summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex')
-rw-r--r--usergrps/uktug/baskervi/8_1/robin.tex101
1 files changed, 101 insertions, 0 deletions
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}
+