response 101 of 134:

May 29 20:30 UTC 1996

If all the growth so far has been mere "growth for the sake of growth" or
"upgrade without a purpose" than all I can say is that that policy has worked
pretty well.  I like where it has got us.  So why should we give up on a
successful policy?

response 103 of 134:

May 29 22:33 UTC 1996

I agree with what Scott said there.  We're going to keep growing, unless we
put in some limits that nobody is going to like (well, maybe a few people will
like them).  The important thing is to make sure we don't end up collapsing
under our own weight.

I'm a little at a loss to see kerouac's point when he argues that windows or
air condition ing would be good for Grex.  If we put Grex somewhere air
conditioning, then we most likely will have to pay for the power teh air
conditioner uses.  As long as it's not too hot for the system to run, we don't
need that.  As for windows, yeah it's nice for people to be able to look out
while sitting at the console, but again it's not needed.  Most staff functions
can be done remotely if somebody wants to be able to look out a window. 
Windows do make it a lot easier to break in and steal stuff, which we really
don't want.

response 105 of 134:

May 30 04:19 UTC 1996

I HAVE THE MISSION STATEMENT!

        Grex's Mission Statement:
                        Mission: Impossible.

response 107 of 134:

May 30 06:56 UTC 1996

The machinery runs OK in summer temperatures if adequately ventilated.
The current problem is that the heat generated in the dungeon in the
summer *overheats* the room and it is not only very uncomfortable but
probably not good for the equipment. That can only be solved by a)
lots of ventilation, or b) a local air-conditioning system. a) is cheaper.

Perhaps the limit to growth is "interest". We went recently from running
with 40-ish on to 70-ish on, not a *big* increase - certainly not an
order of magnitude. We see the result is more users, but hardly more
new members. Interest in expanding the system significantly is going to
flag with this being the result. Certainly, I don't hear anyone really
thinking of a significant capacity increase - say from 70 users to 700.
I suspect an *interest* plateau is being approached, and the next
major growth from there requires a change in the business practices of
the corporation. There doesn't seem to be much interest in that, though
things could change.

response 109 of 134:

May 30 11:04 UTC 1996

Er, I mean "destruct".

response 111 of 134:

May 30 14:17 UTC 1996

I shared the same hope, but met the immovable object 8^}. So, I just enjoy
myself here. 

response 113 of 134:

May 30 15:46 UTC 1996

And other than the possibility of getting more money, so we
can provide more and better services, I don't know if we
really need a shared vision.

response 115 of 134:

May 30 20:54 UTC 1996

I also don't see this as a problem, except insofar as keeping it running
(acceptably, but my standards are lower than some people's) is concerned. 
I'm reminded of the large number of times, in many other environments, where
I've heard people complaining about general apathy when it sure looks like
there's in fact lots of activity & energy around ... they really seem to mean
that they can't get anyone interested in *their* particular plans.  (I've been
guilty of this a few times myself, I admit.)

response 117 of 134:

May 30 23:22 UTC 1996

Sounds to me like you have pretty well abandoned any pretense of trying to
be a charitable 501(c)(3). If so, better off not waisting time and treasure
in worring and researching the problem. Nothing particularly wrong with
that -- as long as it is recognized. Clubhouses are fine. 

response 119 of 134:

May 31 06:32 UTC 1996

But don't forget to pay the IRS its due, each year.

Mary, the purpose of Robert's Rules of Order is to stop "orgasmic frenzy"
in its tracks, which they do very nicely. Have you ever tried to have
an orgasm while practicing Robert's Rules?

response 121 of 134:

May 31 14:58 UTC 1996

#119 presents a very amusing image indeed.  I wish I knew enough Rules to
describe what it might be like...

response 123 of 134:

May 31 16:27 UTC 1996

Arbornet has a Mission Statement.  What Arbornet does not have is a sufficient
number of active people who believe in that stated mission. This means
Arbornet is exactly as goalless as Grex, only with more kicking and screaming.
The group of people who are Cyberspace Communications are not united by a
single common vision.  You aren't going to change that by writing a mission
statement.  You can't change that in any way other than getting rid of all
the people who envision a different mission for Grex.  Cleanest way to do that
is to find a few like-minded people and start a new group.  Meanwhile Grex
will likely continue to muddle along on its unstated, polymorphus mission to
be pretty much what it is now, only much, much better.