IRList Digest Thursday, 9 October 1986 Volume 2 : Issue 51 Today's Topics: Query - Information on Catalog Retrieval System Announcement - NSF Reorganization - Computer-Supported Cooperative Work Conf. Program (long) Software Psychology Society - V. 11 #1, Potomac Chapter Newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 1 Oct 1986 12:01 EDT From: James Nolte <$JSN@CLVM> Subject: Frakes metion of Catalog I would like more information about CATALOG, the IR system developed by Frakes Cox and Leighton at AT&t and mentioned by Frakes in the article about software reuse. Is it possible to use SIGIR to enquire about this? [Note: sure, it would be of interest to all of us. Bill Frakes did his dissertation work relating to stemming and there are interesting points about that in Catalog. Bill can tell us all more info. if he can. - Ed] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Oct 86 02:33:11 edt From: DEKEN%NSF.CSNET%relay.cs.net@vpi.csnet Subject: RE: infrastructure etc. ... Very briefly, the major impact of the reorganization at NSF, as I see it, is that the old IST division, as of October 1, will become IRIS: (Information, Robotics, and Intelligent Systems). In addition to the three programs from the old IST, the new Division will take over the old Intelligent Systems Program, which had been in the Division of Computer Research. After October 1, we have New Old --- --- Division of IRIS Division of IST Knowledge and Data Based Systems Program Information Science Interactive Systems Information Technology Program Robotics and Machine Intelligence Program Intelligent Systems (DCR) Information Impact Program Information Impact Program ... Let me know if I can be of any further help. Joe ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 21 Sep 86 06:58:43 edt From: csnet_gateway (LAWS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA) Subject: Conference - CSCW '86 Program Following is the program for CSCW '86: the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work . Registration material can be obtained from Barbara Smith at MCC (basmith@mcc). *** CSCW '86 *** DECEMBER 3 - 5, 1986 AUSTIN, TEXAS Tuesday, December 2, 1986 6:00pm - 10:00pm Registration 6:00pm - 10:00pm Reception/Refreshments Wednesday, December 3, 1986 8:00am - 5:00pm Registration 8:30am - 9:00am Opening Remarks Welcome: Herb Krasner, Conference Chair Conference Themes: Irene Greif, Program Chair 9:00am - 10:30am Supporting Face-to-Face Groups Chair: George Huber University of Texas, Austin - Project NICK: Meetings Augmentation and Analysis Michael Begeman, Peter Cook, Clarence Ellis, Mike Graf, Gail Rein, and Tom Smith; MCC - Cognoter, Theory and Practice of a Colab-orative Tool Gregg Foster; University of California, Berkeley - A Group Decision Support System for Idea Generation and Issue Analysis in Organizational Planning Lynda M. Applegate, Benn R. Konsynski, J. F. Nunamaker University of Arizona 10:30am - 11:00am Break 11:00am - 12:30am Empirical Studies Chair: Bill Curtis; MCC - The Variable Impact of Computer Technologies on the Organization of Work Activities Jeanette Blomberg; Xerox - Cognitive Science and Organizational Design: A Case Study of Computer Conferencing Kevin Crowston, Thomas W. Malone, and F. Lin; M. I. T. - Narratives at Work, Story Telling as Cooperative Diagnostic Activity Julian Orr; Xerox 12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch 2:00pm - 4:00pm Supporting Distributed Groups Chair: Irene Greif; M. I. T. - Constraints on Communication and Electronic Messaging Martha Feldman; University of Michigan - Evolving Electronic Communication Networks: An Empirical Assessment J. D. Eveland and Tora Bikson; The Rand Corporation - Semi-Structured Messages as a Basis for Computer-Supported Coordination Thomas W. Malone, Kenneth R. Grant, Kum-Yew Lai, Ramana Rao, and David Rosenblitt; M. I. T. - The Amigo Project: Advanced Group Communication Model for Computer-Based Communications Environment Thore Danielsen, University of Tromsoe, Norway Uta Pankoke-Babatz and Wolfgang Prinz, Institute for Applied Information Technology, West Germany Ahmed Patel, University College