Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis.llnl.gov!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!agate!eos!eugene
From: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: network connectivity
Message-ID: <2398@eos.UUCP>
Date: 20 Jan 89 18:04:16 GMT
References: <27330@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <844@auvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 42

In article <844@auvax.UUCP> kevinc@auvax.UUCP (Kevin "auric" Crocker) writes:
>I would love this stuff, but alas do not have ftp currently available.
>Why does all the neat stuff always have to be ftp'able and not other
>things too - maybe we should join a few more networks.

When I was running the ACM/SIGGRAPH local group in the SF Bay Area,
I wrote a little article in our newsletter about this.  Specialists
tend to get really wrapped up too closely with their fields so it has been
with graphics people and other parts of computer science.  If your view of
computer graphics is hand on pointing device, then you are potentially like
this.

Good networks are an essential part of computing now.  DARPA had some foresight
early on (people like Sutherland [yes, the same one who did Sketchpad {what!}])
to fund research in packet switching networks.  It's much more than having
eye catching email addresses on your business card.  FTP is another resource.
There's about half a dozen other applications protocols (including
old proposals for graphics protocols.

You have to make some efforts to improve the quality of computing in
your environment.  If you don't have what-ever-mapped graphics terminals
(or workstations), that's your loss.  Think of all those people in other
news groups with just ASCII (or EBCDIC) terminals!  If you don't have
access to networks, that's your loss, too.  (I was really lucky to learn
about FTP in 1973).  The structure of your world affects the way you think
about it.  (I think parts of IBM are just learning about graphics ;-).

Don't waste time trying to convert people (unless that's your job),
better to let the "competition" wallow.  Just like those Mac ads.

Before you ask for a copy of our little local group's article, I was
asked by Rick Beach (editor, ACM Computer Graphics) for filler material
on this topic (as well as scientific visualization commentary).  So
I have to get some time to write it.  When ever that will be....

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {uunet,hplabs,ncar,decwrl,allegra,tektronix}!ames!aurora!eugene
  "Send mail, avoid follow-ups.  If enough, I'll summarize."