SUBJECT:

Migration from OMNIS-7/DARWIN Systems to the Web

Dear Colleagues:

After much thought and campus consultation, we have decided to devote
significant ACT resources to developing Web-based tools which will, within
one year, replace and extend the functionality of the existing OMNIS-7
systems (also known as DARWIN Browsers). Given resource and time constraints,
we will have to freeze all new OMNIS-7 development and we will not upgrade the
current systems for support of new operating systems (e.g., Windows NT 4.0).

ACT is fully committed to supporting the existing OMNIS-7 products until the
appropriate replacements are available. To that end, we will keep maintaining
the systems and will fix production problems if and when they occur.

Information about the background and rationale for this decision is described
in Appendix A below and is also available at http://www-act.ucsd.edu on the
ACT Web site by clicking on the OMNIS/Browser button.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by email
at eharel@ucsd.edu or by phone at x43396.

Thank you.

Elazar C. Harel Assistant Vice Chancellor - ACT

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Many of you are currently using administrative computing systems which are
based on OMNIS-7 technology. These include the DARWIN Browsers (Financial,
Student, Employee, Purchase Orders, and Phone), Graphical-IFIS, Merit
Allocation, and the online Time Keeping systems.

OMNIS-7 was purchased a few years ago, when it was the leading graphical
client/server development tool, especially for organizations which required
multi-platform workstation capabilities (i.e., Windows and Macintosh). The
OMNIS-7 browsers were developed by ACT and were successfully implemented,
with several hundred active campus users currently utilizing the systems.

This technology has served UCSD very well, but it will not scale up as we
transition to a much larger level of cross-platform computing (e.g.,
extending access to faculty and students). Potential problems include
incompatibilities with new operating systems, complex installation
procedures which require technical expertise at the user offices, having to
wait for the application to be updated if there have been changes, and
relatively high costs.

Over the last few years we have all seen a dramatic shift in computer
technology, with the Internet becoming a household commodity and the
World-Wide-Web (e.g., Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer) becoming the
de-facto user interface standard. The Web has many advantages over other
traditional client/server technologies, primarily when it comes to
ease-of-use, common navigation, low support cost, and simple maintenance.

As some of you know, a partial migration from OMNIS-7 to the Web has already
begun with the implementation of the Web-based Phone Directory on InfoPath
and with the StudentLink system which currently provides secure Web-based
student and class information to eligible students, faculty, and staff.
Over the next few months we will complete the migration of student-related
functions and will discontinue the OMNIS-7 Students & Classes browser.
Similarly, we will soon start developing "FinancialLink" and "EmployeeLink".
If you would like to have a glimpse at the look-and-feel of the new systems,
please take a look at StudentLink at http://studentlink.ucsd.edu on the Web.

In order to complete the transition within the given aggressive timeframe
and within our limited resources, the current OMNIS-7 version (3.2) will be
supported as is and will not be upgraded. This means that OMNIS-7 systems
will not be usable with Windows NT 4.0 unless the workstations are configured with
a dual-boot option to also run Windows 95. The new Web-based applications
which will replace the OMNIS-7 systems will be available within less than
one year from today (no later than April, 1998). To assure a smooth
transition, we will continue to support the OMNIS-7 systems until January,
1999.