[The following is a long response to the concerns that have been
floating around this list today regarding the recent Interex election.
The response is a personal response - and in now way reflects the
feelings of Managed Business Solutions.]
<Interex election issues...>
I believe that the company I work for falls in amongst the members that
did not vote. In our case, I don't believe that the issue was one of
apathy. It was a question of timing, importance, and appropriateness.
To some degree it was also a question of understanding the issues that
need to be addressed.
Timing
==========
As a company, we are a relatively new member to Interex and no one (that
I know of) within the organization has an individual membership. We
have a short history as a company (5 years) but we have several
employees who have more than 20 years on the HP 3000. Unfortunately,
the person who received the ballot did not feel that she was capable of
marking the ballot because she personally is not that familiar with "the
issues" or the people. By the time that she "rediscovered" the ballot
and solicited input from the long-term HPers in our midst, it was too
late to vote. I agree that this is our internal problem and one which I
am confident won't happen again because those of us who do know and
understand the issues will be sure to know when the elections occur -
and will voice our opinion in time for the single ballot to be cast.
Appropriateness
===============
Despite the fact that we were recently included in the "Inc. 500" list
of fastest growing companies, we rely quite heavily on HP for our
income. Our specialty is legacy application support for the HP 3000,
and a good deal of this business is doing the support behind the scenes
for HP's internal installations. The issues that we see within HP
affecting the HP 3000 are vastly different than those that we see as a
critical need for the HP 3000 community as a whole. It is a difficult
call to endorse an issue that we know would best suite the needs of HP's
internal departments when we know that an alternate approach to an issue
can better suit the needs of the general HP 3000 community. It's hard
to play both sides of the fence...
Take for example the issue of Oracle for the 3000. Because of HP's
internal plans, it makes a great deal of sense for them to press the
issue on the Unix and Windows NT platforms. However, I know that if we
are to see the HP 3000 continue to thrive, any major application or
database drivers, such as Oracle, that have been ported need to
experience continued support and they need to be current with the rest
of the industry in compatibility and functionality.
Budgetary Constraints
=====================
I am a long term ex-member of Interex through various companies that I
have worked for. I was actually one of the founding members of the
Western Michigan RUG back in the 70's. I would very much like to be
involved more thoroughly in Interex and the local Rocky Mountain RUG.
However, there are only so many available hours to go around and our
company has chosen to limit the number of individuals who can attend all
day training events (which is what many of the RUG meetings have
become). I can choose to go at my own expense, but since I am a
contract programmer/analyst (read that "hourly"), I can ill afford the
lost time. Perhaps it is time to reevaluate the timing and structure of
meetings within the HP community. Since I cannot afford the time away
from the office to be directly involved in the RUG events, I don't feel
that I can justify running for any office. I know that several other
members within our organization feel the same way.
<end of election issues>
With a long background in the WMRUG (which I believe has since
disbanded), the Central Texas RUG, Greater Houston RUG and now RMRUG,
one might ask... Why don't I have an individual membership and why
haven't I ever run? Good questions - and I think my answers might be
reflective of more of the HP community than just myself. With so many
different demands for time and money, decisions regarding individual
membership in any group is made jointly with my wife. Unfortunately,
she can see absolutely no benefit for the family in membership in
Interex. Consequently, it is one of those organizations to which I must
have corporate sponsorship for. [I might add that she is in the class
of people who use computers for entertainment but have no understanding
of them and no desire to learn.]
As for office, I can say that I doubt that the issue is apathy - but it
is the next closest animal to it... it's called personal balance. I
have traveled the road of 70 hour weeks for work and professional
association membership requirements. Personally, I sacrificed a good
deal during that time. The trend in the United States is for quality of
lifestyle. To me this implies a balance between my work life and my
home life and a call for simplicity in many areas. I will continue to
support Interex and involvement when I can, but it will not (and must
not) come at the expense of my family or my career.
I am a staunch advocate of Interex and have been at every company that I
have every been employed at. However, for the voice of the community to
be heard, I believe that support must come from the highest levels.
Unfortunately, in many companies the ones most affected by and most
appreciative of Interex are not at the levels where they can make a
significant impact... it's the grunts in the trenches!
Glenn
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