Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/sources/std_unix/volume.19/text0101.txt

Internet Message Format | 1990-05-17 | 4.7 KB

From: [e-mail] (Loren (Buck) Buchanan)

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:
>
>From: Jason Zions <uunet!cnd.hp.com!jason>
>
>I couldn't let Peter Salus' report go without comments.
>
>>My perception is that going to a POSIX meeting is a perk.

Yes, it is a perk, but look at what it costs the individual.  We spend
lots of our own time getting ready for meetings, travelling there and
back, and recovering from the meetings.  We give up all of the creature
comforts of home, for a hotel and a week of resturaunt food.  Think of
the fun of hauling a weeks worth of clothes, 10 pounds of documentation,
and for those that are dedicated, a lap top computer with all its parts
off to the airport.  Worrying about if your checked on luggage will make
the transfer.  I could go on, but I hope you get the idea.

>More than that, many companies do indeed send only one or two people to
>the meetings. Larger companies may send one person to each committee.

I don't have a problem with larger companies sending more than one
person.  People from larger companies tend to do the most work because
they have the most support (this is a gross generalization with lots
of exceptions, no flames please).

>
>>C'mon, lets get back to work, not meetings for the holiday or for the
>>sake of meetings.  1003.1 did good, solid work.  Some of the other
>>groups are doing work, too.  Partying ain't part of it.  Bah!
>
>You're quite right. Partying is not relevant to the Monday-Friday 9-6
>work of the meeting. If you see working groups goofing off during the
>week, feel free to name names and point fingers. Tarring all 1003
>groups save 1003.1 (past-tense, as well!) with the same brush of
>laziness is unfair (not to mention terrible reportorial practice).
>
>And yes, having the Sunday before and the Saturday after a meeting in a
>pleasant locale *is* a perq for many of us. Most attendees work damn
>hard during the course of the week. The meetings have to be help
>*someplace*; if the cost can be maintained at a reasonable level, why
>object to a nice location?

I have been on X3H3 (Computer Graphics) for over 5 years, and I assume
that things are pretty similar across all standards committees.  Part
of any meeting should be set aside for socialization.  Sitting in a
committee room for 8, 9, 10, and even more hours a day "discussing"
various technical topics we tend to forget that the other members of
the committe are human.  We typically set aside Tuesday night for
some sort of social event.  This is entirely up to the person(s) who
are sponsoring the meeting.  Also the work does not end when the
committee breaks up at 6PM.  I have spent untold number of nights
reading, reviewing, writing, or meeting with a small working group
for up to 4 or more additional hours.  I don't think that it is always
appropriate to name names and point fingers at groups that take off
as a group during working hours because if that group has its work
done.  During the development of any standard there comes a point
at the end of the development where there isn't much to do, and these
people have earned their morning or afternoon off to go to the zoo
or whatever.  Even then, not everyone on a "partying" committee will
go, some of them will take the opportunity to sit in on one of the
other meetings or will catch up on unfinished small assignments (this
almost always includes the document editor).

Even when a meeting is at a nice location, the bulk of the committee
flys in Sunday evening or Monday morning and fly back out Friday
evening or Saturday morning.  They have other responsibilities at
home that are more important.  Granted there are those that extend
their stays at either end.  The only time that I have seen the location
have any real effect on the meeting was when we met in Hawaii (It
was the only meeting I worked less than 50 hours).  I do know that
two committees (that I am not on) usually had at least 10 hours a day
in the meeting room (one committee met until well after midnight one
day).

The location of the meeting is determined by the meeting sponsor.  It
takes a lot of leg work and sweating blood to set up a successful
meeting.  I applaud anyone who been a sponsor.

No matter where you organize a meeting, there will be things in the
area that will be of some interest to some of the committee.  I took
of one afternoon when we met in Tulsa OK to go sight seeing (but I
still put in about 55 or 60 hours that week).

Before you condemn someone, walk a mile in their shoes.

B Cing U

Buck



Loren "Buck" Buchanan | internet: [e-mail] | standard disclaimer
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Volume-Number: Volume 19, Number 105