\makeatletter
\def\thinskip{\hskip 0.16667em\relax}
\def\endash{--}
\def\emdash{\endash-}
\def\d@sh#1#2{\unskip#1\thinskip#2\thinskip\ignorespaces}
\def\dash{\d@sh\nobreak\endash}
\def\Dash{\d@sh\nobreak\emdash}% \Dash is merely a dash with a bit of
                               % space around it...
\makeatother
%
\title[Chairman's report to the AGM]{Chairman's Report to the AGM of \uktug\
  for the period October 1996 to November 1997}
\author{Robin Fairbairns}
\begin{Article}
I have now served my two year `stint' as chair of \uktug\ and have not
put my name forward for re-election: I shall explain my reasons later.

I would not claim that the last 13 months have been good ones for
\uktug\Dash though I would maintain that we've done \emph{some} things
right.  In my view, one principal reason for the shortcomings of the
group's performance has been (again) the difficulty the committee has
in `covering the ground' of the tasks that need to be done.  The
committee has consisted of 6 people (plus me, as chair); this is
half-strength.  The effect is that if someone's energy flags on a
particular task, there's little chance that there will be anyone else
to chivvy them on to greater efforts.  I urge everyone seriously to
consider allowing their name to go forward for membership of the
committee\Dash let's give the new chair of \uktug\ a good basis for
his future work.

Principal among the things we \emph{did} do right is Sebastian
Rahtz's sterling work that has given us the \TeX {} Live \acro{CD} (of
which we sent every member a copy).  \TeX\ Live was originally a
\uktug\ project, though the current (second) edition was supported by
a number of other groups too; I believe it has had significant impact
on the utility of \TeX\ on the increasingly many Unix-based machines
throughout the world, many of which are in people's own homes.  It has
certainly been the largest impetus for people to join the group that
I've experienced.

We agreed to support the \acro{TUG} bursary fund for 1997, but we were
never asked to submit monies.  We have therefore decided to offer
bursary money both for Euro\TeX'98 (in St.~Malo\Dash you will have
seen the flier in a \BV\ mailing) and for \acro{TUG}'98 (in
Toru\'n, Poland).  These bursaries are open to anyone who is
sufficiently impoverished: as a further innovation, we have proposed a
further bursary open to members of \uktug\ only, for attendance either
at Euro\TeX'98 or at \acro{TUG}'98.  In the traditional way, these
bursary monies (though all are to be spent within Europe this year) are
expressed in dollars: the \uktug-member-only one is of \$500.00, and
our contributions to the meeting bursaries themselves are of
\$1,000.00 each.

Rather less positive has been our performance with \BV.  You have seen
only three editions since last we met (since there was already a
backlog at that time, you should in principle have seen seven); of
course, one of those three was a `double' issue, but\,\dots.

To a significant extent, we are in your hands in this matter: your
committee can't write \emph{everything} that is to appear in \BV, yet
the only other member who has submitted anything has been Andy Lack.
What's more, despite a plea from me for `frequent' questions to
answer, only one member has submitted something for me to add to the
\acro{FAQ} list.  We have formed a schedule for future issues of \BV,
but the problem of filling them will recur.  

I can now report that the incoming committee\footnote{Of which I am a
  member: I concur with the decision} has concluded that it is (in
essence) impossible to retrieve the backlog of issues of \BV, and that
any pretence of completing its volume~7 should be abandoned.  We shall
be sending a copy of the \acro{NTG}'s excellent 4All\TeX{} \acro{CD}
to all 1996--97 members\footnote{Those of you that the group can send
  email to will already have heard of this decision}, and after that
has been sent there will be no further mailings to our 1996--97
mailing list.
% no mention of the fact that 8.1 will also be sent to that list as
% well as to newly-current members

We have held no meetings (other than the present one).  This was a
conscious decision by your committee: as I explained at our last
\acro{AGM}, attendance at our meetings has been very poor of late, and
tutorial meetings (which are what people actually ask for) are more poorly
attended still, and regularly make a thumping loss.  There is an
agenda item for you to propose topics for meetings, but you can submit
proposals at any time to the Secretary (see back page for contact details).

You will remember that last year I mentioned the committee's ambition
to change \uktug's financial year.  The reason (as I explained last
year) was to enable us to hold an annual meeting during the late part
of the summer, combining a significant (two-day) technical meeting
with a general meeting.  Unless we change the financial year we cannot
hope to conduct a sensible \acro{AGM} any earlier in the year than
October.  Unfortunately, such a change would be a change to the
constitution, and constitutional motions require infeasibly large
attendance at meetings to get passed.  We have therefore decided not
to present a motion on this matter, and the only motions your
committee has submitted are those we are required by the constitution
to submit.

\end{Article}