Minutes of the Computing Advisory Committee Meeting

13 December 1999

 

Those attending: David Blakesley, Al Allen, Geoff Nathan (recorder), Carolyn Snyder, Michael Wainer, Larry Schilling.

Al announced that the new 56K modems were up and running, and would be available in the Spring semester, as soon as an announcement appears in the Daily Egyptian.

Carolyn moved a vote of thanks to John Jackson, Mike Schwartz and Geoff Nathan for their work in the campus-wide Y2K initiative. Geoff reported that computers had been ordered to replace those that had been identified as mission-critical and not Y2K compliant. In addition, SIUC now has a bulk purchase agreement with Dell at very good prices. Information is available on the Help Desk home page. Geoff and Mike Schwartz will meet with Chancellor Jackson to suggest that he encourage departments to make use of this agreement.

Brief discussion of the ATS initiative followed, and Geoff will report immediately to Jackson and Poshard the committee's reservations about moving too quickly.

Discussion then turned to long-range plans. Mike suggested looking at the big picture, especially now that the CAC has recommended affiliating with Internet II. Perhaps we need to recommend a large building in which high-speed, high bandwidth computing could be centralized. The feeling was that it would be important for this building to be central and highly visible--a place where students and faculty could come to develop multimedia and high-end computing applications, exactly what membership in I2 requires. Carolyn pointed out that she and Al were heavily involved in a study of such a facility several years ago (the Library of the Future report) and she will find a copy of a shortened version of the report to distribute to the committee before the next meeting.

The next meeting will be early in the Spring Semester. Members are asked to send Geoff their schedules as soon as they know them.