Title: Mindset

We are all familiar with the dictum that to those with a hammer everything looks like a nail. A variant of this is that for those with a nail, everything looks like a hammer. We are all very good at adopting a mindset, often without even realising it. In some circumstances we call this stereotyping.

We all know what problems that can be caused when we stereotype human beings by race, religion, geographical origin etc. Most of us would agree that it is one of the fundamental causes of problems in the World. However there are many other ways in which we can fall victims of 'mindset'.

For example, in my youth, I can remember my parents decrying the concept of having an election with only a single candidate. Of course such elections are silly if we consider that the only way you can vote is for a candidate (as is common in many countries). However it is perfectly valid to elect people the same way the we pass motions. Each elector can vote for, against or abstain. What would you think of someone that told you that you could not have a debate unless there were at least two candidate motions?

Have you ever considered how you can object to all the candidates in an election? Those in the USA can do so by exercising a write-in vote. That is, if you think there is a better candidate than any of those standing you can write their name in. Of course it would be rare that anyone was actually elected that way. It is also rare that a candidate in a Soviet style election does not get elected. But there is nothing inherently impossible in having elections based on single candidates (nor is there inherently any reason why you should not have a debate where you must select just one of a list of motions).

Another place where I had to revamp my world-view was on the issue of alphabetic versus character based writing systems. It may seem obvious to those of us using alphabetic languages that this system of writing is inherently superior. Those of you who attended our JACC event will know that this is not the case. Character based writing is independent of the spoken language (it is constrained by grammar and syntax, but not by the sound) and so can be used by people whose spoken languages may be entirely different. And before you raise the advantages that alphabetic languages have via dictionaries, let me assure you that I have a perfectly good and entirely usable Chinese character dictionary.

Our world-views are swamped with examples of mindsets. There are two particular ones that I want to address in the remainder of this editorial.

Some of you seem to believe that the only way that ACCU can work with a commercial organisation is by being, in some sense, taken over by it. It seems that you can only conceive of two types of relationship, ownership or supplier/customer. Does this make any sense? It is true that some commercial organisations only view the world that way. You can look round and see many examples. Actually even these are illusions. Even the biggest corporations have to learn to work with others. It is true that some seek to absorb all those that are not of equivalent size, but even these have to learn to co-operate with some others.

It is also true that both parties to any agreement need to perceive some benefit from the agreement, but it need not be the one that you expect. Why assume that anyone entering into partnership with ACCU would wish to take it over? ACCU is nothing but a set of principles, destroy those and you have nothing of value. You cannot asset strip ACCU because we just do not have enough assets to be attractive. What we do have is our reputation (particularly for taking an independent view) and the donated skills and time of many members. Do anything to upset those members and you are left with nothing but a handful of dust.

Many of you value ACCU for either its conferences or for its journals and other information resources. As we grow and these things become more time consuming we have to change some of the mechanism that delivers these to ordinary members. Several of the things that ACCU provides are very demanding on a small number of individuals. For example, C Vu takes in excess of 80 hours to put together. The administration (tracking review copies and distributing them to reviewers) of our highly acclaimed book reviews takes time (I have never actually measured it but it certainly exceeds an average of couple of hours a week. I do not know how many hours it takes to put together an issue of Overload but it is substantial. These figures are an order of magnitude more than the time taken providing a contribution (article, letter etc.) ACCU has never been large enough to actually pay someone to produce its publications (though the Committee did consider this several years ago, and it was thought that we needed at least 2000 members to sustain even a token payment). What the arrangement with Centaur Communications does is to free up enough financial resources so that ACCU can pay for the whole process of producing its publications. Possibly, with growth, we will be in a position to pay for other services (membership administration and managing our web site immediately spring to mind). We will always need the voluntary contributions (though we might one day pay for articles) across a wide range of our activities because that is the core of a membership based organisation.

While Centaur Communications will simply be providing a paid for service in publishing our journals (fixed fee + advertising revenues) they will be in partnership with ACCU when it comes to providing conferences. This is perfectly sensible. They have the resources to do all the administration, publicity sales etc. We have the resources to create first class conference programs. Together we can do something that neither can do alone. It is time to change your mindset and view the developments over this year as a positive step forward (to World domination <grin>, sorry, I could not resist).

I said that I wanted to tackle two things. The other is the continued view taken by so many that there is one true programming language/methodology. For years we have been seeking the silver bullet. We have never found it because it does not exist. The very search is indicative of a mindset that is positively harmful. If nothing else, computer technology should have taught us the need to be adaptable. We live in a world of change. The RAM on the smallest machine in my personal network is more than the entire memory resources of the network my school was using when I retired in 1988.

We need to keep open minds and a willingness to learn and change. Declaring that 'that is the way it was' is often a mistake; declaring that 'the way it was is the way it will be' is always a mistake. Never allow the prophets any semblance of infallibility because that results in reducing our adaptability.

Those that spend time looking for the 'one true language' just reveal their naivety. In my opinion only amateur enthusiasts have the time to waste in pursuit of the perfect programming language. A professional knows that owning just one hammer is not enough, you need the right hammer for the job, and you need rather a lot of other tools.

When I retired as a teacher I told my colleagues that the hardest thing would be remembering that I was not a teacher and that never again would I face a class of pupils, some willing and some not. It was hard and still is, the desire to share insights and enthuse the bored is as strong today as it was when I first stood before a class more than thirty-five years ago.

Now I have been through my second retirement as the recent AGM replaced me as your Chair. While this frees me to seek the paid responsibility for delivering ACCU publications to the producer it still leaves me with a sense of loss. Every time the phone rings I have to remind myself that I no longer speak for ACCU that task has passed on to Alan Griffiths. I wonder if he yet realises how extensive that job can be.

Over the next few years I will be focusing on the continued development of Conferences that will (I hope) be co-produced by ACCU and Centaur Communications. As you might expect, I have a thousand ideas for ways in which we can develop our conference events. However none of them will come to fruition without the continued active support of the ACCU membership.

Assuming that your Committee asks me to produce the future issues of C Vu and Overload I have quite a few ideas about how those may develop. However, again, these depend on your continued active participation.

I was amazed and humbled by the standing ovation that I received at the recent AGM. It is always gratifying to be appreciated by ones colleagues, however let their never be any doubt that what has made ACCU an organisation that is held in such respect is the work and contributions of hundreds of others, past and present members (and not forgetting their relatives and friends). If ACCU is to continue to be successful the membership will need to continue to provide their active support for all its activities.

I wish Alan the best of luck, and I hope you will provide him as much support as you can. He will need a band of members that will ensure a continued presence by ACCU at other events.

Do not forget that all those others responsible for maintaining ACCU (The Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Webmaster etc.) also need your help.

I would like you to look closely at the contents of this issue and note who contributed. Without the multiple contribution from a couple of members and the AGM reports this issue would be of a considerably smaller size. This worries me. Doesn't it worry you? It should do, rather more than who publishes.