Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!im4u!ut-sally!ctp
From: ctp@ut-sally.UUCP (Clyde T. Poole)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: DECUS asked us to put this here...
Message-ID: <11300@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: 19 Apr 88 15:46:26 GMT
References: <95rrk@byuvax.bitnet>
Reply-To: ctp@ut-sally.UUCP (Clyde T. Poole)
Distribution: na
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 63

In article <95rrk@byuvax.bitnet> rrk@byuvax.bitnet writes:
>Sorry to disillusion you...
>
>DECUS is NOT a non-profit organization.  It is heavily subsidized by DEC
>for the sole purpose of advancing DEC.  DECUS contributions are NOT a tax
>writeoff for DEC, and that is why membership is free.

Yes, DEC subsidizes DECUS but, membership is free because DECUS wants it
to be free.  The Symposia that are held twice a year pay for most of the
things a membership fee would support.

>                                                        DECUS chapters are
>very restricted by DEC as to what they can and can not allow to be presented
>in LUG meetings, and since LUGS aren't even allowed DEC funds to pay for
>mailings, they get nothing for their existence as official LUGS except lots
>of restrictions and an occasional tape distribution, which they could get
>for free anyway by contacting the right people.

In what way are DECUS chapters limiting what LUGs can do?  As far as I
know, the only restriction is the Commercialism Policy that esentially
says that DECUS is a "technical" society and that presentations that are
nothing more that sales pitches are not allowed.  Most LUGs allow
presentations by vendors other that Digital as long as they are
technical and that any sales pitches are to made individuals at some time
other than the meeting.  Also, most LUGs have their mailings subsidized
by the local Digital office.  I doubt that an unofficial LUG would get
that support.

>                                                 The hassle of the LUG
>librarian to send his own tape to get a copy of the latest stuff is often
>as great as it would be if he were not the librarian of an official LUG.

True.  But when someone other than the LUG librarian gets a tape copy it
is because some LUG librarian went to that trouble.

>
>So why be an official LUG?  In my opinion (I'd enjoy hearing others) it
>is a lot better to not be official.  Individual members can still be national
>DECUS members (and still for free) and the unofficial LUG can have other
>sales people visit (besides DEC's) to better serve the needs of the members.
>Does anyone still seriously contend that DEC has ALL the answers, or has
>them NOW?

Granted the advantages of being an licensed LUG are not very clear.  As
far as I know you only get the following: right to use the DECUS logo,
right to get a copy of the symposia tape(s), the ability to ask for
funds from the National LUG Council (NLC) and the ability to pre-order
symposia session notes.  It is likely that the advantages of being
licensed will increase in the next few years.  For example, it is
possible that the items currently sold in the DECUS store at symposia
will be made available for pre-order by the LUGs.

>                                AMMON::RAY

In any case, why are you mad at DECUS?
-----
Clyde T. Poole, Technical Coordinator, Facilities and Equipment (in real life)
 DECUS U. S. Chapter, VAX and LS SIG, Newsletter Editor (in my spare time)
ARPA/CSnet: ctp@cs.utexas.edu                  VOICE: (512) 471-9551
UUCP:       {harvard,ihnp4,uunet}!ut-sally!ctp   CIS: 75226,3135
Overland: UT at Austin, Department of Computer Sciences
          Taylor Hall 2.124, Austin, TX  78712-1188
"Life Is A Bitch ... And Then You Die"