Library Technology Guides

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Volume 9 Number 05 (May 1989)

MS-DOS and OS/2

An operating system is a "systems" program that runs the PC, as opposed to an "application" program such as a word processor or spreadsheet. When one saves a letter to disk, prints a report, or displays something on the PC, the application program takes a request to the operating system, which then does the work. Right now, the dominant PC operating system is called MS-DOS (if one has the version IBM distributes, it's called PC-DOS). MS-DOS, which stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System, was developed by Microsoft, in the early 1980s, for the original IBM-PC. It was based on an earlier operating system called Q-DoS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) that Microsoft acquired, and it drew ideas from both CP/M, an earlier microcomputer operating system, and AT&T's UNIX, which today is the dominant operating system for scientific workstations.

For the original PC, MS-DOS was an adequate operating system. Over the years, Microsoft improved MS-DOS so that it would support hard disks and work with local area networks that link PCs together. However, there were certain inherent limitations of MS-DOS: first, MS-DOS could only handle 640K of random access memory (RAM)--the PC's electronic workspace; second, MS-DOS is a single-tasking operating system, which means that (with few exceptions) it can only do one thing at a time. One can't write a report using word processing software while, in the background, the PC recalculates a spreadsheet or sorts a list.

Various companies have come up with limited solutions for these problems. The Lotus-Intel-Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) gives MS-DOS users some access to RAM above 640K if the system has an expanded memory board and the right software. To handle multiple tasks at the same time, QuarterDeck Office Systems' Desqview and Microsoft Windows can provide some multitasking capability if the system has an expanded memory board and an Intel 80286 processor.

The most popular type of multitasking with MS-DOS, however, is not multitasking at all, but task switching. Normally, if one is Working on a report and wants to look at a spreadsheet, one must exit from the work processor, go to MS-DOS, start the spreadsheet program, and load the appropriate file. With task switching, on the other hand, one just presses a "hot key" in one program and is immediately switched to one of the others. Only one program is running at a time, but one can jump easily from one to another. Task switching is offered by Microsoft Windows (on the Intel 80286 processor) and by Software Carousel from Softlogic Solutions. Despite the availability of these special solutions, the fact remains that MS-DOS was not intended to handle more than 6401K of RAM or to juggle multiple programs at the same time. That is why, in 1987, IBM and Microsoft announced they were working a new operating system--OS/2. OS/2 is a multitasking operating system that can use 16 Megabytes of RAM, compared to MS-DOS's 640 Kilobytes. It's now available and, as with PC-DOS and MS-DOS, there are separate versions of OS/2 for IBM and non-IBM machines.

There are some things to keep in mind if one is considering a move from MS-DOS to OS/2. First, most users do not really need OS/2, and probably never will. If all one wants to do is word processing and some simple budgeting, then OS/2 is a waste of money. Second, although IBM has gone to great lengths to connect OS/2 with its P5/2 line of microcomputers, one does not need an IBM PS/2 to run OS/2. However, one does need an Intel 80286 or 80386 processor and at least 4 Megabytes of RAM. Third, although MS-DOS programs will run under OS/2 in its "compatibility box," there have been incompatibility ~ problems with programs that try to bypass the operating system and talk directly to PC hardware, a popular technique for squeezing better performance out of MS-DOS. Make sure that all currently used programs will run under OS/2 before investing in the new operating system.

One other package to consider is the OS/2 Presentation Manager, which makes the PC's screen look similar to Microsoft Windows and the screen on the Apple Macintosh. The OS/2 Presentation Manager is what's called a "graphic user interface," and the theory is that it makes PCs easier to use. Instead of typing "WP" to start up WordPerfect, one moves an onscreen arrow to a little picture and either presses [Return] or clicks a mouse button. Recently Microsoft has begun to bundle Presentation Manager with the OS/2 Operating System, probably because it wants to boost sales of both. In 1988 Microsoft and IBM combined sold only 65,000 copies of OS/2, as against 9,847,000 copies of MS-DOS and PC-DOS (data courtesy of Computer Systems News).

Management changes at CLSI

CLSI announced in mid-April the departure of Gene Robinson, its president. It also announced the appointment of James K. Barrentine as executive vice president and chief operating officer. For the past five years, he has been vice president of operations and planning at Predicasts, producer of information reports on business and industry in both electronic and print media. Predicasts and CLSI are both subsidiaries of TBG, Inc. Mr. Barrentine had previously spent ten years at OCLC, in various management positions, the most recent of which was Director, Local Systems.

