larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (11/03/87)
Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member
of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter? Is there
anything which they offer that is not in effect already available on the
Net?
<> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
<> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
<> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|mtune|seismo|utzoo}!/
<> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?" dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) (11/04/87)
In article <2191@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member >of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter? They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers you owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the FBI. -- Rahul Dhesi UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi
randy@umn-cs.UUCP (Randy Orrison) (11/06/87)
In article <1406@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes: -In article <2191@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: -- Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member --of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter? - -They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers you -owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the FBI. That's unfair. The form that I got requested that information; it appeared to be for legitimate audience analysis purposes. I haven't joined, so I don't really know anything about it. Could someone who does know something please respond? -- Randy Orrison, University of Minnesota School of Mathematics UUCP: {ihnp4, seismo!rutgers!umnd-cs, sun}!umn-cs!randy ARPA: randy@ux.acss.umn.edu (Yes, these are three BITNET: randy@umnacca different machines)
rupley@arizona.edu (John Rupley) (11/08/87)
In article <1406@bsu-cs.UUCP>, dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes: > In article <2191@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > > Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member > >of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter? > > They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers you > owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the FBI. The comment about the FBI is a bit unfair. First, CUG no longer requires a "site license." Second, a site license was reasonable when CUG started. It was formed to distribute code hacked for the BDS-C compiler, and much of the material included proprietary sections. In those days, BDS-C was all one had for CP/M systems. But this "all" was a lot. Leor Zolman, BDS-C's author, may have contributed as much as the AT&T fabled figures to the current popularity of C. He supplied full sources (kernel in assembler, libraries in C) for a compiler that was not quite K&R but was unbelievably fast and produced unbelievably fast and compact code (unbelievable at least for those who are used to the Portable C Compiler on larger and faster machines). BDS-C became the vehicle for some of the best-written and most useful code for CP/M machines. One can argue that this was the nucleation event for the explosion of C code and C compilers for the IBM PC environments. I imagine that there are more writers of C code working on or for ms-dos machines than on Unix mainframes. But CUG no longer is targeted for BDS-C. Essentially all of the source code it distributes is in the public domain, and I believe that none is that #$%&* shareware. Some code is still for CP/M machines, most is for MS-DOS or UNIX. Why join CUG? There is little overlap with the net, not with comp.sources nor with comp.lang. So you get a different view. Also, InfoPro's "The C Journal" has been merged with "The C Users' Group Newsletter", giving style and content a kick. The November issue has an exceptionally literate article on yacc. The software distributions include items that net readers might want and cannot find in comp.sources, eg, the 3.9 distribution of Microemacs. And membership is cheap ($20). The address: CUG, Box 97, McPherson, KS 67460. John Rupley uucp: ..{ihnp4 | hao!noao}!arizona!rupley telex: 9103508679(JARJAR) Dept. Biochemistry, Univ. Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721 voice: (602)321-2929 (Office) or (602)325-4533 (Home)
chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) (11/08/87)
In article <1406@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes: >They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers you >owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the FBI. How many C compilers even *have* serial numbers? None of ours do! You could always claim not to own any C compilers :-) . -- In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690) Domain: chris@mimsy.umd.edu Path: uunet!mimsy!chris
daveb@geac.UUCP (11/09/87)
-In article <2191@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: -- Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member --of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter? In article <1406@bsu-cs.UUCP> dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes: -They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers you -owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the FBI. No, they're a front for the CIA (Co-operators' Insurance Association, (:-)). Seriously, they started as the BDS C Compiler User's group, and offered upgrades of the compiler as a service. To the best of my knowledge (I am a member) they still do. And upgrades to ``Brain Damaged Software'' are always useful.. They're now much more Unix-oriented, and are merging with the chaps who put out the `C Journal'', which replaces their newsletter. --dave -- David Collier-Brown. {mnetor|yetti|utgpu}!geac!daveb Geac Computers International Inc., | Computer Science loses its 350 Steelcase Road,Markham, Ontario, | memory (if not its mind) CANADA, L3R 1B3 (416) 475-0525 x3279 | every 6 months.
dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) (11/09/87)
I wrote about the C users group:
They were demanding a list of serial numbers of all C compilers
you owned as a condition for joining--sounded like a front for the
FBI.
In article <2748@megaron.arizona.edu> rupley@arizona.edu (John Rupley) writes:
>The comment about the FBI is a bit unfair.
The whole story is that when I purchased Ecosoft's C compiler for
MS-DOS about two (three?) years ago I got with it a sample C newsletter
and some literature about the C user's group. The literature indicated
that this was a users group for C users (not BDS C users, just C
users). The application form had space for serial numbers, and said
that it was a condition for joining that the applicant supply these.
Of course, I know the FBI doesn't have the resources to go around
setting up user groups like this, which won't catch too many copyright
violators. But it sure sounded like the kind of thing the FBI would
do, if it ever decided to do it.
--
Rahul Dhesi UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesiruiu@tic.UUCP (Dragos Ruiu) (11/09/87)
In article <2191@kitty.UUCP>, larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > > Does anyone have any comment on the usefulness of becoming a member > of the "C Users' Group" and receiving their monthly newsletter ? Though, I am *not* a member I must recommend the CUG because of the quality of their news-letter. Copies often filter down to me, and I often think about joining just for this publication. If I only had *time* to read another trade mag.... On an aside: CUG descended from the BDS-C(an old, fast,excellent CP/M C) users group. I think C owes as much of it's popularity to Leor Zolman (BDS author) and Ron Cain (Small-C) as to the venerable K&R. There are a LOT of people out there who have made C what it is today, and learned C because of these two. They used to give me a lot of funny looks when I fired up BDS... "C, what a silly name for a programming language." :-) -- Dragos Ruiu Disclaimer: My opinons are my employer's, I'm unemployed! UUCP:{ubc-vision,mnetor,vax135,ihnp4}!alberta!edson!tic!dragos!work (403) 432-0090 #1705, 8515 112th Street, Edmonton, Alta. Canada T6G 1K7 Never play leapfrog with Unicorns...
richardh@killer.UUCP (Richard Hargrove) (11/13/87)
Since this hasn't been said in the follow-ups, I'll state it explicitly: I joined CUG when I renewed my subscription to _The C Journal_. No serial numbers were required. richard hargrove ...!ihnp4!killer!richardh -------------------------
dredick@vax.bbn.com (The Druid) (02/27/88)
This is in respose to all the E-mail I have been getting:
The address to the C User's Group is:
The C User's Group
Box 97
McPherson, KS 67460
It costs $20.00 to join.
===============================================================================
= The Druid (dredick@bbn.com) =
= "Did you ever feel that you were a typewriter, =
= when everone else in the world was a wordprocessor" =
===============================================================================