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From: torrie@cs.stanford.edu (Evan Torrie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Re: IAC (was Re: Clipboard (was Re: The Amiga's Future))
Message-ID: <1991Jun12.010912.6193@neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 12 Jun 91 01:09:12 GMT
References: <1991Jun8.044840.1404@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> <1991Jun8.074935.781@neon.Stanford.EDU> <1991Jun8.084126.3287@news.iastate.edu> <1991Jun8.150550.21859@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <1991Jun9.005806.18799@news.iastate.edu> <4264.tnews@templar.actrix.gen.nz> <43@rypty
Sender: torrie@neon.Stanford.EDU (Evan James Torrie)
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Ca , USA
Lines: 44

jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) writes:

>    File/printer sharing LANs seem to be the real core of business
>    networking (wherever I look at work, which is a bank running PS/2s
>    and Novell, like most of our customers who have networks at all).

  Ahh, NZ banks are not known for their forward looking microcomputer
technology.  Could this be BNZ?  National?  ANZ? Westpac?  Last year, I
did a quick article on how NZ banks were using microcomputers, and the
impression I got out of it was that they were one of the LEAST sophisticated
users of micros in the NZ market.   

>> specifically for networking? There are several on the Mac! For instance, in
>> a painting program, different users can be editing the same document and see

>    Er, woop de doo. Why do you want several people messing with the
>    same picture, or same Microsoft Word file, or whatever? 

  Suppose you want to work with your colleage on a proposal.  Unfortunately, 
your colleague is in Auckland, and you're in Wellington.  Now, you both
have copies of the most recent printout, which you want to make changes
to together.  Hmmm, do you ring him up, and try to explain where you're talking
about over the phone?  How about sending a dozen faxes as you go back and
forth over the changes?  Or how about just getting it both on your computer
screens, and working on it in real-time?

>    Of the
>    products that one sees outlined, the project management ones seem
>    the most reasonable. 

  Another very big one is product training.  You're the microcomputer
support person for the company.  A user rings you up wanting to know
why he can't print out to his laser printer.
  You just fire up your copy of Timbuktu, or Carbon Copy, make his
machine into a host, and start controlling his computer directly from
yours.  Having worked briefly in a microcomputer support group, I can
tell you that something like this would have saved around 50% of the
support person's time.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan Torrie.  Stanford University, Class of 199?       torrie@cs.stanford.edu   
"Lay me place and bake me pie, I'm starving for me gravy... Leave my shoes
and door unlocked, I might just slip away - hey - just for the day."