Oh that Charlotte!

CUG attendees were not shy in their comments about the Charlotte, North Carolina, Cray User Group meeting held in October 1996. Here are a few off-the-cuff remarks from operations managers, programmers, and systems analysts who offered their opinions the last day in the hotel lobby.

	Sam Milosevich Ely Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana Something I found most useful was the Cray Research roadmap presentations, especially the mass storage systems report from Cray on the current status and future plans for DMF [Data Migration Facility]. I obtained some useful information about update plans for SGI [Silicon Graphics, Inc.] and Cray; since I have both systems, I need to know how they're going to continue to interoperate, how they're going to coalesce to a single operating system. If products are developed using the best of both companies rather than forcing a slash-and-burn of corporate culture, then there's lot of potential. I hope Cray rubs off on SGI more than SGI on Cray. But you can't have a static business environment; Cray is changed forever. And how to figure it out? This is a good time to implement change because so much is changing. If they try to keep it constant, it will break. Earthquake-proof buildings are built like a willow, not a rock. There must be flexibility. Gunter Georgi Northrup Grumman, Port Washington, New York The highlight of the meeting for me? Ha ha! For me, it was that something as boring as the CUG bylaws drew recognition, that the audience stayed for 1-1/2 hours and had an incredibly animated and exciting discussion. That shows that the members think CUG is important--they care about how CUG may change, and about the relations between Cray and SGI. Everyone there took these things very seriously; they're serious people. James Jones NASA Ames Research Center, Moffat Field, California This was my first CUG. It was good meeting people, making contacts, and finding out what CUG is about and where Cray is going after the merger. I'm interested in parallel systems. I'm here to find the right people in SGI to tell them what Cray is doing right, and find the right people in Cray to tell them what SGI is doing wrong!--and to get internal leverage to solve problems we need solving in the SGI side of company, and to protect the Cray side. There are problems from SGI side--SGI is known for bad service. It's being addressed, but it's good to be exposed to as many people as possible. I'd like to leverage the Cray reps into getting MPP problems solved, issues in support of parallel systems ... Michael Brown Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland Personally, I appreciate the ability to talk with Cray people face to face--it's absolutely essential. To be able to go up to these people and exchange knowledge is so valuable. The programs were good, the talks were good; it's a chance to talk to other people who are doing what we're doing. But service is the most important thing Cray offers ... This is the best program I've been to. Alan Powers Sterling Software, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffat Field, California The source code Birds of a Feather session was one highlight. We were trying to discuss the need and justification for source code for all architectures, SGI and Cray source for sites. Supposedly Cray has a policy for giving source code to sites, but it's not public or well known. It would be good to get it in a policy. Nicholas Cardo Sterling Software, Inc., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffat Field, California The best thing? The Macarena on the Night Out--! I agree with Alan Powers: One important thing is that SGI needs to get more involved with the source code issue. Cray will have to work on that one. Ulrich Detert KFA Research Center, Juelich Germany I think the conversations with colleagues and CUG people are of greatest importance, in addition to getting the latest information from the technical program ... at least for new systems, it's important to get good and timely information. It's very valuable to be here, because for us from Germany or Europe, sometimes it's not so easy to be in close contact--this is a good opportunity. Stuart Fiedler I liked the access to Cray folks, the fact that there were Cray technical experts standing around in the lobby. I could get opinions and advice from them, talk to them about C90s and Y-MPs, ask them specific questions about the J90 platform and its follow-ons ... Richard Burton Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, Fairbanks, Alaska Generally I think the best thing for me was getting information about the T3D, because that's one of our projects now. I obtained a lot of information about the T3D that I didn't know before. That was good; it will help with our planning. My main project is to determine system configurations; we're supposed to be getting a new machine next spring. William Yeager Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Princeton, New Jersey What did I like? A long list of things. The ability to get T3E information--this was my initial T3E experience. We've just recently installed a T90, so I could relate to that. Also, the SGI/Cray merger information. And finding out about lot of new products and info. Jutta Doctor KFA Research Center, Juelich Germany You get to know people. At KFA we're implementing a T3E as a group and are formulating our requirements; our efforts are to get the machine running. Patrick Mann University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada The big problem for me was that the issues being discussed were way beyond us--T3Ds, even the J90 talks and J90 clusters. I like the idea of an SGI/Cray user group that would include mid-level things. Hans-Hermann Frese Konrad Zuse Center for Information Technology, Berlin (ZIB) The nights out are always nice! (laughs) The most important things at this CUG were the presentations on the future of CUG and the SGI/Cray merger--everyone has been wondering how it would come out in the future. There were several Cray presentations in that area, starting with Ed McCracken. I also enjoyed the presentations and BOFs [Birds of a Feather sessions] on future goals and directions for software tools. Dennis Foley Science Applications International Corporation / National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland This was my first CUG. Whew, it's been a whole week! (laughs) I liked the opportunity to listen to Ed McCracken, he cleared up a lot of uncertainty I had as a customer about the future of Cray. I'll take that back to my site. I agree with the decision to go to one CUG meeting per year, and I agree with bylaw changes.... I personally believe technical staff needs to be here more than management. In that respect (laughs), I wonder if spending one week away from work is job security or just remote stress?
"SGI needs to get more involved with the source code issue."
"I wonder if spending one week away from work is job security or just remote stress?"
"I hope Cray rubs off on SGI more than SGI on Cray."