Latest info on WAIS.

[Rob Harper]

Update on WAIS extracted from alt.wais


********************  CLIP  CLIP ***************************
	   New Unix Internet Release (Beta 3 Release) Available
		 	   September 16, 1991

Thank you for the interest in WAIS.  The servers on Quake (including the
directory of servers) has 70k requests from over 1100 different hosts all
over the world (18 countries) in a couple of months.  There are now 70
servers including one in Norway, one in Australia, poetry, recipies,
comp.sources, as well as a Connection Machine serving all sorts of things.

There are are a few mailing lists on this subject that you might want to be
on: 
	wais-interest: only announcements like this (1 a month or so)
	wais-discussion: moderated mailings every 1 or 2 weeks.  Good
			stuff including all on wais-interest.
	wais-talk: unmoderated for implementors and interactive discussions.
Requests to wais-<foo>-request at think.com.  Archives available from
wais server: wais-discussion or anonymous ftp from quake.think.com.

A bibliography of available written materials and resources is available
from /pub/wais/wais-discussion/bibliography.txt at quake.think.com (ftp) or 
WAIS server wais-discussion-archive.src, or on request from Barbara at think.com.

Jonathan Goldman pulled the most recent release together (with help from
developers all over the world, see below):
Highlights of modifications (see the release for the full report)
	Overall: make it more portable, and small enhancements
Thank you to all that have contributed bug reports and suggestions.  There
are no concrete plans for the next release.

Overview of components:
In this release is source code for:
 * Server code:  There is code to index text and picture files.
 * Protocol code: based on Z39.50-1988 using the internet.
 * Clients code: User interfaces for contacting servers
	* GNU emacs interface
	* simple shell interface 
	* Mac interface (in separate WAIStation file)
	* tool kit for making your own interfaces
	* X interface
 * Directory of servers: This is be a network service that lists
	existing servers and how to contact them.
 * A Connection Machine server with some patent information, the CIA
	factbook, and some Biomedical abstracts, info-mac, risks, etc 
	to serve as example servers.  

Other components available elsewhere:
 * Motif interface (very simple) available /public/wais/motif-a1.tar.Z at think.com
 * DOS interface toolkit by Jim Fullton 
	/pub/wais/UNC/wais-dos*@samba.oit.unc.edu
 * Dumb Terminal interface (not distributed yet)
	by John Curran: telnet hub.nnsc.nsf.net login wais
 * Sunview client by Jim Fullton: sunsearch.src.*.tar.Z at samba.oit.unc.edu
 * VMS servers and clients ask Jim Fullton (fullton at lambada.oit.unc.edu)
(we still need a reasonable NeXT client).

The public servers that are currently advertized are:

Biology:
 biology-journal-contents.src
 biosci.src 			Molecular-biology.src

Usenet and internet archives:
 comp.graphics.src		comp.admin.src
 comp.db.src			comp.emacs.src
 comp.multi.src			comp.archives.src
 rec.pets.src			comp.sources.src
 usenet-science.src 
 user-contrib-cookbook.src 	usenet-cookbook.src
 homebrew.src
 info-mac.src 			sun-spots.src

Frequently Asked Questions:
 NeXT.FAQ.src		 	unix.FAQ.src
 ibm.pc.FAQ.src			mac.FAQ.src

Connection Machine info:
 CM-applications.src
 CM-tech-summary.src 
 CM-fortran-manual.src	 	CM-paris-manual.src
 CM-star-lisp-docs.src		CMFS-documentation.src

Books:
 jargon.src
 bible.src			koran.src
 sample-books.src
 MIT-algorithms-bug.src 	MIT-algorithms-exercise.src 
 MIT-algorithms-suggest.src
 
Libraries:
 online-libraries.src
 tmc-library.src

Misc: 
 open_systems_calendar.src	matrix_news.src
 astro-images-gif.src 		astro-images-fits.src
 nsf-bulletins.src
 midi.src
 unimelb-research.src (Australia!)
 supreme-ct.src
 NIH-Guide.src
 UNTComputerDoc.src
 US-Gov-Programs.src
 UiO_Publications.src (Norway!)
 cosmic-abstracts.src		cosmic-programs.src
 directory-of-servers.src
 eff-documents.src		eff-talk.src
 empire.src 			empire20.src
 internet-documents.src		internet-drafts.src
 internet-resource-guide.src	internet-rfcs.src
 patent-sampler.src
 poetry.src
 risks-digest.src

 sample-pictures.src
 unix-manual.src
 wais-discussion-archives.src	wais-docs.src
 wall-street-journal-sample.src
 weather.src
 world-factbook.src


The first "Digital Librarians", I think it would be safe to say are the
maintainers of these servers:
	Geir.Pedersen at use.uio.no
	abc at banjo.concert.net
	ang at theory.lcs.mit.edu
	art at think.com
	billy at unt.edu
	biosci at genbank.bio.net
	brewster at think.com
	chris at cosmic1.cosmic.uga.edu
	fullton at lambada.oit.unc.edu
	ephraim at think.com
	gordon at think.com
	jcurran at nnsc.nsf.net
	jonathan at think.com
	jsq at tic.com
	root at next2.oit.unc.edu
	rvc at ariel.its.unimelb.EDU.AU
	uriw at microworld.media.mit.edu
	wais at eff.org
	wais at talon.UCS.ORST.EDU
	waisp at quake.think.com
	weather-server at quake.think.com

The release is available from Think.com via anonymous FTP in
/public/wais/wais-8-b3.tar.Z and WAIStation-0-62.sit.hqx.

Bugs to bug-wais at think.com or to me.

For the bug fixes, thanks to:
Garrett A. Wollman <wollman at emily.uvm.edu>
Simon E Spero <ses at ccgr.technion.ac.il>
<simon at liasun1.epfl.ch>
kent at parc.xerox.com,
Michael Haberler (mah at parrot.prv.univie.ac.at) and to
gcardwel at uci.edu for bug fixes to the last release.


-brewster and the wais crew

"Paper and flesh are fleeting media for the treasures that are ideas."

Brewster Kahle					Thinking Machines Corporation
Brewster at Think.com				1010 El Camino Real
Project Leader					Menlo Park, CA 94025
Wide Area Information Servers			415-329-9300x228

--
Brewster Kahle					Thinking Machines Corporation
Brewster at Think.com				1010 El Camino Real
Project Leader					Menlo Park, CA 94025
Wide Area Information Servers			415-329-9300x228