Title: All About CUG(UK)

Author: Martin Moene

Date: 17 June 2010 08:59:00 +01:00 or Thu, 17 June 2010 08:59:00 +01:00

Summary: Aims and objectives.

Body: 

The C Users Group (UK) is an informal group for all people who have an interest in the C language and related topics such as the design of 'systems' type software such as operating systems, language compilers and other types of work usually done in C. It is hoped that the Group will attract a wide range of abilities and backgrounds, from the home user experimenting with C purely as a hobby to professional software engineers using C in major work.

The group is NOT an 'IBM PC & Close compatibles only' group. The whole point of C is that it frees the programmer from the shackles of working with a single type of processor. It is true that the vast majority of CUG members run their C programs on PC clones but the watchword of the group must be portability.

Atari ST owners come a close second and we would like to see a free interchange of software between all machines. If it is done properly then C software developed on an 8088 machine today can be just as relevant to an Atari ST, Amiga or an Archimedes or even to some processor that has not been invented yet.

The current activities of the group are:

1. "C Vu Magazine"

This magazine, to be published whenever there is enough material and money in the bank to pay for its printing. The economics and therefore frequency of magazine production will depend on the number of paid up CUG members the group can attract (the per-unit cost for printing a thousand newsletters is MUCH less than only printing 100).

If each existing CUG member could get two or three friends with an interest in C to join then the groups position could be greatly improved. The 10 pound subscription covers the production cost of "C Vu" and the general admin costs of forming the group. The C source library is seperately financing by charges made for withdrawal of material.

2. Dial In Bulletin Boards

Based in Birmingham and Guildford, Surrey these boards will have downloadable copies of every issue of "C Vu" and some of the CUG software library. Both boards are accessible to anyone with the appropriate modem & software. Please see page 28 for more info.

3. Source Code Library

A library of member contributed public domain software. The library WILL be in source code form only. You may expect to do some work in getting material from the library to work on your machine (that's one of the reasons we have a problem page. ED) but that is all part of the fun and the learning process in porting software.

The preferred method of access to the library is via the boards as no problem with disk formats or postage/admin is involved. For postal reasons the library will be organised into logical units of up to 360k. If you are requesting material on 3.5" media then two library disks will fit onto one disk. If you are using the boards long distance then it will be much cheaper to just browse while online and order the disks you require by post:downloading 360k can play havoc with your phone bill!

The charges for using the library are as follows:

DONATIONS: No charge.

If on making a donation you wish to have your disk returned with other library material on it then just include one pound for return P&P.

WITHDRAWALS: 3 pounds to 5 pounds per disk.

If you supply the disk(s) for the library withdrawal then the charge is three pounds per disk. For 720k disks the charge applies to each 360k of data they contain. Thus a full 720k disk would be charged six pounds. Although 720k disks are easier to post making up the disks from the library is harder in the first place. If you wish the library to supply a disk for the software then an extra one pound for 360k and two pounds for 720k is payable (note that this saves you postage on the outward journey).

An up to date library list will be kept on the boards and is also available from me. Remember that the library is only as good as the members make it. If you manage to make improvements to anything from the library please send the improved version back when you are happy with it. It would be nice to get variants of the more complex programs that have had the bugs hammered out for all the popular machines.

Finally, Sinclair QL and Amstrad 8-bit users. Both these systems have non standard disk systems. For QL owners there is a program available from Quanta (the QL users' group) that will allow them to read standard MS-DOS format disks. For Amstrad and other machines with the 3" drive is there anyone out there willing to be 3" drive sub librarian? Is there an enterprising Amstrad owner out there willing to invest in a modem so that he can download the CUG library onto 3" disks for Amstrad owners?

These things are hopefully just the start. What is needed now is for you founder members of CUG to get out and get the group expanding from the small enthusiastic nucleus that we have at present. The range of activities that we can organise is limitless but all require people willing to to them.

ED - an abbreviated version of this article will appear in all future versions of "C Vu", to keep existing members abreast of any new developments, and to let new members know what the group is all about.

Notes: 

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