Day-to-day operations at CLSI will be managed by an executive committee, comprising Barrentine; vice president of sales, Robert Windrow; and vice president of finance, Jeff Weber. The executive committee will report directly to Michael Timbers, president of TBG Information Systems. Mr. Timbers also holds the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CLSI.

CLSI Altos system update

CLSI, Inc. has announced the recent signing of agreements with four libraries for its new Unix-based system, operating on an Altos 2000 computer with the UNIX operating system. The new systems, operating on CLSI's second hardware platform, for small and medium-size libraries, were sold to the following libraries:

The Crystal Lake Public Library in Illinois serves a community of 18,500, and circulates nearly 250,000 items a year. The library used a fund, bequeathed by a local farmer 25 years ago, to support the costs of installing its CLSI automation system.

The Washington County Free Library (WCFL), Hagerstown, Maryland, is located midway between Baltimore and Washington. The library is the headquarters facility for the three counties in western Maryland that comprise the Western Maryland Public Libraries (WMPL), which will also participate in the automated system. WCFL has a main library and six branch libraries, serving a population of 116,000 and an annual circulation of 820,000.

The Great Falls Public Library in Montana serves a population of 110,000, of whom 60,000 reside in Great Falls proper. The libraries in the Great Falls school district plan to join the automation program at a later date.

The fourth contract for CLSI's Altos-based system was signed by the Orangeburg County Library in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Orangeburg County Library is constructing a new main library which will more than triple its space.

CLSI now has contracted to deliver more than 30 Altos-based systems, and has installed at least twelve of which there were some glitches in the early installations, including some problems with cabling and the PC back-up. The problems were substantially resolved in March and the Altos systems with the UNIX operating system became a general release product in April.

[Contact: CLSI, Inc., 320 Nevada Street, Newtonville, MA 02160; (617) 965-6310, fax (617) 969-1928.]

EBSCO offers NOTIS interfaces

All NOTIS users with subscriptions on order through EBSCO Subscription Services are now eligible for online transmission of claims. The process, developed cooperatively between EBSCO and Auburn University, has reduced the processing time for claims by about four working days. Claims created by the NOTIS Serials Module are formatted for online transmission to an IBM PC/ST at Auburn using standard telecommunications software and Tymnet. They are then sent online to EBSCO's IBM 3081 mainframe computer. Efficiency is realized by both EBSCO and the library. There is no need for the library to produce printed claims, burst multi-part forms, stuff envelopes, pay for postage and wait for postal delivery. There are no online charges to the library for this service, since time is saved on EBSCO's part by not having to rekey the information.

EBSCO Subscription Services and NOTIS also have successfully completed the beta testing of the NOTIS Vendor Invoice Transfer Load System (VITLS) software at Auburn University. The software enables the NOTIS system's acquisition module to accept invoice data on magnetic tape for subscriptions placed with EBSCO by the library, thus eliminating time-consuming and tedious keying of data. The program updates existing NOTIS order/pay/receipt records for each invoice received and posts all relevant data from the incoming tapes to these records. EBSCO is working with other local library system vendors to facilitate claim and invoice transfer.

[Contact: Sharon Cline McKay, Director of Library Services, EBSCO Subscription Services, at (225) 991-1368 or NOTIS Systems, Inc. ; (312) 866-0150.]

VTLS acquisitions & fund accounting system

VTLS, Inc., has introduced an acquisitions system that can be used in conjunction with VTLS software or as a standalone system. The VTLS Acquisitions and Fund Accounting software runs on DOS-compatible PCs and uses menus, windows, function keys, and an extensive help system. The system includes eight submodules: vendors, accounts, orders, receipts, invoices, credit memos/refunds, payments and claims.

The software can be used with microcomputer networks (LANs) that support NETBIOS record locking. Libraries with minicomputer or mainframe systems, accustomed to having multiple users access a single set of data bases, can enjoy the same capability on this PC-based Acquisitions system. Because all acquisitions transactions are processed online in real time, all LAN users have access to the latest information on orders, receipts, payments, account balances, etc.

VTLS users can transfer data back and forth between VTLS and Acquisitions as needed. At the same time, all acquisitions transaction processing is performed on the PCs and, thus, imposes no additional overhead on the main system CPU.

The software is extensively parameterized at two levels. System-level parameters establish local policies that affect software performance and provide a master set of data entry default values. User-level parameters allow individuals to set and change at will their own data entry defaults.

A powerful data base browsing facility provides access to all types of records. Browsing can be executed as a read-only function from the software's main menus and a data entry subfunction of record entry/modification transactions. A notes facility also allows library staff to link free-text notes and remarks to any type of Acquisitions record. The number and length of these notes are unlimited.

