Changes Planned To Computer Net

Coming off a year that saw an unprecedented increase in student use of Harvard's link to the Internet, the University is reportedly considering several important changes in the maintenance and services of the network.

Sources said the Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS)--which maintains the computer network used by students for everything from electronic mail to in-class research--will lead the way in making the reforms.

"This summer, everything is going to be reorganized so that the systems are much easier to access," says Jeff C. Tarr '96, co-president of the student technology group Digitas.

Most notably, HASCS will continue the University's push to put virtually all first-years on the network. Beginning next year, all the data jacks in the first-year, dorms are likely to be activated, or "pre-connected" to the Internet, a global data communication network, before members of the first-year class arrive in September.

This change is expected to reduce the time required to hook undergraduates up to the network from the current rate of three days to less than 24 hours. Ninety-two percent of the members of the Class of 1997 have accounts on the Internet, a data communication network.

In addition, registration materials--everything from course packs to schedules and handbooks--are expected to become available over the network's World Wide Web server during the next academic year. Some speculate that if College officials approve, registration over the network could become a reality as soon as the fall of 1995.

But some officials familiar with HASCS, interviewed on condition of anonymity, said they worry that staff shortages may make it difficult for the computer service to achieve its goal.

Although Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles indicated recently that funding to the group will be increased, in January the service's outgoing acting director, Richard S. Steen, characterized HASCS as "a ship taking on water faster than it can bail it out."

There has been no officials word on changes for next year, and neither Richard Steen nor his successor, Franklin Steen (no relation), could be reached for comment yesterday.

Still, conversations with sources inside and outside HASCS suggest that the network will look significantly different in the fall. Said Tarr, "HASCS has a new director who will make lots of changes," including:

Harvard's newsgroups, or electronic bulletin boards, are likely to be more closely regulated during the next academic year. One possible reform would be to create a new newsgroup to handle computer-related questions which appear frequently on the newsgroup "harvard. general." Under this plan, "harvard.general" would thenbe freed up for discussion of broader campusissues.

The program for HASCS's user assistants couldbe revamped, with "UAs" required to participate informal training sessions for the first time. Somestudents have complained that many userassistants, who are charged with answering studentquestions about the network and the ScienceCenter's computers, are poorly trained andineffective.

HASCS appears to be planning an increase in theavailability of Animated Digital Tutorials, whichusers can load up to see instructions on how touse network services such as e-mail.

Basic user defaults will probably change. Forexample, the sign "(term = vt100)" that appearsafter students log-in--and confuses someundergraduates--will likely be removed.

Legal and security issues remain the mainobstacle to adding two new services to thenetwork: an on-line, College-wide facebook and a"phone server" which would allow students to findone another's telephone numbers over the network.

The computer service is also trying to improveits response to complaints about the network byworking closely with the Harvard ComputerSociety's "adopt-a-dorm" program. It is possiblethat HASCS personnel will call on studentparticipants in "adopt-a-dorm" to respond to thosewho call the user services' hotline withquestions.

HASCS officials are attempting to move toexclusive use of Hewlett-Packard machines nextyear. Some sources say this will alleviate thecurrent confusion caused by the use of machineswhich have two different operating system

The program for HASCS's user assistants couldbe revamped, with "UAs" required to participate informal training sessions for the first time. Somestudents have complained that many userassistants, who are charged with answering studentquestions about the network and the ScienceCenter's computers, are poorly trained andineffective.

HASCS appears to be planning an increase in theavailability of Animated Digital Tutorials, whichusers can load up to see instructions on how touse network services such as e-mail.

Basic user defaults will probably change. Forexample, the sign "(term = vt100)" that appearsafter students log-in--and confuses someundergraduates--will likely be removed.

Legal and security issues remain the mainobstacle to adding two new services to thenetwork: an on-line, College-wide facebook and a"phone server" which would allow students to findone another's telephone numbers over the network.

The computer service is also trying to improveits response to complaints about the network byworking closely with the Harvard ComputerSociety's "adopt-a-dorm" program. It is possiblethat HASCS personnel will call on studentparticipants in "adopt-a-dorm" to respond to thosewho call the user services' hotline withquestions.

HASCS officials are attempting to move toexclusive use of Hewlett-Packard machines nextyear. Some sources say this will alleviate thecurrent confusion caused by the use of machineswhich have two different operating system