From the Editor:
DACS Special Interest Groups. (a remembrance)

By Richard DiFranco

I first joined DACS in 1986 or ‘87. Of course it wasn't yet DACS, but The Danbury Computer Society. Meetings were held at the Brookfield Community Center. I expected to see a group of young nerds with propeller hats, and I couldn't believe the sea of gray hair in the room.

One of the attractions for me was a box of five and a quarter inch floppy discs of applications which was available to members. Before I could get into the box, someone suggested “special interest groups.” I don't know if I have attended more SIG meetings than any other DACS member, but I think I'm up there when it comes to variety. I can't be sure but it appears that DACS has had more SIGs than most other user groups.

First SIGs

The first special interest groups that I can remember were a bulletin board SIG and a computer basics SIG. Finding space was a problem so both SIGs met at the same time at the Brookfield Community Center. Later the Bulletin Board SIG met at the SIG leader’s store front office in Ridgefield.

At about the same time, John Gallichotte organized a SIG for C and UNIX. Dick Gingras put together a SIG for Database topics. Neil Friend and his wife organized the first Windows SIG. Space was still a problem until someone found that there were meeting rooms in Edmond Town Hall in Newtown.

Neil Friend had a computer training business in Brookfield, so the Windows SIG had a fine home. The Windows SIG ran for a long time and meetings were interesting; Mrs. Friend would demonstrate new packages that ran in Windows, which was still a very new OS.

Newer SIGs

The C/UNIX SIG and the Database SIG ran out of steam as the leaders and attendees ran out of time and material.

SIGs were now able to meet in the DACS Resource Center in Ives Manor. Jeff Setaro had a SIG on web design. There was an Internet SIG started by Rich Koser, which reviewed good and bad web sites. Members could present sites they found interesting and useful. There was a new Windows SIG during which the leader answered questions from the members.

Rich Rosner started a new C SIG in Edmond Town Hall. This SIG led to a series of classes in C programming. After the C classes, many of us wanted to move on to C++. The problem was no one knew enough about
C++ to teach a class. Neil Friend contacted Borland which was a company that sold C++ compilers. They issued us a set of videotapes and workbooks on C++. We used Neil's classroom facilities and his TV and videotape machine. Each week we took turns preparing a lesson and presenting it to the group.

Bruce Preston started one of the longest running special interest groups The Access SIG. This SIG had its first meeting in the DACS Resource Center and then moved to the AMSYS building in Ridgefield. We met there for many years before coming back to the Resource Center. The SIG is still running in virtual meetings using Skype and DimDim.

As a side note, early on there was a gentleman who wanted to start a virtual reality SIG to discuss the, then new, field of virtual reality. He set up a time to meet at the Resource Center, but unfortunately he and I were the only ones to show up. He then decided that a virtual reality SIG should be virtual. That is, meetings should be over the Internet. The technology was still too new.

Short-lived SIGs

Over the years there have been good SIGs that just didn't last:

   •     Lotus Notes which met at WestConn
   •     Robotics; John Gallichotte ran this SIG with much success for several years.
   •     Small Computer SIG that dealt with hand held computers and other devices
   •     Windows SIG
   •     Virtual Computing
   •     Math: I would like to see this one come back
   •     APL: run by Ed Shaw at his business office in Wilton.
   •     PowerBuilder: led by Steve Harkness at his office in Woodbury
   •     Business SIG: discussed investing

Back Office to Server to Drupal

Jim Scheef started a SIG based on a Microsoft product named Back Office. This SIG is still going. It has evolved from servers and networks to Drupal. The meetings are always good, covering servers, networks, content managers and sometimes politics.

Other Long Running SIGs

Some of the special interest groups that are still meeting are:

Linux
Digital Imaging (I have never been to a meeting)
Mac
Web and Graphic Design
VB and Dot net

The Linux SIG has gone through several changes of leaders, meeting venues and name changes. It started out as The Advanced Operating Systems SIG meeting at the SIG leader’s home (Don Pierson) in New York State. For a while they met at AMSYS in Ridgefield. Now meetings are held in the resource center. Don also led the OS/2 SIG.

The Web Design SIG was a great addition to DACS. Re-instated by Annette van Ommeren in the Fall of 2003, this SIG moves DACS into the modern era of internet design.

One of the most worthwhile groups is the VB SIG still run by Chuck Fizer. This group started holding meetings in an office building on the west side of Danbury and finally settled into the resource center. The topics and direction of the SIG has changed over the years (mostly due to Microsoft's changes) but the quality of the presentations and topics has gotten better. This SIG has also gone virtual and meets using Skype and DimDim.

The Mac SIG is a revival from the Nineties. There was a group of Mac/Apple users separate from DACS who merged with DACS. They took a ribbing from PC users. Richard Corzo is going to have an interesting and active time as Apple emerges as a power in computing.

Good SIGs on Hiatus

Open source (Always a good source of free software)
Windows (Sorely needed.)
Computer Repair and Employment (available through Charlie Bovaird)

Still the Best Deal

I still find the Special Interest Groups to be the best of my DACS experiences. They have given me an education which would have been hard to find anywhere else. The SIGs seem to fall into two groups, technical and general user, both have been excellent. There is something for everyone.

I apologize to any SIGs and leaders that I have forgotten. My thanks to all the people who have taken the time and effort to organize DACS SIGs. This is what has made DACS the world-class organization it is.