From: TOPHAM::COCKCROFT "Jeremy Karl Cockcroft" 12-JUN-2002 21:54:06.05
To: SMTP%"Fraser.Rowan@awe.co.uk"
CC: COCKCROFT
Subj: RE: Programs required
Dear Rowan,
>I emailed you 29/5/02 concerning my predicament with restricted
>access to the PD course at the moment and requested a copy of the course so
>that I could load it onto my desktop PC.
Sorry for the slow reply to your earlier email. We do have a policy not
to supply course material on CDroms since it tends to encourage piracy. However,
we have discussed your case at some length here (with some heated arguments).
As a result, I am willing to make a CDrom of the material released for the first
two terms given your predicament. This will only contain the HTML, GIF, and JPG
files (plus the odd TXT or ZIP file) for the material that you have already
downloaded. Obviously, the interactive material will not run from the CDrom
since the programs are server specific. To understand this better, see one of
my powerpoint overheads presented at the European Crystallographic Meeting
last summer:
http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/web-ad/ecm20/p18.gif
We do state very clearly in the advertising material that "Regular access
to the Internet" is required: some students get access via work, but others
use ISPs from home. Obviously, we do not arrange how access is obtained.
See URL:
http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/enrol01/require.htm
This is so important that we further ask students to confirm that they have
regular access to a networked computer in the technical enrolment form:
http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/enrol01/techform.htm
You answered: YES
>I have just read through the problem set for assignment 6 and the project and
>unfortunately due to the limited time I have on our internet PC I cannot
>complete these tasks online. Is it possible to have copies of the indexing,
>hkl generating and unit cell refinement programs?
The binary programs will not run on your computer. They have been
extensively modified to work in a "client-server" environment, and currently
run on a VMS-based http server.
>In addition, we are not permitted to download onto any PC so I also require
>Rietveld software, e.g. LHPM-Rietica if possible. I appreciate this is asking
>a lot, therefore to prioritise my request I feel the software required for the
>assignments is most urgent.
Again, in anticipation of various company regulations, we specifically ask
whether you are able to download software on to your PC in the technical
enrolment form:
http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/enrol01/techform.htm
You answered: YES
>If these requests are not normal protocol I do apologise. I did not foresee
>such problems when I began the course. To be honest I have become very
>frustrated with the level of computing support which I have obtained from my
>end (AWE). Prior to undertaking the course I had discussed my requirements
>with our computing/security departments and was assured that there would be
>no problems.
I am sorry I cannot be more helpful. Other students in similar situations
have made use of ISPs and home computers to get around company regulations
of the type that are giving you problems. I do not know the exact amount of
time that you need Internet access for assignment 6, but it should be
relatively short, especially if you print the output pages from the programs?
The project is more of a problem? I can put the software for this on to
the CDrom also, together with the data files, but I am not sure this will
help if you are not allowed to download it on to your PC. (I cannot see much
difference between downloading from CDrom and from the Internet.) Please let
me know your views here, and I will see what I can do to help.
With best regards,
Jeremy Karl
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Dr Jeremy Karl Cockcroft Email: cockcroft@img.cryst.bbk.ac.uk
School of Crystallography Tel: 020 7631 6849 (office) or 6000 x2824 (lab)
Birkbeck College Tel: 020 7631 6803 (fax)
Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX URL: http://img.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/www/img.htm
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