Online articles from May 1998

Online archives from May 1998

ONLINE's new/old editors.(The Homepage)
May 1, 1998... With this issue, Nancy Garman and I assume the joint editorship of ONLINE. Nancy will be dealing directly with columnists while I communicate with authors of feature articles. We will share in the conceptualization of ideas for topics to...

How to do field searching in Web search engines: a field trip/
May 1, 1998... You never miss the water until the well runs dry. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You've all heard the folk wisdom about not taking things for granted. Field searching is something that the serious searcher has been able to take...

Head to head: searching the Web versus traditional services.
May 1, 1998... Every time we go online the very first decision we make is whether to use the Internet or search a traditional, professional service like Dialog, LEXIS-NEXIS, or Dow Jones. As with any search decision, it comes down to which is "better,...

Alexa: Web archive, advisor, and statistician.
May 1, 1998... The interconnected nature of the Web and the availability of advertising-supported services stimulates some creative ideas for finding information on the Web. Now, from Brewster Kahle, the originator of WAIS and founder of the Internet...

TableBase: numeric tables online - finally!
May 1, 1998... Responsive Database Services, Inc. (RDS) is aptly named. Recognizing that "Table omitted" appended to a record can ruin an info professional's day, the company has responded to a critical need and introduced a database composed entirely of...

Opera - the little browser that can.
May 1, 1998... Despite a minimal cost ($30) and small size (1MB), Opera is a World Wide Web browsing tool that gives a stellar performance. While the product presently appears only on the Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 platforms, Opera might be an excellent...

Turning visual: image search engines on the Web.(The Big Picture)
May 1, 1998... A client desperately needs a picture of a desalination plant, Michael Eisner, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, or clip art relating to the millennium. Visual requests knock you for a loop because your conventional sources can't handle them,...

Beginning all over again: where to start a search.(The Dollar Sign)
May 1, 1998... Searchers faced with an ever-growing array of information resources are asking an old, old question, "Where do I start?" The struggle to keep current on valuable data sources while avoiding infoglut gets harder by the nanosecond. As demands on...

Web browser keyboard and navigation shortcuts.(On The Net)
May 1, 1998... Each new version of a Web browser brings its new share of features. The most heralded browsers are typically the biggest memory hogs, and occasionally the least useful. At the same time, other new features may be less feted in the Internet...

Royalty fees part II: copyright and clearinghouses.(Conflicted Copyrights)
May 1, 1998... In our last column ("Royalty Fees Part 1: The Copyright Clearance Center and Publishers," ONLINE, March/April 1998, pages 83-86), we began a three-part series on how royalty fees and payments for copyrighted works are established. Interviewing...

Dialog tackles renewal in the new information age.
May 1, 1998... Editor's Note: Yesterday I attended one of a series of luncheons for major customers among information professionals and listened to Dan Wagner's presentation. I thought it was sincere and articulate, and it focused on the realities of today's...

Geographic information systems.
May 1, 1998... To define Geographic Information Systems (GIS), it is helpful to start with desktop mapping applications. Many people have used Web sites such as MapQuest (http://www.mapquest. com/) or MapsOnUs (http://www. mapsonus.com/). At these sites,...

Computer security in a networked world: barbarians at the gate.(PC Monitor)
May 1, 1998... The computer systems we install today require "virtual castles" that can withstand attacks of a different kind--attackers that slip into your systems through unknown or unprotected holes and do damage for any number of reasons. ...

Automation of information access tasks: technological trends and opportunities.(Technomonitor)
May 1, 1998... Since the invention of the first machine, people have tried to automate the tasks facing them. Whether the motivation is laziness or efficiency, the goal remains the same--transferring as many tasks as possible to the machine, leaving as...

How to implement electronic subscriptions: replacing the routing list hassle.
May 1, 1998... One of the noteworthy events of 1997 in the information industry was the demise of NewsNet, an online service that made its name delivering electronic newsletters to subscribers, often before the print version was available. In 1982, this was...

The content management strategy: don't go to work without it.(The Successful Manager)
May 1, 1998... A content management strategy sets the philosophy and direction for the enterprise's use of content. For management, it demonstrates content's impact on business processes and contribution to the bottom line. In today's rapid and continuous...