Conference 7.286::digital

3714.0. "World Wide Web: Multi-Media Web Page Creation" by RUSSEL::DOTY (Russ Doty, Education/Research) Fri Feb 24 1995 11:27

             World Wide Web: Multi-Media Web Page Creation

Russell Doty, RUSSEL::DOTY, dtn:244-7739
Jeannine Crockford, AKOCOA::CROCKFORD, dtn:244-7724

We have developed a technology demonstrator that performs interactive
creation of multi-media (formatted text, photographs and sound) of Web
pages and automatic updating of a server to point to these new pages.
This system has been used at seven customer events, and has been
enthusiastically received -- to the point that we have actually had
customers complaining about not being able to get into the Digital
booth at a conference!

The demonstration allows people to easily create their own personal
home pages, complete with their pictures and a spoken message, and
place their home pages on the World Wide Web.  It uses standard
hardware and software.

Why we did it:

The Internet has (obviously) been receiving tremendous publicity.  The
vast majority of this publicity has focused on USING the Internet --
using it to access information, to "cybersurf" and to learn.  However,
much of the publicity overlooks the small detail that this information
has to come from SOMEWHERE!

While people are tremendously excited about the capabilities of the
World Wide Web -- the structured information, the graphics, the sound
and video -- they don't know where to start to become information
providers.  Our target markets, the Education and Research markets,
are in the information business.  Today they provide information
through traditional channels.  Many educators are pioneers in using
the Internet, but many more need help to get started.

We wanted an easy to use way to show them how to become information
providers, something with enough excitement to get their attention.

We also wanted something new and different -- something to position
Digital as the company to call for Internet help!

What we did:

We created a multi-level Internet environment.  The first level was
Internet access.  We had a collection of 10 systems -- PC's,
AlphaStations running OSF/1, AlphaStations running Windows/NT, even a
color notebook, all running Mosaic, all networked together, all on the
Internet -- and all available for hands on use.  We encouraged people
to "grab the mouse and go!"  The top level home page on these systems
was customized for each event and had instructions and references to a
collection of interesting home pages (specifically including the
Digital corporate pages!).  The Digital people in the booth would help
if needed, and engaged in continuous low-key selling, but people were
basically on their own.

The next level was to give them the opportunity to create their own
personal home page.  One of the references on the Digital event home
page launched a Web page creation program.  This program presented a
single page form which asked for simple information: name, title,
school or company, address, etc., and provided an option for free form
comments.  It also asked for some marketing information -- what are
they going to buy, when are they going to buy it and how much money do
they have!  (Needless to say, this information isn't put up on the
Web.  It is carefully saved away in a leads file!)

After they complete the form, they are directed to the "console"
system, which has a video camera attached.  At the console system, a
picture is taken (using a video camera and a frame grabber) and a
spoken message is recorded.  Then, the information that they entered
onto the form, the picture, and the spoken message are integrated and
formatted, moved over to a WWW server, and a page on the WWW server
updated to point to the new information.  The WWW server is physically
located in the booth, on an AlphaServer running OSF/1.

Someone can go through this process in just a few minutes, and see the
results immediately.  A common reaction is for them to go get their
friends and collegues to show them the Web page and to get them to
create their own page.  Some of the results are up on Digital's
corporate Web server -- check "Reading Rooms", "Education Reading
Room" and look for "Events and Conferences."  Or, you can go directly
to:
	
	http://www.digital.com/info/edu/educom/eduweb.htm
	http://www.digital.com/info/edu/licc/eduweb.htm

Throughout this process, we continue to sell (still in a low key way).
We work to leave the message that Digital understands their needs and
can provide the systems, tools and help to get THEIR information onto
the WWW.

The third level is aimed at the "techies" and system people.  After
talking about the Internet from an information perspective, we talk
about the guts of the internet -- "pipes and plumbing," if you will.
This is where we go into the pieces necessary to support the things
they have seen.  We emphasize servers, networking, and software.  We
typically have an AlphaServer 2100, and we explain why this is a
superb Internet server.  We showcase networking components, often
including a complete display of a DEChub, and discuss LAN, WAN and
ChannelWorks.  We also present security and Digital's Firewall
capabilities.  We have all of the pieces we need to "show and tell"
the Digital story in a very product focused manner.

This approach has been quite effective.  It has something for
everyone, it invites people into the booth, it is non-intimidating,
and it opens the door for selling-oriented conversations at several
levels.  It also builds excitement!  We have had many people come into
the booth, start out with some Web surfing, take us up on the
invitation to create their own Web page, and end up discussing their
computing needs in detail.

The Results:

Customer reaction has been quite enthusiastic.  Common comments have
been:

	"I had no idea it could be this easy!"

	"How can I get my picture?"

	"This is exactly what I need for my project."

	"How can I get this?"  (Note: for the hardware and software
        products we have an easy answer.  I don't have a good answer
        for the Web page creation software, as it is a prototype.)

	"A 2100 is how much?!?"

	"Thank you for a chance to use the system.  We are getting
	Internet (or WWW) access and now I know what it can do and
	what I need."

