From: SMTP%"RELAY-INFO-VAX@CRVAX.SRI.COM" 2-JUL-1993 09:57:39.98 To: EVERHART CC: Subj: DECUS Questions Answered (last modified 1-Jul-93) From: ctp@cs.utexas.edu (Clyde T. Poole) X-Newsgroups: comp.org.decus,comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec Subject: DECUS Questions Answered (last modified 1-Jul-93) Followup-To: poster Date: 1 Jul 1993 16:55:27 -0500 Organization: Univ. of Texas at Austin Lines: 210 Distribution: na Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: lisboa.cs.utexas.edu To: Info-VAX@KL.SRI.COM X-Gateway-Source-Info: USENET *****Last modified 01-Jul-1993***** There are a few basic questions that get asked from time to time that indicate that people don't know much about DECUS and how to use its services. Monthly I post a list of answers to questions related to the DECUS U.S. Chapter that may be of interest to the net. If you have something to add or a correction to this posting, please let me know. Text changed since the last posting is indicated by a "|" at the beginning of the line. ----- Some basic answers to DECUS questions: 1) What does DECUS stand for and how do you pronounce it? Digital Equipment Computer Users Society The pronunciation is open for discussion. My belief is that the correct way is DEE-CUS as opposed to DECK-US. 2) How can I contact DECUS? DECUS is made up of several "chapters" with a worldwide membership in excess of 120,000. People wishing to join DECUS may do so based upon their place of residence. U.S. residents join the U.S. Chapter: DECUS U.S. Chapter 333 South Street, SHR1-4/D30 Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4195 +1-508-841-3914 The U.S. Chapter currently has over 52,300 members. All DECUS U.S. Chapter leaders and staff may now be reached via electronic mail. In general their addresses are of the form @dcs.decus.org. For example I am POOLE@DCS.DECUS.ORG On the internet you should be able to type: "finger @DCS.DECUS.ORG" to find the address of anyone you need to contact. Inquiries about membership and services may be directed to: INFORMATION@DECUS.ORG if you have internet mail access. Canadian residents join DECUS Canada: DECUS Canada 15th Floor 505 University Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X4 +1-416-597-3437 DECUS Canada currently has over 6,100 members. 3) How much does it cost to join the DECUS U.S. Chapter and where can I get a membership form? Membership in the DECUS U.S. Chapter is open to anyone and is FREE. Membership forms may be obtained from the DECUS office and from most LUGs. To check your membership status or to notify DECUS of a change of address call +1-508-841-3511, +1-508-841-3502, +1-508-841-3500 or send e-mail to INFORMATION@DECUS.ORG. 4) What services does the DECUS U.S. Chapter provide its members? DECUS offers many services to its members. Some of the more notable U.S. Chapter services are: | a) The DECUS U.S. Chapter Seminars, Symposia and Trade Show, held | twice each year. The next few events will be: | San Francisco, CA, December 4-10, 1993 New Orleans, LA, May 7-13, 1994 | Anaheim, CA, November 14-18, 1994 If you can not attend most sessions are audio taped by a professional taping organization. The tapes are available from: National Audio Video 4465 Washington Street Denver, CO 80216 +1-303-292-2952 or +1-800-373-2952 For more information on the U.S. Chapter Symposia, call +1-508-841-3914 or send e-mail to INFORMATION@DECUS.ORG. | Other chapters of DECUS also hold symposia. DECUS Canada holds an annual symposium. Their next symposium is scheduled for Feb. 26 - Mar. 5 1994 in Vancouver, BC. For more information on the Canadian symposium, call +1-416-597-3462 or send e-mail to annem@decus.ca. b) The DECUS Program Library, a VERY large collection of software for almost every computer DEC has ever made, which is available for essentially the cost of reproduction and distribution. The current issue of the library catalog is the 1991/1992 edition with the Winter/Spring 1992 update. The hardcopy catalog is available free of charge to DECUS members. An online version of the catalog is now available as a pilot project of the Library Committee from acfcluster.nyu.edu (anonymous FTP in the directory [.DECUS]) and on BITNET from VMSSERV@NYUACF (use VMSSERV messages). More information can be obtained by calling +1-508-841-3914 or by sending e-mail to DECUSLIBRARY@DECUS.ORG. Information on preparing a submission for the library can be obtained by calling +1-508-841-2927. Orders may be placed by calling +1-508-841-3500. c) Regional Conferences, local users groups from time