Would you join a Mathcad Group?

[DanMarotta]

I was looking at the list of groups members have created. I noticed there wasn't one dedicated to Mathcad users. Or even one that teetered on the subject.

Would you join a group for Mathcad super-users? It could be regional too, "Mathcad users of the U.K." "Russian Mathcad'ers" etc.

What kind of group would you create?

-BostonDan

[f.kohlhepp]

What is a group? What benefit would there be to being in the group?

Some of us are still trying to navigate in this new environment; trying to learn how to see the new posts while not being hassled with the ones we've already read.

I thought the Mathcad subset of PlanetPTC community WAS the Mathcad group!

[DanMarotta]

Hello Fred,

If you take a look at the groups that exist now (http://communities.ptc.com/groups/), it might give you an idea of the benefits. But just as the word is defined, it's a number of individuals coming together around common interests. You are right, that Mathcad is a subset of Planet PTC Community, in essence a "group." But think of groups as an even smaller collection of individuals within the subset of Mathcad.

What if I was a mathematician that loved to skydive? And I wanted to connect with other skydiving mathematicians to share stories, pictures and videos about our latest jumps? Discuss velocity, drag, air resistance etc. I would form a group call "Skydiving Mathematicians" and invite others to join. We could even plan jumps together depending on where everyone was located. Kind of a silly example but its not too far-fetched.

[MikeArmstrong]

BostonDan wrote:

I was looking at the list of groups members have created. I noticed there wasn't one dedicated to Mathcad users. Or even one that teetered on the subject.

Would you join a group for Mathcad super-users? It could be regional too, "Mathcad users of the U.K." "Russian Mathcad'ers" etc.

What kind of group would you create?

-BostonDan

Dan,

How about something like - Engineering with Mathcad, Engineering calc's with Mathcad.... etc

Could even make sub groups which allow user to find collabs in a similar industry to thier own. Say for instance 'Pipeline Engineering', 'Subsea Engineering'.

Just a thought.

Mike

[DanMarotta]

Mike,

Pipeline Engineering and Subsea Engineering are two great examples. Or how about "Optimizing Designs With Mathcad?"

Can you think of groups for non-engineers? There are scientists and educators in this community. What are their interests? Hhhmmm

[MikeArmstrong]

Dan,

Maybe 'Optimizing Designs With Mathcad' could be added but in my line of work, Mathcad is only the tool to help prove the design through calculation.

Regarding the interest's of other users, I wouldn't have a clue. I can only suggest groups of which would be of interest to me. Mathcad itself is the main interest and the main reason people contribute to this forum.

I don't see why we couldn't have a group for Engineers! Having regional groups such as "Mathcad users of the U.K." "Russian Mathcad'ers" wouldn't really be of any benefit, what would they share - I wouldn't personally want to join a group of users from the UK.

Mike

[DanMarotta]

They were more of suggestions and ideas to get the entire Mathcad community thinking of possible groups they might want to create or join. Everyone has the power to create a group to which they hold a personal interest in.

I would suspect that you wouldn't know the interest of others unless you were psychic. If you did know, that would be neat trick. I'd also ask you for tonight's lottery numbers . But again, just putting that question out there for the entire community to consume and respond.

[MikeArmstrong]

BostonDan wrote:

I'd also ask you for tonight's lottery numbers

Dan,

I would share the numbers, but that would mean sharing the winnings.

Mike

[GuyB]

BostonDan wrote:

Mike,

Pipeline Engineering and Subsea Engineering are two great examples. Or how about "Optimizing Designs With Mathcad?"

Can you think of groups for non-engineers? There are scientists and educators in this community. What are their interests? Hhhmmm

Really?

Perhaps you haven't been reading us all that closely. On the posts that involve usage of this new "Collaboratory" I would have thought the message was clear: PTC's site is so fragmented and difficult to navigate that you're driving valuable users away. We can't identify new posts, selectively home in on the discussions we have or haven't read, pick a long thread and identify the new parts, or find a good overview of the existing Mathcad-specific discussion areas.

And you want to fragment it even more?

*&^#!

After 6 weeks away I admit I find this very frustrating. (Insert grumpy, old-man crusty sounds of petulance here.)

- Guy

[MikeArmstrong]

Guy Beadie wrote:

Really?

Perhaps you haven't been reading us all that closely. On the posts that involve usage of this new "Collaboratory" I would have thought the message was clear: PTC's site is so fragmented and difficult to navigate that you're driving valuable users away. We can't identify new posts, selectively home in on the discussions we have or haven't read, pick a long thread and identify the new parts, or find a good overview of the existing Mathcad-specific discussion areas.