The software also includes utility programs for updating currency exchange rates, editing the texts of help screens and vendor letters, generating a variety of predefined and user-defined reports, performing data base back-ups and recoveries, reindexing the data bases, managing User-Ids and parameters, etc.

[Contact: Jeanne Bush, VTLS, Inc., 1800 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060; (703)-231-3605.]

Winchester drives get bigger still

Three manufacturers have introduced 2-GByte 8 and 9 inch Winchester drives. The drives, from Fujitsu America, Hitachi America, and NEC Information Systems, are the first devices of that size to reach the 2-GByte plateau. Access times are comparable to the 1-GByte devices now on the market. Prices are in the $30,000 range.

The trend clearly is to larger, more cost effective magnetic storage media. Several library automation vendors already have gone to Winchester drives in the 620-850 MByte range; and at least one expects to introduce larger drives in the next year. The prospect of the larger drives makes even more attractive the loading of journal citation files into local library systems.

(Optical storage developers continue to keep pace, however, by introducing low cost 4-GByte optical digital disk drives at under $18,000. The latest is Optimem' s model 4000, among the first to feature a SCSI interface for simplified system integration.)

Harvard Judaica records in RLIN

On April 7, The Research Libraries Group completed loading machine-readable records into its Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) data base for Hebrew and Yiddish materials held by the Judaica Department of the Harvard College Library. The approximately 90,000 records added to RLIN can be found in the RLIN files for books, periodicals, musical scores, and sound recordings. Uniquely identified as the Judaica Department's by the RLIN Library Identifier "MHAU", the records represent the conclusion of the Department's six-year project to retrospectively convert its Hebrew and Yiddish card catalogs into machine-readable form.

RLIN users will be able to generate their own cataloging records, containing Hebraic script, from the romanized copy in the Harvard records. RLIN permits the entry, searching, and retrieval of Hebraic script data. Since January 1988, 15,000 records have been created containing Hebraic script and parallel romanized data for key access points. A major user of this capability is the Library of Congress, which may have the largest number of catalogers in Hebrew and Yiddish in any single institution outside of Israel.

RLG's Jewish and Middle East Studies Program is the newest of the consortium's subject-based cooperative activities. Participants include Brandeis, Hebrew Union College, Yeshiva University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America; as well as older RLG members such as The New York Public Library and Stanford University.

Currently underway is a project to add the capacity for entering and processing Arabic scripts in RLIN. This system enhancement, to be completed before the end of 1990, will support and expand the scope of the new Jewish and Middle East Studies Program.

RLIN is available to any library or individual who subscribes through a public service broker.

[Contact: The Cooperative Library Agency for Systems and Services, 1415 Koll Circle, Suite 101, San Jose, CA 95112- 4698.]

OCLC adds Harvard Hebrew and Yiddish records

OCLC has tapeloaded 88,000 bibliographic records of Hebrew and Yiddish materials in the Harvard College Library's Judaica Department.

[Contact: OCLC Regional Networks.]

Low cost PC software

The hardware can be the least expensive part of owning a PC. However, much of the software that computer owners buy is available for free in a similar form; and it's not illegal or pirated software. It's called "public domain software," when produced at public expense and not copyright protected; or "Shareware" or "Freeware" when the author retains the rights, but allows free distribution. After one has used the Shareware or Freeware for a while, one is morally bound to send the author the suggested donation (usually between $5 and $30). If one doesn't want to continue to use the program, no money is owed.

There is a wide range of programs available. PC-Software Interest Group (PCSIG), a distributor based in Sunnyvale, California, has more than 26,000 programs for the IBM-PC. The entire collection is available for $495, or a basic package is priced at $179. There's a program which guides the user in the writing of a will. Another helps a commodities trader to store, analyze, and display commodity price information. An encoding program is available to keep data confidential. There also is a Center for Disease Control program for calculating health risks. Several word processing packages are available. There also is a wide variety of programs for data base management, mailing lists, accounting, graphics, household management, inventory control, programming aids, languages, operating systems, and utilities. Early versions of commercial programs can be found, as well as "fixes" to clear up problems with programs one may now be using.

While the quality is uneven, there are many high quality programs available. Mark Christensen's "MODEM", a public domain modem-control program, set the standard for telecommunications. "PC-TALK" (a communications program), "PC-WRITE" (a word-processing program) , and "PC-FILE" (a data base-management program) are all highly regarded in computer circles.