	"I want more information on <fill in the blank>"

	"Please have a sales person call me."

	"Is Digital still going to be around in three years?"
	(I hate this question.)

We have actually had fun with this system, and have had enjoyable and
productive interaction with customers.  There is business out there to
be had!

****************************************************************

Kit availability and system requirements:

The kit for the Multi-Media World Wide Web Interactive Home Page
creation system is now available!

It can be copied from RUSSEL::DKA300:[PUBLIC]MMWEB20.ZIP.  To
install the software, create a directory called MMWEB, unzip the
kit into this directory, and read the README.WRI. Please note
that these kits are for internal use only -- feel free to show
them, but don't distribute the software outside of Digital.

Let me know what you think!

        Russell Doty
        RUSSEL::DOTY
        dtn: 244-7739


SYSTEM OVERVIEW:

The system is pretty straightforward:

You need a server, a console, and an arbitrary number of customer
access systems (we typically have 8-10 customer access systems).

As a side note, the entire demonstration package can be run on 
single stand-alone PC -- while the application is fully
distributed, it can be distributed across a single system.......


Server:  Any system supporting network disk services and an http
server.  We've been using either a Sable or a Jensen running
OSF/1, running Pathworks and an http server.

Customer Access System: a PC running Mosaic, the custom Customer
Input software, and networking (we use Pathworks 5.1 TCP/IP)

Console: A PC:

	486/66 or faster, at least 12MB memory, at least 170M
        disk.  MS/DOS and Windows 3.1 (we usually have 24M
        memory and around 500MB disk)

	Networking: network card and TCP/IP (we use Pathworks 5.1)

	Video Capture: a Video Blaster FS200 video
        capture/playback card and related software (roughly
        $300).  Other capture cards can also be used.

	A video camera (we usually use a camcorder -- they have
        autofocus and autoexposure).

	A sound card: we have use SoundBlaster, ProAudio Spectrum
        and Microsoft Sound System.  They all work fine.

	Software: Mosaic (WWW viewer and used to launch
        applications) and LView.  Also use Image Alchemy for
        format conversions, and a user-defined html editor for
        advanced input (both HTMLed and HYPED can be used)

	Custom Software: Forms based software to capture user
        input, format it, and upload it to the console.  Console
        system to take customer input, control the video capture
        and graphics output, capture voice annotation, integrate
        and format text, graphics and audio data, upload all
        information to the http server and update a Web page on
        the server to point to the new page.  A rolling demo
        package that cycles through the customer created Web
        pages and displays the person's picture, key information
        (name, title, and school or company), and plays back the
        voice recording.  This use usually used as a "teaser" to
        attract attention.

	In addition, we have a set of home pages that provide
        background, instructions, and marketing messages.  These
        pages are usually customized for each customer event.

This custom software uses a collection of software tools for the
various phases.  The runtimes of all tools are royalty free, so
we can distribute them.  The MCI programming interfaces are used
to control audio and video.  Several shareware or publically
available tools can be used.  These include Image Alchemy (HIGHLY
recommended for producing good GIF images), HTML editors such as
Hyped or HTMLed, Web browsers such as Mosaic or Netscape, and
viewers such as LView.

The entire system has proven extremely easy to use -- our
experience is that just about everyone can successfully use and
demonstrate it after a single 5-10 minute run through.  (I had
several rather vocal people help simplify it.....)

    The resultant pages from an internal "conference" that Russ held a few
    weeks back to show Digits his tool can be found at
    
    	http://www-iu.mro.dec.com/ibgmmweb/eduweb.htm
    
    As noted in .0 the creation process was simple, and demonstrates the
    ease of creating Web-based pages.
    
    /Tim

    
    Will it be at DECUS in May?

    I ran the IBG booth at DECUS-Anaheim and Russ's demo was great.  
    
    Wonder how this actually works as a crowd-pleaser?  Check out
    
                             http://www.rs.ch/
    
    which, until a couple of weeks ago, was the Home Page of Radio Suisse
    in Bern, CH.  (They've since been acquired by Knight-Ridder).  Their
    head webmonger, Martin Winter, visited the IBG booth.  He "sat" for his
    portrait & sound-clip and filled in the general data that were all
    synthesized by Doty's demo into a web-page that lived on the IBG Booth
    WebServer which was on the public Internet for the duration of the
    show. He was so taken with the notion that he went back to his portable
    in his hotel room and FTPed his .GIF and .WAV file from our booth's
    public web area back to his own home base...  and into his own home
    page -- which is accessible from the Radio Suisse home page, or
    directly at URL:
    
                  http://www.rs.ch/www/winter/mwinter.html
    
    That's an early demo of how involving it is for folks to have the
    ability to SEE THEMSELVES on the Internet, and of the marketing
    potential of what Russ has done.  And he & Jeannine Crockford (-:his
    partner in Marketing Crime:-) have worked up several more creative
    ideas for followup.
    
