Like A Great City
The Internet resembles a huge city. It is vast, teeming,
complex, and bewildering to the newcomer. Some excellent
professional resources are hidden in its confusion of
interconnections, host computers, and access methods. The
problem is how to find them. Here are some suggestions:
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Talk with colleagues about which network services are
working well for them.
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Check the publications of your professional societies for
lists of the services they offer.
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Watch for training opportunities. C&C offers several
classes on understanding and using the Internet. Many
professional conferences include lectures that review
relevant network resources.
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Set aside time to explore network resources. A good place
to begin is with UWIN.
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Read one of the several guides to the Internet.
Just about anything is available via the Internet. However,
the resources that might help you in your academic or
research work include:
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Collections of online literature, including recent papers
on professional topics.
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Active discussion groups focused on specific topics.
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Information about grants, new research directions or
projects, and position papers.
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Collections of data.
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Collections of algorithms such as C and Fortran programs or
SAS modules useful for a particular discipline.
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News focused on specific disciplines or industries.
Many of these resources are operated by professional
societies, which manage them to maintain high standards of
quality and usefulness.
University of Washington Computing & Communications
Windows on Computing, No. 13, May 1993
newsltr@cac.washington.edu