Communications of the ACM articles from July 1997

Communications of the ACM archives from July 1997

Toward an access rights policy. (university faculty rights)
July 1, 1997... When I arrived on campus the first day of last semester, I switched on my PC and launched Netscape. The browser tried to link to the year-old Web site my students and I had designed and built for my school, but it was not found. Figuring the...

Follow-up on a CS curriculum "tenth strand." (computer science)
July 1, 1997... The second report of Project ImpactCS in Communication (Dec. 1996, p. 75) called for adoption of a "tenth strand" to integrate the social and ethical impact of computing into computer science curriculum in a more rigorous way. As chair of...

The power of negative thinking. (engineering)
July 1, 1997... As engineers, our managers are always telling us to "think positively." With positive thinking, they tell us, "you can accomplish anything." If we discover an obstacle or an unexpected stumbling block, they occasionally chide us for thinking...

Electronic Performance Support Systems.
July 1, 1997... The origin of Electronic Performance Support Systems was simply the need to use technology to connect knowledge resources that seemed to complement each other. In guest editor Richard Horn's particular case, he was engaged in creating both...

Evolving the scope of user-centered design.(Electronic Performance Support Systems)
July 1, 1997... Designing usable software involves more than user, it requires many astute perspectives to attain a balanced view. Electronic Performance Support Systems share something in common with User-Centered Design, in that both have become...

Cost-justifying electronic performance support systems.(Electronic Performance Support Systems)
July 1, 1997... Consider how attractive and valuable a support system would be if it allowed any individual to enter a new job without prior training, and if it would gradually bring this individual to higher performance levels than those achieved by...

Just-in-time knowledge delivery.(Electronic Performance Support Systems)
July 1, 1997... A case study of an award-winning support system demonstrates the vital characteristics and primary design goals for generating peak performance. The typical business operation has to address a variety of issues, not the least of which...

Granting three wishes through performance-centered design.(Electronic Performance Support Systems)
July 1, 1997... The Genie appeared when the monitor was rubbed. "I'll grant you three wishes, Ms. Manager. What will they be?" The manager thought hard and decided, "Why not go for broke and ask for my real software fantasies: WISH #1: I wish I could just...

Preparing for EPSS projects. (Electronic Performance Support Systems)
July 1, 1997... Careful planning and staffing yield maximum results in the workplace. Planning, organizing, and resourcing Electronic Performance Support System projects can be extremely challenging. A successful project usually combines expertise from...

Requirements for success in gigabit networking.
July 1, 1997... Advances in telecommunications and networking have been particularly notable in recent times. We have witnessed intense research resulting in fundamental information theory, coding, and modulation, signal processing, flow and error control,...

Media lessons from the National Capital FreeNet. (Canada)
July 1, 1997... How the Canadian National Capital FreeNet is used by thousands--largely for interpersonal communication--has deep implications for the future of commercial online services, as well as for the traditional mass electronic media. North...

Using ethnography in contextual design.
July 1, 1997... Ethnography originates from anthropology where anthropologists spend extended periods of time with primitive societies making detailed observations of their practices. In a design context the aim of ethnography is to develop a thorough...

Technology investment and business performance.
July 1, 1997... TRYING TO CALCULATE THE RETURN ON CORPORATE IT INVESTMENT ON THE THE BOTTOM LINE? FOCUS ON THE LINKS BETWEEN IT, BUSINESS STRATEGY, AND COMPETITIVE CONTEXT. This article examines the relationships between measures of information...

Parallel computation still not ready for the mainstream.
July 1, 1997... For the past 20 years, parallel computation has helped solve many significant problems in applied science and engineering, most notably those in high-performance applications not implementable on sequential computers [1]. However, parallel...

Identity-related misuse. (computer-aided identity fraud or theft)
July 1, 1997... Perhaps you lead an honest life and have nothing to hide Does an invasion of privacy seem more or less irrelevant to you? Maybe you want to publicize everything you do on your Web page, and don't care about security? The World-Wide Web can...

The ACM Digital Library goes live.
July 1, 1997... ACM launches its Digital Library this month, providing members and subscribers with desktop access to the bulk of its journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. This service marks the completion of the initial phases of the ACM...

Just-in-time knowledge delivery.
July 1, 1997... A case study of an award-winning support system demonstrates the vital characteristics and primary design goals for generating peak performance. The typical business operation has to address a variety of issues, not the least of which are...

Identity-related misuse.
July 1, 1997... Perhaps you lead an honest life and have nothing to hide. Does an invasion of privacy seem more or less irrelevant to you? Maybe you want to publicize everything you do on your Web page, and don't care about security? The World-Wide Web can...