Asri-unix.1311
net.works
utzoo!decvax!cca!mo@LBL-UNIX@sri-unix
Sat Apr 24 08:23:07 1982
what workstations aren't
From: mo at LBL-UNIX (Mike O'Dell [system])
Here at LBL I am finishing up serving on an administrative committee
called COWPEM (Committee on Word Processing and Electronic Mail).
[More humorous versions of the acronym have come to mind.] Anyway,
we were supposed to develop a Lab-wide position on the above topics.
Since the WP business is such a mess, we looked at Electronic Mail.
We looked at many of the systems being hawked by various outfits
and ruminated for a while.
The general result was rather interesting. Instead of trying to
recommend something (which we think was what was desired) or
producing a "Requirements Document", we produced a set of criteria
which any mail system must not violate. We found this much
easier than thinking of everything we want or might want electronic
mail to encompass. The process is also adaptive: the set of
criteria will evolve and become more specific as we see and use
more and more systems.
Now, how come this is on WorkS and not Info-EM or some such?
The point is the process. For dealing with new technologies
in general (and Workstations are such), we have found it useful
to sketch such a set of anti-social criteria and then explore
the resulting space. This is a case where enumerating the compliment
set is much easier. As we find other things we want X NOT to do,
we add them to the set. Otherwise, we feel we will unintentionally
isolate ourselves from new things.
While this position may be of no interest to us computer science
people, sometimes getting this new technology in the door rests
on our being able to make a case for "what good it does".
Plans like the one I just outlined can be useful for that, as well
as dealing with an administrator who says "Why can we just get
one thing for everyone and then it is all compatible?"
So anybody have any ideas what a workstation isn't?
(Besides a z80 and CP/M.) -- ONLY JOKING!!!!!
-Mike
PS - If anyone wants to see our list of non-acceptability
criteria for Mail systems, I can submit it to the digest or
mail it directly.
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