Describes CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts that are available on the Web and explains how librarians can use them to make Web pages more interactive. Topics include CGI security; Perl scripts; UNIX; and HTML. (LRW)

Discusses downloadable executable content, or mobile code, on the World Wide Web; evaluates the security features offered by the Java and Safe-Tcl programming languages; and describes the basic mechanisms of each of the proposed security models. Presents current implementations, as well as upcoming extensions, and evaluates their efficiency and…

Explains the concept of global information justice and describes it as an ethical ideal, as an organizing principle for a model for analysis, and as a direction for policy making. Discusses the use of new technologies; access to technology; ownership; privacy; security; community; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Author/LRW)

Discusses how colleges are creating offices to handle crimes, near-crimes, human errors, dramas, and assorted foibles on increasingly Internet-connected campuses. (EV)

Describes an Internet auction model achieving verifiable fairness, a requirement aimed at enhancing the trust of bidders in auctioneers. Analysis results demonstrate that the proposed model satisfies various requirements regarding fairness and privacy. Moreover, in the proposed model, the losing bids remain sealed. (Author/AEF)

This article investigates teaching the application of technical ideas by non-technical means, especially by using puzzles to engage students. After discussing the need to teach students to evaluate contexts in which decisions about computer security must be made, we suggest questions and scenarios drawn from political science, history, as well as…

This article describes the results of the 19th annual Computers in Libraries Conference in Washington, DC on March 10-12, 2004. The conference peered into the future, drew lessons from the past, and ran like clockwork. Program chair Jane Dysart and her organizing committee are by now old hands, bringing together three keynote addresses, 100…

This article deals with students hacking school computer systems. School districts are getting tough with students "hacking" into school computers to change grades, poke through files, or just pit their high-tech skills against district security. Dozens of students have been prosecuted recently under state laws on identity theft and unauthorized…

In recent years, security issues have increasingly come to dominate the technological development process--although still in a more reactive than proactive mode. It now seems more important than ever to monitor security trends and policy developments, especially if technology is regarded as a potential community builder. This article suggests…

Streaming audio/video contents over the Internet requires large network bandwidth and timely delivery of media data. A streaming session is generally long and also needs a large I/O bandwidth at the streaming server. A streaming server, however, has limited network and I/O bandwidth. For this reason, a streaming server alone cannot scale a…

A significant trend in higher education evolving from the wide accessibility to the Internet is the availability of an ever-increasing supply of data on Web sites for use by professors, students, and researchers. As this usage by a wider variety of users grows, the ability to judge the integrity of the data, the related findings, and the Web site…

Many professors, staff members, and even administrators see campus computers and e-mail accounts as their own private property--a type of employment benefit provided with no constraints on use. The fact is, universities "assign" computer equipment to personnel as tools to help them perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently, in the same…

Small colleges have unique challenges with respect to their information technology environments. It is easy to forget sometimes that small colleges are not simply small big colleges, and that IT needs to be considered in a particular way, especially because of its associated costs. For one thing, the senior administration at a small college may be…

Discusses issues of database security and integrity, including computer crime and vandalism, human error, computer viruses, employee and user access, and personnel policies. Suggests some precautions to minimize system vulnerability such as careful personnel screening, audit systems, passwords, and building and software security systems. (JKP)

Reviews the Internet and intranets, private communications networks within organizations. Examines extranets (organization's intranet offering password-protected external customer and supplier access to selected portions of its intranet) highlighting the viewpoint of librarians. Discusses extranet issues (security, access, user satisfaction),…