In article <2635egINNt98 at newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>, Barr Ticknor
<bet1 at cornell.edu> writes:
> The Cornell Biotechnology Program currently maintains the GCG package and
> accompanying databases as the core of its biotechnology computing
> facility. Because this facility is operating at a loss, there is a very
> real possibility that it will cease to exist. What are the alternatives
> for researchers who want the functions provided by GCG but don't have
> access to a local site? Are such services available through the network,
> either freely or on a fee per use basis? I am aware that BLAST searches
> are provided by the NCBI server, and that sequence records can be
> retrieved from both NCBI and EMBL, but what about the rest? What do
> people do at institutions that don't have the GCG package?
You seem to have a number of problems. As you expect to retain network
access, you must have some computing facility remaining available.
Perhaps you could maintain a copy of GCG there (assuming it is
Unix or VMS based). It would be logical to keep the package you are
all used to if at all possible.
If the yearly cost of GCG is too high, you could still maintain Rodger
Staden's programs. They are just as comprehensive as GCG in terms of
the functions available, very cheap to obtain (you could just pass the hat
round the labs if the budget still is too tight), and you can expect
continuous improvements driven by the genome projects at Cambridge.
Even if you have GCG, Staden is worth adding.
Your biggest problem could be human rather than financial. Someone should
learn how to use these packages properly to provide on site support.
That is the most painful part of being on your own.
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