On a sunny and oftentimes breezy Boxing Day in Sydney a gathered fleet of yachts makes a dash to the headlands of Sydney Harbor where, with just the right conditions (and from this photo and the set of the sails, that looks to be the situation), they will turn south and for as long as they can, these yachts will be on a reach, the wind coming from the north east. Navigators will be pouring over displays to determine the likely conditions for the passage across Bass Straight hoping for smooth sailing all the way to Hobart.
It
was the summer of 1973 when I had the opportunity to be among the spectator
fleet onboard Theme, the yacht I raced on for four seasons. Looking back on the
day, we were witness to one of the favored yachts, Bumble Bee III, destined to
compete in the upcoming Admiral’s Cup regatta out of Cowes on the Isle of
Wight, ran aground on the rocky Sow and Pigs reef.
Amidst
the great expectations held for this yacht when it makes its appearance at
Cowes, there was shock. Smack in the middle of the harbor and well known to all
sailors, spectators couldn’t believe that this yacht could make such a simple
error and jeopardize its entire 1974 sailing campaign. Hitting the only rock
outcrop in the middle of Sydney Harbor? Surely not!
For
those who may want to know more of what the start looks like and to see if they
can spot me amongst the spectator fleet, check out this old vintage film:
https://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com/news/1974/post-race/1974-sydney-hobart-yacht-race-official-film/
What
brought this to my attention came about as Margo and I spent time pulling
together the upcoming issue of NonStop Insider. If all goes to plan, Issue 9 #4
will become available close to when this post is published. There are always
great expectations as we see a steady stream of submissions arriving in the
days leading up to publication. None of this would be possible without the help
of our good friends at TCM, mind you, but by the time Margo works on her
editorial we have a good idea about what themes will be covered. For this issue
there was a distinct Regional User Group (RUG) focus, where together with many
photos taken by participating NonStop vendors, the general higher level of
attendance was hard to ignore.
It
was clear to see the geographic spread of RUG events and the diversity of the
participants. Starting with OzTUG in Australia where both major capitals,
Sydney and Melbourne, played hosts to the events. Local knowledge will support
the argument that one city cannot play sole host to OzTUG as there is no love
lost between the residents of either city. Following OzTUG came a raft of
events with the Americas featuring strongly – from Chile (ChileTUG held in
March) to the south to Canada (CTUG about to be held in May) in the north; From
SunTUG in the east to N2TUG in the west. NYTUG, like CTUG, will be also meeting
in May and, of course, as May draws to a close, we are all anticipating a much larger
gathering in Dublin, Ireland, for the June conference, E-BITUG.
When
Connect provides calendar information at the beginning of the year, the entries
for each RUG look rather ambitious in terms of expectations. Will so many RUG
events attract big enough crowds to attract NonStop vendor sponsorship and will
the HPE NonStop executives and senior management make an appearance. To date,
such concerns haven’t materialized as sponsorship has been rock solid and the
presence of the NonStop team have been highly visible with most members of that
team being only too willing to engage with the NonStop community.
Social
media posts are playing a big role in terms of event promotions. Eager NonStop
vendors being only too keen to tease us with what they will cover, with the
expectation that their particular session will prove the highlight of the day.
Of course, I will be in the mix and yes, I am hoping to attract the biggest
crowd but then again, why shouldn’t I have that expectation. If you follow my
posts and commentaries, surely you would like to hear me speak? On a more
serious note, it is only at RUG events that the NonStop customer can hear
presentations from all the NonStop vendors, whether on the NonStop price book
or not. It’s your only chance to get a balanced perspective on the size of the
investment in NonStop being made by all NonStop vendors.
When
it comes to E-BITUG, if you elect to skip my session (which I doubt you would
ever consider doing) you can come see Margo and me on behalf of NTI (and, with
the whole NTI team), as we host the early arrival reception at the Clayton
Hotel’s “executive loung”’ on the Monday night 6:00pm through to 11:30 pm. For
those who have attended previous receptions sponsored by NTI, you will realize
that this networking opportunity represents a great way to kick off the week.
Expect too to hear some exciting news from NTI that Margo and I will only be
too happy to expound on! Yes, think GoldenGate, but also think Kafka!
When
I posted about RUG events held to date to the Tandem Computers FaceBook page, I
saw a great response from a dear friend of Margo and me, Patty Fennell. For
those who may not know of Patty, trust us, she has more knowledge about RUG
events than almost any other member of the NonStop community. Going back to the
ITUG days, Patty was the liaison between ITUG and Tandem and later Compaq and
HP – the later days saw Patty joined by Daryl Ragan, yet one more enthusiastic
NonStop campaigner. It was Patty that oversaw board meetings and her guidance
proved invaluable to all ITUG board members. I was among the ITUG Chairs who
received the famous writing pad reversal on which Patty had written, “Can you
wrap this up? You are losing the attention of the other board members!”
This
time, Patty simply posted, “RUGs - The heart and soul of the Tandem NonStop
world. And the partners - man do they all deserve a hearty round of applause!”
Now, I didn’t expect to read comments on FaceBook, but this was a comment I
took to heart and was the driver for this post to Real Time View. It hits the
high points about why RUG events and conferences continue to this day. It is at
RUG meetings that you see the heart and soul of the NonStop world on display.
Furthermore, the support of RUGs by the NonStop vendor community does deserve a
hearty round of applause for many of the RUGs would simply disappear without the
financial support from vendors.
We
write about the NonStop partner ecosystem. We have all seen the PowerPoint
slides highlighting the diversity evident across the ecosystem. However, the
reality of just how many vendors are spending their own dimes on ensuring
NonStop customers have a choice of solution, infrastructure, security and much
more, is on full display at RUGs. Nowhere else will you see Xypro, comforte,
CSP as well as a number of consultants all eager for your business. Striim,
NTI, Gravic all competing to meet your data replication needs. IR, Idelji, MOMI,
ESQ and more, all looking to satisfy your management and monitoring
requirements.
Some
of these vendors will be present only in sessions provided by the NonStop team.
Others will be wondering around, networking and promoting their offerings.
Others will be present on stands and tables willing to discuss features that
win, customers who are winning and a business that continues to win – sometimes
for many, many decades. As Patty says, man do they all deserve a hearty
round of applause! Such competition is a healthy sign and evidence that
support of the NonStop customer is worthy of the many nickels and dimes and yes,
quarters and dollars, that they invest. E-BITUG in Dublin will be a standout
event but for many, it will simply be preparation for the big one, the annual
NonStop Business and Technology Conference (formerly, NonStop TBC) that this
year will be held in Houston, Texas.
Sailing for me was always part adventure, part a thrilling risk-taking affair, and yes, part simply holding your breath hoping for the best. For the years sailing competitively on Sydney Harbor with the Middle Harbor Yacht Club, I was part of a crew held by the Middle Harbor Yacht Club that won the event three years running. For me, a simple deckhand running the foredeck, it was a great learning curve. Much of what I experienced can find equivalents in the technology arena. Running aground, catching a storm, finding a safe harbor – to technologists, these are all familiar sayings. What truly makes NonStop stand out, however, is the strength, the passion, the shared experiences we tend to overlook from time to time. Come to a RUG event or conference, however, and it’s all on display for the world to see.
Apparently, Dickens penned a book, late in life, Great Expectations, but it had little to boast about when, by comparison, it comes to the NonStop RUGs of 2025. Share a Guinness in Dublin next month and let’s ensure expectations for NonStop continue to be great! And to all, safe travels in 2025.
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