CAUSE95 Pre-Conference Seminar
New Orleans
NERCOMP Pre-Conference Seminar
Sturbridge, MA
Glossary
Useful References
Examples:
Commerce on the Web
Examples: Routine
Campus Business on the Web
Browser
Alternatives
Server
Alternatives
Web tools are effectively being employed to produce client-server applications that are simultaneously GUI and character-based, and that cross all client-platforms. Web applications can be quickly and easily crafted to interact with existing systems providing powerful, new functionality. Web tools are particularly suited to customer outreach efforts, delivering direct services to students, faculty and staff, and to new classes of application including hyper-reporting, mixed media, electronic forms and kiosk services.
Glossary
Applet: A small, program component delivered across "just-
in-time" for execution on client.
Authentication: Certifying identity, "you are who you say you are".
Authorization: Granting service based on identification.
Browser: A general-purpose client for the World-Wide Web.
Certificate: A digital signature containing company name, locality, country, public key, validity date... as verified by a Certifying Authority. Use to certify that "you have connected to the official University of Delaware server, as certified by Verisign Certificate Authority.
Confidentiality: Maintaining secrecy.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface): A programmatic interface between external programs and a Web server. CGI scripts often written in PERL, C or Applescript. CGI's are commonly used to process Web forms, Image Maps and to provide gateways to corporate databases.
Encryption: The encoding of data to ensure privacy.
Firewall: A firewall is a router, server, or hardward/software combination that filters network traffic to protect a network from unauthorized access.
Gateway: A system that transfers data between incompatible applications or networks.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): A text-formatting language consisting of tags that describe the display of Web documents.
HTTP (Hyptertext Transport Protocol): The communications protocol used between Web servers and Web clients.
Intranet: An internal, institutional network using IP protocol and Internet tools... a "private Internet".
IP Spoofing: Impersonation of a system by using its IP address.
MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions): An Internet standard for sending and receiving multimedia electronic mail.
PPP (Point-to-point Protocol): A TCP/IP protocol used to provide serial line connection to the Internet across standard phone lines.
Proxy: A program or system that acts on behalf of a user.
S-HTTP (Secure HyperText Transport Protocol): An HTTP extension that provides communication and transaction security between Web servers and Web clients.
SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol): A protocol that allows serial line connection to the Internet across standard phone lines.
Sniffing: Using a promiscuous network adapter, router or server to capture packets being transmitted across a network.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer): A transport protocol introduced by Netscape Communications to protect the communications channel between Web server and client from eavesdropping.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): A suite of protocols that govern the transmission of data on the Internet and on local IP intranets.
Trojan Horse: A program or system with benign appearance and malicious intent.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator): An address that specifies the location of a Web document.
Useful References
"Netscape's Andreessen surfs into computings next wave", an
interview with Netscape co-founder Mark Andreessen presents a
clear and concise vision of a new model for client-server
computing. PC Week, September 25, 1995.
At:
http://www.zdnet.com/~pcweek/
... use "search" to access PC Week archives.
"The Coming Software Shift" by George Gilder. A clear vision of what might be our networked future. At: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~gaj1/ggindex.html
"Extending The Web" by David L. Wilson. Chronicle of Higher Education, August 11, 1995.
"A Beginners Guide to HTML" by NCSA. A great tutorial and first course in HTML. At: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/demoweb/html-primer.html
"Carlos' Forms Tutorial" is a fun, effective HTML forms tutorial. At: http://robot0.ge.uiuc.edu/~carlosp/cs317/cft.html
"An Instantaneous Introduction to CGI Scripts and HTML Forms" is another useful tutorial. At: http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/info/forms/forms-intro.html
"PC WEEK online" provides daily news and product reviews from the editors of PC WEEK news weekly. Lots of timely Web coverage. At: http://www.ziff.com/~pcweek/
"PC WORLD online" contains articles and editorial from PC WORLD magazine. Good coverage of emerging Web issues. At: http://www.pcworld.com/
"EDUPAGE" is an electronic newsletter providing concise summaries of technology issues related to the higher-education mission. A timely source of breaking news. To subscribe send a message to listproc@educom.unc.edu in the body of the message enter: subscribe edupage Jen Smith (replacing Jen Smith with your own name).
