November 2020 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Dave McGuire 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

On 11/10/20 11:52 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Last year I got Ken Thompson to come to VCF East and arranged for > Brian to be there too. > > The video reached 100,000 views today: https://youtu.be/EY6q5dv_B-o > ... no other VCF video is even close. I'm quite certain that I'm not the only person who wants to say something negative about this post. But, I'm honestly rather tired of being the guy who speaks up and says what everyone else is thinking, and gets a dozen or more private replies in agreement, but not a single public voice of agreement. So, I will keep my mouth shut and let someone else perform the service. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Tony Bogan 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

There’s obviously a lot to running the show Evan, no one ever disputed that. My point was simple, I’m sorry you missed it, so here it is again. You keep touting Ken Thompson and throwing it in my face, even though I clearly said it was a huge score and we all congratulated you on it, but in the end it wasn’t even your idea to ask him, period. Did you give credit to anyone else? Nope. Did you physically tie him up and bring him there or did you communicate (obviously successfully by the way) with him through phone and emails? Getting His interviewer was also a great idea, and something multiple people discussed. Again, not just your idea. I’m sure it was an oversight on your part not mentioning that either. You keep knocking Jeff and belittling him as the show runner for a show that YOU bailed out of only months before without notice to anyone (you quit in a hissy fit on the public list without so much as a heads up to anyone) after you had just said you were at least going to stay till after vcf East. Then Covid happened, which no one could account for, but we still pulled off a great virtual show. Was great to see all the positive feedback from you on that one by the way. Your positive posts on the list keep coming fast and furiously. But you keep taking credit for all the great things you did In the past Evan, I’m sure there’s something you did that you haven’t rammed down everyone’s throat at least once or twice. Context matters, even if it doesn’t matter to you. Tony Sent from my iPhone > On Nov 10, 2020, at 6:49 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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Re: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by laurakid 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

Wow.... Hope everyone has a restful evening. That was intense 😊 Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 7:22 PM, Doug Crawford <memphis(a)ptd.net> wrote: So Laurakid doesn't stand alone, I have heard nearly verbatum the same take on the events of last year from everyone who has expressed their opinion. I concur with her assessment too. The same behavior was seen last Festivus during the "suggestion" session, right? Anyone remember how that went? It was pretty much a microcosm of our collective experience over the years. We tire of the repeated gloat and jab. Either fold in some way constructively or go away, please. DC On 11/10/2020 2:36 PM, laurakid wrote: was in response to David’s post.... i see the thread has grown Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 2:32 PM, laurakid via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: Ok I’ll do it.... My reaction to Evan’s post is that it is petty and (not so) passive aggressive. With all of planning for Festivus going on without him, he is reliving past misperceptions of being tossed out of VCF. In reality, the group he started had grown with the help of many who he refused to let grow up with it. Once VCF became a non-profit and a board was in place, he was annoyed that he could no longer be “president”. No one ever challenged Evan’s importance and his role as the founder and leader of VCF. However, after years of having suggestions, ideas, and objections fall on deaf ears, the board members came to an agreement to form a committee so that VCF could be operated and developed with a democratic process rather than what often seemed like a dictatorship. Evan, I apologize that this sounds rash, but in person we had conversations while working together in the warehouse where you admitted that you were annoyed at people for not doing things your way and that other members were on your nerves with opposing views. You also admitted that you were extremely stubborn and reluctant to listen to or acknowledge the contributions of others, myself included. I think you are a generally decent guy who like all humans has flaws. Currently, those are coming out in your recent posts. You created something great and when it grew, you continued to work with great people to make it even bigger and better. But when it got big enough that you needed to cooperate more with others, you opted out. In closing: A parent must let their teenager have more freedom to make their own decisions despite their objections to let them grow and thrive. You were a great parent, and still can be, you just need to let your child grow up. You can remain a part of it’s life if you can understand that it is growing up and has its own ideas. Throwing “I told you so” at it will only grow frustration and resentment. Hope all is well with you and that this message is read as the constructive criticism it was meant to be. Best, Laura Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 12:19 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: On 11/10/20 11:52 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Last year I got Ken Thompson to come to VCF East and arranged for > Brian to be there too. > > The video reached 100,000 views today: https://youtu.be/EY6q5dv_B-o > ... no other VCF video is even close. I'm quite certain that I'm not the only person who wants to say something negative about this post. But, I'm honestly rather tired of being the guy who speaks up and says what everyone else is thinking, and gets a dozen or more private replies in agreement, but not a single public voice of agreement. So, I will keep my mouth shut and let someone else perform the service. -Dave

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Tony Bogan 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

It was an exaggeration. The commentator asked what to do. The show runner told them it was time to stop. Same same. They obviously wanted to continue, otherwise they wouldn’t have asked. It was readily apparent to everyone. Except you. Adam and I had DOZENS of people who were flabbergasted at the decision to stop the discussion come and complain to us at the computer/software store. It was the single biggest complaint we received at the event. Cutting them off mid sentence was not what happened, you are correct. You waited for them to ask what to do, and then cut the discussion off. Apologies for the misrepresentation to those who may not have watched the video. Tony Sent from my iPhone > On Nov 10, 2020, at 3:30 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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POSTPONED -- Vintage Repair Weekend 11/14-11/15 at System Source
by rar 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

