Dynix (software)
Typical of 1980s software technology, Dynix had a character-based user interface, involving no graphics except ASCII art/ANSI art boxes.
[14] The customer base for Dynix did not begin decreasing until 2000,[15] at which point it started being replaced by Internet-based interfaces (so-called "Web PACs").
In the late 1990s, Dynix was once again re-ported, this time for Windows NT-based servers; again, uniVerse acted as a Pick emulator between the software and the operating system.
It's too bad that it (uniVerse BASIC) was so good, because it didn't make the transition to object-oriented Web-based technology in time to stay afloat."
Shortly after Dynix started being deployed to libraries around the country, requests started coming back that alternate terminals be provided for patron use; children would bang on the keyboards or throw books at the terminals, or use unauthorized key sequences to mess up the programming.
The swivel base was removed so that the terminal sat flat on whatever surface it was placed on; what the unit now lacked in viewing-angle adjustability, it made up for in physical stability (it could not be knocked over by the force of a child).
Years later, when the Dynix company was moving from Ultimate computers running Pick/OS to IBM computers running AIX and uniVerse, compatibility for VT100/102/340 terminals was added to the software; then, other models of Wyse terminal started coming into favor, such as the WY-60 and WY-150, which were easier on the eyes and hands than the WY-30 was.
One reason for Dynix's success was that an entire library consortium could be run off of just one server, in one location, with one copy of the software.
Each branch had their own Circulation module, but the actual catalog database was a single copy on one server in a central location.
This saved a significant sum of money—millions of dollars, in the case of the largest installations—versus Dynix's competitors, who required a separate server and copy of the software in each library branch.
With the single copy of the Dynix software installed on a central server, both patrons and librarians could access it by using dumb terminals.
The earliest method was to have the entire system connected via RS-232; there would be many muxes (statistical multiplexers) and many miles of serial lines.
The latest installations used PC's running terminal emulation software, and connecting to the Dynix server via telnet over the Internet.
Dynix was made up of several different modules, each of which was purchased independently to create a scaled system based on the library's size and needs.
Some of the other modules included Kids' Catalog, Bookmobile, Homebound, Media Scheduling, Reserve Bookroom, TeleCirc, DebtCollect, Electronic Notification System, and Self Check-Out.
A Dialcat/DialPac module was offered, allowing patrons with a modem and terminal emulation software to dial in from home and search the card catalog or renew books.
These codes, referred to a "dot commands" due to their structure of being a period followed by one or two letters (such as '.c' to switch between checkout and checkin screens in to the Circulation module), allowed librarians access to advanced/hidden features of the Dynix system, and—along with password-protection—prevented patrons from gaining unauthorized levels of access.