"Explore user authentication on the Web" by Jeffrey Frentzen, PCWeek Navigator. Links to information about the many user- authentication schemes available on the Web. At: http://www.zdnet.com/~pcweek/navigator/0619/nav0619.html
"The mystery of Common Gateway Interface" by Jeffrey Frentzen, PCWeek Navigator. Use CGIs to open your Web server to external programs and databases. Use this Web site to find links to many CGI tutorials and documents. At: http://www.zdnet.com/~pcweek/navigator/nav_0522.html
"Computer Users Weigh the Promise and Potential Pitfalls of Java" by David L. Wilson in the Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6, 1995.
"Building Apps with Navigator", Info Week, November 6, 1995. At: http://techweb.cmp.com/techweb/iw/current/ ... to find this and other "Intranet" coverage search Info Week's back issues online.
"Java Online Bibliography" is a valuable collection of hyperlinked magazine articles and papers about the Java language. At: http://www.rpi.edu/~decemj/works/java/bib.html
"HotJava", Sun Microsystem's Java site. Download Java software and access Java demonstrations. At: http://www.javasoft.com/
Security--SSL: Secure Sockets Layer from Netscape. See: http://home.netscape.com/info/netscape-security.html and http://www.shore.net/~sable/pub/netsec/ssl_info.htm
Security--SHTTP: Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol from Enterprise Integration Technologies. At: http://www.commerce.net/information/standards/
Security--SHEN: The World Wide Web organizations security efforts are documented at: http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Shen/ref/shen.html
Security--DCE: OSF's DCE standards for interoperability applied to the Web. At: http://www.osf.org/dce/
Security--General: A good starting point for more information on Web security efforts. At: http://www-ns.rutgers.edu/www-security/reference.html
Security--General: The World-Wide Web Organization's security reference list. http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW/Security/
"Information About UD TCP/IP Interfaces". Sample source code available to builders of application-to-http gateways. At: http://www.mis.udel.edu/tcpintro.html
"Internet Tools Access Administrative Data" at http://www.udel.edu/ud/cause95.html
Examples: Commerce on the Web
Federal Express: Check the status of your FedEx shipments, 24
hours a day, anywhere in the world. Free, simple, easy-to-use
front-end to incredibly massive FedEx tracking system. Can your
users track a purchase order so easily?
At: http://www.fedex.com/
Career Mosaic: Get a job! An on-line career placement service. A model of interest to your Career Planning Office? At: http://www.careermosaic.com/
800-Flowers: Order flowers on the Internet? Cast your credit card to the Internet? Not for flowers! An early example of Internet retail. Who thought QVC would be such a success. At: http://www.800flowers.com/
Security First Network Bank, FSB: The nations first Internet- based bank. Write electronic checks, make deposits, pay bills on-line... on the bosses time! Leaders in application of emerging Web security methods. At: http://www.sfnb.com/
Macmillan Computer Publishing: The Internet Superlibrary. At: http://www.mcp.com/
Holiday Inns Worldwide: Lonely people... Holiday Inn. In the "Top 5% Web" awards with a "soft look" for general audience. At: http://www.holiday-inn.com/
San Jose Mercury News: Local San Jose news mixed with interesting coverage of technology issues. At: http://www.sjmercury.com/
NECX Direct: On-line technology superstore. Order a mouse or a server... on-line. At: http://necxdirect.necx.com/
"Interesting Electronic Commerce Pages". At: http://abh.cit.cornell.edu/ecom.html
Examples: Routine Campus Business on the
Web
Browser Alternatives
Browsers Supporting SSL
A list of browsers supporting SSL encryption protocol. At:
http://www.amrcorp.com/aa_home/ssl_capable.htm
Netscape Navigator by Netscape Communications
Market leader with nearly 80% share. Can't beat the price...
free to faculty, students and staff. Ask for permission to
distribute freely on your campus. $40 for others at retailers.
