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diff --git a/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..c381040726 --- /dev/null +++ b/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex @@ -0,0 +1,101 @@ +\makeatletter +\def\thinskip{\hskip 0.16667em\relax} +\def\endash{--} +\def\emdash{\endash-} +\def\d@sh#1#2{\unskip#1\thinskip#2\thinskip\ignorespaces} +\def\dash{\d@sh\nobreak\endash} +\def\Dash{\d@sh\nobreak\emdash}% \Dash is merely a dash with a bit of + % space around it... +\makeatother +% +\title[Chairman's report to the AGM]{Chairman's Report to the AGM of \uktug\ + for the period October 1996 to November 1997} +\author{Robin Fairbairns} +\begin{Article} +I have now served my two year `stint' as chair of \uktug\ and have not +put my name forward for re-election: I shall explain my reasons later. + +I would not claim that the last 13 months have been good ones for +\uktug\Dash though I would maintain that we've done \emph{some} things +right. In my view, one principal reason for the shortcomings of the +group's performance has been (again) the difficulty the committee has +in `covering the ground' of the tasks that need to be done. The +committee has consisted of 6 people (plus me, as chair); this is +half-strength. The effect is that if someone's energy flags on a +particular task, there's little chance that there will be anyone else +to chivvy them on to greater efforts. I urge everyone seriously to +consider allowing their name to go forward for membership of the +committee\Dash let's give the new chair of \uktug\ a good basis for +his future work. + +Principal among the things we \emph{did} do right is Sebastian +Rahtz's sterling work that has given us the \TeX {} Live \acro{CD} (of +which we sent every member a copy). \TeX\ Live was originally a +\uktug\ project, though the current (second) edition was supported by +a number of other groups too; I believe it has had significant impact +on the utility of \TeX\ on the increasingly many Unix-based machines +throughout the world, many of which are in people's own homes. It has +certainly been the largest impetus for people to join the group that +I've experienced. + +We agreed to support the \acro{TUG} bursary fund for 1997, but we were +never asked to submit monies. We have therefore decided to offer +bursary money both for Euro\TeX'98 (in St.~Malo\Dash you will have +seen the flier in a \BV\ mailing) and for \acro{TUG}'98 (in +Toru\'n, Poland). These bursaries are open to anyone who is +sufficiently impoverished: as a further innovation, we have proposed a +further bursary open to members of \uktug\ only, for attendance either +at Euro\TeX'98 or at \acro{TUG}'98. In the traditional way, these +bursary monies (though all are to be spent within Europe this year) are +expressed in dollars: the \uktug-member-only one is of \$500.00, and +our contributions to the meeting bursaries themselves are of +\$1,000.00 each. + +Rather less positive has been our performance with \BV. You have seen +only three editions since last we met (since there was already a +backlog at that time, you should in principle have seen seven); of +course, one of those three was a `double' issue, but\,\dots. + +To a significant extent, we are in your hands in this matter: your +committee can't write \emph{everything} that is to appear in \BV, yet +the only other member who has submitted anything has been Andy Lack. +What's more, despite a plea from me for `frequent' questions to +answer, only one member has submitted something for me to add to the +\acro{FAQ} list. We have formed a schedule for future issues of \BV, +but the problem of filling them will recur. + +I can now report that the incoming committee\footnote{Of which I am a + member: I concur with the decision} has concluded that it is (in +essence) impossible to retrieve the backlog of issues of \BV, and that +any pretence of completing its volume~7 should be abandoned. We shall +be sending a copy of the \acro{NTG}'s excellent 4All\TeX{} \acro{CD} +to all 1996--97 members\footnote{Those of you that the group can send + email to will already have heard of this decision}, and after that +has been sent there will be no further mailings to our 1996--97 +mailing list. +% no mention of the fact that 8.1 will also be sent to that list as +% well as to newly-current members + +We have held no meetings (other than the present one). This was a +conscious decision by your committee: as I explained at our last +\acro{AGM}, attendance at our meetings has been very poor of late, and +tutorial meetings (which are what people actually ask for) are more poorly +attended still, and regularly make a thumping loss. There is an +agenda item for you to propose topics for meetings, but you can submit +proposals at any time to the Secretary (see back page for contact details). + +You will remember that last year I mentioned the committee's ambition +to change \uktug's financial year. The reason (as I explained last +year) was to enable us to hold an annual meeting during the late part +of the summer, combining a significant (two-day) technical meeting +with a general meeting. Unless we change the financial year we cannot +hope to conduct a sensible \acro{AGM} any earlier in the year than +October. Unfortunately, such a change would be a change to the +constitution, and constitutional motions require infeasibly large +attendance at meetings to get passed. We have therefore decided not +to present a motion on this matter, and the only motions your +committee has submitted are those we are required by the constitution +to submit. + +\end{Article} + |