Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!phast.phys.washington.EDU!SEYMOUR
From: SEYMOUR@phast.phys.washington.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: Re: DECUS asked us to put this here...
Message-ID: <8805231335.AA17376@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 18 May 88 18:50:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 31

specifically re: other vendors not able to present at Offical LUG meetings;
we often have non-dec vendors present technical topics at our meetings.
one memorable meeting had 4 competing  disk defragmenter rep's give
12 minute "how we do it" talks, with q+a (and complaints and user experiences)
after each and after all.   all that the DECUS Canons of Conduct limits
is a quoting of prices or other specifically solicitation-of-business
activities.  describing (in as neutral a sense as possible) HOW your
product works (which may inherently include "why it's best" by detailing
how your solutions address problems found with competing products) is
perfectly acceptable.  discussion of delivery, terms, rebates, incentives,
etc. are not. (unless, of course, the topic of the meeting was a generic
"how to sell stuff")
the Canons of Conduct (and Bylaws) are periodically published in the DECUS
newsletter(s) (the best $35 you can spend per year) and the semi-annual
symposia program announcements. then attend a few meetings and see how
they're not really a barrier to information flow.
(also, DEC has always (at least since 1972) stated -- and demonstrated --
that they recognize DECUS as an important conduit of customer input to
the plans and actions of the company.  two memorable examples were:
DEC asking VAX people (in 1980, i think) "how many would buy a G/H
floating point improvement" ... in a room with about 1000 sites represented
over 400 rose their hands -- the product appeared.
the second example was when DEC announced their "new software license policy"
involving the non-transferral of licenses with machines.  i pity the poor
DEC person who made that presentation at DECUS.  after a fascinating barrage
of letters, comments, polls, etc., the policy was effectively rescinded.)

i apologize for not preceding this with a *** FLAME ON ***, but got carried
away.  DECUS and the contacts it provides have always repaid whatever
investments we have made to it well more than ten-fold.
-- dick seymour