I would add to what Wirt stated. Years ago I too worked with different RUGs.
I can state that the more successful RUGs were those who had active support
by the vendors.

If you consider that every news event, every time you compile a program, you
are dealing with a vendor of some kind. They make the circuits, the OS, the
utilities and much more. We are supported by them.

We too are vendors of a sort. We implement solutions and sell them
(forcibly?) to our customers.

Just my $.02

Dave Gale

-----Original Message-----
From: Wirt Atmar [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 10:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Minisoft 92 for Java


Al  writes:

> You may commence beating me to death with a beta release.

Let me publicly and sincerely apologize to Al for the tone of my earlier
posting. I have heard the sentiments that Al suggested many times before,
particularly during the era of the regional user group meeting, 5 to 15
years
ago. I have always thought that the idea that vendors (with the obvious
exception of HP, who was generally welcomed) should be prohibited from
giving
talks that directly deal with their best and most deeply analyzed ideas was
foolish and shortsighted, and it has been a bone that has been stuck in my
craw for a number of years now. Al simply had the misfortune of being the
most recent to repeat the thought.

My comments were certainly not to be taken personally, although they may
well
have sounded that way. I am apologetic.

Wirt Atmar