<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Highly	O
sophisticated	O
for	O
its	O
time	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
1975	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
by	O
then	O
graduate	O
student	O
Robert	O
Parnes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
system	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
widely	O
used	O
communication	O
tool	O
until	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
is	O
the	O
progenitor	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
systems	O
Caucus	O
,	O
PicoSpan	O
,	O
and	O
YAPP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
was	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1970s	O
when	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
experimental	O
psychology	O
graduate	O
student	O
Bob	O
Parnes	O
attended	O
a	O
seminar	O
where	O
Professor	O
Merrill	O
M	O
.	O
Flood	O
discussed	O
aspects	O
of	O
electronic	O
mail	O
and	O
conferencing	O
on	O
group	O
decision	O
making	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flood	O
had	O
a	O
magnetic	O
tape	O
of	O
a	O
prototype	O
system	O
and	O
approached	O
Parnes	O
about	O
getting	O
it	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
Michigan	B-Application
Terminal	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
MTS	B-Application
)	O
,	O
the	O
university	O
's	O
time-sharing	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parnes	O
declined	O
,	O
but	O
offered	O
instead	O
to	O
attempt	O
writing	O
a	O
similar	O
program	O
for	O
MTS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
encouragement	O
from	O
Fred	O
Goodman	O
and	O
LeVerne	O
Collet	O
at	O
the	O
School	O
of	O
Education	O
and	O
Karl	O
Zinn	O
at	O
the	O
Center	O
for	O
Research	O
on	O
Learning	O
and	O
Teaching	O
(	O
CRLT	O
)	O
,	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
was	O
developed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
a	O
graduate	O
teaching	O
assistant	O
strike	O
,	O
Parnes	O
was	O
temporarily	O
relieved	O
of	O
his	O
teaching	O
duties	O
and	O
had	O
some	O
extra	O
time	O
to	O
devote	O
to	O
his	O
experimental	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
called	O
"	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MTS	B-Application
served	O
as	O
an	O
excellent	O
development	O
environment	O
for	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
was	O
built	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
MTS	B-Application
file	O
structure	O
and	O
exploited	O
its	O
file	O
sharing	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Parnes	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
do	O
n't	O
think	O
I	O
could	O
have	O
written	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
anywhere	O
but	O
on	O
MTS.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
MTS	B-Application
at	O
U-M	O
and	O
later	O
at	O
Wayne	O
State	O
University	O
(	O
WSU	O
)	O
was	O
a	O
good	O
match	O
for	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
because	O
both	O
systems	O
were	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
Merit	O
Network	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
a	O
broader	O
reach	O
within	O
Michigan	B-Device
via	O
Merit	O
and	O
within	O
the	O
U.S.	O
and	O
internationally	O
via	O
Merit	O
's	O
interconnections	O
to	O
Telenet	O
(	O
later	O
SprintNet	O
)	O
,	O
Tymnet	B-Application
,	O
ADP	O
's	O
Autonet	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
still	O
the	O
IBM	O
Global	O
Network	O
and	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unique	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
feature	O
in	O
this	O
regard	O
was	O
initially	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
vote.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Parnes	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
form	O
his	O
own	O
company	O
—	O
Advertel	O
Communication	O
Systems	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
—	O
which	O
marketed	O
and	O
supported	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
system	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
widely	O
used	O
communication	O
tool	O
until	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
U-M	O
,	O
WSU	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Alberta	O
had	O
moved	O
from	O
the	O
Michigan	B-Application
Terminal	I-Application
System	I-Application
to	O
distributed	O
computing	O
environments	O
and	O
several	O
newer	O
digital	O
technologies	O
replaced	O
the	O
functionality	O
provided	O
by	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
CONFER	B-Protocol
was	O
used	O
at	O
Wayne	O
State	O
University	O
(	O
WSU	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Alberta	O
(	O
UQV	O
)	O
,	O
Michigan	B-Device
State	O
University	O
(	O
MSU	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
at	O
Hewlett-Packard	O
(	O
HP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSU	O
and	O
HP	O
both	O
ran	O
MTS	B-Application
so	O
they	O
could	O
run	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Unix	B-Application
version	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
U	O
,	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
's	O
Information	O
