September New Orleans Technology Forum?

[Duane Sadowski]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, and I'm hoping that someone can please answer some questions about the HP Technology Forum in New Orleans in September. Neither my boss (IS director) nor I (system administrator / programmer) has ever attended a Digital/Compaq/HP national conference, and we're unfamiliar with these events. My boss expressed interest in a mailing
that we received and asked me to research a few questions.

1. My boss is interested only in presentations related to VMS systems. Since the Technology Forum apparently covers the complete HP product line, my boss is wondering whether there will be enough VMS-related presentations to make it worthwhile to attend. (Is there generally a separate track for presentations devoted to VMS?)

Also, could someone comment on the usefulness of the presentations?

2. What kinds of things does one learn at these national events that one couldn't pick up either by taking HP courses locally or by attending local Encompass meetings?

3. Roughly how much do these events cost?

- Duane Sadowski

[Jan van den Ende]

Duane,

from my European point of view it is not realistic to answer your questions, but


My boss is interested only in presentations related to VMS systems.


Oh boy, oh boy, have you got any idea how lucky you are?

Bosses like those are WAY too scarse, and I guess your quoted statement will raise envy of the majority of VMS techies!!

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

[Ian Miller.]

Duane, Got any jobs ?Encourage your managements interest in VMS :-)

email information at encompassUS dot org as they will have people who have been to these events and involved in organising it.

[Ken Robinson · Accepted solution]

Go to <> to get your questions answered.

When I was regularly going to DECUS symposia in the 1980's and 1990's (DECUS was the previous name for Encompass) I always came back with at least one (usually more) item or information that helped the company where I was working at the time. What you get out of the event really depends on what you're looking for. I found the best information was garnered from talking with my peers and discussing problems and solutions.

As for the presentations. In the past, most of the presentations were not given by professional speakers and sometime it showed. Some presentations were very good and some were very bad. (I should know -- I've presented 3 times, the first two were before I was in Toastmasters and were horrible, the last came while I was in Toastmasters and I got compliments.) Overt marketing is not permitted during the technical presentations. (at least it wasn't permitted in the past)

As for VMS-related information. There should be plenty of VMS-related presentations. The problem comes when they all overlap and you have to pick which on is more important.


The cost is on the web site. ~$1500 per person for 4 days.

Ken Robinson
DECUS member #147078
Joined in 1981 (5/1)

[Uwe Zessin]

Champagne for everybody!

Somebody from a management position is interested in VMS!!

[Duane Sadowski]

Thanks for the specific information about the event, and thanks also for the supportive comments regarding the use of VMS.

Sorry, no job openings right now. :-)

- Duane Sadowski

[Ken Robinson]

Just an FYI.

If you're new to VMS information on the web, you might want to consider also using the forums at www.openvms.org and the USEnet newsgroup comp.os.vms (the posts here can sometimes get quite weird and negative)

Ken

[Duane Sadowski]

>>
If you're new to VMS information on the web, you might want to consider also using the
forums at www.openvms.org and the USEnet newsgroup comp.os.vms (the posts here can sometimes get quite weird and negative)

Ken
>>

Thanks, Ken.

I was aware of comp.os.vms, which I've looked at a few times recently. (I use the Free Agent program to read the messages.) The interchanges here seem more civil. The ITRC forums remind me of the CompuServe VAXFORUM that I used to follow.

I knew very little about www.openvms.org. I had previously browsed the excellent Golden Eggs diagrams there. I was unaware that www.openvms.org had forums, so I just took a quick look.

- Duane

[Geoff Bryant]

From what I understand this is a new event.

The DECUS events of years past as someone else noted were great. But htat was a long time ago.

I am eager to see how this event goes.

You should look into Sue Skonetski's VMS bootcamp which has lots of great VMS technical info.

[Ken Robinson]

Yes, this is a new event, but since the Encompass User Group (fka DECUS) has a say in what goes on, I think it will have the "look and feel" of an old DECUS Symposium. There will be SIG and LUG areas, probably a "camp ground", BOF Sessions (impromptu sessions on most any topic) and lots of technical sessions.

The Bootcamp is an intense week of technical information. The attendance in the past two years has been limited to 200 attendies. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to attend yet. I've heard that the atmosphere there has resembled some of the early DECUS Symposia when they were small and very technical.

Ken

[Duane Sadowski]

Geoff, Ken:

Thanks for mentioning the boot camp. That sounds interesting. I took a look at some of the ITRC messages regarding the boot camp, and I did a Google search. The Google search led me to some HP Web pages about 10-day intensive training events for certification training, but the ITRC messages described a shorter event.

[Jan van den Ende]

Re bootcamp:

follow this Forum regularly, I am sure Sue will 'advertise' the event here as soon as subscription opens. (I will definitely be there!)

hth.

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

[Kris Clippeleyr]

Re Re bootcamp

As soon as Sue announces that the registration is open, I'm gonna jump in.
I already blocked that entire week in my agenda. CU in Nashua.

Btw, just read an article in a Belgian magazine (Data News), titled "OpenVMS comes to the aid of HP's server strategy", that described VMS as "indestructible".

Kris (aka Qkcl)

[Jan van den Ende]

Kris,

Is it possible to access that article online?

I think it should be given as wide as possible exposure!

(Ps: see you in Nashua. Their Bass beer is also quite drinkable. :-) )

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

[Kris Clippeleyr]

Jan,


Is it possible to access that article online?

I'm afraid not. Since you have to pay for a subscription, they only have a few articles on-line at http://www.vnunet.be/datanews/

You mentioned Bass. Is it the English Bass?
CU in Nashua,
Kris (aka Qkcl)

[Ian Miller.]

last year the VMS Bootcamp beer of choice was Samuel Adams Summer Ale - I look forward to finding out what this years beer will be :-)

Here is the agenda from last year
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/symposium/may_2004/agenda.html
and other info
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/symposium/

It is an intense technical week not for the beginner I think but well worth it.

[Jan van den Ende]

Kris,

a. too bad.

b. No. it was local.

Ian,

I was there in november. Not too surprising there was no summer beer then :-(

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Duane Sadowski]

Jan, Kris, and Ian -

Thanks for the additional posts about the boot camp.

Ian, thanks especially for the URLs and for explaining the technical level of the event.

Kris, that Belgian magazine article indeeds sound interesting.

[Duane Sadowski]

People answered my questions.