FW: [WEB4LIB] Z39.50

[Gimon, Charles A]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gimon, Charles A 
> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 9:07 AM
> To: 'web4lib at webjunction.org'
> Subject: FW: [WEB4LIB] Z39.50
> 
> 
> From a librarian's end-user perspective, Z39.50 is just as 
> well-known as it always has been.
> 
> From a programmer's perspective, Z39.50 is an obscure, 
> outmoded, cranky old protocol that should have died off years 
> ago. Practically no-one outside of the library world and a 
> couple of other isolated fields has heard of it. It's 
> something you teach yourself because you have to, not 
> something that will help your career in the future, or 
> something that would be fun to play with in your spare time. 
> Good programmers will set out on an arduous quest to find the 
> elusive documentation, APIs, etc. and make it work. Other 
> programmers will take the path of least resistance and say 
> "Can't we use something else?"
> 
> As for me, I'm hoping to start using the Finsiel Zetaperl 
> module "real soon now"; I've been kludging up my Z39.50 
> implementations using the Windows zclient.exe that comes with 
> CNIDR's free ISite software. If there were better high-level 
> programming interfaces for Z39.50, I probably wouldn't have 
> such a negative impression of it. 
> 
> --Charles Gimon
>   Web Coordinator
>   Minneapolis Public Library
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Kitty Au [mailto:aukitty at hotmail.com] 
> > Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 7:52 AM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list
> > Subject: [WEB4LIB] Z39.50
> > 
> > 
> > I heard one comment today --- "Z39.50, as a search and 
> > retrieval protocol 
> > used widely among library OPACs, is dying".  I was taken 
> > aback.  But, to 
> > keep my mind open, I would like to ask for your comments on 
> > this.  If you do 
> > agree to this, what is the emerging standard?
> > 
> > Thanks in advance.
> > 
> > Kitty Au
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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