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?
There's literally no alternative to access a _comprehensive_ package
on a reasonable computer. You can go easily for the PC or Mac track
if you have only one or two hardcore users but a full site will not
operate economically in buying Licenses for too many PC's or Macs
(as you seem to have financial constrains). As you need more than just
search and retrieve I would try to make a point to your financing department
that if you do not provide the services locally you must BUY these services
in terms of access time to a computer where you can achieve an agreement to
purchase access time. In Europe, the European Molecular Biology Network
provides national services which do precisely this but as you are in the US
you would need to ask around. As the support is also remote, then,
possibly significant cost arise from losses due to educational issues.
Regards
Reinhard
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