CompuServe Thread

Hello All, I am organizing a programming SIG for my local Amiga user group here in Sacramento CA. I would appreciate any and all comments/suggestions/etc. With Escom and Amiga Technologies reviving the Amiga, there will be a renewed need for quality software. The Amiga will need software which is functionally equivalent to that which is on the PC platform. That is, word processors, databases, spreadsheets, publishing, etc., which will import and export PC format data. But of course, the Amiga with its better OS (and better programs) can allow the user to work with programs that are a joy to use because they think like the user thinks. Many fine products now exist (are they fully compatible with the PC apps?), but in general the Amiga software market needs more developers. I receive many brochures from PC developer conference promoters offering the PC programmer more help than he could possibly need. Experts who have written various software packages, or worked on various design teams, etc., run seminars on various topics from system programming, to user interfaces, to software design, to search algorithms. It would seem to me that the Amiga developer community could benefit from such information exchange. So, as a start, I intend to resurrect the long-dead Programming SIG here in Sacramento. I consider myself to be a decent programmer, although not completely solid on C yet, and still in the dark (but seeing light) with regards to the Amiga system structures and libraries. A local SIG would be great, with its person-to-person interaction. However, I would like to invite expert programmers to speak and share their techniques, their knowledge, their vision. I'm tired of being a "Lone Ranger," always trying to figure things out without help. Others I have talked with say the same thing. On a larger scale, I think it would be good to see seminars for Amiga developers and programmers. It seems that learning the Amiga system is too much of an individual pursuit; I'd like to see more organization and "community" support. It would be nice to at least have somewhere to go as a programmer, somewhere help is readily available. The future looks bright for the Amiga — much brighter than the past, anyway. There is a ground floor of opportunity for innumerable applications yet to be developed. But to do it, we need more programmers, more developers, knowledgable and capable. Are you in or near the Sacramento area and want to come? Are you an expert who would like to speak to a local group of programmers? Do you have any comments about any of this, either on the local or the national level? Any suggestions for running the SIG? John F. Rodgers Mediascape — The Home of FlightPaths and 2ManyFonts