From: ctp@cs.utexas.edu (Clyde T. Poole)
Newsgroups: comp.org.decus,comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec
Subject: DECUS Questions Answered (last update 20-Sep-92)
Followup-To: poster
Date: 2 Oct 1992 10:20:20 -0500
Organization: Univ. of Texas at Austin
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: lisboa.cs.utexas.edu

      *****Last modified 20-Sep-1992*****

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 50,500 members.

   All DECUS U.S. Chapter leaders and staff may now be reached via
   electronic mail.  In general their addresses are of the form
   <lastname>@dcs.decus.org.  For example I am POOLE@DCS.DECUS.ORG
   On the internet you should be able to type:

      "finger <lastname>@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 and Symposia, held twice each
|      year. The next few events will be:

          Las Vegas, NV, December 7-11, 1992
          Atlanta, GA, June 5-11, 1993
          San Francisco, CA, December 4-10, 1993
          New Orleans, LA, May 7-13, 1994

      If you can not attend, Transactions are available for these
      meetings (usually $25 per meeting) and most sessions are audio
      taped by a professional taping organization.  The tapes for the
|      spring 1992 Symposium in Atlanta, GA 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.

|      Beginning in the spring of 1993, the seminars and symposia will
|      be joined by a collocated, DECUS owned trade show.

      Other chapters of DECUS also hold symposia.  DECUS Canada holds
      an annual symposium.  Their next symposium is scheduled for
      March 1-5, 1993 in Montreal, Quebec.  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.

|   i) Multivendor Computing Developers Conference, a new service of the
      society still in the planning stages.   It will be a 2 1/2 day
      conference held twice a year for third-party software, hardware,
      service and consulting providers including software developers,
      system integrators, value-added resellers and consultants.  It
      will feature concurrent streams of technology, business and
      marketing briefings and will replace the Technical Update
      currently being presented.  For more information contact the
|      DECUS U.S. Chapter office, LAWRENCE@DECUS.ORG.  The first
|      conference is scheduled for February 26-28, 1993 in New Orleans, LA.

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 - Unemployed and looking for a new job (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: +1-512-331-4776          BITNET: ctp@UTXVMS  SPAN: UTSPAN::UTADNX::ctp