Revolution in the Works

When the Class of 1997 arrived in Cambridge, they were the first crop of first-years to leave their modems at home and instead plug their computers into the recently installed dorm-room datajacks.

Two years later, the Class of 1999 one-upped them by not even having to register for an e-mail account. Those accounts had been created long before that class stepped into the Yard.

By this upcoming fall, Harvard's technological revolution will take a few more steps forward, giving the Class of 2003 even more computing amenities.

The Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS), along with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Information Technology committee, are the ones behind the progress.

And while the developments are not enough to completely change the face of computing at Harvard, Rick Osterberg '96, coordinator of residential computing support, promises that undergraduates will see a "bigger-better-faster" system that emphasizes convenience and innovation.

I'm a Wanderer

Perhaps the most exciting feature students can expect is the introduction of roaming Ethernet.

Currently, users must each register a specific datajack at the beginning of the term. In addition, they must supply computer identification, Ethernet type and other individual information. Students must register each they time they use a new datajack.

Beginning soon, though, datajack registration will become obsolete. Users will each receive an IP address, and in addition to their primary dorm room connection port, they will be able to plug into the network from any campus connection port.

Undergraduates who wish to work at the Langdell Law School Library or at Lamont Library will be able to bring their portable computers and easily access the network. Group study sessions, some of which would benefit from computer use, will be easier to arrange, and lines for campus computer kiosks might shrink.

"If I could plug in anywhere, I would carry my computer around with me more often. It would make life much easier," says Brandon D. Rhodes' 02.

Roaming Ethernet also promises to make life easier for graduate students, who live off campus and can only access the Harvard network from their offices.

"With roaming Ethernet, graduate students will be able to work comfortably in libraries, lounges, and campus restaurants," says Franklin M. Steen, director of the FAS computer services.

Another benefit of roaming Ethernet might be lighter kiosk usage. If students take advantage of roaming Ethernet, older kiosk computers will last longer and Harvard could see a net increase in publicly available computers in the near future.

"Whenever the University invests in new equipment, it always goes first to teaching classrooms. As they age, older computers move to the Science Center lab classrooms, and finally, the oldest computers make up the kiosk terminals," Steen says.

Steen says this development reflects the growing number of laptop users. In the recently released results of a 1998 survey of campus computer use conducted by HASCS, nearly 45 percent of undergraduates report that they use laptops. Five years ago, about 15 percent of undergraduates said they owned laptops.

"Over the past five years, laptop users have multiplied," Steen says. "To meet their needs, we are exploring many options."

With a staff comprised of almost 80 undergraduate user assistants and staff to provide technology support, Harvard's computing services personnel say they can stay well informed of important and growing sentiments within the University community.

"More and more, it is not the computer services personnel that drives the development of computing at Harvard. Rather, it is the users," Osterberg says.

My Harvard

A second, highly touted initiative to be unveiled soon is the "My Harvard" portal project. Similar to Pointcast, though without the advertisements, My Harvard pages will function as glorified personal Web sites.

"[The] portal pages will increase efficiency and speediness of the network tremendously," Steen says.

Portal pages may be configured to include students' complete class and extracurricular schedules, information from the registrar's office, their daily routines, personal announcements and links to outside Web sites.

Using the portal device, students may access e-mail in a lightning-quick fashion and view course announcements from professors. Professors or students' employers can consult portals to receive the latest information and leave messages.

If students choose to do so, they can also list unofficial transcripts and other personal information in PIN-protected areas of the portal.

My Harvard pages may even help to address Harvard's latent advising hurlyburly. With a portal, advisers can have a more frequent and more reliable method of communicating with their advisees.

"When advisers better track advisee's schedules, they are in a position to know the specific needs of each advisee," Steen says.

Out with the Old

Although portals and roaming Ethernet are two major advances planned in 1999, implementation depends heavily on system resources and appropriate funding. According to Steen, bits and pieces of new technology may be released throughout 1999 and in the next few years.

"By the time we finish one good project, though, we'll be responding to a new one," Steen says.

And while many developments will benefit students, for the last two years, the registrar's office has also been updating its record-keeping system. Built in the late 1970s, HERS, an acronym for the Harvard Education Record System, is now being slowly phased out by the more modern HERS2.

HERS2 is more efficient than its predecessor, according to Kenneth Ledeen '68, CEO of Nevo Technologies, Inc. Ledeen predicts that the new system will last Harvard for the next 20 years.

"The results are impressive," Ledeen says, referring to work already competed.

Still, Macintosh users should be wary: The newly instituted changes may force Macintosh computers off the network because HERS2 is designed to function most effectively with PCs, according to Keith Borgen, FAS manager of computer services. (Please see related story, this page.)

"Frankly, the battle to move users from Macs to PCs has been as much a part of the performance battle as anything," Borgen says.

So though the future looks to be speedier than ever, it is PC users who stand to benefit most. Even in the drive for "bigger-better-faster," there still seems to be a price to pay for convenience and innovation.