    Did Russ & Jeannine say that their demo automagically collects prospect
    infomration directly from the prospects?  And that some of them
    actually type in what their needs AND BUDGET$ are?  :-)
    
    I'm assuming (not being on the IBG DECUS team) that this system will be
    a standard part of our demos, as it evolves under Russ's expert
    tutelage into something completely different.  Next stop may be short
    video clips, or a more generalizable toolkit for ISVs to sell... 
    Kudos!
    

Got this in the mail (through a Mac dist. list).

Metrowerks likes Sun's Java Language and Hot Java Browser.

METROWERKS COLLABORATES WITH SUN MICROSYSTEMS TO PROVIDE JAVA PROGRAMMING 
TOOLS IN CODEWARRIOR PRODUCT FOR MACINTOSH

Press Contacts: Brooke Cohan Stirling and Cohan 415-513-0973 
[email protected]

Jean Belanger Metrowerks, Inc. 512-305-0409 [email protected]

Apple's Macintosh Gets Internet Boost: Metrowerks to Ship Support for 
Java Language and Hot Java Browser in Market-Leading CodeWarrior 
Development Products

AUSTIN, TX -- November 10, 1995 --  Metrowerks, Inc.(TSE, ME: MWK), the 
leading provider of Macintosh development tools, today announced that it 
will provide a suite of JavaTM development tools, code-named Wired, for 
the Macintosh platform.  In addition, Metrowerks announced it intends to 
ship the first developer release of the Java tool suite in May, 1996.

The combination of Java, CodeWarrior and the Apple Macintosh makes for a 
powerful Internet development solution.   Sun's Java allows Internet 
sites to fully incorporate motion and sound, real-time information 
updates, and user customization and feedback.   Apple's Macintosh family 
of personal computers is heralded as the multimedia development platform 
of choice, with Dataquest estimating 63% of multimedia content is 
developed on the Macintosh. Metrowerks' CodeWarrior product line is the 
market-leading development environment for Macintosh, and is widely 
credited as a key factor in enabling hundreds of Macintosh developers to 
make a quick and easy transition to the RISC-based Power Macintosh line.

Winning Proposition For Macintosh Developers

"Sun is delighted that Metrowerks, the leading provider of professional 
programming tools  for the Macintosh operating system, is creating tools 
for Java," said Eric Schmidt, chief technical officer at Sun 
Microsystems, Inc.  " Metrowerks will help round out the Java suite for 
cross-platform Internet development."

"The Macintosh is the ideal platform for developers and users to launch 
into the exciting and media-rich new frontier of the Worldwide Web," said 
Greg Galanos, president and CEO, Metrowerks.  "Our proven experience with 
Macintosh development and our clear vision for next generation computing 
make Metrowerks the right company to bring the power of Java to the 
Macintosh."

"With the graphics and multimedia dominance Apple's Macintosh enjoys, and 
the growing presence of Macintosh systems on the Internet, it is no 
surprise that Internet development on the Macintosh is ripe with 
possibilities," said David Nagel, Apple senior vice president of 
worldwide research and development. "Metrowerks' CodeWarrior 9 release, 
expected in May, 1996, with Sun's Java technology, will offer Macintosh 
developers even more tools and a rich environment to build leading-edge, 
graphically rich Internet applications."

Java Applets on Macintosh

Using Java, which is syntactically similar to C++, developers can write 
custom mini-applications called applets.  When integrated into the 
Internet's Web pages, applets can enable expert graphics rendering and 
real-time interaction with users, live information updating, and instant 
interaction with servers on the Internet.  Applets are downloadable from 
any server and run safely on any platform.

Metrowerks will provide full Java support in its Mac-hosted CodeWarrior 
products.  The company anticipates that the first developer release of 
Java for the Macintosh will be ready for CodeWarrior 9, which is expected 
to be available at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Jose, 
California in May 1996.

Company Information

Founded in 1985, Metrowerks develops, markets and supports a complete 
line of Macintosh-hosted computer language products for building Mac OS, 
Win95, WinNT, Magic Cap and BeBox applications.  Metrowerks CodeWarrior 
software products have quickly become the industry standard for 
professional Mac-hosted development tools with over 28,000 registered 
users in 60 countries. Additional information on Metrowerks is available 
on the Internet at http://www.metrowerks.com, by sending email to 
[email protected], or by calling (512) 305-0400.

With annual revenues of $6 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc., provides 
solutions that enable customers to build and maintain open network 
computing environments.  Widely recognized as a proponent of open 
standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of 
products, technologies and services for commercial and technical 
computing.  Sun's SPARC workstations, multiprocessing servers, SPARC 
microprocessors, Solaris operating software and ISO-certified service 
organization each rank No. 1 in the UNIX industry.  Founded in 1982, Sun 
is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and employs more than 14,000 
people worldwide.  -30-

For more information on Metrowerks and Java see the Java area on 
Metrowerks Worldwide at URL:

http://www.metrowerks.com/products/announce/java.html

_______________________________________________________ 
Travis Weller               WebMaster, Metrowerks, Inc. 
[email protected]     http://www.metrowerks.com/



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