Re: REF: Opinions wanted on online reference

On Sep 3, 2004, at 1:05 PM, Harold Peters wrote:

Second point: Right now the print copy people control the decision making
process. Once there are enough computer oriented users paying enough to
control the decision making, we will not have the put up with the current
limitations being imposed by the printed copy people.

You know, I think that Harold's comment above is a little misleading, basically incorrect, and frankly I resent the implication.

It is not that there is a "print copy cabal" that is controlling the availability of recent issues of the R&Is in electronic form.

The issue is multi-faceted.

First of all, the AIS is the international body responsible for registering non-bulbous irises (I think that is the right term) for everyone around the world. Part of that responsibility is to publish the information.

Not everyone in the world, or even a significant majority has access to electronic versions of the data. Yes, the number is growing. So the responsibility continues to publish the information in printed form.

Many people still want the printed forms.

The AIS board is trying to investigate different modes of printing so that there is not a significant investment in printing a stock of hard copy issues of the various publications (R&Is and Check Lists). The most promising is "print on demand". Unfortunately I have not had the time to do a thorough job investigating this issue.

In the last several years the AIS board has come a long way into the electronic world. I am sorry it is not as fast as we all would like ti to be, but there are issues that extend beyond the convenience of the "electronically enabled" membership.

Lastly, the AIS Board of Directors has authorized the addition of the 2000, 2001 and 2002 R&Is to the online database. The team is currently working on the 2000. It would certainly go much faster if I had nothing else to do but work on AIS tasks, but I like most everyone else on the AIS Board and committees are volunteers and guess what - we have lives, aside from all the other iris related activities we are involved in. I haven't exactly been overwhelmed with volunteers either.

Yes, not every volunteer has received a section to work on. I suppose I should spend all of my Labor day holiday working on that issue.



John                | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

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