Frank Wright and Suleyman Aydin have asked about the functionality of WAIS
for people without access to the Internet ...
From: frank at sass.sari.ac.uk (Frank Wright)
I am interested in using the WAIS software. However, am
I correct in thinking that I would need access to Internet?
As a user of the U.K. academic network JANET, I only have
indirect access to Internet via uk.ac.nsf.sun (for anonymous
ftp) and via uk.ac.nsf.tn (for telnet-ing).
So I can anonymous ftp the WAIS software, but will it
run from my SUN4 linked to JANET?
Frank Wright
SASS Molecular Biology Support
University of Edinburgh
Scotland, U.K.
From: D54%TRANAVM1 at ICNUCEVM.CNUCE.CNR.IT (suleyman AYDIN)
The same question hols for the BITNET/EARN/NETNORTH users who do not have
internet (tcp/ip) access.
Does the WAIS programme can be useful on our solitary (non-networked)
Macintos?
Or is it intended only for internet (tcp/ip) accessable luck people?
suleyman AYDIN (ph.d. student of pharmacology)
Medicinal plants res. ctr., Univ. anatolia,
eskisehir / TURKEY
WAIS allows communications via regular modem, X25 and Ethernet. In the
case of isolated Macs or an isolated network of Macs I *believe* you can
search local databases, but I'm not sure how to do it. I'll find out...
In the case of an isolated Unix workstation, or network thereof, you can
certainly create your own servers and query them with the unix interfaces
(shell, emacs, X11). I don't know enough about JANET to say whether it
could support communication between server and client. What protocol does
JANET use ? If it is ethernet then it should be fine (and we'd be *very*
keen to know if it works)
In order for people without Internet connectivity to access WAIS servers on
the Internet - such as the Connection Machine server at TMC - I suspect you
would need to use a modem link ... not inexpensive if you're dialing
transatlantic...
I've passed on your queries to the WAIS team at TMC for further comment and
I'll report if they can add to my reply. Questions like this can also be
sent directly to bug-wais at think.com.
Robert Jones jones at think.com
Thinking Machines Corporation 245 First Street Cambridge MA USA
