Describes new microcomputer software and hardware which simplify data communications between computer systems. "Dumb" terminal software, programs which enhance a computer's data communications flexibility by means of character translation and data buffering, stand-alone versus integrated systems, and "smart" modems are…

Discussion of factors which led Division of Library Automation, University of California, to configure its computing resources as they are now, notes distributed processing, centralized processing, machine architecture, selection of operating system, telecommunications software, software packages for online catalogs, and problems of overhead and…

Reviews the state of the art in online access and possible future directions it might take, with emphasis on prospects (technological, economic, policy, and political) for the availability and benefits of online access in developing countries. Information technology, telecommunications, and local versus remote facilities are highlighted. Three…

Reviews criteria for assessment of appropriate information technology, comparing characteristics of modern information technology developed and applied in industrialized developed societies with constraints for information utilization in developing countries. Options for information technology are suggested. Four references are provided. (EJS)

Discusses use of microcomputers with the hearing-impaired, focusing on use of Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf (TDD) with a TRS-80 microcomputer. A special modem which handles the TDD's five-level Baudot code and the computer's eight-level ASCII code is needed. (JN)

Discusses the evolution of the nationwide telecommunications network, including key technologies (transistors, communications satellites, and lasers), putting these technologies together, current and future services, and challenges for the future. (JN)

Discusses the design criteria of a study being conducted by the International Labor Office to determine potential uses of videotex at the UN and discusses approaches for locating publications via videotex, system publication categories, and existing information systems. (RBF)

Provides the results of experimentation with telephone conferencing systems. Notes that Ivy Tech charted 47 conferences involving 509 participants held via telephone during a 12-month period; that the 152 hours of conferencing saved 1,406 employee hours and 66,432 travel miles. (MP)

Compares the influence of television news on the reactions of 100 Blacks in both Georgia and Iowa to the Atlanta slayings. People surveyed were examined for their reactions to live coverage, newsmaker interviews, wire service reports, and news writers and researchers. Eight references are listed. (MER)

Described is The Source, a telecomputing network that gives the user access to thousands of programs and data bases, and the ability to communicate electronically with other users interactively and through electronic mail. It also provides access to the United Press International (UPI) wire service through the use of key words. (KC)

Discusses underlying assumptions and prerequisites for information development in Arab countries. Administrative and environmental impediments which hinder the optimum utilization of available resources and suggestions for improvements are outlined. A brief bibliography is provided. (Author/RAA)

Because its problems are unique, each telecommunication center requires innovative hardware that cannot be developed, mass-produced, and sold in quantity, such as the hardware used in the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System. (CMV)

Examines United States policy on international information/communications issues and transborder data flow. Discusses policies in France, Canada, and Sweden. (PD)

Discusses the United States position on transborder data flow. Offers suggestions with respect to (1) approaching developing countries, (2) confronting U.S. concern with Europe, Canada, and Japan, and (3) recommendations for international agreements on related telecommunication issues. (PD)

A network of regional computer processing sites will establish a path for small school districts to access the facilities at a larger computer site. Networking between sites greatly enhances a user's--and consequently his local district's--computing resources. (Author/MLF)