Dublin, Ireland Paul-Andre Pays, Department Informatique Appliquee, France Knut Smalland, University of Oslo, Norway Rolf Speth, Commission of the European Communities, Belgium 4:00pm - 4:30pm Break 4:30pm - 6:00pm Panel Sessions in Parallel Panel I: Cooperative Work in the Office Moderator: Clarence Ellis, MCC Panel II: Collaborative Design: Technology Futures Moderator: Herb Krasner, MCC 8:00pm Special Session with Doug Engelbart: High Performance Teams Thursday, December 4, 1986 9:00am - 10:30am Hypertext Systems Chair: Lucy Suchman; Xerox - Contexts -- A Partitioning Concept for Hypertext Norman Delisle and Mayer Schwartz; Tektronix Laboratories - Supporting Collaboration in NoteCards Randall Trigg, Lucy Suchman and Frank Halasz; Xerox - Intermedia: Issues, Strategies, and Tactics in the Design of a Hypermedia Document System L. Nancy Garrett, Karen Smith and Norman Meyrowitz; Brown University 10:30am - 11:00am Break 11:00am - 12:30pm Underlying Technology for Collaborative Systems Chair: Thomas Malone; M. I. T. - Data Sharing in Group Work Irene Greif, M. I. T. Sunil Sarin, Computer Corporation of America - Network-based Systems for Asynchronous Group Communication Nancy F. Jarrell and Bill Barrett; IBM Cambridge Scientific Center - Tools Help People Co-operate Only To The Extent That They Help Them Share Goals and Terminology Robert Neches; USC Information Sciences Institute 12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch and CSCW '88 Planning Meeting (Open) 2:00pm - 4:00pm Collaboration Research Chair: Margrethe Olson; N. Y. U. - A Language Perspective on the Design of Cooperative Work Terry Winograd; Stanford University - A Framework for Studying Research Collaboration Lucy Suchman and Randall Trigg; Xerox - Relationships and Tasks in Scientific Research Collaborations Robert Kraut, Bell Communications Research, Jolene Galegher, University of Arizona Carmen Egido, Bell Communications Research - Collaboration Research in SCL George Goodman and Mark Abel Xerox Palo Alto Research Center Northwest 4:00pm - 4:30pm Break 4:30pm - 6:00pm Panel Sessions in Parallel Panel I: From Theories to Systems Moderator: Paul Cashman, Digital Equipment Corporation Panel II: Computer-Supported Groups: Trends & Markets Moderator: Robert Johansen, Institute for the Future 7:00pm Banquet Friday, December 5, 1986 9:00am - 10:30am Interfaces: Multi-media and Multi-user Chair: Ben Shneiderman; University of Maryland - A Performing Medium for Working Group Graphics Fred Lakin; Stanford University - An Experiment in Integrated Multimedia Conferencing Keith Lantz; Stanford University - WYSIWIS Reconsidered: Early Experiences with Multi-User Interfaces Mark Stefik, Gregg Foster, Stan Lanning, Deborah Tatar; Xerox 10:30am - 11:00am Break 11:00am - 12:30am Industrial Experiences with Computer-Supported Groups Chair: Mark Stefik; Xerox - Computer Teleconferencing: Experience at Hewlett Packard Tony Fanning and Bert Raphael; Hewlett Packard Company - Achieving Sustainable Complexity Through Information Technology: Theory and Practice Paul Cashman and David Stroll; Digital Equipment Corporation - Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Examples and Issues in One Federal Agency Cathleen Stasz and Tora Bikson; The Rand Corporation 12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch 2:00pm - 4:00pm Coordination and Decision Making Chair: Chris Bullen; M. I. T. - CHAOS as a Coordination Technology F. De Cindio, G. De Michelis, C. Simone, R. Vassallo, and A. Zanaboni Universita di Milano - Using a Computer Based Tool to Support Collaboration: A Field Experiment Robert Dunham, Management Effectiveness and Planning Bonnie M. Johnson, Aetna Life and Casualty Grady McGonagill, Merron & McGonagill Associates Margrethe Olson, New York University Gerladine M. Weaver, Aetna Life and Causalty - Computer-Based Systems for Group Decision Support: Status of Use and Problems in Development Kenneth Kraemer and John King; University of California, Irvine - SYNVIEW: The Design of a System for Cooperative Structuring of Information David Lowe; New York University 4:00pm - 4:30pm Break 4:30pm - 5:30pm