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Re: [ProgSoc] ProgSoc software development project



> What do you think programming is?

>It would have been nice if someone else had seen the merit of this idea
>and committed to applying some energy and making it *their* baby, but as
>that hasn't been the case (yet) I'm happy to invest what time and
>resources I can in making it a reality.

Can we step back for a second and look at Progsoc's history (Viking, Eidelon, Wireless to date). Now out of those projects which ones have succeeded and which ones have not.

I'm not doubting that over the years we've done some successful projects (TFM, Tsumani detector, etc), however, from my experience in the 3 or so years i've been in progsoc is more people say "this is great idea", but people loose interest quickly.

What I think is more important at the moment is getting people into the Club that have a genuine interest in programming as opposed to get the overstretched and under resourced team at Progsoc to go on any more wild and wonderful projects.

Now I've been on more executives over my time at UTS that I can poke a stick at I hate to say it but in my experience you are ALWAYS going to lack people resources in Clubs at UTS, and the fact of the matter is that UTS if anything has been LOSING enrollments to IT not gaining them. And the people that they are getting are more into airfairy business/IT stuff rather than actual programming.

See below at something we came up with for the union what Progsoc actually does :-

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Services
 
* Mailing list and regular online debates - ProgSoc has an active online community where members regularly seek advice, discuss the latest in IT issues and technology, gain support and engage in discussions related to IT and ProgSoc.
* Cisco equipment- Allows for additional hands on practice for members outside limited laboratory times in class.
* Web hosting – ProgSoc provides web hosting accounts supporting a variety of web applications free from quotas.
* Dedicated development machines – a variety of hardware and software is available for programming projects
* Publicly acknowledge we are a union affiliated club
* Attending Open and Information Days, Orientation Camps and Union Club Days

Wireless Support

Since the start of Autumn semester 2007, ProgSoc (in conjunction with ITD) began running Wireless support for UTS students who could not access the Internet on their laptops. Thus far, ProgSoc's wireless support has resolved over a hundred cases.

Due to this familiarity with the network's operations, following the recent upgrade to the wireless system, ProgSoc members have helped locate and resolve several design and technical problems with network architecture and design, such as Windows Vista access and various security problems. To enable UTS to provide appropriate wireless LAN services to students, ProgSoc also liaises with UTS support staff for issues relating to UTS Wireless LAN Service and provides feedback to UTS on support of students.

ProgSoc wireless support aids students during designated support hours; at least two to three volunteers at a time help resolve problems with the student notebooks.  Outside of those timeslots, ProgSoc is also helping to resolve various issues with the wireless infrastructure itself.

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All this stuff doesn't pop out of thin air, Brian and Liz in particular have been instrumental in ensuring the whole wireless thing for ITD didn't fall on its face. Progsoc has had a hard enough time just in stopping its core systems from falling over let alone anything else.

I don't doubt that having Programming projects are good, however setting out selves up to be ridiculed when it all falls over in a heap when there isn't the resources available isn't what's best for Progsoc.

Chris