Conference 7.286::digital

    Isn't this the same conference where a few dozen people are injured by
    jerking knees every time a printed document is published within
    Digital?
    
    Al
    

I have received three copies of this memo & annual report this morning so far.

only ever got one copy of the glossy.  Must be moving up in the world!

;-)

    Maybe if enough of us complain to these bozos, they'll change their
    minds.
    
    - Doug
    
    
    
    From:	CADSYS::KOSLOW "Doug Koslow, HLO2-3/J03, DTN 225-6377 
    18-Sep-1991 1424" 
      18-SEP-1991 14:25:02.64
    To:	PONYEX::PONYEX::MRGATE::"PKOMTS::ICS::A1::REPORT.ANNUAL"
    CC:	doug
    Subj:	RE: DIGITAL ANNUAL REPORT 1991
    
    
    Dear Sir or Madam:
    
    I am quite upset at receiving this "electronic" annual report
    instead of the real one.  As a shareholder of Digital Equipment
    Corporation, I expect to receive the same publications as all
    other shareholders, including the actual annual report, not a
    text based representation of it.  Just because I happen to be an
    employee does not give you the right to treat me as a second
    class shareholder and neglect one of the most basic obligations
    a company owes its owners.
    
    Regardless of cost, each shareholder should receive the same
    publications, whether or not the shareholder is an employee of
    the company.
    
    Please be advised that I will be contacting the SEC regarding
    this matter. 
    
    Sincerely,
    
    - Doug Koslow    (9/18/91)
    

>    Please be advised that I will be contacting the SEC regarding
>    this matter. 
 
	Up to you of course but I would never bring in outsiders until all
	internal paths have been tried. Just my way of doing things.

			Alfred

    
    I'm trying hard to see the problem, but I don't get it. This isn't like
    the bi-monthly pay scam, where someone tried to hold on to our money
    for the interest. This actually seems to be a reasonably intelligent
    attempt to save money -- you get the same information as before
    (yes?), and the company saves some expense. What's the beef?
    

    
    If my memory serves me correctly the genral tone in this conf.
    was to "stop killing trees" and use electronic mail, etc.
    
    Now, someone finally takes this idea and we see notes about "I 
    want to kill trees!". Sorry, you'll never please all of the
    people all of the time. I'm for saving the planet and using
    the electronic version. Let's hear one for progress!
    
    	Well done! Keep it up! Great Job! Save the trees! 
    
    	Greg

    I would like to say more on this but......
    
    Last time I looked it stated in the AR that anyone could request a copy
    by phone or mail.  They will even mail you the detailed "10K" if you
    ask nicely.
    
    Mike
    (who never feels like a second class citizen)

re:                   <<< Note 1603.0 by WREATH::SNIDER >>>
                    -< Here comes our (.LIS) Annual Report >-

OOOH BOY!!! Don't we waste enough ressources with glossy things these 
days?!

What counts are the numbers, and those are the same on the .lis
as well as on the glossy report.

Thanks to the person(s) who decided to send the report in electronical
form!

	-Peter (sorry, couldn't resist)

    
    
    SAVING MONEY THIS WAY IS BETTER THAN LAY OFF PEOPLES ! SO DON'T COMPLAIN
    EVERYTHING !

    
    I would venture a guess that the vast majority of people that used to
    receive the glossy annual report never even opened it!
    
    Bravo to whomever it was decided to send it out electronically!!
    
    Now if they can do the same thing to the DTW, that other newsletter
    that gets mailed to house periodically, and some other newsprint
    type publication I see (the name eludes me) floating around the
    facility...
    
    Lets save some money and save some trees!!

    I just received mine & read the first part & noticed that in the
    section that highlights our current systems, we show all the latest
    VAX systems, the DECMPP12000, the latest Intel systems, and the OLD
    RISC DECsystems, the 5400 & 5800.  Not the current 5100 & 5500.  I
    hope this is an editing error in the internally distributed electronic 
    version & not in the externally published version.
    
    Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be
    repsonsible & could perhaps repair the damage.
    
    Mark
    

    
    Why not feel privileged! Is electronic media worse than physical glossy
    mail. Perhaps the other shareholders feel second class:-) Also, I think
    we should take this with the intent for which it was given, which I 
    believe is to 1) save money 2) save jobs 3) save the environment.
    
    Let's not kick people in the butt for trying to do the right thing.
    
    My .02,
    Bob
    
    p.s. Don't forget to delete it to save on disk space, after you have
         printed it.

    On the one hand, I do applaud the choice of electrons over trees.
    I was one of those shareholders who skimmed his annual report.
    
