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Change.

Is today's computing and networking marketplace out of control? New products appear at a dizzying pace and the explosive growth of information continues, accelerated by the world's discovery of the Internet. The dynamic between technology, information, and the marketplace poses many questions. Penn seeks answers to those questions on many levels. Beginning in February 1996, Penn will celebrate its rich computing heritage with a tribute to the past, but the primary focus will be on exploring the future. Even as Penn looks to the future, it must assimilate and respond to day-to-day product releases and market trends within the context of its developing technology standards. Here, many of the questions posed are as seemingly simple as how to deal with the release of Windows 95.

This article introduces some of the computing and networking decisions that may affect you now or in the coming months.

What about Windows 95?

The release of Windows 95 in August 1995, although by no means a surprise, occurred with limited access by ISC to pre-released evaluation versions. Because software evaluation and testing within the Penn environment is critical to developing support, ISC decided not to support the initial Windows 95 release.

Current data on installation problems and incompatibilities with the ISC-recommended network software suite, in combination with industry advisories, suggests that waiting until the first maintenance release is available is likely to be the most cost-effective support approach. The first maintenance release of Windows 95 is expected in early spring; exactly how soon support will be in place remains to be determined. For information about the latest ISC Windows 95 develop ments see http://www.upenn.edu/isc/ and then select "Information Technology Architecture and Standards."

Netscape now supported

What is Penn InTouch?

Penn InTouch evolved from a 1994 card swipe kiosk pilot program. It represents an ongoing commitment by the Offices of Student Financial Services, the University Registrar, and University Management Information Services to anticipate and meet the changing needs of Penn's student community.

To access Penn Intouch, you'll need to install Netscape on your computer or visit a Penn InTouch kiosk. The URL for Netscape access is https://sentry.isc.upenn.edu/intouch/, but you can also access the system from the students' home page on the Penn Web (http://www.upenn.edu). Kiosks are conveniently located in the Book Store, Houston Hall, and the lobby of the Franklin building.

The new Penn Web features a graphical home page linking to five views of the Web, each organized to reflect the perspective of a different audience group. At right is a draft of the student view. After exploring different views, users may wish to bookmark the one they find most useful.

The new Penn Web

The new style guide, intended as a tool for Penn Web information providers, covers Web site and page design, practical information on how to implement a page on the Penn Web, Penn-specific and general resources available, and a catalog of approved graphic and stylistic elements.

The new events calendar enables Web users to view coming events at Penn by whatever criteria they find usefulfor example, by school or department, by topic, or by date. Local calendar "czars" in schools and departments can easily update and maintain their entries and, if they wish, have Web calendar entries routed automatically to Almanac/Compass for print publication. These developments were steered by a group chartered by Provost Stanley Chodorow and Executive Vice President John Fry, assisted by 35 advisors selected by deans and directors. In addition, many other individuals across campus have contributed to the implementation.

A number of key principles have guided the effort to develop Penn's official World Wide Web presence: Official Penn information should be relevant, complete and current; official information should be labeled as such for the viewer; the same review and approval procedures used for official print publications should be followed for Web publication.

The World Wide Web is a dynamic, changing medium, and the Penn Web will continue to evolve and improve over time. If you want more information or have a question or a suggestion, contact the Penn Web Committee, c/o Office of the Vice President and Secretary, Suite 400, 133 South 36th Street/3246, or webcom@pobox.upenn.edu.

What about PennInfo and Gopher?

Antiviral Software

Relive the moment when ENIAC's electronic brain first stirred to life. The recreation of the original activation of ENIAC is scheduled for February 14, 1996. Please join us.

For additional information about the 18-month celebration, see http://www.seas.upenn.edu/.

What else is new on PennNet?

To serve the ever-increasing demand for access to PennNet from home or on the road, the modem pool has been expanded to 468 modems and reconfigured into three separate pools. The large modem pool at 215/898-0834 supports speeds up to 38.4 Kbps via Annex, SLIP, or PPP connections. A new modem pool for the Kennett Square area, at 610/444-5593, also supports speeds up to 38.4 Kbps via Annex, SLIP, or PPP connections. An additional modem pool at 215/573-4PPP supports speeds up to 115.2 Kbps (with compression and PAP authentication) and is dedicated to PPP connections.

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is now supported for both Windows and Macintoshes. Support for IPX routing to most campus buildings (subnets) now enables access to Novell Netware file servers across PennNet. Details about the new, streamlined ISC-supported networking software suite are available on page 7, as well as some very general information about the new ISC software distribution strategy.

Penn's gateway to the Internet has been upgraded from four megabits per second (Mbps) to ten Mbps via a direct fiber connection to a new PREPnet hub in the University City Science Center.

But that's not all. Library services have expanded significantly. SPIKE has come to the Wharton School (see our next issue for details). Electronic request forms for PennNet services have been created. The Network ID and password system has been redesigned. A process is being developed to resolve existing userID conflicts across campus. The Whois directory is scheduled for an upgrade soon. And Penn is gearing up for an 18-month-long celebration of computing that began on Valentine's day 50 years ago with the creation of ENIAC.

For more information