General Meeting

Open Collaboration Protocols


Rich Straka
Lucent Technologies

Tuesday, November 23, 7:00-9:00 pm
College of DuPage Room K-161

Abstract

It's been stated by industry pundits that the "killer app" of the '80s was "email", in the '90s it's the "web browser", and in the next decade (yes, the '00s) it will be "collaboration". While some collaboration tools are of a proprietary nature, there are many which are based on Open Standards. By understanding the scope and details of these standards, service providers, application developers and end users can architect solutions which are effective, flexible and durable. It's important not to get "boxed in" with solutions based on proprietary standards.

This talk will cover both some tried-and-true standards and protocols that we use today, but don't always think about very much, and newer standards that are still in active development.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Standards Bodies
  • Email
  • -Message Structure (RFC822)
  • -Enclosures (MIME)
  • -Transport (SMTP)
  • -Client Access (POP3, IMAP4)
  • -Interoperability
  • Directory Services (LDAP, ACAP)
  • Group Calendaring (iCalendar)
  • Real-Time Collaboration
  • -Chat (IRC, AIM, ICQ)
  • -Beyond Chat (T.120)
  • Streaming Media (RTP, RTSP)
  • Perl Interfaces
  • Vendors, Reference URLs

    Speaker Bio

    Rich Straka is a Computing Environment Architect with the Switching and Access Solutions business unit at Lucent Technologies in Naperville, IL.

    His main responsibilities include developing architectures for enterprise-level naming and directory services, web services, email and UNIX / PC interoperability. He is a member of several corporate-level teams defining standards for the Lucent R&D community, including directory services, web, email and security. He is a consistent proponent of Open Systems standards and UNIX. He is also the president of a Lucent-based Macintosh User Group with 240 members.

    In past lives, Rich has worked in diverse areas such as semiconductor fabrication, MCAD, telephone switching and transmission, project management, and SGML. His first computer was a multibus-based 8080 system with 32KB of RAM and a wire-wrapped video terminal for which he wrote his first termcap entry, and now has a home Ethernet-based network - all Macs.

    Getting to the meeting

    The next meeting of UniForum Chicago will be from 7:00 pm to 9:00 PM on Tuesday, November 23, 1999 at the College of DuPage. The address of the meeting facility is: 

            College of DuPage
        Building K, Rm 161
        22nd and Lambert
        Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599
    Take 355 to Butterfield Rd (Rt 56). Take Butterfield West to Lambert Rd,
    then Lambert Rd North to 22nd St. Turn left and look for lot 10 on the left side of 22nd St.
    Walk to building K, room 161 is on the first floor, on the east side of the building.

    All UniForum Chicago general meetings are open to the public free of charge.

    Contact Scott Nemec at (630) 990-6265 for additional information.

    For more information about UniForum Chicago contact nemec@xnet.com.

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