Technology	O
Division	O
and	O
used	O
at	O
U-M	O
and	O
at	O
the	O
Research	O
Libraries	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
DEC	O
VMS	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
V	O
,	O
was	O
created	O
and	O
used	O
at	O
Western	O
Michigan	B-Device
University	O
(	O
WMU	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
work	O
on	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
U	O
at	O
U-M	O
and	O
on	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
V	O
at	O
WMU	O
was	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
encouragement	O
of	O
and	O
guidance	O
from	O
Bob	O
Parnes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
provides	O
facilities	O
for	O
online	O
discussion	O
of	O
topics	O
of	O
general	O
interest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conferences	O
may	O
be	O
"	O
public	O
"	O
(	O
open	O
to	O
anyone	O
with	O
an	O
account	O
on	O
the	O
host	O
system	O
where	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
runs	O
)	O
or	O
private	O
(	O
invitation	O
only	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
system	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
mid-1970s	O
,	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
text	O
oriented	O
,	O
command	O
driven	O
system	O
with	O
extensive	O
prompts	O
and	O
online	O
help	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
but	O
see	O
InfoX	O
below	O
)	O
or	O
allow	O
the	O
display	O
of	O
photographs	O
or	O
other	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
one	O
has	O
joined	O
a	O
conference	O
,	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
keeps	O
track	O
of	O
what	O
has	O
been	O
seen	O
for	O
participants	O
and	O
auditors	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
for	O
observers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
time	O
a	O
conference	O
is	O
visited	O
by	O
a	O
participant	O
or	O
auditor	O
,	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
displays	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
new	O
information	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
entered	O
since	O
the	O
previous	O
visit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
allows	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
pseudonyms	O
for	O
items	O
,	O
responses	O
,	O
and	O
messages	O
,	O
and	O
participants	O
can	O
register	O
in	O
a	O
conference	O
under	O
a	O
pseudonym	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
also	O
provides	O
a	O
"	O
meeting	O
"	O
mode	O
to	O
allow	O
real-time	O
discussions	O
and	O
includes	O
facilities	O
to	O
support	O
"	O
simulations	O
"	O
as	O
described	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
only	O
did	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
offer	O
the	O
opportunity	O
for	O
various	O
forms	O
of	O
group	O
discussion	O
,	O
it	O
also	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
widely	O
used	O
e-mail	O
system	O
on	O
the	O
Michigan	B-Device
campus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
while	O
the	O
MTS	B-Application
$MESSAGE	O
e-mail	O
system	O
eventually	O
surpassed	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
as	O
the	O
e-mail	O
facility	O
of	O
choice	O
at	O
Michigan	B-Device
,	O
the	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
portion	O
of	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
continued	O
to	O
thrive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
commands	O
are	O
supported	O
by	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
HELP	O
To	O
see	O
the	O
online	O
tutorial	O
in	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
STOP	O
To	O
return	O
to	O
MTS	B-Application
command	O
mode	O
( #	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HELP	O
To	O
see	O
the	O
online	O
tutorial	O
in	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FORGET	O
To	O
tell	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
to	O
stop	O
showing	O
you	O
that	O
item	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
formats	O
responses	O
,	O
so	O
entering	O
very	O
long	O
lines	O
do	O
not	O
cause	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
null	O
line	O
is	O
entered	O
to	O
complete	O
a	O
response	O
and	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
then	O
prompts	O
with	O
a	O
question	O
of	O
the	O
form	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
simple	O
examples	O
of	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
use	O
are	O
shown	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
1	O
:	O
Start	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
and	O
view	O
new	O
items	O
and	O
enter	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
an	O
item	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
6	O
:	O
Finish	O
the	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
session	O
and	O
sign	O
off	O
from	O
MTS	B-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
InfoX	O
(	O
pronounced	O
“	O
info-ex	O
”	O
,	O
originally	O
InfoDisk	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
program	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	O
Macintosh	O
(	O
"	O
Classic	O
"	O
;	O
not	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
modern	O
