President's Message

On Tuesday, February 15, DACS volunteers Ed Heere and Charlie Bovaird were on hand at Danbury Hospital to take donation of nearly 300 computers for distribution to nonprofit organizations or needy individuals. The computers, all 486s, are being replaced as part of the hospital's efforts to modernize its information technology. In coming months, volunteers will check each PC for memory, and strip off existing software.

But that's only part of the story. Before we can consign a single PC, it will need to be matched with a monitor, updated with a new operating system, and loaded with compatible software applications. How the job is finished will be a lesson in our ability not just to attract volunteers, but to leverage our talent and influence among other groups and organizations.

We have had a commitment of about forty monitors from Western Connecticut Regional Adult and Continuing Education (WERACE), a nonprofit organization working to bring computers to those who can't afford them. Under the direction of Mary Maloney, wife of Congressman Jim Maloney, WERACE partnered with DACS in the recent computer recycling event in Danbury organized by the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA). We are exploring ways our organizations might share facilities and further cooperate in efforts to help bridge the digital divide.

Another longtime friend, Microsoft, has promised to donate 300 site licenses for Windows 98. Over the years, Microsoft has pledged more than $30,000 in public service awards through DACS to Voice for Joanie, and has routinely provided free licenses to DACS and VFJ for Windows and its Office applications.

We will continue to search for other business and organizational support, but much of our effort will still come from our members. If you have a monitor or some software you're no longer using, contact Ed Heere at (203) 431-1500 or Charlie Bovaird at (203) 792-7881.

Heere-on our stage

One business supporter we often take for granted but shouldn't. Ed Heere has been a member of DACS since the "dog" days of 1990 when we were formed out of the Danbury Area User Group, the successor to the Danbury Osborne Group. Back then, Ed's business was a room in his Redding home, a collection of spare parts, a handful of assemblers, and a daily insertion in the News-Times classifieds. In the beginning, Ed's contribution to DACS was bringing coffee and donuts to the monthly General Meeting held at DATAHR in Brookfield. Over the years, his support has evolved, along with his business, to regular contributions of PCs for DACS causes--and the longest-running ad in dacs.doc.

But even more valuable has been the experience and know-how that Ed has brought to DACS, and his membership on our board. His troubleshooting talents and insights into the computer industry have helped settle many sessions of Random Access, and his business acumen and wide contacts have helped immeasurably to advance the DACS cause. Some may argue that it is simply in Ed's business interest to support our society. If only we could convince more area entrepreneurs that what's good for DACS is good for their business, too.

A regular commentator on industry happenings, Ed once credited faster chips and fewer dull moments waiting for PCs to boot for the rapid drop in smoking among computer users. At the next General Meeting on March 7, he will present his latest insights on the state of personal computing. As always, the result will be informative, enlightening, highly opinionated, more than a little outrageous, and pure Heeresay.

--Allan Ostergren
dacsprez@aol.com