Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

492 videoconferencingconsequence was scripts containing worms (such as the ILOVE YOU worm) or other malware and mailed as attachmentsto unwary users.ExamplesVBScript code will be very familiar to users of Visual Basicand generally follows syntax similar to that of other objectorientedlanguages. The canonical “Hello World” programcan be simply written as:WScript.Echo “Hello World!”Where WScript is the object representing the script host.To get user input through a text box, the programmercan write code like this:option explicitdim userInputuserInput = InputBox(“What is your name?:”,“Greetings”)if userInput = “ ” thenMsgbox “You did not write anything or youpressed cancel!”elseMsgBox “Hello, “ & userInput & “.”,vbInformationend ifOf course VBScript has libraries and interfaces to enableit to perform much more complicated tasks, such as queryingdatabases and configuring other aspects of Windowssystems through Windows Management Instrumentation(WMI) and Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI).Although the language (and code using it) will be in usefor years to come, Microsoft is no longer actively developingVBScript, having moved on to a new programming framework(see Microsoft .NET) and focusing on languagessuch as Visual Basic .NET.Further ReadingJones, Don. VBScript, WMI, and ADSI Unleashed. Indianapolis:Sams, 2007.VBScript Sample Scripts. Available online. URL: http://cwashington.netreach.net/depo/default.asp?topic=repository&scripttype =vbscript. Accessed December 2, 2007.VBScript Tutorial. W3Schools. Available online. URL: http://www.w3schools.com/vbscript/default.asp. Accessed December 2,2007.VBScript User’s Guide. Microsoft Developer Network. Availableonline. URL: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/sx7b3k7y.aspx. Accessed December 2, 2007.Wilson, Ed. Microsoft VBScript Step by Step. Redmond, Wash.:Microsoft Press, 2007.videoconferencingThe growth of the global economy has meant that manycompanies have operations in many locations aroundthe world. The time and expense involved in travel haveencouraged the search for alternatives to face-to-face meetings(see telepresence). The added discomfort and uncertaintyrelated to current airline travel is likely to furtherspur this movement.Basic videoconferencing is carried out by using videocameras and microphones to carry the image and voice ofeach person so that it can be seen by all participants. Thevideo and sound data is digitized and transmitted betweenthe participants’ locations, using some existing communicationslink. Although direct satellite technology can beused, it is very expensive. A more practicable alternativeis the use of a proprietary system over special phone lines(such as ISDN or DSL). Increasingly, however, broadbandconnections to the general Internet are used (see also VoIP).This is relatively inexpensive and flexible, but sometimesless reliable because of the effects of network congestion.The quality of imagery depends on the system. Highendsystems, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars,use large, high-definition screens or even special projectionequipment that can give a 3D look to peoples’ faces.Although high-end videoconferencing software and hardwarecan be expensive, there are now a variety of alternativesfor small businesses and individual users. (As of 2002the printing store chain Kinko’s is offering videoconferencingthrough some of its stores for $450/hr.)For smaller, less formal meetings there are more affordablealternatives. Products such as Microsoft NetMeeting,CuSeeMe, and Yahoo Messenger set up user accounts anda directory that makes it easy for users to connect. Otherthan the Internet connection, the only hardware needed is amicrophone and an inexpensive camera (see web cam).Business videoconferencing systems often include the abilityfor participants to view and interact with software applications.This makes it possible not only to view slide shows orother presentations (see presentation software) but to collaborateon creating documents. An “electronic whiteboard”can be used to display not only computer text and graphicsbut also handwritten notes created by participants using electronicdrawing pads. The system can also create a hardcopyrecord of documents developed during the meeting.Besides business meetings and conferences and productroll-outs, videoconferencing can also be used for a varietyof other applications including sales presentations and forconducting focus groups for market research.Videoconferencing is also being used increasingly ineducation. For K-12 classes, a videoconferencing field tripcan take children to a museum or science laboratory thatwould otherwise be too far to visit. Both docent and studentscan see and hear one another, as well as being able tosee exhibits or experiments close up. For college studentsand adults, it is possible to attend classes given by eminentlecturers and participate fully just as though they wereenrolled on campus (see also distance education andcomputers).Further ReadingBarlow, Janelle, Peta Peter, and Lewis Barlow. Smart Videoconferencing:New Habits for Virtual Meetings. San Francisco: Berrett-KoehlerPublishers, 2002.Pachnowski, Lynn M. “Virtual Field Trips Through Teleconferencing.”Learning & Leading with Technology 29, no. 6 (March2002): 10.