Over the past few months officers of the QUANTA Committee have monitored the
ql-users list (as they do) and, from time to time have discussed its content.
They have recently been referred to by a "known radical terrorist" as
"traditionalists" ("Which was what the membership voted for") but that doesn't
mean we are sitting on our backsides doing nothing.
Someone wanted to know why a number of past members had resigned. I, as
Membership Secretary know why a number of them resigned because they politely
wrote and informed me of their decision and their reason(s).
Others have just refused to reply to my letters while yet others are no longer
on this earth and are, therefore, finding it extremely difficult to communicate
with us. Generally the families of the deceased don't want constant letters
reminding them of their loss and we have to accept this.
I am in the process of collecting together the resignations received over the
past couple of years in the hopes that those whose membership has lapsed due to
an oversight being given one last letter may be persuaded to re-join.
Most resignations come from people who just don't respond to the usual Subs Due
letter delivered with the last magazine of their paid up membership which means
that after a suitable period of time I can write to them for an explanation.
90% send no
replies (even when a stamped addressed envelope is enclosed) and the rest might
send a terse note that the QL no longer serves their purpose or they have a PC
etc. etc.
Others have been known to move away without notifying us of their change of
address. The first we know of it is that we eventually get a Magazine returned
marked "Gone Away" (usually via Tony Firshman's address because his address is
more prominent on the outside back cover than ours.) Needless to say, contact
is irrevocably lost.
Another thread I've noticed recently has been the suggested need for QUANTA to
finance development of this or that bit of Hardware or software or driver
or.... (OK, I'm a layman when it comes to computers - a user, if you like, with
some very limited programming knowledge in SuperBASIC, Archive and Visual Basic
and I don't profess to know why a SDGC would be any further help to me. Nor a
driver for a USB device).
My three Aurora QLs (each with SGC, QuBide etc) are adequate for my needs.
Accepting the current limitations of my QLs and knowing that I have an
alternative in the form of a PC with more software than I can ever hope to get
for the QL, has, from time to time, annoyed the purist QLers not least my
predecessor as Treasurer when I moved over to Sage Line 50 for the QUANTA
Accounts. What my Audited Accounts do tell me is that QUANTA still has an
Accumulated Fund of over £12,000 (all will be disclosed in the next issue of
QUANTA Magazine) and we have a committee who are prepared to listen to specific
requests for loans or grants for QL Development.
This has been the situation since I joined the Committee in 2000 (just at the
end of a very successful arrangement with D & D and their work in supplying
Q40/60s). We have extended our offer on a number of occasions but have had no
takers to date. Let me repeat, on behalf of the QUANTA Committee, "If you have
a project which you think would be valuable to the QL fraternity but which
needs some development support, PLEASE write to us with as much detail as you
can give, including your business plan, to enable us to consider your request.
Bye the Bye, don't expect a chat line comment like "If QUANTA were to sponsor
someone to the tune of $100 US + postage" to produce immediate financial
support. Come on you guys, tickle the keyboard ivories and ask us properly for
what you think you need!! The worst you can expect is for this "traditionalist
committee" to say " Not this time."
Kindest regards to all,
John Gilpin,
QUANTA Treasurer & Membership Secretary
pp QUANTA Committee.
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