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From: mats@dual.UUCP (Mats Wichmann)
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Re: Dvorak and SIGGRAPH (not that long)
Message-ID: <1064@dual.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 31-Jul-85 23:59:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: dual.1064
Posted: Wed Jul 31 23:59:21 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Aug-85 08:06:00 EDT
References: <1063@dual.UUCP> <142@aum.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Dual Systems, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 34

> I am replying to give the other side of this. I attended siggraph
> and had a very good as well as imformative week. I went to the
> courses and the technical sessions and I can't believe that
> people involved in the graphics industry did not appreciate the
> depth and uniquness of some of these presentations. The point being
> that Siggraph is for the *graphics* industry and they are the ones who
> get their money's worth. It is not an Art forum except as an aside and
> I at least found the Film and Video show interesting and educational.
> The exhibitions were  the same as anywhere. You pay your money and you
> let the salesman pitch his wares. Only a few of these were interesting
> as is the case at all shows.
>                            Erik James Freed
> 			   Aurora Systems
> 			   San Francisco, CA
> 			   {dual,ptsfa}!aum!freed

I have to agree with the gist of this, even though I posted the
original negative article. The presentations were not that great, 
but I have seen much worse also. The art show was admittedly
an aside. And with vendor exhibits, you normally should not 
expect too much more than a heavy sales pitch, since that is what 
the people are there for....

But I do still agree with the contention that the exhibits were 
disappointing, and the vendors (at least the so-called 'well-known' ones - 
many of the smaller companies, presumably `hungrier' were more
affable) were much more obnoxious than is called for. It is nice 
if the show is primarily for graphics people, and it is lovely that 
various ideas got presented, but if you can't turn it into a product 
that you can sell, what good is it to anyone but acedemians? And THAT 
is what I think the vendor exhibit should be all about. Not pushing
products that are little different from what has been around.
But maybe I misunderstand trade shows. I won't argue that most of 
them, at whatever the show, miss this mark.