Some programs don't have a commercial counterpart. For instance, IBM-PC users don't have a way to tell if the SHIFT-LOCK key has been pushed until they start typing. Someone solved this problem with a program to display an arrow in the upper left-hand corner of the screen to indicate uppercase and lowercase letters.

Unlike commercial programs, public domain programs are "listable", meaning that one can print the program out and actually see what the programmer did to accomplish a task. There also are programs available to help the experienced programmer who wants to increase his or her productivity. "MONITOR" is designed to he used by professional programmers for the common, but necessary, portions of the program, such as keyboard entry, screen design, and parameter checking.

There are several ways to obtain public domain software and Shareware. The fastest way is to join a local user's qroup, or computer club. Usually, computer stores have the names and phone numbers of computer groups in their area. The other major alternative is to contact a copying service, an organization which charges a small fee (as little as $5) to copy a disk and mail it out. Catalogs usually are available, and some include ratings for the programs. Dynacomp, Inc. and Public Brand Software are two copying services with free catalogs. In the case of Dynacomp, Inc., one can rent 100 volumes (or disks) of software, copy, and return within ten days for $99.95. There are 274 volumes available, and all 274 disks can be copied for $249.95.

A Shareware Gold CD ROM from Quanta offers a library of leading shareware software titles, and brief reviews of each program. Quanta is promoting the $79.95 disc "as "virus-free" to quell concerns about programs often distributed on public bulletin boards. The disc medium is gold, rather than the aluminum commonly used on CD ROM discs, because Quanta claims the gold surface will not deteriorate as rapidly as a standard aluminum CD-ROM disc.

[Contact: Dynacomp, Inc., 1064 Gravel Road, Webster, NY 14580; 1-800-828-6772. JDX Disk Copy Service, P.O. Box 1561, Corona, CA 91718; (714) 734-7075. PC Sig, 1030 East Duane Avenue, Suite D, Sunnyvale, CA 94086; (408) 730-9291. People's Choice, P.O. Box 171134, Memphis, TN 38187-1134; 1-800-635-0342. Public Software Library, P.O. Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705; 1-800-242-4PSL. Quanta Press, 2239 Carter Avenue, St. Paul, MN 551081 (612) 641-0714.]

Kurzwell launches PC scanner

For years, Kurzwell Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) systems have been used by libraries as components in reading systems for the blind. They also have been used by publishers for scanning published materials in major conversions to machine-readable files. The company has recently stepped up promotion--and reduced prices by as much as half--on its DISCOVER PC-based products. The product line is designed to support desktop publishing, data base updating, word processing, graphics editing and a wide range of general office tasks.

DISCOVER can "read" much more than conventional OCR scanners can, including typeset or typewritten text with multiple typestyles on a page, and graphics--even when they are embedded within the type. The scanner reads characters in italic, bold, proportionally spaced and underlined text, in sizes from 8 to 24 point. The scanner accepts documents from a wide variety of sources including offset printed, laser generated, photocopiers, letter quality dot matrix and impact printers. It reads all the characters including many special symbols and ligatures, at up to 60 characters per second depending on quality of original. It will digitize line and continuous tone artwork (with dithering) at up to 300 dots per inch (dpi) resolution.

The scanner works in a background mode under MS DOS 3.x, thus allowing editing to go on in foreground. The basic model accepts up to 10 pages at a time in the automatic document feeder. The scanner maintains document formats and outputs to DCA and major word processing software formats. It runs on any IBM PC NT/AT or 100 percent compatible computer.

The price of the Discover series is $3,900 to $6,900 depending on the features selected such as, column recognition, extra large document feeder, etc.

[Contact: Kurzwell Products, 185 Albany St. Cambridge, MA 012139; (800) 843-8031, fax 617-864-4186.]

CRC announces LaserGuide installation

General Research Corporation has announced the installation of LaserGuide, a CD-ROM patron access catalog with instant updatability, and LaserQuest, a CD-ROM cataloging system, in the Sachem Public Library on Long Island in New York.

Claimed to be an instantly updateable PC-based CD-ROM patron access catalog, with this system new materials are cataloged daily using the LaserQuest resource data base of 6 million MARC records. The records are then transferred to the hard disks on the LaserGuide patron stations. The LaserGuide records are quickly indexed and integrated with others already saved. The new records are then available to patrons. LaserGuide automatically searches both the hard disk and the CD-ROM disc simultaneously. New titles are displayed first and are identified as New Acquisitions.

LaserGuide and LaserQuest will be demonstrated at the American Association of Law Libraries in Reno, June 18-21; the Canadian Library Association in Edmonton, June 21-23; and the American Library Association in Dallas, June 24-27.

