h3. CompSoc Minutes 25/02/2005

h4. In Attendance

* Sadiq Jaffer
* Andrew Sully
* Tim Troy
* Tim Retout
* Chloe Dives
* Ian Norris
* Paul Broadbridge
* Richard Wilson
* Chris Boyle
* Chris Bates
* Euan MacGregor
* Peter Ellis
* Adam Miles

h4. IBM

Tim and Sadiq talked to Yvonne from IBM about the possibility of the following:

IBM to pay for the production of 200 Knoppix CDs to be distributed next year as was done this year. They may also donate 100 for the LUG project to develop device drivers, which will go towards hardware.

IBM may also help fund the trip to Hursley Park trip next year. If Compsoc raises 3-4 from members attending, IBM will fund the remainder. A 50 (fifty) person limit still applies due to Health and Safety reasons. However we are still waiting to hear back from Yvonne for confirmation.

h4. Codathon

A "Codathon" is planned for Week 5 or 6 of Term 1 in 2005/2006 year, IBM have been informed.

h4. Socials

Paul Broadbridge is organising a Karting social for Week 10, details to be added to the events list soon.

h4. Red Nose Day

A charity Counterstrike (CS) event was discussed. The idea being a dedicated CS server with "admin mod" allowing players to buy privileges. Paul will register to get a Red Nose Day pack. Raven Shield and Unreal Tournaments servers were also suggested, with perhaps one of these two being setup alongside CS.

h4. Exec Handover

At least one full exec meeting will be shared between the current and future execs to ensure a smooth transition. Chris Bates informed the exec that the handover will officially happen when Sadiq gives in the form with the new exec on. Sadiq recommends this happens in Week 10 of Term 2.

h4. External Hosting

This will cost 6 per month and will be budgeted for in the coming budget.

h4. Budget - Gaming Quota

The budget for next year is due by the Monday of Week 10.

The exec discussed hard disk space required for games at the weekly gaming sessions. A list is drawn up of possible games and the space they'll require.

* Unreal Tournament 2004: 7GB
* Neverwinter Nights + 2 Exp.: 3GB
* C&C Generals: 3GB
* Battlefield 1942 + Mods: 2GB
* Diablo 2: 1.1GB
* Operation Flashpoint + Exp.: 1GB
* Trackmania: 1GB
* Darwinia: 500MB
* OpenTTD: ~10MB

It is decided to wait until post budget to ask ITS for a quote. Provisional 10.

h4. Budget - New Hardware

After much discussion of potential upgrades to existing servers the following was decided on.

* *Bong*: A new 320GB (2 x 160GB) RAID 0 array.
* *Insomnia*: Money is available this week.
* *Other*: New Power Supply ~ 70 pounds.

* Switching*: Tim Troy is to investigate pricing on extra switches for LANs as member hardware is currently relied on. Not all of the current switches will be available as existing members leave, so this is of a high priority.

h4. Budget - LAN Prizes

The exec discussed how much to budget for prizes at future LANs and ?150 was decided on. 20 per weekend LAN leaving 50 for the BFL in Term 3.

h4. Budget - Advertising

After reflecting on the previous year the exec decides on 50 for advertising

h4. Budget - Guest Lectures

The exec decides more frequent guest lectures next year will mean a greater proportion of the budget should go towards transport costs for the lecturers. In light of this the exec decides on 150.

h4. Budget - Social Events including Academic Trips

The exec decides to budget 300 for the social events and academic trips i.e. Bletchley Park.

h4. Budget - Projector

Tim Troy will investigate the cost of a projector for use at lectures given by Compsoc and possible use at LANs. Although it is expected the cost will be too great to justify.

h4. Budget - UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

After a brief discussion about the benefits of budgeting for backup power for Compsoc servers the exec decided that it was not necessary. It was noted any power outage will bring down the network anyway meaning keeping the server up was pointless.

h4. Budget - Cable Treads

The exec discussed buying cable treads to ensure cables at LANs were kept out of the way, eliminating the chance of people tripping. At 40 for 9 metres of tread Sadiq noted duct tape would probably suffice and the extra expense was not worth it.

h4. Other Business

* Photos need to be submitted with the forms for the new exec illustrating what Compsoc has done in the past year. Photos of the barbeque, LANs, academic events and paintball can easily be found on the gallery and will be used.
* Richard Wilson informs the exec of the opportunity for Compsoc to become an "O'Reilly Associate". This would entail being sent free copies of their books in return for reviews. They could then be given away or used as prizes at future events. To be discussed more at a future meeting.
* Discussion of World of Warcraft at future LANs will also be discussed at a future meeting.
* Richard Wilson also notes that interest in Compsoc Clothing could be increased with a signup page, this will be drawn up.