patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) (01/28/88)
New York City Board of Education - Office of Technology
What Is NYCENET?
NYCENET is Division of Computer & Information Science's instructional
bulletin board. It is an interim bulletin board designed to service the
educators who formerly used COMPUNET and the educators and students who
formerly used the Big Apple Bulletin. NYCENET is a four telephone line,
multiuser RBBS system with approximately 100 megabytes available for uploading.
NYCENET supports ascii, xmodem and Kermit file transfer at 300 or 1200.
The NYCENET message center and email facility employs a word
wrap feature for your convenience. Messages may be addressed to All,
a specific Receiver for privacy, or any size group of people who
agree on a common password.
The approved software search, previously available on COMPUNET,
is now part of NYCENET. The software search has been upgraded to
operate in a multiuser environment. Up to four people can search for
software information at one time.
Why The Change?
COMPUNET, the pioneer bulletin board of the Office of
Technology, was used by educators primarily as a forum to exchange
information. The Big Apple Bulletin was used primarily by students
and teachers involved in on-line instructional activities. It is our
hope to combine the best features of both bulletin boards to better
serve the needs of the schools in New York City. NYCENET represents
an interim measure toward fulfillment of that goal.
The necessity for a single Office of Technology
telecommunications system was helped along its way by some
significant technological breakthroughs achieved last year. We
discovered (despite the "experts" who said it couldn't be done) how
to place commercially produced CD-ROM disks on-line. CD-ROM disks may
contain the equivalent of 500,000 pages of information. In a related
development, we realized we could create our own CD-ROM disks with
the aid of a device called a WORM (Write Once Read Many) drive. The
WORM technology opens up possibilities we have just begun to explore.
For example, it is possible to make encyclopedias, curricula guides,
lesson plans, databases of all kinds, available to everyone from a
searchable on-line bulletin board.
It became clear we needed an all new bulletin board system. One
that would continue to deliver the basic services of COMPUNET and The
Big Apple Bulletin, have enough memory, phone lines and speed to
support citywide programs, and also be flexible and sophisticated
enough to handle the WORM and CD-ROM technology. The fact of the matter
is, a bulletin board with those capabilities does not yet exist.
Therefore, the Office of Technology has elected to take a bold and
challenging approach. We are writing our own bulletin board from the
ground up! This is by no means a small undertaking. It is an expensive
project and demands a great deal of time from the team of dedicated
professionals who are committed to see it through. We began the planning
phase of the new system last April. We expect the heart of the new system
to be in place by January 1, 1988. In time, all subsystems (CD-ROMS, WORMS,
and the like) will be added in a logical sequence. Until our new system is
in place, we invite you to use NYCENET.
What Will The New System Be Like?
We have ordered the most sophisticated microcomputer hardware
and software available anywhere! Our new Office of Technology
Bulletin Board will be powered by an ALR 80386 Tower, our operating
environment will be Unix. The 80386 microprocessor is the fastest
microprocessor available today. Unix is a true multitasking operating
environment; that is, people on-line simultaneously can work
interactively with the bulletin board on different applications. The
new bulletin board and staff development center will be located at
Martin Luther King Jr. High School, the new adjunct of the Manhattan
Technical Assistance Center. We will commence operation with ten
telephone lines. Our storage capability will be as follows:
Hard drive - 600 megabytes
CD-ROMS - up to three at 1 gigabyte each
WORM - One disk at a time at 800 megabytes per disk
Our first priority is to get the basic system and bulletin board
up and running with Grolier's Encyclopedia available on-line. Access
to the encyclopedia will be limited to selected teachers and students
in New York City. Educators interested in using the on-line
encyclopedia should contact their superintendents. The early use of
the encyclopedia will be tied to the citywide computer loan program.
Eventually, we will add other CD-ROM and WORM applications,
while the system remains up and on-line. We hope to be at full
operating capacity in the spring of 1988.
* How Do I Join NYCENET? *
NYCENET BBS is a public access service--anyone can
participate on the public level--no fees, no passwords and no hassles.
Help is available to users from most screens. Generally,
pressing the "H" key from any menu will provide users with assistance.
There is a private level to the bulletin board as well. For more
information about that, contact Fred Goldberg or Buzz Robbins at the
Manhattan Technical Assistance Center (212-769-2710).
That point of information leads me to my last subject....
* Who Runs NYCENET BBS? *
As you read during your logon, NYCENET is a cooperative effort of many
groups. It is our goal to link the students of New York City, via
telecommunications. We encourage the use of this system by
students of all grade levels.
Owed to the efforts of many dedicated educators in the NYC area,
this bulletin board system demonstrates the use of
state-of-the art technology to link all grade levels
districts, schools, administrators, teachers and students
instructionally.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to direct them to me,
the SYSOP (System Operator). I am Fred Goldberg, Manhattan Regional
Supervisor for the Office of Technical Assiatance and Support, New York
City Board of Education. We are located at 122 Amsterdam Avenue in Martin
Luther King Jr. High School. Our voice number is (212) 769-2710. Or, leave me a
note in the "Feedback" section of NYCENET. Buzz or I will get
back to you as soon as possible.
After you have finished reading this introduction, you will
probably want to cruise through the Main Menu. Good luck and
* HAPPY TELECOMMUNICATING *
NYCENET BBS: 212-769-0550 (300/1200 baud, 24 hrs)
--
Patt Haring UUCP: ..cmcl2!phri!dasys1!patth
Big Electric Cat Compu$erve: 76566,2510
New York, NY, USA MCI Mail: Patt Haring; GEnie-PHaring
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