Conference 7.286::digital

Please note that the "internal transfer price" I mentioned could result in a 
SUBSTANTIAL amplification of the funds collected.  Since we can't be sure that 
information posted in a note won't find its way "elsewhere", I won't post what 
I understand this ITP to be, but suffice it to say it's quite low.  I'll be 
glad to communicate by secure mail with individuals or someone else can post 
the ITP if they (1) know it for sure and (2) think it's "proper" to do so.  
With recent happenings, I choose not to.

Steve

    nice idea, but what about:
    
    .. the terminal on my desk that digital owns?
    .. or the host system i'm running from?
    .. or the terminal switch?
    .. or the dial-up modems?
    .. or the network resources?
    
    and the list goes on.
    
    i'd be more than willing to pay for the resources that i may consume
    in my non-work noting if a price can be put to them, and if i can
    afford them!  even at internal cost, this figure could add up pretty
    quickly, given trans-atlantic networks, cross-canada multiplexor
    links, etc, etc.  
    
    mild ramble follows:
    
    my boss (and, therefore, the corporation) has hired me to perform
    a function.  during my job plan and review, we come to some sort
    of agreement on what i can reasonable accomplish (negotiable, of
    course :^) and off i go ...  
    
    in the course of my job, i discovered work-related notes.  confer-
    ences such as VMSNOTES, FMS, etc, etc, have saved our department
    uncountable amounts of troubleshooting time, not to mention increased
    productivity due to new techniques learned, tools aquired, etc.
    
    and in the course of this discovery, of course i discovered non-work-
    related notes.  very few of which interest me.  last winter, i was
    in the market for a CD player.  the CD notes file proved invaluable,
    supplying me with consumer information and allowing me to make an
    intelligent decision.  and yes, the late and lamented SEXECETERA
    conference was part of my regular reading, giving me new insight
    into this diverse community known as DIGITAL EQUIMENT.  
    
    i think there's three schools of thought within the corporation.
    i'll relate them to GAMES:
    
    1.  games have no reason to be on a DIGITAL computer, resources
        bought and paid for by Digital Equipment Corporation.  period.
    2.  games can be on a DIGITAL computer, given that their use is
        restricted to non-work hours (sometimes pretty hard to define)
        for both the machine and the person.
    3.  games are unrestricted, relying on the fact that you have a
        job to do, and limited computer resources with which to do it,
        and relying on the fact that you're a responsible individual,
        and won't let games get in the way of you or anyone else performing
        the job that needs to be done.
    
    i worked last night until midnight.  i don't get any overtime for
    that---it's part of the job.  i was in the office at 7:30.  part
    of the job.  and when my boss "catches" me reading notes, he knows
    that, as a responsible employee, the job's getting done.
    
    i like my job very much.  i enjoy the quality of the workplace,
    and i bust my bum for this company, because i feel it's the kind
    of institution for which i wish to work.  certainly the paycheck
    helps, but if i REALLY felt this was not a company for which i wanted
    to work, i'd find something else.  (i'm a pretty good short order
    cook!)  
    
    as i stated at the beginning of this ramble, i would pay a fee to
    use notes.  but i don't feel that i should pay a fee, given that
    i do my "noting" in a responsible manner, in relation to my job,
    my machine resources, the machine resources of the host machine,
    and the resources of the network.  for me, "noting" is one of the
    "quality of the workplace" issues.  for someone else, it may be
    the exercise room with the universal gym, or the free meeting rooms
    for some club.  or the employee purchase programme.  the list goes
    on.
    
    i think this incident (and i speak here of the SEXECETERA problems)
    is rather timely, forcing the whole issue of non-work-related notes
    out into the open.  force it to be recognized and accepted by the
    corporation, or end it all.  that universal gym of which i wrote
    earlier certainly didn't sneak in without the company's knowledge!
    
    and i, for one, would rather know where i stand.  with notes, and
    with the company.
    
    thanks,
    b.

	I'm not crazy about the idea of a employee notes-network..
	The idea of everything in one place defeats the purpose of
	Notes and when everything is in one place there is too much
	of a chance for something to happen.. (power hit, someone pulling
	the plug and saying "That's enough", etc...) I just don't
	think it would be worth the hassles.. I can also see someone
	coming along and trying to "take it over and charge mega-$$"
	for it.. (e.g.: Mill Communications a while back w/ the Ether
	in the Mill)

	No, Notes is a distributed product and should stay that way..
	A Noters interest group is the way to go. (Please, NEVER
	say that word that begins with U. 'nuff said) I think you'll
	be hearing more about this in the near future.. Please just 
	stay calm and ride this out..

						mike

    re: .2  GAMES have a real place ON the computer (but not being PLAYED
    by employees during working hours) in that they are
    
    	1. excellent demos (some of them) of our products capabilities,
    and
    	2. a (hopefully brief) educational experience for new employees,
    and
        3. occasional entertainment for waiting visitors and other
    guests.          
    
    	Rick Merrill
    

	Re:-1

	The game ROGUE caused a machine check on an 8800 prototype that
pinpointing an obscure bug in microcode that hadn't been found using any other
methods.  We're thinking about using it as a design verification tool...

    THE DEMO we ran at the introduction press conference (and stockholders'
    meeting) for the VAX-11/780 was a game--Scrabble. Ken pointed out
    that it had come up with an excellent play using a word that most
    people in the room would not have known!

Back in the 60's, a DEC engineer decided to computerize the
catalog of his record collection (a personal, non-business use if
I ever heard one).  The program he wrote became the basis of the
first SORT utility released on the PDP-10. 

    The engineer was Bob Clemens, MIT '64.
    I think he now works for BBN.