Invited Speaker: John Seely Brown Vice President, Advanced Research Xerox Palo Alto Research Center ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Oct 86 02:33:08 edt From: ben%MIMSY.UMD.EDU%relay.cs.net@vpi.csnet Subject: Re: Softpsych SOFTWARE PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY - POTOMAC CHAPTER VOLUME 11 NUMBER 1 FALL 1986 ... October 10 Room 413-414 TURNING A SUPERTANKER: A FIELD STUDY OF MESSAGE IMPROVEMENTS IN IBM JCL William Mosteller, Boeing Computer Services Company 7990 Gallows Court, Vienna, VA 22180 Boeing Computer Services has been studying user errors in coding IBMs Job Control Language for several years. In a recent software release, MVS/XA 2.1.2, IBM incorporated five suggestions from that study into the operating system. This talk discusses those changes, the effort to persuade IBM to implement them, and the benefits derived from them. Study revealed that, although the JCL processor could pro- duce over a hundred different error messages, nine messages represented about 85% of the traffic sent to the user. We examined those nine messages, devised five suggestions for improving the processor, and presented them to IBM. Then we measured how improved messages produced a lower error rate. November 14 Room 413-414 DISPLAY STRATEGIES FOR LARGE SCREENS AND MULTIPLE WINDOWS Ben Shneiderman, Department of Computer Science University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 Large screens have the capacity to show up to 124 lines by 80 characters, but effective use of such screens requires a rethinking of display strategies. Scrolling, page turning, independent windows, synchronized scrolling, direct selec- tion, copy windows, overlapped windows, coordinated windows, etc. have been discussed but there is little empirical evi- dence about the efficacy of these strategies. A review of strategies will be presented. Screen size was tested in a Pascal program reading task with window sizes of 10, 22, 60, and 120 lines (J. Reisel). Larger window size proved to be advantageous, but there were some disadvantages with the larger sizes. In a second pro- ject, a hierarchical browser (high-level view, plus detailed second view) was built and tested for Pascal program reading (P. Shafer, R. Simon & L. Weldon). The results indicated an advantage in using the hierarchical browser. In a third study, a two screen environment on an IBM PC was tested against a single screen (L. Weldon). December 12 Room 413-414 LANGUAGES AND SOFTWARE TECHNIQUES FOR DESIGNING USER INTERFACES, OR WHAT IS A USER INTERFACE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? Robert J.K. Jacob, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 John L. Sibert, Dept. of EE & CS George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052 It is difficult to design anything without a technique that permits you to describe it before building it. However, user interfaces for computer systems are often designed in just this way. A formal specification technique for user interfaces would permit the designer to describe and study a variety of interfaces before building one. It can also pro- vide the basis for a User Interface Management System (UIMS). A UIMS is a software component that conducts interactions with the user and is separate from the program that performs the underlying application task. It is analogous to a Data Base Management System in that it isolates a function used by several applications and moves it to a shared subsystem. It removes the problem of programming the user interface from each individual application and application programmer and separates it into a module that can be designed by a user interface specialist. A successful UIMS requires a method or language for specifying user interfaces precisely, so that the interface designer can describe the desired user interface to the system in a convenient and natural way. Results of recent research at NRL and GWU on such specifica- tion methods and UIMS designs will be presented. Issues that arise with Direct Manipulation--both in the specifica- tion language and the end-user interfaces--will also be addressed.