 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Report) Stan Johnstone stanj@melbpc.org.au |
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February was a very busy month, and it is hard to try and keep you right up
to date for this April issue when I am writing this in the first week of March. Many of the items I mentioned
previously for March are still to happen, and here I am talking about April. No wonder I never seem to know
what day it is!
PC Update
It is now twelve months since Carol Daniels was appointed by the committee to the position as Editor
of PC Update, in April last year.
Melb PC considers the Editor position so important that it is not just put up for grabs for anyone wanting to
volunteer, but the appointment is made only after careful selection. Carol had acted in the position of
Assistant Editor for many months before Ash Nallwalla felt confident enough to step aside and
recommend Carol's appointment as Editor.
Ash has continued to maintain a watching brief as Managing Editor, but due to family and other commitments
has now resigned from this position. And as we have all seen in the changes in PC Update during the
past twelve months under Carol's strong leadership, we believe there is no need to continue to have the
position of Managing Editor.
Most importantly we have not lost Ash's services completely, as he will continue to look after the reviews
which make up such an important part of PC Update. His eagle eye in proofing text is unbelievable, and
Ash will continue to assist here.
The committee regards the position of Editor of PC Update as one of Melb PC's most important
positions, and having made the appointment, transfers all matters to the Editor's judgement and control.
Although the committee will provide assistance when requested or necessary, otherwise in all matters the
Editor's decision is final.
It is for this reason that the Editor carries the entire responsibility for the quality and content of PC
Update, and to lead the team that put this excellent magazine together. Of course, the final link in the
chain is Peter Smith who has to somehow fits all the material together in time for printing after
Carol has finished.
Last month I finished up by talking about deadlines. I know I have enough problems, but it's just amazing how
Carol somehow makes sure everyone else also complies. You can't always be popular doing a job like that, but
as everyone who has ever worked under deadline knows - a deadline is just what the word says.
Carol - congratulations on all your efforts over the past twelve months, and I am sure all members are
looking forward to what is coming in the next year. Let me assure you that you have the full support of the
committee and the members for the way PC Update is developing.
Orientation day
Last month I spoke of the success of the first of these days, and this month's session was delayed due to the
Grand Prix, but from bookings already to hand it appears that there will be two sessions this month.
The next date will be Saturday 5 April 1997 starting at 10.00 am. Please ring the office on (03) 9699 6222 to
make a reservation, and always feel free to bring a non-member friend.
SIGs
Following an invitation from Joe Henry of Bendigo SIG, Morris Tobias and I had a very enjoyable
trip up to Bendigo for their February meeting. Speaking to individual members, we came away with a number of
ideas of new fields where we hope we can assist our members in regional areas in the future.
John Angelico of the OS/2 SIG knew that I didn't know what an OS/2 screen looked like, and although we
shared an interesting night he did not gain me as a convert. My apologies to all who attended on that night
as I later disappeared to become involved in the training seminar and some Internet hardware alterations
which were happening at the same time.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide a great opportunity for those who have a special interest and who use
these nights to learn and share experiences. SIGs have always been one of the strengths of Melb PC, and we
are pleased to see the four new SIGs started in the past year.
To start a new SIG only requires ten members with a common interest to group together and show their
willingness to start a SIG. Melb PC will then provide whatever support we can. It is very difficult to start
a SIG in a regional area without the initiative of someone who lives in the area and is prepared to start the
ball rolling.
If you believe there is interest in your area, please contact me, and Melb PC will work with you to try and
reach members who may be interested. It is unfortunate to see some regional SIGs closing in recent years, and
the committee is keen to see this situation reversed.
BBS
Jean D'Andrea has been leading the team preparing for the introduction of the new Wildcat BBS system.
The new Pentium Pro BBS machine has arrived, and Barry McMenomy and Phil Lew have already
installed the NT Server software donated by Microsoft.
At the monthly meeting we were pleased to welcome Ian Graham of Data System International, the distributor of
Wildcat software in Australia. No doubt we will see more of Ian in future.
Internet
Just as we were starting processing subscription renewals, we have been suddenly hit with a new basis for
charges to us for Internet traffic.
This has caused an enormous uproar amongst Internet providers throughout Australia, and we feel it will cause
the demise of a lot of smaller ISPs who may have just entered the market.
Due to our size and the equipment already installed and paid for, we can consider ourselves in a
comparatively fortunate position. We are continuing to investigate a number of options to minimise costs,
however the one thing we do know is that there will be no diminishing of the available services.
Training
Our first seminar training session in February was a great success with a full class to the limit of 40. The
night in March for Windows 95 for New Users has been booked out and a second night was necessary.
Evolving from the first session it appears that many members are not sure what to do with the software after
they download it from the BBS or the Internet. So for April we are offering: Installing, Upgrading and
Configuring Software Without Tears starting at 6.30 pm on Friday 11 April 1997. Maybe it's a long title, but
it is also a very broad subject.
The cost is again just $15, please make your bookings to the office at (03) 9699 6222.
Until next month
As you can see there is a lot happening, some of the new ideas being implemented successfully, and a number
of other ideas are being tested before making them available.
There is a lot happening at the moment to keep us busy - I started by saying February was a busy month, but
that was quiet compared with what is happening at present.
Reprinted from the April 1997 issue of PC Update, the
magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