At: http://home.netscape.com/
Netscape Navigator Gold by Netscape Communications
Internet word processing built into Netscape Navigator 2.0
allowing WYSIWYG development of Web media.
At: http://home.netscape.com/
Internet Explorer by Microsoft
Catching up with Netscape. A powerful, free browser from
Microsoft... for Windows and Mac!
At: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie.html
Oracle Web Browser by Oracle Corp.
A special-purpose Web client supporting a scripting language and
database support for client-server application development on the
Web. Check out Oracle licensing for academic use. At
http://www.oracle.com/
NCSA Mosaic by National Center for Supercomputing
The original! Mosaic lit the Internet fire. The price is
right...free to all, download from the Internet. At:
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/help-ab
out.html
Explorer for MacIntosh
Microsoft has released a beta test version of Microsoft's Internet
Explorer for the Macintosh:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/mac/macdl.htm
OSF Web by Open Software Foundation
NCSA Mosaic modified to support DCE specifications. A "must see"
for DCE institutions. At:
http://www.osf.org/
Emissary by Wollongong
Clever mapping of Web resources as extension of your hard drive.
Incorporates E-mail client and built-in viewers. $99. At:
http://www.twg.com/
Super Highway Access Browser by Frontier Technologies
$15-$500 depending on product. At:
http://www.frontiertech.com/
Enhanced Mosaic by Sypglass
Variable pricing. At:
http://spyglass.com/
Mosaic In A Box by CompuServe
Developed by Spry, marketed by CompuServe. Windows 95 version at
$10. At:
http://www.spry.com/
Quarterdeck Mosaic by Quarterdeck
Windows browser for $30 at your friendly retailer. Includes FTP,
newsreader and mailer. At:
http://www.qdeck.com/
Server Alternatives
Commerce Server by Netscape Communications
Popular, industrial-strength server for Unix and NT platforms.
Supports SSL security. Free to students, faculty and staff of
education institutions. At:
http://www.netscape.com/
Internet Server by Apple
Great alternative to Commerce Server for Apple sites.
Inexpensive hardware/softaware bundle direct from Apple includes
WebStar HTTP software. WebStar software by Starnine supports SSL
security. Installation and administration as easy as running any
MacOS program. At
http://www.apple.com/ and see
MacWeek 9/11/95, page 39 for review ...and
http://www.zdnet.com/~macweek/mw_050895/gw2.html
WebServer by Oracle
To challenge Netscape as platform for development of Web
applications accessing corporate data. Part of Oracle 7 RDBMS is
an HTTP server with access to Common Object Request Broker
Architecture (COBRA) objects. Runs on Windows NT and Solaris
servers. Supports MPEG video delivery. Check out licensing for
academic use. At: http:/www.oracle.com and see "Oracle Launches
Web Products", Inter@ctive Week, 10/31/95 at
http://www.zdnet.com/~intweek/daily/951031c.html
Internet Connection Server by IBM
On AIX and OS/2 platforms, supporting SSL, SHTTP. Gateways to
DB2, CICS legacy applications. At:
http://www.ibm.com/
Internet Information Server by Microsoft
Close competition for Netscape Commerce Server. Supports SSL
encryption. Runs under Windows NT. At:
http://www.microsoft.com/infoserve
DCE Web Server by Gradient
Targets courporate developers to present users with a Web front end
for corporate data, accessed through DCE functions which include
Kerberos security, DES encryption, and directory services. At:
http://www.gradient.com
WebForce by Silicon Graphics
Secure WebServer. At
http://www.sgi.com/
Open Market
A secure Web server for commerce on SunOS, Solaris, DEC/OSF, HP-
UX, RS/6000 platforms supports SHTTP. At
http://www.openmarket.com/
Purveyor 1.0 by Process Software
A Windows NT server supporting both SSL and SHTTP.
