[AG-TECH] Electronic Whiteboards

Osland, CD (Chris) C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk
Thu Sep 4 04:36:02 CDT 2003


[I guess this reply is mostly targetted at UK AG users, but that's not too
terrible,
is it, and others may be interested in this approach.]
 
Yesterday I saw a demo, here at RAL, of one approach to a shared whiteboard.
 
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the firm that showed it, although the
person
giving the demo actually worked at RAL about 15 years ago.  I am not
advocating
use of the system, but disseminating knowledge about it.  However I would
happily host a demo on the AG in the future if people are interested - RAL
is
quite a convenient site for this as the firm is in Bristol which is only
just over
an hour from here along a motorway.
 
The system is called Quorum.  It is based on tablets, the A6 sort, connected
via USB.  There is a hub, also called Quorum, to which the tablets connect.
Although the hub is a standard PC, it only uses VGA out, and Ethernet
connection
if required, but nothing else (apart from a very optional printer).
 
The hub organizes material into books of pages.  The books can either start
as blanks (like a flip chart or sketchpad) or can be primed from any
application
that can 'print'.  [An explanation of that ...  To preload a book with
material, you
specify the Quorum as a printer (they provide a print driver that downloads
from the Quorum) and you 'print' to the Quorum.  The pages are read-only,
but can be scribbled over.]
 
The system is simplicity itself to use.  Starting with local use (all users
on tablets
in one room connected to one Quorum) someone (anyone with a tablet) opens
a book and anyone then writes - the only menu is fixed, shown as an underlay
on the tablet and allows you to turn pages, select a colour or select ERASE.
The eraser on the tablet pen (the 'other' end) also works.  Books can be
saved
as PDF documents for subsequent FTP or printing.
 
Remote sites are accommodated by means of a web interface using a Java
Applet.  You call up the URL, type in your name (e.g. "Chris Osland" or
"RAL")
and ask to connect.  At the system with the Quorum, a box pops up asking 
whether "Chris Osland" or "RAL" can join in, and someone/anyone clicks
YES or NO on their tablet.
 
Quorums / Quora (the firm still hasn't decided which plural to use) can be
linked together as well - I didn't see that demonstrated.
 
There is no fancy stuff at all - nothing to allow rectangular boxes,
ellipses,
rubber-banding, exact text or anything - just what you can do with a tablet
and stylus and a palette of about 8 colours.  If you use the eraser, you
erase whatever you pass over, whether you wrote it or someone else did.
 
One aspect I liked was the priming of pages; as a result of the approach
they have taken, everyone is guaranteed to see the same, and no-one
needs any software - no problems with PowerPoint changing fonts, or
someone not having Lotus Notes or whatever: if it can be 'printed' it can
be used.
 
Anyone interested can look at www.quorumtools.product/product.htm
<http://www.quorumtools.product/product.htm>  .
 
Hope that didn't read too much like a sales pitch and may have given some
people some ideas.  Personally I have all but given up looking for a
public domain shared whiteboard that is stable, maintained and cross-
platform since the 'wb' / 'wbd' system doesn't seem to have been taken
up by the community and everything else appears too restricted.
Maybe someone can tell me I'm wrong.
 
Cheers
 
Chris Osland
 

____________________________________________________________________ 
Chris Osland                                               Office tel: +44
(0) 1235 446565 
Digital Media and Access Grid                          Medialab tel: +44 (0)
1235 446459 
BIT Department                                     Access Grid room tel: +44
(0) 1235 445666 
e-mail:   C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk                                       Fax: +44
(0) 1235 445597 
CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Bldg. R18) 
Chilton, DIDCOT, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK 
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-----Original Message-----
From: Darin Oman [mailto:darin at ucar.edu]
Sent: 03 September 2003 19:26
To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
Subject: [AG-TECH] Electronic Whiteboards


I know this subject has been brought up before, so I apologize if this is a
bit redundant. Anyway...
 
Is anybody using electronic whiteboards during Access Grid meetings? If so,
what are you using and how are you sharing what's being written on the board
with remote participants?
 
Thank you,
 
Darin Oman

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