Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ganehd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!ganehd!mp From: mp@ganehd.UUCP (Scott Barman) Newsgroups: net.micro,net.college Subject: Re: Free and undirected campus computing facilities - Not at Waterloo Message-ID: <208@ganehd.UUCP> Date: Sun, 25-Nov-84 21:12:55 EST Article-I.D.: ganehd.208 Posted: Sun Nov 25 21:12:55 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 28-Nov-84 04:32:02 EST References: <457@utcsrgv.UUCP> <649@watdcsu.UUCP>, <425@watcgl.UUCP>, <652@watdcsu.UUCP>, <9840@watmath.UUCP> <9844@watmath.UUCP> Organization: NE Health District, Athens, Georgia Lines: 79 <> I wish I can say that at the University of Georgia computing is free and undirected. It isn't and is one of the reasons I have decided not to fight it and just leave (I got a job waiting in NY for me). The student user here at UGA uses an IBM 370/158 dual processor (ughh) running the McGill University System for Interactive Computing (MUSIC). After beating on it for nearly three years, I have come to the conclusion it is a glorified keypunch machine (I unfortunatly learned programming on one). Almost all computer classes (CS, Management Sciences, Statistics, etc.) are taught on this machine. It is nearly always overloaded (now there are 98 users on it and it took me 2 minutes just to logon and issue the command to tell me how many users on on the system), disk space is in short supply, and there are only two 1200 baud and five 300 baud telephone lines into the machine. Output from this machine is sent to an IBM 3081 and JES3 sends it to the appropriate printers. An accidentally generated hexidecimal dump of the disk (done twice in the last three days) caused the JES spooling space to be non-existant. Students are restricted to the amount of time their programs or batch jobs are allowed to run (measured in Service Units - somewhat equivalent to a CPU second) and is too low for many of the upper level CS projects (the few that can be done on the machine! It has no ISAM nor a way of simulating that except under WATBOL :-( and supports direct access under FORTRAN only). It's becomming a real pain-in-the-rump. Not only are they using this operating system (which looks almost like an interactive MVS environment) but they are limiting access. Only undergraduates can use this machine without being in a class (changing for next quarter). Graduate students must be enrolled in a class using the computer in order to get an id. All IDs (with some exceptions and an act from congress :-)) are purged at the end of a quarter. Faculty IDs can be saved on request and classes that are multi-quarter sequences can have the whole class saved on request. The key word is "on request". Being an account manager (as one of my many duties), I have to keep up with all of this, their stupid policy changes, and try to make everyone in my department happy. I can only wish my successor better luck! UGA also owns an IBM 3081-D (running MVS/TSO), CDC Cyber 170/750 (running that kludge NOS 2.2), two DEC VAX 11/780 (running VMS), another IBM 370, and a Cyber 205 (ha ha ha). Nobody can use the VAXen since one is used by COSMIC (cheap NASA Software) and the other is used for a bogus Computer Based Education project (only 1 person is left with the project). The other IBM 370 is running MARVEL (a less than wonderful library automation system running under CICS/VS ), and nobody around here has any use for the Cyber 205. As for the IBM 3081 and Cyber 750, we can't use them because they cost too much! You see, the UGA Comp. Center, in its infinite wisdom, charges each department for computer time on these machines. With enough students taking courses, we cannot justify giving them userids on these machines since we are not allocated enough money. If the department runs out of money, and we can't beg for enough to continue (and I do mean BEG), then all userids are shut off until money can be found (manufactured, printed, stolen, etc.). The Department of Computer Science currently owns a CDC Cyber 18/30. This machine is eight years old and only useful for a couple of small projects. The department is getting a Harris H800 for research purposes, but that still doesn't take care of the academic computing problem. Our knee pads are wearing out from crawling to the dean's and president's office for more money so we can purchase hardware. It never works! The president's advisor for computing is the same person who got the Cyber 205 and a machine room full of (mostly) IBM and CDC equipment. He also has no intention of letting CS build to become a powerful department because it will take some of the shine off his comp. center. All we can do is hope this man retires early!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGA is 200 years old this year; the oldest state charterd university (sorry UNC, Georgia was charterd first!) and the computing facilities are atleast 10 years behind the times! There is no relief in site from any level (and I understand that Georgia Tech is also beginning to feel the money problem from the state, too)! I sometimes wonder what they really do in Atlanta with all our tax money because the flagship University for the state system is in trouble and I don't think they care! And people are wonder why I am leaving!!!! (all they use at the job I'm going to is UN*X!) -- Scott A. Barman UUCP: {akgua, gatech}!ganehd!mp (until Nov 28! gone after that!)