to time host DECUS mini-symposia focused on some subset of Digital products. d) DECUSCOPE, a quarterly information publication sent free to all DECUS U.S. Chapter members. e) DECUS Merit Scholarship Program, a Merit Scholarship has been established to be awarded annually to a DECUS U.S. Chapter member or member's child. The DECUS member must have had membership in DECUS for at least three (3) years as of January 1 of the award year in order to be considered. The annual Merit Scholarship competition is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., whose purposes are to identify and honor talented high school students and to award college undergraduate scholarships to the most outstanding of them. For more information contact Ms. Paula Morin, +1-508-841-3537 or MORIN@DECUS.ORG. f) DECUServe, a teleconferencing system using VAX Notes. It is available to all U.S. Chapter DECUS members for a $75 per year subscription charge. Subscribers also pay their own long distance telephone charges or may connect to the system via the Internet. It is the intent of this system to allow members of DECUS to interact with each other concerning technical topics, on a day-to-day basis. You can obtain information on-line by calling +1-800-521-8950 or by TELNETing to DECUSERVE.DECUS.ORG and logging in as INFORMATION or by calling +1-508-841-3914. You can receive a copy of a DECUServe application by sending electronic mail to APPLICATION@DECUSERVE.DECUS.ORG. If you include ps or postscript in the mail title you will receive a PostScript version of the application, ln3 or ln03 will result in an application suitable for printing on an LN03, otherwise you will receive flat text. g) Seminars, a program of seminars on topics of interest to DECUS members, presented at various times and locations around the U.S. and immediately preceding symposia. Call +1-508-841-3914 or send e-mail to CAPUTO@DECUS.ORG for more information. h) DECUShare, a new service which will allow subscribers to access the SIG Symposia Distribution Tapes and a subset of the DECUS Library on-line. This service is not yet available but funding has been approved. Watch for the announcement of availability. 5) What is a SIG, a UIG and an SSG? SIGs are Special Interest Groups. There are many SIGs in the DECUS U.S. Chapter. Some are: Applications, Integration and Management (AIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer-Human Interfaces (CHI), Data Acquisition, Analysis, RealTime and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (DAARC), Data Management Systems (DMS), Fourth Generation Languages (4GL), Education (EDUSIG), Electronic Publishing (E-Pubs), Graphics Application (GAPSIG), Languages and Tools (L&T), MUMPS, Networks, Personal Computing Systems (PC), Security, Site Management & Training (SITE), Technology Hardware & Engineering (THE), Third-Party Providers (3P), UNISIG (UNIX, ULTRIX, OSF), and VMS Systems. A UIG is a User Interest Group. It is usually a SIG in the formative stages, although it can evolve into anything or it can decompose completely. A UIG has a 2-year charter. An SSG is a SIG Service Group. These groups provide cross-SIG services and serve cross-SIG interests. Business Practices and the Standards Committee are SSGs. SIGs, UIGs and SSGs sponsor sessions at symposia, publish newsletters and in other ways provide services to DECUS members interested in particular subsets of problems and applications of DEC computers and software. 6) What is a LUG? A LUG is a Local Users Group. There are many LUGs throughout the U.S., Canada and the rest of the world (the current count is 158 in the U.S. alone). LUGs usually are associated with one or more SIGs. For example many LUGs deal with the problems of VAX systems only. To find a LUG near you, call +1-508-841-3574/3570/3389 or send e-mail to FOLEY@DECUS.ORG. ----- DEC, DECUS, DECUSCOPE, LN03, ULTRIX, VAX and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corp. UNIX is a registered trademark of Unix System Laboratories, Inc. MUMPS is a registered trademark of Massachusetts General Hospital PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. OSF is a trademark of Open Software Foundation, Inc. ----- Clyde T. Poole - Statewide Planning Analyst, Texas Dept. of Information Resources (in real life) DECUS U. S. Chapter, Vice-Chair of the Management Council and member of the Board of Directors (in my spare time) P.O. Box 7352 Internet: ctp@cs.utexas.edu DCS: POOLE Austin, TX 78712-7352 UUCP: uunet!cs.utexas.edu!ctp VOICE: +1-512-475-4792 BITNET: ctp@UTXVMS SPAN: UTSPAN::UTADNX::ctp