[WEB4LIB] library software dependency

[Masters, Gary E]

Adobe is free for the reader and it is quite nice.  I have the full product
and continue to learn how to make use of it.  I know that it was an
industrial policy not to "sole source" but have always thought that to be
like "always try something once" because there are exceptions.  This seems
to be one.  I have more concerns about what AOL or Microsoft want to do. 

Gary


Gary E. Masters
Librarian (Systems)
CDRH - FDA
(301) 827-6893 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	George Porter [SMTP:george at library.caltech.edu]
	Sent:	Wednesday, July 25, 2001 12:33 PM
	To:	Multiple recipients of list
	Subject:	[WEB4LIB] library software dependency

	I am struck by a variety of issues involved in the DMCA-related
arrest of
	Dmitry Sklyarov.  Perhaps the most stunning was the realization that
	encouraging libraries to take an advocacy stance on the issues, ala
	<http://boycottadobe.com/>, would cripple services which many
academic
	libraries currently spend hundreds of thousands to millions of US
$/year to
	provide to their clientele, primarily ejournals.

	The point was brought home to me this week when trying to configure
an
	out-of-the-box notebook computer.  After a downloading a variety of
OS
	software tweaks and upgrades, the first application I went to
install was
	SciFinder Scholar, from the Chemical Abstracts Service.  I received
a
	warning message, during the install process, that Adobe Acrobat had
not been
	detected and, therefore, all documentation would be inaccessible.

	Are there any other single source applications/functions on which
libraries
	have unwittingly become totally dependent?

	George S. Porter
	Sherman Fairchild Library of Engineering & Applied Science
	Caltech, 1-43
	Pasadena, CA  91125-4300
	Telephone (626) 395-3409 Fax (626) 431-2681