Extract from WINE Lab Proposal

The Webware, Interfaces And Networking Experimental Laboratory

Principal Investigators:
Craig E. Wills, David Finkel, George Heineman, Robert E. Kinicki and Matthew O. Ward;
Associated Faculty: David C. Brown.

The objective of this project is to change the way in which the topics of computer networks, user interfaces and webware are viewed and taught. Students not only need to understand the important concepts in each domain, but they also need to better understand the effects of the interaction between the domains. Sophisticated user interfaces are contributing network traffic that is more varied in its type, amount and quality of service needs. With computer networks potentially separating the user, interface and underlying application, the design of user interfaces must take into account network delays as well as interfaces to special-purpose devices only available over the network. The development of webware technology naturally occurs at the interaction between user interfaces and computer networks.

The approach taken in this proposal is to develop a single laboratory for Computer Networks, Human-Computer Interaction and Webware courses. The working name for this lab is the Webware, Interfaces and Networking Experimental Laboratory, or the WINE Lab for short. It will be used by students enrolled in each of the three courses and by students choosing to use its facilities for their senior projects. It is estimated that 200-250 students each year will make use of this lab.

Summary of Proposed Equipment

15 Pentium-based PCs with audio and video, CD/ROM, hard disk, 17'' monitor, color QuickCam Digital Camera. Running Windows NT Workstation.

Each PC equipped with Visual C++/Visual Basic, Adobe Photoshop, Pagemaker, Illustrator and Pagemill Software Package.

1 PC File/Web server with 3.8 GB of disk space. Running Windows NT Server.

1 SGI O2 workstation, 64MB, 2GB system disk, 17'' monitor. Running IRIX. SGI ProDev C++ Bundle for C++ Development on IRIX 6.3 ProDev Workshop, MIPSpro7 IDO C++, Inventor, RapidApp

DEC Network Router, Network management software, HP Openview

plus ... Printers, scanner, tablet, touch panel, 3D input, stereo glasses, speech I/O.

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Last modified: Sep 27, 2006, 16:06 EDT