British Computer Society News

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 21

I suspect that few of our members know much about the activities of the British Computer Society (BCS) of which we are one of the 44 Specialist Groups. Indeed, despite being a BCS member for ten years and as APL Group Chairman sitting on its Specialist Group Board, it was not until I became the BCS Business Manager recently (Ed. — see Press release after this article) that I came to understand more fully the workings of the Society.

The BCS was formed in 1957 as a result of meetings between two informal groups, one representing industrial and commercial users of computers, the other representing scientists and engineers who were using computers in their disciplines. After its first year of existence the Society had 1,182 members; it now has a membership of 27,500 which represents a considerable proportion of practising computer professionals.

The cornerstone of the Society's existence is its representation of the computing profession in the UK, and the status of Professional Membership of the BCS is recognised throughout the industry. Professional members are required to subscribe to a Code of Conduct concerned with integrity, confidentiality and social responsibility. A Code of Practice is provided for the guidance of members and is designed to promote the efficient and responsible use of computers.

"Since 1957 the Society's membership has grown from 1,182 to 27,500"¶

The result of this recognition of the status of the Society is that it is the accepted mentional voice on such professional and social issues as standards in education, good practice and data protection. The Society also has international links with many computer organisations, particularly the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and representative bodies of other countries such as ACM (USA), ACS (Australia), CIPS (Canada), CSI (India), AICA (Italy), DARA (W. Germany) and AFCET (France). The Society also develops its ability to represent wider areas of the profession through its boards, committees, specialist groups and branches.

Another important function of the Society is that it should inform and educate in all areas of computing. It does this through its quarterly publications "The Computer Journal" and "Computer Bulletin", its page of news and events in "Computing", as well as via technical monographs, reports and conference papers. The BCS holds conferences, lectures and seminars in all aspects of computing, often organised by its specialist groups. Each year a number of lectures is organised by the Society; recently these have featured Grace Hopper, Gordon Bell and Gene Amdahl. There is also an Awards scheme in which prizes are given to the most deserving entrants in each of three categories: technical, social benefit and applications. The purpose of these awards is to promote and publicise achievements in the computing industry.

"Recent speakers include Grace Hopper, Gordon Bell and Gene Amdahl"¶

This process continues at a local and specialised level via the Society's 42 regional branches and 44 specialist groups. The Society also maintains the largest computing library in the UK at the IEE; this is open to personal callers and also offers members a postal lending service.

Membership of the Society is open to any person involved either directly or indirectly in computing. The requirements of each class are under continuous review to allow the Society to respond to new situations. The professional grades are Associate Member (AMBCS), Member (MBCS) and Fellow (FBCS), advancement depending on level of professional education and evidence of experience of computing over a specified number of years.

There are also the grades of Affiliate, Graduate and Student. Affiliates are those interested in computing who wish to become involved in Society affairs. Graduates are those who have satisfied the Society's educational requirement but lack the experience necessary for professional membership, while Students are those following a course of instruction recognised by the Society. Members of these grades enjoy most of the same privileges as those in the professional grades except that they have no voting rights.

The Society is currently applying for a Royal Charter, which would lend additional weight to the Society's status as the computing profession's representative organisation.

If you are interested in applying for membership of finding out more about the BCS, please write to me at the address on the inside back cover of this issue. Through this column I will keep APL Association members informed of BCS developments which affect our Specialist Group.

BCS Appoints a Business Manager¶

Editor — I am sure we would all like to congratulate Philip Goacher on his recent appointment as Business Manager of the British Computer Society. Here is an extract from the recent Press Release concerning his new role, omitting only Philip's biographical details to spare his blushes:

"Philip Goacher joined the BCS as Business Manager in January this year. His brief is to develop further the Society's publications and to provide a range of services including support to the Society's Specialist Groups and Branches in their aim to widen their sphere of influence, particularly through conferences."

"From 1st May 1984 these activities are being managed by The British Informatics Society Limited (BISL), the commercial subsidiary of the BCS, with Philip Goacher as Managing Director."

"The BCS makes contact, not only with its members, but also with the world at large, through its various publications and reports, and through the many conferences of high technical quality which are held regularly. By developing the professional support given to these and other growing activities, BISL will be helping to promote the role of the BCS within the computing profession."

"Through his interest in APL, Philip Goacher has been closely involved with the BCS for some time as Chairman of their APL Specialist Group. He is also Chairman of EuroAPL, an international liaison group supported by the EEC."