Manchester Host
| Pages | 18-23 |
| Published date | 01 January 1992 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040468 |
| Date | 01 January 1992 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Manchester Host
As well as providing information
of direct
value
to
the community and
voluntary
sector,
the scope of
community information
is
widened by a number of
additional services such as electronic
mail,
desk
top
publishing,
gateways
to
other
databases,
etc.
The Manchester
Host
provides access to many
da-
tabases,
both
commercial and
non-commercial,
and facilitates cooperation between groups
around the
world
at a fraction
of
the
cost of
install-
ing
stand-alone systems
in
each
institution.
Ac-
cess
to
the Host is via PC and
modem.
Introduction
The Manchester Host project is run
by
a
worker's cooperative, Soft Solution
Limited, and grew out of a feasibility study
carried out by the Centre for Employment
Research at Manchester
Polytechnic.
In-
itial funding has been provided by Manches-
ter City Council through the Department of
the Environment's Urban Development
Programme. It is the first of
its
kind in the
UK but is unlikely to be the last as consider-
able interest has been generated amongst
groups in other regions of the country.
The aim is to make a wide range of on-line
services accessible to organisations and indi-
viduals for whom the cost of such services
would otherwise be prohibitive. Some of
the facilities provided are described below.
The requirements for gaining access are a
PC,
a modem, a telephone line, communica-
tions software and, of
course,
a subscription
to the service. Soft Solution will advise on
the choice of hardware and software if
needed.
Electronic Messaging
Once connected, electronic messages can
be sent to telex and fax machines, personal
computers and computer terminals and,
with a little human intervention, to tele-
phones and bleepers. The Host forms part
of the world-wide GeoMail network enab-
ling communications with over 40 countries.
Electronic Mail
Electronic mail (E-mail) messages may be
prepared prior to connection with the Host
in order to save on connect-time and hence
telephone call charges. Messages which
have been received may be printed out,
amended for reuse or forwarded to a third
party. The system may also be used for file
transfer.
The Host allows communication with other
electronic mail systems such as:
Telecom Gold
MCI Mail
The Source
AT&T
bitnet
Envoy
Telemail
Unison
Easylink
Arpanet
GreenNet
Association for Progressive Communi-
cations
The advantages of electronic mail over
other forms of communication are many.
Often cheaper than the postal service, it is a
very rapid form of communication and en-
ables the same document to be sent to any
number of mailboxes at no extra cost.
Who
uses
the
E-mail
facility?
Users of the system include the Chinese In-
formation Centre situated in Manchester's
Chinatown. Documents in Chinese script
18 -
VINE
86 (March 1992)
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