WebSite by O'Reilly and Associates
For Windows95 and NT.
SafetyWeb by Spry
A secure Web server for SunOS, Solaris, HP-UX platforms. At:
http://www.spry.com/
Tools For the Web
LiveWire by Netscape
LiveWire is a Java-subset scripting language aimed at client-
server application development on the Web. LiveWire pricing is
announced at $500. At: See:
http://www.netscape.com//
LiveWire Pro by Netscape
LiveWire Pro includes gateways to SQL databases. LiveWire Pro
pricing is announced at under $1000 and will be bundled with the
Informix SE DBMS. See above.
Collabra and Netscape
Netscape has purchased Collabra, maker of the Share groupware
product, a Lotus Notes competitor. See above
Java by SunSoft Inc
Workshop for Java includes and interactive Web page editor with
Java applet support, the Java Development Environment and a Java
repository. Licensed to Netscape, Oracle and others. See:
http://www.javasoft.com/
SecureWeb by Terisa Systems
Terisa System SecureWeb Toolkit 2.0 is the first to support SSL
3.0.
At: http://www.terisa.com/new/pr/011696b.html
WebObjects by NeXT
WebObjects is a compelling and powerful object-oriented
development toolset that facilitates the creation of Web
applications. See:
http://www.next.com/
Autobahn by Speedware
A fourth-generation development tool for Web applications with
ability to access SQL databases. Single-user pricing announced
at $800. At:
http://www.speedware.com/
Elements Environment by Neuron Data
An integrated package of tools and object libraries that supports
Internet applications. At:
http://www.neurondata.com
Optima++ by Powersoft
A rapid application development tool that will let developers build
Internet applications in either C/C++ or Java. At:
http://www.powersoft.com
WebKix by Unikix
Provides WAeb access to CICS applications supporting 3270 terminal
interfaces. At:
http://www.bull.com/unikix
Electronic WorkForce by Edify
Development tools and intelligent agents provide front-end legacy
mainframe or client-server applications. Same tools can also be
used to create touch-tone, kiosk or Email front-ends.
http://www.edify.com/
Director by Macromedia
A plug-in for Internet browsers including parts of the multimedia
authoring system, Director. Enables multi-media development for
the Web. Building your own kiosk? At:
http://www.macromedia.com/
Acrobat by Adobe
A viewer or plug-in for Netscape for Acrobat PDF documents. At:
http://www.adobe.com/Acrobat/Plug-Ins/
Lotus Notes by IBM
IBM subsidiary Lotus Development announced the release of
InterNotes Web publisher, a gateway that provides Web access to
Notes databases and documents. At:
http://www.ibm.com/
DataRamp by Working Set, Inc.
Middleware designed to provide Internet access to corporate
relational databases.
WebScan by McAfee
The first product to block downloading of virus-tainted programs.
At:
http://www.mcafee.com/
Media Objects by Oracle
Interactive authoring tool for delivering multi-media
applications on the Web. Kiosk builders, take a look. At:
http://www.oracle.com/
PODIUM by University of Delaware
Internet-aware, multi-media authoring tool. For kiosk builders...
At: http://www.udel.edu/lynam/fth/podium.html
Internet Commerce Server for MVS by IBM
Allows secured partition of MVS to act as Web server. Also check
IBM Internet gateway for DB2 and CICS for opening legacy
applications.
At: http://www.ibm.com/
Connection by Open Horizon
Connection provides a single sign-on to the Web. A must see for
DCE institutions.
At:
http://www.openhorizon.com/
Livelink by Open Text
Lotus Notes or the Web? Livelink is groupware for the Web at:
http://www.opentext.com