Alpha system will be reworked

Logging on to Alpha will soon be a thing of the past. This summer major renovations will occur with the computer system. The purpose of these renovations is to better serve faculty in the transmission of files.

The new system, to be called ALPHA2100, will also allow for the unification of entire Oberlin College community to be connected onto the same server and this will make for faculty and students to communicate and exchange documents with each other.

The transition will occur over the summer and is set to be in place by July. However, before the end of the year students can expect to receive information about the new system along with information about how to determine their username and initial password.

"Students usernames will be in the form of "sfmlddd," where "fml" is the initial letters of a student's first, middle, and last names. "x" will be used for those no middle inital "dddd" will be a four digit number, but NOT the last four digits of a student's college id number," according to information in the sysnews message from the computer center.

Computer consultants expect to be inundated with complaints and concerns about the mail and forwarding addressed saved presently in the ALPHA system.

After the changeover occurs, students who have a legitimate reason for using ALPHA will be allowed special access privileges. These students will have to gain password permission and then will be allowed to use the old system.

Computer Consultant Kevin Weidenbaum said that "We've been receiving and replyting to studet conconcerns over the Alta Vista forum.

Permission will not be granted for use of the Telnet, Phone and Talk programs.

In order to enter into the new system, students will be told to use their YAP numbers from registration. Students without ALPHA accounts are advised to fill out a new registration form at the computer center.

The program will be accessible for both Macintosh and IBM systems. It will be accessible both on and off campus granted through a site license from Mulberry.

The computing center will sponsor a forum for students wishing to discuss concerns or suggestions. Students can also participate in the E-mail Migration Discussion forums located under scholarly resources found on Oberlin Online.

The Kiosk systems set to be replaced by a set of "ad" boards. There has not yet been a date set to replace the system.

According to sysnews, after the changeover, students and faculty still using the old ALPHA programs will be able to use the MAIL program but only to exchange mail messages with use of the old ALPHA system. It will still be possible to send mail from the old ALPHA system but all new mail will be rerouted.