std-unix@longway.TIC.COM (Moderator, John S. Quarterman) (12/12/88)
Tasks of Volunteers
for
USENIX Standards Watchdog Committee
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee makes policy decisions, and currently
consists of Alan G. Nemeth (USENIX President), John S. Quar-
terman (USENIX Institutional Representative to IEEE 1003),
Shane P. McCarron (IEEE 1003 Secretary), and Grover P.
Righter (well-known IEEE 1003 participant).
There are a few organisational positions:
Volunteer Organiser
This person, currently Mark Colburn, is responsible for
coordinating who is watching which committee. Ideally,
there will be at least one person watching each IEEE
1003 subcommittee, each /usr/group Technical Committee
Working Group, X3J11, and special delegates to OSF and
Sun/AT&T. These people need to know of each other, and
people need to be found and delegated for committees
that are not covered.
Report Editor
Shane McCarron has been writing quarterly reports for
USENIX after each IEEE 1003 meeting for almost a year
now. Each Watchdog Committee member should provide a
written report after each meeting for Shane to edit
into a combined report.
Working Committee
The Watchdog Committee is neither a standards body in the
sense of IEEE 1003 or X3J11, nor a pre-standards body in the
sense of the /usr/group Technical Committee. Its purpose is
to keep track of standards bodies, not to become one.
A typical Watchdog Committee volunteer should be some-
one who is already attending a standards committee's meet-
ings, and who is willing to add USENIX functions to the
tasks already being performed. USENIX does not pay these
volunteers, nor even reimburse expenses.
December 12, 1988
- 2 -
There are five basic tasks that a volunteer for the
USENIX Watchdog Committee might be called on to do.
reporting
The most basic task is to provide a written report to
the report editor about significant activities in the
committee being watched. See the accompanying descrip-
tion of what should be in such a report.
influencing
Encourage written proposals by members of the committee
being watched, and otherwise promote reasonable and
productive technical discussion.
ombudsman
Introduce ideas or even proposals from people and
groups who can't attend meetings. This may be done
either at the discretion of the watcher or sometimes at
the request of the Policy Committee.
recruiting
Try to find people who should be participating in stan-
dards activities and encourage them to do so. For
example, if a particular technical area is being con-
sidered in a committee, and you know of a group that is
doing major work in that area, informing that group of
the discussion and enouraging them to get involved
would be good.
speaking for USENIX
The least common task will be to speak for USENIX. A
volunteer may do this only when authorised to do so by
the Policy Committee, and needs to make sure the
affected standards group understands when this is hap-
pening.
The Policy Committee may decide that direct action
needs to be taken in a standards body, perhaps by presenta-
tion of a proposal, or by arguing for or against another
proposal. In this case, the Policy Committee may ask the
watching volunteer(s) to do so (the volunteers may, of
course, decide not to do so). Or the Policy Committee may
send one of its members to do so.
The only specific directive from the USENIX Board of
Directors is to attempt to prevent standards from prohibit-
ing technical innovation, so most direct action will prob-
ably be related to that. However, the Policy Committee also
has a free hand to take any other action that seems
appropriate.
December 12, 1988
- 3 -
Contacts
To volunteer, or for further information, please contact:
USENIX Institutional Representative
John S. Quarterman
jsq@longway.tic.com
+1-512-320-9031
Texas Internet Consulting
701 Brazos, Suite 500
Austin, TX 78701-3243
Watchdog Volunteer Organiser
Mark Colburn
mark@naps.mn.org
+1-612-224-9108
NAPS International
117 Mackubin St.
Suite 1
St. Paul, MN 55102
Watchdog Report Editor
Shane P. McCarron
ahby@bungia.mn.org
uunet!bungia.mn.org!ahby
+1-612-224-9239
NAPS International
117 Mackubin St.
Suite 6
St. Paul, MN 55102
December 12, 1988
Volume-Number: Volume 15, Number 46