And you want to fragment it even more?

*&^#!

After 6 weeks away I admit I find this very frustrating. (Insert grumpy, old-man crusty sounds of petulance here.)

- Guy

Guy,

You are absolutely right. Why would we want additional groups when users are struggling to navigate through what is available at the moment. It takes about 5 times longer to actually keep track of a thread compared to the old collab, usually missing posts along the way.

Frustrating - Just a little!!!!!!.

Mike

[f.kohlhepp]

I'm beginning to suspect that this post explains the basic problem I have with PlanetPTC/Mathcad replacing the old collaboratory.

I thought of the collaboratory as a Mathcad Users group; a place to get and give advice about any problem you were trying to solve using mathcad. The issues might be anything from how to use the editor to how to set up the DE solvers to basic and not-so-basic understanding of the sciences behind the problems. When I logged into the collaboratory, I WAS part of that group.

When BostonDan says there are no Mathcad groups he's illustrating a major difference in the way he (PTC) and I view the purpose of PlanetPTC. I want the exchange of ideas and opinions that the old collaboratory represented. BostonDan expects me to form or join subgroups inside PlanetPTC to organize picnics.

Dan, if you look at the collaboratory closely enough, you'll see that it's a group. You can find, "When you're in town I'll buy you a pint." and, "Do you ever get to ...," and other social interactions. They're there, buried in the more important (to me) process of helping people with problems or getting help with mine.

I've already joined a Mathcad group. The only other one I qualify for is "Cranky old Mathcad users."

[RichardJ]

I only just noticed this thread even exists. I think that says something about the issue of finding what is new!

I also don't see the point in forming a group. We already have groups for physics, electrical engineering, etc etc. If we form a new group will the new posts in that group even show in the "All Recent Mathcad Content" Widget? If they wouldn't, then far from there being a benefit to another group there would be a positive detriment. We already have enough problems indentifying new posts, without creating yet another place for someone to post material.

[f.kohlhepp]

According to BostonDan there are no Mathcad groups yet, so Richard's statement that we have groups can't be correct.

"We already have groups for physics, electrical engineering, etc etc."

Dan's vision for this site is different from ours.

[RichardJ]

Fred Kohlhepp wrote:

According to BostonDan there are no Mathcad groups yet, so Richard's statement that we have groups can't be correct.

"We already have groups for physics, electrical engineering, etc etc."

I should have been clearer. I meant the subforums, which are (as discussed earlier in the thread) to all intents and purposes groups.

[RantEng]

Being a long time member of the "Cranky Old Mathcad Users" group (>30 years), I'd love to see a group that could help steer the future of the software.  Sometime back I was invited to serve in that way.  Unfortunately, the only way was through the local Regional Users Group (RUG).  As it turned out, I was the only Mathcad user and was swept under the RUG. (pun intended).

We don't need a Regional group but a distributed group that can act as a steering committee to provide development feedback to the PTC Mathcad development team.  Unfortunately, we are the poor step sister of the product family.  We need to get attention somehow.  Simply grumbling and insulting the company doesn't do it or it would have worked years ago.

[LouP]

I think that I have the same issue as Fred. I used the old collab as an aid in my work, and tried to help out as I could in return. Unlike a number of forums I have come across, the exchanges were (predominantly) professional. The collab structure was perhaps not flashy, but it was very efficient, in the use of my time, for getting and giving advice on Mathcad and various problems to which it was applied. This is a key expectation. First and foremost, I am looking for a place where I can very easily get help with a key tool of my job (or education, etc). Quick in and out, few frills required; only those that support/enhance the basic mission. I have no expectation of the site as a social network. I also have no objection to it serving that role, as long as it won't add to my overhead if I choose not to use that part of it.

Perhaps some clarification of PTC's expectations and use of the site will give the old collab users some insight to what they can expect. I see it mainly as another professional aid, which value will directly depend on the quality of the technical content and on how efficiently(timewise) I can take advantage of it. For this, I suggest that working out the bugs and adding the basic features should be at the top of the list. To use a jmG-like turn of phrase, polishing the scratches on the car's paint job doesn't make a car run better if the basic problem is an engine that's skipping.