    On the other hand, I do have some problems with the delivery mechanism;
    so far, I'ver received 43 copies of the report.  At 273 blocks per
    copy, this tends to gobble up disk resources.
    
    					andrew

re: .13

>    On the other hand, I do have some problems with the delivery mechanism;
>    so far, I'ver received 43 copies of the report.  At 273 blocks per
>    copy, this tends to gobble up disk resources.
    
And one command will free them up:

$ DELETE annual_report.txt;*  or whatever filename and extention you have.

I'm a shareholder and haven't received the report at all, in any format.
Maybe the fact that I don't have (nor want) an ALL-IN-1 account has something 
to do with it.

- George

    IF I may, for just a minute...
    I like humor and satire.  Criticism can be beneficial; and sarcasm even
    has its place.  What I get concerned about is what seems to be a rather
    insidious backlash against the company and anything the company does to
    try to get through a very difficult period of its history.
    
    I have been working for (I prefer with) Digital fifteen years now.  I 
    am a stockholder, and yes, I also enjoy reading the Annual Report.  As
    a matter of fact, I still have the 1976 issue, with the clock tower on
    the "Mill" which adorns the front cover and an attractive photo on page
    eleven, given to me during my interview.  Over the years I have shown
    these reports to friends and relatives, lent them to acquaintances who
    were interested in investing in the stock, and even bragged about the
    company with them.  My favorite cover is 1985, with the "VAX-on-a-Chip"
    embossed on the cover.  Digital really had it then!
    
    Where we lost it matters little.  What we do to re-gain it matters a
    lot.  I firmly believe that there are thousands of people who work WITH
    Digital who want to do "what's right."  That's why I think that those
    responsible for this electronic Annual Report project are on the mark
    and have my gratitude and appreciation.  They're doing and implement-
    ing cost-cutting.  That's what we all should be doing.  We bemoan a
    lack of leadership, but when we are presented with a great example of
    leadership we moan about that.
    
    Let's wake up folks, or there won't be any leaders left in our -ship.
    
    
    Mike
    (imho)

    So far I have only gotten *one* copy of the annual report mail, so I
    guess the mailing lists get it right sometimes - I would just as soon
    get the thing electronically although it is easier to skim through a
    paper version of it.  I'm just glad it wasn't a postscript version!
    That would have eaten up major amounts of disk space!
    
    /Charlotte

I'm all for the electronic version.  However, I have yet to receive a copy
and I do have an ALL-IN-1 account.

Bob

    
    This seems to be a clear example of divided interests, one being an
    employee and the other being a shareholder!
    
    I think the electronic distribution of the annual report only makes
    sense and hence is worth the trial. However, there are a few factors
    that I hope did get taken into account while reaching this decision:
    
    1. How many employees will actually print a copy of the mail and read?
       In that case, what is the cost of that paper? In reality many of us
       arent too concerned about the nitty-gritty details in the report.
       However, we would to read the letters by KO etc in the report.
    
    2. How much company time these employees will spend reading the report
       received as "offical" work related as opposed to home based delivery?
    
      
    3. Afterall, those of us who are the stockholders, do deserve the option
       of receiving a hard copy of the report. They should have asked the
       electronic receipients if they would like to receive a hard copy in
       addition.
    
    For myself, I dont care for a hard copy or the details in the report,
    want to save trees and appreciate the idea of saving money by the
    electronic distribution.
    
    -Atul

	I am planning on reading the copy in VTX.  I am saving trees, disk
space, and time (I am not spending time deleting mail messages). 


						~/~

    I don't understand what all the hoopla is about. I think it is a
    commendable idea, that should have been done long before. I too am a
    employee/shareholder, and I certainly don't feel insulted or feel like
    a "second class citizen".

    SO where is the bookreader version....
    
    It was a valiant effort, but think about it folks. 100,000 copies. THey
    must have had a 9000 to ahndle the outbound mail load. 100,000 tiles
    273 blocks. Is a large amount of disk. And yes, most people will either
    keep it in their mail directory, or print and delete. And I find it
    hard to believe that printing it on an LN03 is going to be
    significantly cheaper, or save more trees, than running 100,000 copies
    through R&R DOnnelly's presses... (big scale publishers who do a lot of
    work for us...)
    
    sigh...
    
    q
    

>   <<< Note 1603.21 by BUNYIP::QUODLING "What time is it? QUITTING TIME!" >>>

>     It was a valiant effort, but think about it folks. 100,000 copies. THey

100,000 is probably a bit of an exaggeration. The total population of
Digital worldwide is only about 15% more than this. Not every country
had a stock purchase plan, and many employees like myself sell the stock
right away and take the 15%. We never receive an annual report because
we don't hold stock on the day the stockholders list is generated.

