3.304 centres, labs, checkers, laptops (165)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Mon, 31 Jul 89 20:12:51 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 304. Monday, 31 Jul 1989.
(1) Date: Sat, 29 Jul 89 10:24 EDT (26 lines)
From: "Tom Benson 814-238-5277" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: humanist computing centers
(2) Date: Sun, 30 Jul 89 09:02:27 EDT (38 lines)
From: "Eric Johnson DSU, Madison, SD 57042" <ERIC@SDNET.bitnet>
Subject: Ideal computing lab
(3) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 89 06:26:56 EDT (41 lines)
From: "Eric Johnson DSU, Madison, SD 57042" <ERIC@SDNET.bitnet>
Subject: Grammar checkers
(4) Date: Mon, 31 JUL 89 15:06:15 BST (30 lines)
From: SUSAN@VAX.OXFORD.AC.UK
Subject: Microcomputers in the Bodleian
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 29 Jul 89 10:24 EDT
From: "Tom Benson 814-238-5277" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: humanist computing centers
My strong recommendation for anyone starting a Humanist Computing
Center on any campus is to avoid, if possible, getting involved in
the setting up, staffing, and supervision of large public-access
labs--if it is possible to get the campus's main computer center to
do this part of the job instead. This frees the Humanities Computing
staff to deal primarily with training, consulting, and related
activities, instead of security, supervision, endless begging for
equipment, and so on. Of course, this is easier on a campus
with a good university-wide computing center.
Further, I'd urge looking ahead beyond the lab concept to the point
when each student and faculty member will have a micro on his/her
desk. This is partly a productivity issue (it is hard to write in
public) and partly an equity issue (on a large campus like mine
[Penn State], which is richly equipped with satellite micro labs
having mainframe connections, open long hours, my women students
do not have the same access to these facilities as men, since we
live in a society that is dangerous to women walking alone across
even this bucolic campus late at night).
Tom Benson
Penn State
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------45----
Date: Sun, 30 Jul 89 09:02:27 EDT
From: "Eric Johnson DSU, Madison, SD 57042" <ERIC@SDNET.bitnet>
Subject: Ideal computing lab
In the discussion of the ideal humanities computing lab, I think
multi-tasking should be considered.
Scholars who work without computers tend to gather a series of
books, articles, notes, and writing materials together, and they
read from one while they make notes and consult another. Computerized
scholarship should allow a similar process.
Macintosh's MultiFinder allows users to load as many applications
as will fit into memory (up to 16 meg, and the new operating system
will allow swapping to hard disk). The user can always switch among
the applications, but whether several application will run
simultaneously depends on the applications: MultiFinder cannot force
an application to give time to another application; they must be
written in such a way as to give time to another.
A number of products allow IBM microcomputers to do multi-
tasking: DESQview, Microsoft Windows, VM/386, and OS/2. Software
Carousel will run only one program at a time, but it allows the
user to switch among the loaded programs with a minimum of
conflicts.
As an example, a literary scholar ought to be able to use
multi-tasking in the following way. One or more programs for
literary analysis can be loaded and run to produce data about
on-line texts. One copy of a word processor is loaded to take
notes, another copy of a word processor is loaded to write the
draft of the research. The output of the programs for literary
analysis can be inspected on the screen and parts moved to the
notes or to the draft. When the draft nears final form, a spelling
checker and a grammar and style checker can be run. All of these
programs should be available to the scholar at the same time with
no more trouble than stacking one open book on top of another.
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------49----
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 89 06:26:56 EDT
From: "Eric Johnson DSU, Madison, SD 57042" <ERIC@SDNET.bitnet>
Subject: Grammar checkers
The answer to EVENS' question about whether a grammar checker would
recognize 't Hooft as a name is that it depends how the program's
code is written.
A grammar and style checker (and other programs -- such as
concordances -- that identify each word of a text) must be coded
to span strings of specified characters and to disregard others.
Most often, a word is considered any string of letters (upper or
lower case), numbers, the apostrophe, and hyphen. Space, punctuation
marks, and special characters are discarded. Now, after raw words
are identified in this way, there may be a series of tests to
determine whether the word contains characters that still need to
be discarded (for example, a dash written as two hyphens not spaced
from the words on either side). In addition there may be tests to
determine whether what has been identified as two words should be
considered one word.
StrongWriter, the grammar and style checker I wrote, would
consider 't Hooft two words, but would not give an error message
about the 't.
Although I am sure EVENS did not intend to offer this problem
as a trick question, there is a tendency among some English teachers
to play the game of Stump the Grammar Checker. The idea is that
if a construction can be invented to trick the grammar checker into
giving an incorrect message, then the checker can be regarded as
worthless, and we can conclude that computers should only be used
for word processing (typing).
The value of grammar and style checkers is that they identify
howlers in student writing and offer suggestions for revision;
students' attention is turned back to their writing. Teachers
can spend more time on more sophisticated matters of effective
rhetoric.
-- Eric Johnson ERIC@SDNET
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------33----
Date: Mon, 31 JUL 89 15:06:15 BST
From: SUSAN@VAX.OXFORD.AC.UK
Subject: Microcomputers in the Bodleian
HUMANISTs may be interested in the following note which appeared in
the Oxford University Gazette, 27 July 1989.
Please direct any requests for clarification to the Bodleian, not to
me.
Susan Hockey
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use of hand-held photocopiers and readers' mains-operated microcomputers
The Curators of the Bodleian Library intend to bring the following
regulation into effect after fifteen days from the date of appearance
of this notice in the University Gazette:
(a) Hand-held photocopiers may not be used in any part of the Library.
(b) In certain circumstances, reading-room superintendents may give
permission for battery-operated microcomputers to be used in reading
rooms, though their use may be confined to certain areas. Readers'
mains-operated microcomputers, or other similar equipment, may not be
used in any reading room, though permission for their use in areas other
than reading rooms may be granted by Bodley's Librarian. Permission for
use of any reader's microcomputer may be withdrawn at the discretion of
Bodley's Librarian or the relevant reading-room superintendent.