lower with AT&T than with any other carrier. The best way to keep the phone bill down appears to be the use of more than one carrier, AT&T and a discount carrier.

Erasable optical media in 1987?

Erasable optical media are coming, but not until at least 1987 according to the major companies working with such media: Verbatim, Maxell, Kerdix, Optical Data Inc., 3M, Sony, and Matsushita.

Viewed as a possible competitor to magnetic disk and tape, the optical disks must still overcome problems in manufacturing, reliability, and permanence.

Several major approaches are being pursued, of which thermo-magneto-optic (TMO) recording is the most popular because it is similar to magnetic media. Writing is done thermo—magnetically on a moving disk coated with a magneto-optic layer of alloys. Irradiation by a laser beam temporarily reduces the coercivity of selected spots so that the magnetization direction in those regions can be reversed by a small external field. Unless the surface is heated, no reversal of magnetization occurs. Writing requires both heat and a small bias field.

Returning the surface to room temperature accomplishes the storage of the recorded bits. Reading the TMO disk is a magneto—optic procedure. A beam of low intensity polarized laser light is focussed on the disk. Erasure and rewriting are accomplished by the same process as writing but with the applied field reversed.

Several TMO systems have now been demonstrated, but they are all prototypes. It will take at least another year to work out the problems which inevitably crop up when production quantities are attempted.

Low cost WP packages score

Two inexpensive word processing packages tied for first place in an evaluation of 25 microcomputer word processing packages conducted by Software Digest Ratings Newsletter. PFS.Write and Einsteinwriter outscored other popular packages including Multimate Advantage and IBM Displaywrite 3 which cost up to $355 more but were ranked 17th and 19th overall. PFS.Write, a $140 package from Software Publishing Corp.; and Einstein-writer, a $170 package from United Software Industries placed first and second in ease-of-learning and ease—of—use categories. They were rated second and fourth, respectively, in their ability to identify and correct errors.

Other packages that received high ratings in specific areas were Xywrite II Plus from Xyquest which was rated first for speed and capacity and Microsoft Word from Microsoft which was rated the most powerful on the basis of its performance over a broad range of complex functions.

Software Digest Ratings Newsletter's January 1986 issue containing the full report costs $45.

[Contact: Software Digest, One Winding Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131, (215) 878—7093.]

LITA institutes

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) has scheduled three institutes on technology. Telecommunications State of the Art: A Sampler will be held in Fort Worth, Texas on April 7-8. Technology at the Library of Congress has been set for Arlington, Virginia on May 5-7. The third, Optical Information Systems, will be a pre—conference before the New York City American Library Association meeting. The dates are June 26-27.

[Contact: American Library Association, LITA, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611, (312). 944—6780.]

IOLS conference

The Third Integrated Online Systems (IOLS) Conference will be held in St. Louis on September 23 and 24, 1986. Three tracks are planned: total systems, subsystems and administrative issues.

[Contact: Genaway and Associates, P.O. Box 477, Canfield, OH 44406.]

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