When you see the things that Duke's administration supports, sometimes you just have to ask yourself, "What were they thinking?" Such was the case when I walked into the computer cluster in Perkins Library on the Saturday after spring break.
As most everyone who uses public computer clusters knows by now, our friends at the Office of Information Technology have created a new log-in process for all public computers consisting of typing in the first part of our e-mail address, followed by our password.
The ostensible reason behind the changes was to increase security and-get this-to "make computer use more efficient." Now, I don't know about the high-risk world of computer espionage and intrigue that the OIT staff is faced with on a daily basis, but I do know that it takes me at least two more minutes to check my e-mail each time I try to use a public computer cluster. When all I want to do is log into telnet, but I can't because a public computer can't find my "roaming profile," I really wonder how efficient the University's network is becoming.
The friendly green card on top of the computer monitors also informs you that you can no longer save anything on the hard drives and that if you leave your computer alone for 20 minutes it will automatically log you out. Unless you beg someone to touch the keyboard every so often while you're away sipping on that latte, you can say sayonara to that astrophysics research project.
If this "efficiency" continues, I might start siding with those oh-so-scary hackers myself and supporting the denial-of-service attacks that have left the computer-dependent world shaking in its boots.
But then again, maybe not, since OIT has a tidy record of my exact location every time I log in. Sure, it is no more big brotherish than our DukeCard-which records our every purchase, entrance and exit-but at some point you have to say enough is enough.
Seriously though, the first thing I thought of when I learned of the new log-in system was all the times I have used the clusters late at night to print out a paper, and encountered a fifth-grader and her mother working on a paper about photosynthesis. I might have had to wait a little longer for a computer, but it really didn't matter. Knowledge was being furnished; work was being produced.
A few hardy souls come out from Durham into the Gothic Wonderland to use what should be a public convenience. But if they came in the last week-the unemployed searching for better jobs, the high school student surfing the Internet and the fifth-grader trying to type up a neat paper about chlorophyll-all had to turn around and go home. They can always try to sign up for a 30-minute block on one of the word processors at the Durham Public Library-nevermind that some of their classmates are surfing the web and typing their term papers at their own convenience at home.
Clearly, OIT must not have communicated with anyone but their own liability-reducing, disaster-predicting, pocket-protector wearing peons when making their decision. (I'm already convinced the world, or at least the United States, will be run by these guys in a few decades, so I should probably bail out soon after this column is published.)
It's probably one of the biggest public relations snafus we've made in a long time, excepting our hospital's malpractice suits. Sure, we invest in Durham and win grants for community development, but when it comes to allowing real-life genuine Durham residents on campus to get a few crumbs from our table, we kick the public to the curb. As Rob Carter, director of systems administration for OIT, said, "You don't want the general public to be able to abuse [the system]." He may have said, "abuse," but he might as well have said, "use."
In fairness, OIT will allow limited-access guest memberships that will be made available to the public someday. Unfortunately, this fact seems to be a secret that OIT would like to keep to itself, given that no information has been posted in the computer labs alerting people to this possibility.
That's enough to make me a neo-Luddite right there. In a society where there is considerable evidence that a significant number of our children are being isolated from the benefits of an Internet society, which then expects them to compete with those privileged enough to own a computer, the University can do better than this.
In the last few days, I have noticed I don't have to wait in line for a computer anymore and the printers seem to work slightly more efficiently. I just wish I could still see that fifth-grader patiently typing out her paper on photosynthesis again.
Jason Wagner is a Trinity senior and senior associate features editor of The Chronicle.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.