[AG-TECH] Electronic Whiteboards

[Michael Daw]

You might try the url http://www.quorumtools.com/product/product.htm rather
than the one Chris gave...

(Looks interesting, Chris!)
  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
Behalf Of Osland, CD (Chris)
  Sent: 04 September 2003 10:36
  To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
  Subject: RE: [AG-TECH] Electronic Whiteboards


  [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 .

  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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