We are postponing the repair weekend at System Source due to a local spike in COVID-19 over the past week. Several of the surrounding counties and Baltimore City have restricted events to ten or fewer people, and we expect similar restrictions to go into effect by Friday evening in Baltimore County. To a healthier 2021! We expect to host again in February 2021 and November 2021. Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com 410-771-5544 ext 4336 Computer Museum Highlights<http://museum.syssrc.com/> [cid:image001.png@01D6B769.A2D5FBB0]

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Alexander Pierson 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >VCF MW and VCF E are two different kinds of show. That doesn't invalidate the two other VCFed-run events that have both elected to run exhibits/talks simultaneously. If anything, that makes East the outlier if West, PNW, and MW are all doing it that way. Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >as a veteran exhibitor it's frustrating that you can't really walk around as much as you'd like, and you miss the things going on at the festival sometimes. I concur. It's why I've appreciated having help at my exhibit table, so I can step away for a moment to take photos, talk to people, etc. as needed. Still, there are at least 5 places I'd like to be at any given moment during a show and the exhibit gets priority. So it goes. Jason Howe via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >which helps assuage the disappointment of missing Joe Decuir's keynote last yearThat's unfair to you. We may elect to be an exhibitor and be part of the show, missing presentations important to us just isn't right if you ask me. So, how do we break this down? The VCF East approach is simply that the exhibit floor and keynote timeframes do not overlap, but that means only one keynote per main show day and the full day of classes and smaller subject talks. The rest of the VCFs have the two overlap, and take a more laissez faire approach (with VCFMW being the extreme example), where people duck out to see a talk and then come back. Having more than a few talks one wishes to attend throughout the day results in an empty booth, and the logic that lead us to the first approach. And I fully understand why people want to avoid seeing them unattended for too long. My point is that there has to be a happy middle ground between the die-hard "we must be shackled to our exhibits" mentality and leaving computers to their lonesome as we socialize and watch the presentations. Not everyone wants to see talks, and not everyone wants to stay at the table all day long. Other events of our caliber do this, especially the larger ones, so it's something to consider why the no-overlap approach isn't as common. Take my perspective with a grain of salt. -Alexander 'Z' Pierson On Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 02:23:42 PM EST, Jason Howe via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: On 11/10/20 11:06 AM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Overall flow and schedule and all that is hard to maintain when it's not > all in the same place. People can bring "look but don't touch" signs or > guidance stanchions to place in front of their exhibits for times when no > one is present to guard the goodies. Of course I never did this, but as a > veteran exhibitor it's frustrating that you can't really walk around as > much as you'd like, and you miss the things going on at the festival > sometimes. > > Bill > > On Tue, Nov 10, 2020 at 1:57 PM Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> I think exhibitors can make the decision to be responsible and go back to >> their exhibit at the appropriate time. Best of both worlds. Why should >> attendees have a talk limited by the availability of the exhibitors? >> When I've exhibited at the PNW show, the exhibits are open all day, even while the keynotes are going on. As an exhibitor, I always took the approach that I'm part of the show, one of the performers if you will, that the attendees have just paid money to come see. I'm member of the body of VCF, evangelizing about my particular interest niche, educating passers by on why it's the coolest thing in the world and worthy of preservation. I'm not arguing for one approach over the other, just sharing how I look at it, which helps assuage the disappointment of missing Joe Decuir's keynote last year, even while I was exhibiting a system he designed. :) --Jason

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Dave McGuire 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

On 11/10/20 3:59 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Okay, so let the hardcore nerds, who lack any clue about > business/marketing, run your next show. I'll make popcorn > and watch how that goes. I dunno, you didn't do too bad, and you know a lot less than that. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Evan Koblentz 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

I almost forgot Chuck Peddle. On Nov 10, 2020, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)snarc.net> >To: Tony Bogan <thebogans(a)mac.com>, vcf-midatlantic ><vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> >Sent: Tue Nov 10 15:59:39 EST 2020 >Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video > >>> Adam and I had DOZENS of people who were flabbergasted at the >decision to stop the discussion come and complain to us at the >computer/software store. It was the single biggest complaint we >received at the event. > >Okay, so let the hardcore nerds, who lack any clue about >business/marketing, run your next show. I'll make popcorn and watch how >that goes. > >I brought in friggin KEN THOMPSON. Also, from past years: Brian >Kernighan, the ARPAnet director, the co-inventor of BASIC, Dan Kottke, >Ted Nelson, Stewart Cheifet, Bob Frankston, Dave Ahl, Bill Mauchly, >Bill Cheswick, Maris Graube, Jason Scott, Bil Herd, John Blakenbaker, >Bjarne Stroustrup, Dave Walden, and Don Eyles. > >Your current showrunner brought the VIC-20 marketing guy. > >Why listen to me? I can't imagine.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Dave McGuire 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

On 11/10/20 2:39 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Evan, I'm making this suggestion as a friend who is trying to save you further embarrassment: Just stop. Don't say anything more. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ken Thompson video
by Evan Koblentz 10 Nov '20

10 Nov '20

>> With all of planning for Festivus going on without him, he is reliving past misperceptions of being tossed out of VCF You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

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