Announcing: Marmot(TM) Publishing Server - Free In short The Marmot publishing server and client are now available free to provide a method for end users to interactively manage their information on a remote Internet server. More Details Would you like to: - interactively manage information on an http or gopher server, using a simple graphical user interface; - allow a distributed project team, located in various places across the country, to share management of their information; - organize your Internet information files logically, and let the server generate the navigation HTML pages for you? If you are a server administrator, would you like to give users total control of their information, without teaching them ftp, telnet, or e-mail commands, and without worrying that they will inadvertently affect someone elseÕs data? At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we have developed a publishing protocol called Marmot, which provides these and other similar capabilities. Marmot works with servers that support both HTTP and Gopher+ services; in fact, it coordinates the two services and allows each to be utilized to its fullest advantage. People may continue to use current HTTP or Gopher clients to access the information. A Marmot-aware client is needed only to publish (add, modify, or delete) information on the server. Marmot provides a framework for extensible task plug-ins, which allow the server to be readily customized to meet users' needs. Plug-ins can be automatic or user-requested. They are easily written and configured, and can interface to other systems. Much as forms are an adaptable means to retrieve information, plug-ins are adaptable agents for managing information. Some uses include: - convert between document formats, - support a local style guide, for example by adding a common header to each HTML document, - facilitate group authoring, - enforce business rules such as clearance procedures, - automate generation of HTML pages. Marmot regulates the level of publishing access granted to individual users or groups. Access levels can be set and controlled by information owners for each information object. Where to get it You can try Marmot out for yourself. Clients (InfoShare 2.3) are available for Windows and Macintosh. By default, they start out pointing to a live tutorial of Marmot capabilities, allowing users to publish information to our demo server. If you want to install your own server, copies (mmtd 1.38) are available for SunOS and Solaris. Both clients and servers are located under ftp://ftp.pnl.gov/pub/pnlinfo/marmot For more information, see http://www.pnl.gov:2080/marmot/ gopher://www.pnl.gov:2070/11/marmot or send electronic mail to info-share@pnl.gov. MARMOT(TM) AVAILABILITY The Marmot(TM) client and server are available until March 1, 1996 without charge (after that time, you may still use the current binaries, but new versions may or may not be available free). Battelle Memorial Institute, the operating contractor of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has asserted copyright for the Marmot software. You may make copies of Marmot binaries (mmtd 1.38 and InfoShare 2.3) available to your organization free of charge, provided that all associated files and documentation is included. You may not provide the Marmot software as part of a for-profit service (such as selling WWW space) or commercial product, and may not provide it to others or make derivative works from it without a license from Battelle Memorial Institute. Marmot users are asked to provide test and evaluation feedback to info-share@pnl.gov via the Internet. Battelle Memorial Institute is interested in partnering with private industry for the commercialization of Marmot. If your company is interested in licensing Marmot for product commercialization or services please contact Rick Chidester at (509) 375-6730, or rj_chidester@pnl.gov. The closure date for such expression of interest is February 1, 1996. Copyright (c) 1995 Battelle Memorial Institute Marmot(TM) is a Trademark of Battelle Memorial Institute DISCLAIMER This material was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the United States Department of Energy, nor Battelle, nor any of their employees, MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, OR ASSUMES ANY LEGAL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, PRODUCT, SOFTWARE, OR PROCESS DISCLOSED, OR REPRESENTS THAT ITS USE WOULD NOT INFRINGE PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This software and its documentation were produced with Government support under Contract Number DE-AC06-76RLO-1830 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. The Government retains a paid-up non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide license to reproduce, prepare derivative works, perform publicly and display publicly by or for the Government, including the right to distribute to other Government contractors.