Mac	O
OS	O
X	O
)	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Information	O
Technology	O
Division	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provides	O
a	O
modern	O
user	O
interface	O
(	O
menus	O
,	O
icons	O
,	O
windows	O
,	O
and	O
buttons	O
)	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
check	O
electronic	O
mail	O
,	O
participate	O
in	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
II	O
conferences	O
,	O
access	O
the	O
MTS	B-Application
User	O
Directory	O
,	O
and	O
create	O
,	O
edit	O
,	O
and	O
manipulate	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
InfoX	O
adds	O
Macintosh-style	O
word	O
processing	O
features	O
to	O
the	O
more	O
traditional	O
editing	O
functions	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
command-line	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
II	O
functions	O
are	O
not	O
available	O
through	O
InfoX	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
cannot	O
use	O
the	O
program	O
to	O
enter	O
organizer-defined	O
commands	O
,	O
post	O
or	O
read	O
bulletins	O
,	O
hold	O
meetings	O
,	O
use	O
polled	O
or	O
numeric	O
responses	O
,	O
enter	O
pseudonymous	O
or	O
anonymous	O
responses	O
,	O
change	O
entries	O
,	O
access	O
the	O
index	O
or	O
summaries	O
,	O
or	O
send	O
or	O
receive	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
InfoX	O
does	O
not	O
allow	O
for	O
many	O
conference	O
management	O
features	O
,	O
organizers	O
and	O
advanced	O
users	O
choose	O
to	O
access	O
conferences	O
through	O
the	O
traditional	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
II	O
command-line	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
U-M	O
Center	O
for	O
Research	O
on	O
Learning	O
and	O
Teaching	O
(	O
CRLT	O
)	O
was	O
an	O
early	O
sponsor	O
and	O
proponent	O
of	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
and	O
saw	O
great	O
promise	O
in	O
it	O
for	O
expanding	O
learning	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
major	O
"	O
test	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
system	O
was	O
the	O
October	O
1976	O
International	O
Society	O
for	O
Technology	O
Assessment	O
(	O
ISTA	O
)	O
Conference	O
held	O
in	O
Ann	O
Arbor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
provided	O
a	O
new	O
opportunity	O
for	O
group	O
discussion	O
and	O
is	O
credited	O
for	O
playing	O
a	O
"	O
tremendous	O
role	O
in	O
enlarging	O
the	O
electronic	O
community	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Michigan	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
providing	O
user	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
Merit	O
Network	O
in	O
Michigan	B-Device
,	O
particularly	O
Chris	O
Wendt	O
,	O
were	O
excited	O
by	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
they	O
created	O
the	O
statewide	O
MNET:Caucus	O
conference	O
to	O
help	O
Merit	O
users	O
get	O
quick	O
answers	O
to	O
their	O
questions	O
and	O
take	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
load	O
off	O
their	O
consulting	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
continued	O
to	O
gain	O
in	O
popularity	O
with	O
faculty	O
,	O
students	O
,	O
administrators	O
,	O
and	O
staff	O
through	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
papers	O
give	O
a	O
hint	O
at	O
the	O
range	O
of	O
activities	O
for	O
which	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
was	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Is	O
It	O
Time	O
for	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
Computer-Based	O
Conference	O
for	O
Dental	O
Public	O
Health	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
many	O
on	O
the	O
Michigan	B-Device
campus	O
and	O
elsewhere	O
,	O
the	O
benefits	O
of	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
included	O
meeting	O
new	O
people	O
with	O
similar	O
interests	O
,	O
engaging	O
in	O
group	O
discussion	O
,	O
and	O
communicating	O
outside	O
the	O
normal	O
parameters	O
defined	O
by	O
time	O
and	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CONFER	B-Protocol
played	O
a	O
tremendous	O
role	O
in	O
enlarging	O
the	O
electronic	O
community	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
and	O
in	O
removing	O
the	O
traditional	O
geographic	O
borders	O
of	O
the	O
classroom	O
and	O
campus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Said	O
Parnes	O
,	O
"	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
enabled	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
people	O
to	O
talk	O
together	O
who	O
would	O
n't	O
have	O
otherwise.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
programs	O
whose	O
designs	O
were	O
derived	O
from	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
which	O
are	O
sometimes	O
called	O
"	O
WELL-style	O
"	O
systems	O
,	O
because	O
The	O
WELL	O
has	O
been	O
very	O
influential	O
in	O
spreading	O
this	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
its	O
influence	O
on	O
these	O
programs	O
,	O
CONFER	B-Protocol
has	O
had	O
a	O
strong	O
influence	O
on	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
computer	O
conferencing	O
,	O
blogs	O
,	O
social	O
networking	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
similar	O
programs	O
and	O
sites	O
that	O
followed	O
.	O
</s>
