QwestDex Online Telephone Directory Debuts

Dave Barta
dbarta@oregon.uoregon.edu

Now that QwestDex's new online telephone directory is here, Windows users can browse the Eugene/Springfield directory online.

If you're using Internet Explorer (IE) or Netscape on a Windows PC, the new online directory will look much like the paper directory (see example below). Currently, only Windows machines can access the local directory, but QwestDex is reviewing options for non-Windows workstations and hopes to eventually make the product more universally available.

Fig. 1. Sample page from the QwestDex directory. The online direvtory pages are formatted just as they are in the printed directory, and include the full white and yellow page listings as well as governmental listings, such as the portion of a page shown above.

The Portland and Salem directories will also be available online soon.

How to Use the Directory

You can access the directory from any Windows machine on campus. If you're off-campus, you'll need a VPN connection to access it (see "VPN Access Ready..." on pp. 6-8).

First, go to http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/qwestdex

The installer automatically determines what browser you're using and presents the appropriate installation page.

If you use IE, an icon will appear on your desktop to access the directory. For Netscape users, the application actually opens an installer which then places a small QwestDex client on your machine. Note that when installing this Netscape application, you'll be asked for a URL. This may seem confusing, but at the prompt, just type http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/qwestdex

Why Use an Online Phone Book?

QwestDex is offering UO its online directory in the hope that we'll use it instead of some or all of the roughly 5400 phone books they deliver to us every year in May. QwestDex donates the books to us free of charge, and our only expense is the cost of distributing them on campus and picking up and recycling the old ones. Our ultimate goal is to provide a useful service that conserves valuable natural resources and reduces waste. Offering the option of an online directory contributes to the conservation effort.

Alternative for Non-Windows Users

Until QwestDex develops a viable solution for non-Windows users, there's another way to look up telephone numbers online that works for everyone, both on- and off-campus: just use the search engine on the QwestDex web page at http://www.qwestdex.com