Design of an Internet‐based system for remote Dutch auctionsTodd E. Rockoff; Michael Groves
1995 Internet Research
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000006756
Outlines the principle of the Dutch auction, whereby the price begins at a high level and decreases by steps until a bid is made. Describes an integrated hardware and software system which uses Internet communications to enable remotely created bidders to participate in real‐time Dutch auctions and which meets the stringent requirement that synchrony be maintained among bidders’ terminals to ensure that each bidder has a fair chance to bid at the current offer price. Defines the principal functions of the system and characterizes its available resources. Illustrates implementation using a prototype design. Pays particular attention to bidder terminal synchronization, bidder authentication, and auction client security. Includes the possibility of a system variant using ISDN interconnect and PC‐based bidders’ terminals.
ALIBI: a novel approach to resource discoveryDavid Flater; Yelena Yesha
1995 Internet Research
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000006757
Provides a new answer to the resource discovery problem, which arises because although the Internet makes it possible for users to retrieve enormous amounts of information, it provides insufficient support for locating the specific information that is needed. ALIBI (Adaptive Location of Internetworked Bases of Information) is a new tool that succeeds in locating information without the use of centralized resource catalogs, navigation, or costly searching. Its powerful query‐based interface eliminates the need for the user to connect to one network site after another to find information or to wrestle with overloaded centralized catalogs and archives. This functionality was made possible by an assortment of significant new algorithms and techniques, including classification‐based query routing, fully distributed cooperative caching, and a query language that combines the practicality of Boolean logic with the expressive power of text retrieval. The resulting information system is capable of providing fully automatic resource discovery and retrieval access to a limitless variety of information bases.
Design and implementation of a campus computer ethics policyMichael A. Covington
1995 Internet Research
doi: 10.1108/EUM0000000006758
As the set of people using computers becomes larger and less cohesive, it is becoming important to educate users about their ethical responsibilities. Design of an effective campus computer ethics policy requires awareness of numerous cultural, technical and legal issues. Especially important are the cultural splits between power users and utilitarian users, and between “old world” and “new world” philosophies of computer ethics. Discusses those issues and presents the University of Georgia’s ethics policy as a model to aid those developing similar policies at other institutions.