[Contact: General Research Corporation, Library Systems, 5383 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93111; (800) 235-6788.]

In-house CD production

Meridian Data Inc. plans to ship in May a system that enables an organization to create its own limited-distribution CD-ROMs. The system can duplicate a CD in about nine minutes at a rate of 10 megabytes per minute, which is roughly equivalent to a data copying rate of 5,000 pages per minute. The system has clear advantages for organizations that plan to distribute limited numbers of discs or that have data too sensitive to allow out of house.

CD Professional is based on a Yamaha write-once laser technology that produces discs encoded in CD-ROM, CD audio, mixed mode, or CD-ROM/XA formats. The discs can hold 600 megabytes of data, 58 minutes of audio, or a combination of the two.

Packaged in two cabinets, the hardware consists of a nine-track tape drive. a 600-megabyte hard disk, a 20-MHz 30836-based computer, the Yamaha encoder and recorder, a CD-ROM encoder, and a CD-ROM/ audio player.

The software provides tape management, hard disk CD-ROM simulation, and end-user application simulation. It also provides diagnostic programs, component management utilities, and premastering tape generation in multiple formats.

CD Professional costs $98,000, and blank discs are $100 apiece.

[Contact: Meridian Data Inc., 4450 Capitola Road, Suite 101, Capitola, CA 95010; (408) 476-5858.]

LAN wiring options

Organizations planning a LAN (local area network) are often posed with an array of wiring options, including regular coaxial cable, "ThinWire" coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, and twisted pair wires.

The type of wiring one chooses to use depends upon physical and cost concerns, as well as safety and legal concerns. The easiest aspects to resolve are the safety and legal concerns. Depending on where one plans to make the installation, local building codes will determine whether the cable may be insulated with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or Teflon. Teflon cable is significantly more expensive than PVC-insulated cable. Unfortunately, when PVC burns it produces highly toxic fumes. For this reason, Underwriters' Laboratory recommends Teflon, and the National Electric Code and many local building codes require the use of Teflon-insulated cable when the cable is routed through an air plenum. Determining whether the proposed routing will need Teflon cabling requires a knowledge of local building codes and the configuration of the building's ventilation system.

The cost, performance and physical issues can be a little more difficult to resolve. In general, regular coax is used for running long-distance trunk segments or segments where there are large numbers of stations. For most LAN types, each segment of the coax can be up to 500 meters .in length. As many as 100 transceivers can be connected to a segment. Stations can be connected every 2.5 meters. To connect a computer system to a segment of a coax, it is necessary to drill holes in the cable. A transceiver is then used to connect to the cable through the holes. However, regular coax is not particularly easy to route in many buildings because it is rather stiff and difficult to bend around corners.

ThinWire coax is based on RG58 coaxial cable. Though its physical and electrical properties are different, ROSS coaxial cable is similar in appearance and size to the coaxial cables used for cable television. Thus, it is relatively easy and unobtrusive to route ThinWire through a typical building. Each segment of ThinWire can be up to 185 meters long and can have up to 30 stations, including( a repeater, connected to it. Stations are added to a ThinWire segment by cutting and splicing the cable.

Fiber optic is generally used only in limited situations. While it has the advantage of great bandwidth and immunity to radio and electrical interference, it is substantially more costly than the other options.

The standards for running a LAN over twisted-pair wiring are presently in a state of flux. There are several competing standards under discussion; however, the main goal of all the twisted-pair standards is the installation of networks in locations where it is not feasible to install coaxial cable. Often, such restrictions are caused by the physical constraints of a building. In new installations, shielded twisted pair should be used because that will support higher data transmission rates. Shielded telephone wiring--a type of twisted pair--should be avoided because it dramatically shortens the distance data can travel.

Recently, many organizations have discovered that, as a result of asbestos problems, it is not possible to open up some building areas for new wiring. Twisted-pair may provide a solution for these problems because it may already be installed for use with the telephone system. The wiring costs in such an installation are very low because the majority of the wiring already is in place. The cost of equipment used for attaching to a twisted-pair LAN, however, is generally higher than the cost of equipment for connecting with ThinWire. In terms of cost, ThinWire is often the least expensive medium to use. If more stations are needed, or longer lengths than can be accommodated by using a single ThinWire segment are required, look into using multiple ThinWire segments in conjunction with a Multiport Repeater. If a trunk is needed between several work areas wired using ThinWire, consider using regular coax for the trunk.

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Maintained by Marshall Breeding

Copyright 1994-2024