User communication in a heterogeneous distributed network
Christine Wendt · 1978
Helping people learn and use a computer system involves at least three different paths of communication: user-to-consultant (and vice versa); user-to-user; and—especially for large and diverse systems—consultant-to-consultant.The Merit Computer Network presents in many ways a textbook example of barriers to user and consultant communication: the host computing centers not only are geographically distant but also vary in their hardware and operating systems. The paper discusses the different mechanisms that Merit has evolved for dealing with these barriers, with particular emphasis on the use of computer conferencing, as well as some plans (and dreams) for future improvements.