The days are numbered for the UA's current computer conferencing system.

Roger Caldwell, soil and water science professor, will head a seven- to nine-person university team that will examine possible replacements for the current conferencing software, known as CoSy.

CoSy, an acronym for "Conferencing System," has not been changed since its installation in 1986, said Nancy Penn, senior support systems analyst with the Center for Computing and Information Technology.

A conferencing system is a way for multiple users to send and read electronic messages. The university runs two conferencing systems, one for faculty and staff messaging and one for instructional messaging, called ICoSy.

The growth of alternative methods of computer messaging such as e-mail lists, USENET news and World Wide Web resources has focused attention on the software's outdated status, Caldwell said.

The UA's conferencing system serves about 45,000 people, said Linda Drew, principal computing manager with CCIT.

Catherine Barrette, visiting lecturer with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said the department has cut down its usage of ICoSy to fourth-semester Spanish students because of its limited power.

"We're phasing it out because it only allows reading and writing," she said.

The university team will initially evaluate products such as Workgroup Web Forum, Webnotes, Lotus Notes and a new version of the CoSy software, Caldwell said. Other conferencing packages may be examined later on, he said.

Funding for the evaluation was approved through the Instructional Computing Grants Program, Drew said. Of the $15,000 allocated, roughly $10,000 is reserved to purchase a new UNIX-based server to run the system. The current version of CoSy runs on a VMS computer and UNIX is the preferred operating platform, she said.

UNIX and VMS are two different kinds of computer operating systems.

A new version of CoSy by Research Instructional Ltd. shows promise, Penn said. Although the old version is user friendly, it is limited because it is a text-based system with no World Wide Web compatibility, she said. Additions to the new CoSy, such as an improved mail system, file transfers and a graphical interface for remote users, make it a promising candidate, she said

Drew said she expects the evaluation process to run through April. A decision is hoped for by May or June and a new system installed by next fall, she said.