Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ogccse!blake!oregon!dsmith From: dsmith@oregon.uoregon.edu (Dale Smith) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Remote database services ??? Message-ID: <8079@oregon.uoregon.edu> Date: 20 Sep 89 17:18:02 GMT Organization: University of Oregon Lines: 40 This is certainly not the right forum to pose these questions, but I can think of no better one. I have been doing a lot of thinking about Internet services that would attract more interest of the general researcher. Right now, the most useful service provided by the Internet to the general researcher seems to be electronic mail for communication amoung colleagues. A distant second and third would seem to be supercomputer access and ftp to obtain software. One service I can think of that would generate a lot of interest amoung researchers here at the University of Oregon (and, I suppose, other sites as well) would be access to remote database services. I am thinking of pay-for data base services such as BRS, DIALOG, and STN that provide access to hundreds of diverse databases, including Chem Abstracts, Nuclear Science Abstracts, Biosis Previews, Medline, Geobase, Socialogical Abstracts, and Water Resources Abstracts to name a few. All of these services currently provide remote access via modem, often via Telenet or a private network. Some sites have purchased dedicated lines to access these services. So, here we have a research oriented service and a number of ad-hoc networks that support access to these services. Since the one of the goals of NSFnet is to provide support for researchers, it seems that access to these databases could fall under the general thrust of what NSFnet is all about. The key in my mind seems to be that these are commercial services (even though some claim to be non-profit) and if they were connected in some manner to the Internet, then we would be using the Internet to promote selected firms. However, in the long run it seems that it would save everyone money and provide another carrot in the Internet basket to recruit new sites. What do other folks think about this subject? -- Dale Smith, Assistant Director of Network Services University of Oregon Internet: dsmith@oregon.uoregon.edu Computing Center BITNET: dsmith@oregon.bitnet Eugene, OR 97403-1212 Voice: (503)686-4394