MCGREW@RED.RUTGERS.EDU (Charles) (02/09/86)
--------------- Return-Path: <@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA:Kent_Wada@UBC.MAILNET> Date: Wed, 5 Feb 86 10:40:02 PST From: Kent_Wada%UBC.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA Subject: Human-Nets submission I have been requested to post this announcement of a conference concerning electronic mail in Canada to the Human-Nets mailing list. Those not familiar with some of the acronyms used here may find the following useful: IPATT - Inter-Provincial Association for Telematics and Telidon; CUEBC - Computer Using Educators of British Columbia; UBC - University of British Columbia. For more information, please send to PRATT Conference North Island College 407 5th Street Courtenay, B.C. Canada V9N 1J7 or to MAILNET/CDNnet: Roger_Hart@ubc.mailnet BITNET: Roger_Hart@ubc.mailnet ARPAnet/CSNET: Roger_Hart%ubc.mailnet@mit-multics.arpa UUCP: ...!ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!ubc.mailnet!Roger_Hart ---------------------------- THE GREAT CANADIAN NETWORK DEBATE February 20-21, 1986 At North Island College in Courtenay Administrators and users face a somewhat bewildering range of choices when deciding on a computer network. At present, there are at least four major networks in operation: CDNnet, DECnet, NetNorth and UUCP. The Great Canadian Network Debate is the first in a series of conferences being organized across the country in 1986, under the aegis of IPATT. It represents the first time that experts of all the four existing networks have been brought together at one conference to address the question: "How can we work together to best serve the needs of the user?' The conference will therefore be of interest to anyone con- sidering networking: - the expert who is fully conversant with the technical details of one or more systems; - the teacher or librarian who has just realised how useful it would be if he or she could only exchange information electronically with colleagues with a similar interest; - the administrator who must make decisions in the face of conflicting claims and demands. Although the speakers at the GCND will be acknowledged ex- perts on one or more systems, there will be a deliberate ef- fort to have them express their ideas and concerns in non- technical language, so that even newcomers to networking will have an opportunity to participate in the debate, and help shape a policy which will satisfy the broadest section of the Canadian public sector. Program Outline FEBRUARY 20: WHO, HOW AND HOW MUCH This day is designed to present reports from those who have already utilized networks and can speak from some experience about current and future needs, problems and possibilities. Westerly Hotel/North Island College -- Workshops 1. Practical Uses (9:00-10:00, 1:00-2:00) a) Teacher Organizations: Gary Shearman has managed the CUEBC group of users of the MTS Forum and Message services provided by UBC. b) Research: Lyle Robertson has been using networks intensively for his work on high-level physics at TRIUMF and CERN. He will speak on the use of international networks and the transfer of large files. c) Teaching: Standard Content Fred Wah has utilized the VAX system to facilitate the teaching of Creative Writing in an open learning fashion. He is also an editor of SwiftCurrent, the literary network which uses a UNIX system at York University linking some 200 writers across Canada. d) Teaching: CBT Content Don Cowper is a long-time user of the UNIX network and has recently incorporated CBT and networking in an innovative fashion at NIC. The current configuration links 5 mini-com- puters in various communities on Vancouver Island. COFFEE (10:00-10:15, 2:00-2:30) 2. Innovative Uses (10:15-11:15, 2:30-3:30) a) Widely Distributed Interest Groups: Gerri Sinclair recently helped organize the World LOGO Con- ference linking a local conference in Paradise Valley with LOGO groups around the world. b) Community Groups: Bruce Lund is from the Secretary of State Vancouver Island office and is very interested in using networks to link and activate local community groups. c) Students: Janet Morton is a counsellor at Shoreline Community School in Victoria, who is involved in the RAPPI project which links some 60 schools in Canada, France, Italy and the U.K. 3. The MTS Common Ground. *FORUM, $MESSAGE and Mailnet at UBC (11:30-12:00) Al Fowler is the Director of the Computing Centre at UBC and has played a major role in the development of mail, file- transfer and conference service there. He will speak on cost/benefit and management factors of these services from an administrative (but supportive) point of view. LUNCH (12:00-1:00) 4. Hands-on Workshops (9:00-10:00, 10:15-11:15, 1:00-2:00, 2:15-3:15, 3:30-4:30) Group scheduling for these workshops on specific systems will be arranged in accordance with indicated responses from participants. If it is necessary to use more than one site for these presentations, trasnportation will be provided at scheduled times. DINNER -- Westerly Hotel (7:00-8:00) Cash Bar (8:00-11:00) Dinner Welcome -- Alice M. Chiko, Chairman of North Island College Board Speaker -- Walter Hardwick "Networking and the Open Learning Authority" FEBRUARY 21: THE DEBATE Westerly Hotel Chairman: Dennis Wing, Principal, North Island College (9:00-9:30) Networks in Canada: The Current Situation. Roger Hart (9:30-10:00) NetNorth. Dale Bent, University of Alberta (10:00-10:30) DECNet. Derek Chambers, Cariboo College (10:30-10:45) Specific questions on NETNorth and DECNet. (10:45-11:00) COFFEE (11:00-11:30) EAN. Paul Gilmore, Computer Science, UBC (11:30-12:00) UNIX/UUCP. Rayan Zachariassen, University of Toronto (12:00-12:30) CDNnet. Jeff Berryman and John Demco, CDNnet HQ, UBC (12:30-1:30) LUNCH (1:30-2:00) Draft Plan of Action. PRATT Executive (2:00-3:00) Discussion. (3:00-3:30) COFFEE (3:30-4:30) Resolutions. Fee Schedule: Feb. 21 Conference Fee (includes Thursday dinner and Friday lunch): $75 Feb. 20 Workshops Fee (includes Thursday lunch): $20 -------