Lou

(Another cranky old mathcad user)

[SteenGroðe]

Kind of funny this question. We already are a group. Maybe a rather large one, and maybe getting smaller at the moment. But the question makes me wonder what PTC is all about. Once there were even more collaboratories (wonder if they are closed down as well - haven't checked).

On top of this we actually have at least one more local "group"... the old Adeptscience Mathcad list and I know there is at least two or three more communities around Mathcad. We don't need PTC for that, but at some point PTC may realize they need us.

But what the hell - if this place ever turns out to be ok, we may be starting groups.

[BillDumke]

What concerns me most is this PTC group is closed to anyone who is not a maintenance user. This leaves out a whole lot of good contributors who are still using older versions of Mathcad. For example even the good stable Mathcad 11 is no longer supported by PTC. I think PTC is shooting itself in the foot, and us as well in limiting the only existing group to maintenance users. (Please correct me if I am wrong.)

BTW the Adeptscience Mathcad listserver is effectively dead. It has been spammed to death, or rather it has committed suicide. The incoming legitimate postings aren't even seen anymoire by the list manager in all of the spam. (And Adeptscience refuses to fork over a few hundred for a challenge server like ChoiceMail which would totally eliminate the spam. And in this case, there would be no problems with the challenges disliked by businesses since the user list is already known. New legitimate Mathcad users wouldn't mind filling out the challenge form, either.) Years ago I used the Adeptscience listserver exclusively and it was great. Usually I was able to get good answers back within an hour.

Bill

[RichardJ]

Bill Dumke wrote:

What concerns me most is this PTC group is closed to anyone who is not a maintenance user. This leaves out a whole lot of good contributors who are still using older versions of Mathcad. For example even the good stable Mathcad 11 is no longer supported by PTC. I think PTC is shooting itself in the foot, and us as well in limiting the only existing group to maintenance users. (Please correct me if I am wrong.)

I don't think so. I think anyone can have a PTC account and then join PlanetPTC, even if they don't own any PTC software.

[MikeArmstrong]

Dan,

Maybe another idea>>>>>

Jean mentioned that there use to be a group/thread/sub forum named Mathcad Guru's. How about dedicating groups/subforums to certain members "Mathcad gurus" such as Jean,Tom,Richard,Valery.....ect to name a few.

Each "Mathcad Guru" could have their dedicated section choosing what gets popsted.....etc

Say I wanted help with Excel components I could directly ask Tom a question, Jean for plotting, Richard and Stuart for programming......etc.

Obviously the GURU'S would have to accept.

Just a thought!!!!!!

Mike

[jeanGiraud]

MIke Armstrong wrote:

Dan,

Maybe another idea>>>>>

Jean mentioned that there use to be a group/thread/sub forum named Mathcad Guru's. How about dedicating groups/subforums to certain members "Mathcad gurus" such as Jean,Tom,Richard,Valery.....ect to name a few.

Each "Mathcad Guru" could have their dedicated section choosing what gets popsted.....etc

Say I wanted help with Excel components I could directly ask Tom a question, Jean for plotting, Richard and Stuart for programming......etc.

Obviously the GURU'S would have to accept.

Just a thought!!!!!!

Mike

Mike,

The group we need most is the "Old man headache beer club" !

You got it right, in the terms I had suggested many times: a data base per willing "gurus" . It could be some "gurus" might not join, but I will. In few weeks, 1000's of pages of "Mathcad tool box" easy to glance. Like you say, looking for "scripted components": Tom , Richard ... "Mathcad tools" in general: Jean ..."Generalized utilities": Stuart.

I understand [think so] what Dan was after ... specialized groups like "Optics", like "Differential Equations" ...etc. What would be the use of specialized groups in DE's with such an "australopitheque" symbolic like MuPad . Dan is really overestimating Mathcad. What is does well for Engineers has no competition but that's not enough as long as it will lack a symbolic engine. Maple and Mathematica symbolic are world top, why PTC went for MuPad ? Why PTC decided to scrap the Mathsoft latest 11 version ? 4 years now that Mathcad is in intensive cares.

Cheers, Jean

[JXBWk]

Short answer is 'No'. I am using the Mathcad group from time to time for professional reason (obviously!) and have no intention of having to deal with "social" aspect. Maybe it's a "young" thing. Getting closer to retirement I might be getting grumpier by the day I guess. It will distract and drops productivity, etc. If other have plenty of time on their hands then good for them - I don't. I like how very regular users are responding to queries in a short and extremely useful fashion - I do to when I can and feel I can add value (no that often I'll acknowledge).