BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY FORTRAN SPECIALIST GROUP
Minutes of a meeting of the Steering
Committee held on Wednesday, 16th
December, 1970, at B.C.S. Headquarters,
29 Portland Place, London, W.1. at
9.30 a.m.
PRESENT: Mr J.S. Gatehouse (Chairman)
Mr M.J. Garside
Mr B.H. Shearing
Mr I.A.G. Snowball (representing Dr. I.C. Pyle)
Mr D.T. Muxworthy (temporary secretary
(representing Mrs M.M. Barritt)
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:
Mr H.W. Bradly
1. FORTRAN WORKSHOP - APRIL 1971.
As the Workshop is being hosted by the Edinburgh branch of the B.C.S. and
Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre decisions taken at this meeting took
the form of recommendations to the organizers.
Action It was decided:
DTM/RED 1.1 that the Workshop be announced in the February 197l
Computer Bulletin (and such announcement be linked
with Mr Garside's report - see 2.5 and 2.6 below) and
that Mr Day of E.R.C.C. be asked to submit a draft notice
to the chairman of the Group and of the working parties;
any comments must be returned to Mr Day by 5th January.
DTM/RED 1.2 that announcements must include the subjects of all three
working parties.
DTM/RED 1.3 that publicity material should be sent to Mr Gatehouse for
UKAC and should be circulated to computer manufacturers and
universities, if possible by the middle of January.
DTM/RED l.4 that the number of participants is likely to exceed 30 but
should not be allowed to exceed 200 or 250; and that about
6 rooms to accommodate about 50 people are likely to be needed
for discussion groups
MMB 1.5 that the topics for discussion groups be decided at the
Group meeting on the 12th January and that, in order to
allocate rooms to groups, participants be asked to indicate
their special interests either on application or registration
DTM/RED 1.6 that it would be appropriate to charge a conference fee of
the order of £2 to £5 to cover costs.
DTM/RED 1.7 that the University halls of residence be not used for
accommodation because of the financial guarantee required
by the University.
DTM/RED 1.8 that copies of all letters relating to the Workshop be
sent to Mr Gatehouse.
JSG 1.9 that a general report of the Workshop be published as soon
as possible after the event and a technical report should
be published the following month.
2. WORKING PARTY REPORTS
EXTENSIONS WORKING PARTY
BHS 2.1 The report of the Extensions Working Party was to be
ready on December 17th. Mr Shearing undertook to
send copies to members of the Steering Committee and
of the working party.
JSG 2.2 Mr Gatehouse undertook to produce about 40 more copies
of the report and distribute them to the other members of
the Specialist Group.
MMB/BHS 2.3 The report is to be discussed at the January meeting
of the Group, and, if approved, may then be sent
to ANSI and be published by the BCS.
JSG/BHS 2.4 The possibilities for publication by the BCS, in order
of preference, were thought to be:
1. Computer Journal, February 1971.
2. An insert in the Computer Bulletin, February 1971
(for which some of the Groups funds could be
made available)
3. Computer Bulletin, February 1971
Mr Gatehouse was to discuss possibilities with Mr Ellis,
and Mr Shearing with Messrs. Hammersley and Ellis.
SMALL MACHINE WORKING PARTY
MJG 2.5 Mr Garside undertook to produce a report (of about two
pages) for publication in the Computer Bulletin of
February 1971.
JSG 2.6 Mr Gatehouse was to inform Mr Ellis that such a report
would be presented and asked that it be associated with
the announcement for the Workshop.
CONVERSATIONAL WORKING PARTY.
JSG 2.7 It was thought that a report from this working party
had not yet been written. Mr Gatehouse was to ask
Mr Bradly to present a report to the Group meeting on
the 12th January.
3. OTHER BUSINESS
3.1 Mr Gatehouse reported on correspondence between the Group
and the N.C.C.
3.2 B.C.S. publication of Fortran algorithms and of Fortran
book reviews is not related with the Group. It was
decided that it was up to the Group to attract such
work to itself.