Hector: Heterogeneous Computers Together, a Joint Project of IBM and the University of Karlsruhe

This volume and volume I "HECTOR - New Ways in Education and Research" present the results of HECTOR, a four-year cooperation from 1984 to 1988 between the University of Karlsruhe and IBM Germany. The HECTOR Project has two major aspects: the first is to explore new ways in university education and is presented in volume I. The second aspect of HECTOR comprises basic research work on developing new technological concepts for the establishment of computer communication networks, supporting academic research and education in all disciplines. The underlying concept is that now and in the future, computer, software and communication systems which are required for the broad range of scientific and educational tasks will be of different technical orientation and made by different manufacturers. The main objective presented in this volume is how to develop a transparent user interface giving access to all services available in the network independent of the system on which the function is implemented.