Development and operations of the Astrophysics Data System

The main effort in October 1992 was for the development and of the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) 3.1 graphical interface (GUI) and the preparation for its release. The beta-release for the GUI was made available to the nodes for testing. Development of the Abstract Server progressed satisfactorily. A test version was prepared for the ADASS meeting. Another major effort was the preparation for the user and nodes meetings on 5 and 6 November and for the ADASS conference on 2-4 November. February 1993 was highlighted by the preparation for the update release and its associated problems. We have the okay from the Commerce Department to export ADS. Foreign users can now sign on and receive the software. The main event during June was the AAS meeting. In the summer, the project decided on a new release schedule. The next major release is scheduled for January 1994 and will include major architectural improvements. In late spring 1994, a major release will include the new networking software.