A user perspective on computer workstation integration

VLSI circuit technology has spawned a fission of computing power from central to distributed forms including powerful individual workstations. It is believed that users are entitled to rely on a single (not necessarily the same) workstation to meet their full spectrum of computing and information needs. To realize this goal the fission of computing must be followed by a fusion process. The transparent interoperability between a heterogeneous collection of workstations and server subsystems linked by a hierarchy of communication networks must be established. The power of workstations also requires innovation not only in the system technology but also in the application, i.e. 4`content' of the technology. Examples are given of projects at the University of Michigan Center for Information Technology Integration that add value to workstations through integration. These include a full- to reduced-function workstation bridge, a campus-wide page description language, migration of Macintosh-type personal software to full-function (multitasking) workstations, and integration of remote and heterogeneous file systems.