From: ccm@sage.cgd.ucar.EDU (CCM Group Directories)
Message-Id: <199506132217.QAA09013@grub.cgd.ucar.edu>
Subject: CCM Users Mail Group
To: ccm-users@ncar.UCAR.EDU
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 16:17:31 -0600 (MDT)
To the subscribers to the ccm-users mail group:
There has been a recent increase in traffic to the ccm-users mail
group, some of it specifically seeking the assistance of the NCAR CCM
Core Group. Similarly, a number of mail requests have been sent to
the ccm@ncar.ucar.edu mailbox directly seeking help from the Core
Group. Given the nature of this mail traffic and staffing changes in
the CCM Core Group, it's perhaps an appropriate time to reiterate the
reasons for having established the mail group and the generic ccm
e-mail contact, as well as explicitly advise subscribers about
limitations in our ability to respond to requests for help.
With the release of the CCM2, NCAR streamlined CCM distribution
procedures, making the model and technical documentation available via
anonymous ftp. Since the CCM2 implementation is highly portable and
easily enabled on a variety of high-performance workstation platforms,
we anticipated that a large number of external users might take
advantage of its availability. The ccm-users mail group was
established to allow members of this growing CCM user community to
collectively rely on each other for solutions to problems that might
arise in the course of their work. It was not created to provide for
electronic consulting with the CCM2 development and technical staff.
When a subscriber to this mail group posts a query, other subscribers
(among which include members of the CCM development team) are free to
respond if they feel they may be of help and have the time. In
theory, this mail group should be able to serve the needs of the
modeling community without the participation of the NCAR development
staff. In addition to the mail group, the ccm@ncar.ucar.edu e-mail
address was established for reporting well documented problems with
the CCM modeling tools to the developers (e.g., where something in the
modeling framework is inconsistent with the written documentation),
registering ftp copies of the CCM2, and other general purpose first
point of contact on code availability, documentation, dataset
availability, etc.
Most unfortunately, budget shortfalls have resulted in a 50% reduction
in the size of the CCM Core Group since the start of the fiscal year.
This reduction in staff has severely limited our ability to respond to
external inquiries. We regret the inconvenience caused by this
reduction in responsiveness, but are no longer in a position to
immediately and unilaterally address user concerns. All the more
reason to appeal to our user community to make an extra effort to
actively participate in communication forums like the ccm-users mail
group. As members of the CCM modeling community we need your
contributions to ccm-users mail group postings, including your help in
correcting misleading information when it is posted. Although we know
of instances where subscribers have independently responded to queries
for help, made tools available to the community, etc., this mode of
participation appears to have proven to be more the exception than the
norm.
As we have indicated in the past, the ccm-users mail group will only
be effective if our subscribers are careful about the information they
post, the way in which they post it, and most importantly are willing
to contribute their knowledge and experience by actively (and publicly)
responding to posted material. A timely response can be particularly
important since this mail group is unmoderated and members of the CCM
Core Group are not always in a position to immediately respond when
requests for advice on the use of modeling tools are posted. We need
community participation more than ever.
We hope that with your help we can continue to maintain a high quality
of timely information exchange using the ccm-users mail group.
J. J. Hack
Head, CCM Core Group