Comments Re Active Labs demo

[Jonathan W. Steed]

>> Example:  From the opening screen window, which looks like some kind of
>> structure drawing program, I clicked on the right button labeled aromatics.
>> The button depressed, then NOTHING HAPPENED FOR 30 SECONDS.  That is
>> forever when you are sitting in front of a computer screen and are
>> expecting some response.  Then a new window opened - blank - and nothing
>> happened for about 10 seconds.  Finally, I got a menu of aromatic
>> structures.  Then I clicked on one of them.  Repeat the experience just
>> described above.
>> 
>> On my Apple system, when I supply input to an application, and there is
>> going to be a significant delay in response, the  system/application alerts
>> me to be patient by showing a clockface, hour glass, or some other icon
>> that indicates the system is busy, but it knows I am waiting and will
>> return a response as soon as it can.  When I supply input to a Java applet,
>> my cursor disappears and then nothing happens for seconds or more typically
>> - minutes. 
>
>I've been reading a bit about Java, and it seems a simple band-aid 
>would be for programmer's themselves to write such a busy signal 
>into their code.  It wouldn't prevent the delays, but would prevent 
>the lack of communication.

I had a go at this at around 11 am London time (before all the American
users are up!) and it took about 30s to load up (Pentium 133, Netscape 3.0
gold), which I was okay having been pre-warned.  
You can tell its loading because the Netscape tells you its still up to
something.  It all looked excellent and worked smoothly right up to the
point when Itried to actually do anything, like calculate an NMR spectrum or
get a pKa value, and then I got the message "form is empty" or somesuch, in
spite of the clock ticking away cheerfully for an hour or so (while I went
off for tea).  I tried a complex macrocycle first and then I tried ethanol,
with equally unexciting results.  In spite of this total failure to be
useful however, I was impressed with the system's potential, if not its
current state of realisation.  I will be back for more!

Jon Steed.

Dr. Jonathan W. Steed
Department of Chemistry, King's College London,
Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK.                      
Tel: +44 (0)171 873 2117, Fax: +44 (0)171 873 2810
e-mail: j.steed at kcl.ac.uk
Web site: HTTP://CRAC3.CH.KCL.AC.UK/KCLCHEM/SUPRAMOL.HTM

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