Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 21:49:40 -0600 From: lidinsky@hep.net (Bill Lidinsky) To: loughry@cup.hp.com, montaj@mmsmtp2.columbiasc.attgis.com, mac@west.smc.com, Buzzer@kbct.bems.boeing.com, preiss@vnet.ibm.com, lidinsky@hep.net, thompson@baynetworks.com, p.eastman@computer.org, i802@msg.ti.com, JMOLLENAUER@mcimail.com, jpb@akguc.att.com, dvaman@ati.stevens-tech.edu, alonge_ken@po.gis.prc.com, vic.hayes@att.com, pat@hprnd.rose.hp.com, eng@took.enet.dec.com, donnan@coastalnet.com, v.zelenty@mail.ieee.org Subject: Re: 802 Standard distribution procedure Cc: p8021@hepnet.hep.net I note that in Option 3 below a Salesperson will be attending. I wonder about the relative costs of sending a salesperson to an 802 meeting vs the cost of the standards. I realize that the salesperson will not be limited to selling 802 stuff, but I still wonder about relative costs. ------- Soapbox ------- It is my belief that one of the KEY reasons for the success of ISOC is that the Internet RFCs etc. are free and available at a moments notice because they are on line for anyone to retrieve. Contrast this with ISO where the documents are costly and take weeks to months to get. I keep asking myself how much more successful the IEEE (and ISO) would be if they followed ISOC's example. -------------- End of Soapbox -------------- Might not the reduction of the free distribution of books at IEEE802 meetings have a long term "hidden" negative effect precisely because the standards are not as widely and easily circulated? I realize that the IEEE standards org. needs funds to operate. I, for one, would likely be willing to increase my IEEE dues by some amount to cover the cost of operations. Since I don't know the revenues from the sale of standards, the operating costs of the IEEE standards organization, or the membership of the IEEE, I have not idea of how much this would be. Bill Lidinsky ---------------------------------------------------------- > Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 16:21:32 -0500 > To: loughry@cup.hp.com, montaj@mmsmtp2.columbiasc.attgis.com, mac@west.smc.com, > Buzzer@kbct.bems.boeing.com, preiss@vnet.ibm.com, lidinsky@hep.net, > thompson@baynetworks.com, p.eastman@computer.org, i802@msg.ti.com, > JMOLLENAUER@mcimail.com, jpb@akguc.att.com, > dvaman@ati.stevens-tech.edu, alonge_ken@po.gis.prc.com, > vic.hayes@att.com, pat@hprnd.rose.hp.com, eng@took.enet.dec.com, > donnan@coastalnet.com > From: v.zelenty@mail.ieee.org (Valerie Zelenty) > Subject: 802 Standard distribution procedure > > To: 802 Executive Committee > > From: Valerie Zelenty, IEEE Standards > > Date: March 7, 1996 > > Re: Standard distribution procedure > > In the late 1980s an agreement was made to ship 250 complimentary > copies to all 802 plenaries. All other IEEE standards-developing > committees receive one complimentary copy per working group member, > shipped directly. This includes all other groups within the IEEE > Computer Society. > > As Don Loughry mentioned at the last 802 plenary, IEEE will not be able > to continue to supply 250 complimentary copies of standards at plenary > meetings due to financial constraints. If the number of copies shipped > and distributed were to be reduced, the savings would be significant. > These savings could then be used to provide better support during the > standards development process, for staff support, etc. (You may have > noticed that fewer staff members are present at meetings.) > > At the March plenary, I'd like to present the 802 Executive Committee > with a few possible options concerning distribution of 802 standards. I > am sending this out to you now in case any of you have ideas for a > better solution. > > Option 1: Conform to basic IEEE policy, which is to mail a single copy > to each individual working group member. As you know, the size of 802 > working groups varies a great deal--some have less than 20 members. The > savings in these cases would be quite large. > > Option 2: Ship one copy for each working group member to the plenary > sites (within the U.S.) for distribution at the plenary, and use option > 1 when meetings are held outside the U.S. > > Option 3: In addition to option 1 or 2, when possible, ship additional > copies to each meeting to be sold at a special meeting discount. NOTE-A > salesperson will be attending the 802 meeting in November. > > No standards will be shipped to the plenary in Amsterdam this July > because of the obvious difficulties (costs/logistics). Copies will be > shipped to individual working group members in this case. > > I'd like your feedback as to which option you would like to see in > place for future meetings. > > Thank you for your consideration. > > (This will be a discussion item on Thursday night's ExCom agenda.) > > Valerie Zelenty > IEEE Standards Project Editor > Phone: (908) 562-3810 > Fax: (908) 562-1571 > e-mail: v.zelenty@ieee.org > ****************************** > CHECK OUR WWW SITE AT: > http://stdsbbs.ieee.org/ > ******************************