Application and Command Changes
 
Below is a list of the Applications that have changed in the migration from
the VAX system to the Alpha system.
 
******** IMPORTANT *******
MAIL Differences
******** IMPORTANT *******
Some parts of MAIL on OCEAN are EXTREMELY unstable.  Though the MAIL
command is available on OCEAN, MCIS does not recommend using it until these
problems are fixed.  MCIS recommends either using the OLDMAIL command or
reading MAIL on MIAVX1.  MCIS and Innosoft Corp (the authors of MAIL)
expect to have these problems fixed in February or March.
 
Among the known problems are:
 
MAIL crashes when using the SELECT command.  Workaround: use the DIR
    command instead.
 
MAIL crashes when the program tries to delete unused space in the MAIL.MAI
    file.  This will happen occasionally when exitting MAIL.
 
MAIL crashes when the user presses RETURN to read the next new mail message
    and no more new messages exist.
 
******** IMPORTANT **************
SEND/RECEIVE commands unavailable
******** IMPORTANT **************
The SEND and RECEIVE commands are unavailable at this time.  MCIS and
Wingra Corp. (the authors of the JNET software, of which SEND and RECEIVE
are a part) hope to have this capability available before February.
 
******** IMPORTANT ****
GCG/Genbank unavailable
******** IMPORTANT ****
GCG is unavailable on OCEAN at this time.  We hope to make GCG available
before  February.  Mail will be sent to the users of GCG when this becomes
available.
 
********************
HELP Command Changes
********************
The Help files for all system extensions (such as ZIP, ACQUIRE, etc) are
now in the top level of the HELP system.  On MIAVX1, these entries were
under a sub-topic of extensions.
 
There is now a /MESSAGE qualifier to the HELP command.  After receiving an
error message, the HELP/MESSAGE command will give the user more information
about the error if available.  Among the information returned are possible
actions to correct the error.
 
*************
LEXIS changes
*************
LEXIS now uses the Internet to access LEXIS and NEXIS.  This should provide
faster and more reliable connections to this service.  In addition, LEXIS
now allows rough capturing of data to a file.  When starting LEXIS, the
user is asked if they with to record the current session.
 
***************
SAS Differences
***************
The version of SAS running on OCEAN is version 6.0.9.  The version running
on MIAVX1 is 6.0.7.  While the differences between the two are minor, some
clients may want information concerning the changes between the two versions.
 
If you'd like more information about these changes, please contact Lisa
Ehrichs at 529-6231.
 
******
Gopher
******
The application used to implement the Gopher client on OCEAN is different
from that of MIAVX1.  This application change was implemented due to
problems we were (and still are) experiencing with the Gopher client on
MIAVX1.  While the application is different, we expect no problems learning
to use the new application.
 
*********************
SACP, SDP, MacroModel
*********************
These applications are not yet available on OCEAN.  We hope to have these
applications available soon.
 
*************************
Ohio Supercomputer Center
*************************
Software to access the Cray Supercomputer in Columbus is not yet available.
We are currently investigating the feasibility of porting this software to
OCEAN.  The Cray may be reached via telnet from OCEAN, though.
 
****************
New Applications
****************
The following applications have been added to the Alpha system.
C++ - C++ Compiler.  Use the command CXX to compile programs.  See HELP CXX
    for more information.
Book Reader - DEC, Innosoft, and Multinet manuals are now available on line.
    The command BOOKREADER (or just BOOK) will allow the user to view the
    online documentation.
PERL - PERL scripts can now be executed using the PERL command.
ZIP,UNZIP - These commands compress or expand ZIP files.  This was formally
    available only through the MCUG libraries.
GZIP,GUNZIP - These commands compress using GZIP compression or expand GZIP,
    COMPRESS, or ZIP files.
 
**********
Questions?
**********
If you have any questions or concerns about the new OCEAN system, please
contact MCIS at 529-7318 and ask for Patti Gregg.