Welcome Hobbyists!

My first DECUS Symposia was in Dallas. It was an awe inspiring event. Again, I was fortunate to meet and learn more about VMS from some of the finest people in the US. The theme was "The Network is the System".

Years have passed. I've seen the industry go through phases, buzzwords come and go, and technology evolve. Stand-alone VAX systems are now replaced with Alpha's with multiple CPU's interconnected with high-capacity networks. Modems have been replaced with fiber-optics. FORTRAN has been replaced with C++, Java, and others. COBOL is... well... it's still COBOL.

My affiliation with DECUS continued to enhance my experience, as well as contacts that have proved valuable in my career. I went from DECUS attendee, to presenter, and finally to Local User Group and Special Interest Group Chairman.

Nearly twenty years later, despite how things have changed, things are still the same. The network is truly the system. The web, email, file and print servers, and applications, nearly every computer depending upon the network and servers to be there to work. VMS was there through it all, as both the VAX and VMS evolved to take advantage of newer and faster technology.

Like any evolution, the technology evolution had its casualties. Many older systems were being let go, sometimes for scrap metal. Good, reliable, proven technology was being thrown away. Not because of failure, but simply because it was being shoved aside by newer, faster equipment. Digital Engineering truly makes products to last.

To bring new life to these systems, as well as encourage other to learn VMS, the Hobbyist Program was started by Pat Jankowiak . Nearly two years later, the program has been expanded beyond our original dreams.

I feel privileged to be part of this program with Pat and John, and provide something back to DECUS and the VMS community that has provided me so much. It's been a fun road to travel, and I hope there are many more years to come. I'd like to thank DECUS , the DFWLUG , and Compaq Computer Corporation for allowing me to be a part of this gift to the VMS community.

David L. Cathey, April 1999