A System For Office Automation Research

ABSTRACT

The Wharton Office Automation System, developed by Professor David Ness, along with the author and several other collegues in the Department, originated from a lack of support services in the traditionally support poor academic environement. The managers in the department (all of the faculty, as well as some administrators), were having difficult time getting papers out on time, preparing budgets and grant proposals, and handling correspondence. About this same time, the school received a new DECSystem 1Ø computer. Dave Ness set about implementing a text editing facility suitable for faculty writing research papers. This included bibliography handling, cross indexing, footnoting, and automatic reference numbering features, as well as the traditional formatting software already provided by DEC. At the same time, several research projects which the author was managing were attempting to develop sophisticated software for man/machine communication, and for dealing with very large databases. The management to this project, involving about 15 people, was becoming a complex task. In particular, the communications among team members was difficult to arrange, resulting in too many meetings.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.1 Office Automation

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
      H.4.3 Communications Applications
          Subjects: Electronic mail

General Terms:
Theory