Craig

Printer paper is recyclable. Glossy paper is not, as it is coated with clay or
plastic. So, if people dispose of their copies in recycle bins, this can save a
few trees.

Re:<<< Note 1603.11 by MRKTNG::SILVERBERG "Mark Silverberg DTN 264-2269 TTB1-5/B3" >>>

>    I just received mine & read the first part & noticed that in the
>    section that highlights our current systems, we show all the latest
>    VAX systems, the DECMPP12000, the latest Intel systems, and the OLD
>    RISC DECsystems, the 5400 & 5800.  Not the current 5100 & 5500.  I
>    hope this is an editing error in the internally distributed electronic 
>    version & not in the externally published version.
    
Perhaps when the actual (printed) reports went to press, the 5400 & 5800 *were* 
the current systems  :-)

-  David

    The VTX application is available by typing:

			   $ VTX ANNUAL_REPORT

    The infobase (Digital Annual Report) is also listed under these 
    categories in the latest-available (18-Sep-1991) Corporate Videotex 
    Library:

    		Employee Benefits and Resources
    		Financial Information
    		Marketing Information

    There's a token amount of gloss in the Main Menu for workstation 
    users who might still need it.  (If it causes "anyone" any pain, please 
    let me know.)  And, for those that absolutely, positively, need the 
    hardcopy glossy document, there are instructions in the VTX application 
    to obtain it.

    As a stockholder, I thank the Investor Services organization for saving 
    the company (and me) a lot of money. 

    If you have a problem accessing this application in the next few days,
    please first check, in your version of the Corporate Videotex Library, 
    the date near the top right-hand of the screen.  If it's before 
    12-Sep-1991, your system manager will need to run the GETVTXLIB.COM 
    command file.  If you still have a problem after that, please let me 
    know.

    - Jim Boice (SMC)
      (DTN: 234-4585)

    I remember the complaints about wasting paper on the annual report to
    employees very well.  "Why don't they just distribute is via Mail?" was
    the complaint.  Now here it is, and guess what?  Complaints! 
    (Presumably from different people).
    
    This must be the clearest example ever seen in this conference of how
    you can't please everyone 8^)  For my part, I say bravo to Investor
    Services!
    
    Unfortunately for those of us who are working to rid the office of
    paper, it's just too much to read online.  If I'd gotten the glossy
    book I would have skimmed through it at least.  I'm going to file this
    mail message, not print it out; but I can't sit here and read it.

    re: -.1
    
    Why not print ONE copy of the report and let everyone in your area read
    it?
    
    --- Gavin_who_has_ALL_IN_1_and_is_an_employee_but_not_a_shareholder_
    _(yet)_and_hasn't_received_a_copy_of_the_annual_report_:-[

  There is an obvious point that nobody has mentioned yet. For me, the 
pictures are a MAJOR part of the report. They give me a view of the company
that I don't get from any other publication. Furthermore, I want to see how
we are presenting ourselves to outsiders. 
  Here are some more issues I would like to raise:
1. Not everyone has enough time at work to view the report on-line. Not all
bosses would consider this a "work-related" task. Making a hard copy can
be time-consuming for some people. An 85-page hard copy is much thicker and
heavier than a glossy annual report. It could be quite awkward to take it
home and read it, compared to getting a conventional report by mail at home
or work.
2. Does Investor Services have enough hard copies on hand to meet the demand
of employees who call and ask for a hard copy?
  I may get a glossy copy without asking for it because I have DEC stock in
my IRA. If I don't, I will ask for one. If they send glossy copies promptly
to all employees who ask for them, I won't complain about the on-line annual
report. In fact, I like the idea of having the report on-line. I just don't
want to lose the option of getting a "real" one.

    Well this is rather interesting. I was just handed a glossy
    copy of the annual report. I didn't request it and would've
    been happy with the electronic version. I don't know why I
    received a 'real' report but I will surely enjoy reading it.
    The pictures aren't bad either.
    
    Jim C.
    

    	re:  "I don't have time to read it online"
    
    	So when would you have read the glossy report?  At home?  Great!
    	Dial in from home and read your mail.  Then delete it.
    
    	Or print it on a la120 and take it home and read it.
    
    	Not everyone is going to print it out.  Not everyone even WANTS
    	to read it.  Inv Serv is doing the right thing.
    
    	Joe Oppelt