Project: Maintaining SM
Description: Person must get new releases (every few years), configure
	for our site and build procedures, build and install for all
	architectures.  There is a new release waiting to be picked
	up, and this is the starting point.  Person must also be on
	the SM announcement mailing list (2-10 messages a year) to
	learn of new updates.  Person must be able to commit to
	keeping the project for a significant time. SM is a plotting
	package in the sipb locker.
Duration: ongoing
Knowledge: C, Unix/Athena/AFS software maintenance.  I do not have
	time for general training.
Contact/more info: jh@mit.edu
Number of people: 1


Project: Finding and supporting a database program
Description: Person must seek out public domain database programs, examine
	them and determine what has the greatest utility and ease of use
	in the Athena environment.  From there, they would install the
	software, work out bugs and support any new versions.
Duration: ongoing
Knowledge: C and X
Contact/more info: web@athena.mit.edu (other SIPB members too)
Number of people: 2


Project: Documentation
Description: SIPB supports a lot of documentation, which is in continuous
	need of updating.  Additionally, there is never a surplus of well
	written documentation.  Working on updating existing documentation
	or writing new useful documentation are good projects.
Duration: weeks to months
Knowledge: LaTeX
Contact/more info: bring it up at a meeting
Number of people: varies

Project: Xthesaurus
Description: Convert xthesaurus over to the new database.
Duration: short
Knowledge: C
Contact/more info: web@athena, other members, bring it up at a meeting
Number of people: 1

Project: Mathematics Packages
Description: Learn Matlab, Maple, Xess, and other programs primarily
	in order to assist users with their questions.  Not really a
	project in itself, it is nonetheless important due to the lack
	of expertise on these subjects among members.  Learning the
	packages could lead to projects such as writing new documentation
	for them or holding microcourses on them.
Duration: ongoing
Knowledge: No previous required.
Contact/more info: Take a look at Athena documentation and at the manuals
	in the office.  rjbarbal@athena.mit.edu
Number of people: As many as possible.

Project: Commonly Abused Phone Numbers
Description: Upon the bulletin board is a list of phone numbers that
	were commonly used a decade or so ago.  It is perhaps slightly
	out-of-date.  Rewrite (in LaTeX, of course) the list, with
	corrections, additions, and updates.  Maintaining an updated
	list could be a non-intensive but lasting project.
Duration: probably short
Knowledge: Must know how to use a phone book.
Contact/more info:  See the board.  rjbarbal@athena.mit.edu
Number of people: 1


Project:  SIPB Office Manual
Description: As all of you know, the SIPB Office Manual is the Source
	of All Knowledge for the SIPB Member. At least, that was the
	theory when Chris and I and some other people started updating
	it a year or so ago.. :-/ Right now, though, none of the files
	have actually been touched since April 1992.  This document
	should describe what a SIPB member is and does, what things we
	do both in broad, fuzzy terms like answering questions, and
	writing documentation and in specifics like notes on
	maintaining webster, how to `deal' with the SIPB AFS cell, and
	how to spend (someone else's) money.
Duration: ongoing
Knowledge: SIPB.  This is a great way to learn about the SIPB - simply
	adopt the chunk in which you're currently interested.
Contact/more info: almost everyone, although I'll volunteer to route
	people who don't know who else to ask. <yandros@mit.edu>
Number of people: various

Project: Usenet Documentation
Description: There have been a number of
	complaints/suggestions/whatever recently about the lack of
	real documentation about how to use Usenet.  The one-page
	guide is just that - a quick guide to getting started reading
	news with rrn.  It doesn't mention anything about posting,
	about distributions, about crossposting, etc.
Knowledge: Usenet familiarity

Project: dclock maint
Description: the program `dclock' in the sipb locker has a number of
	minor bugs that should be fixed.  The current maintainer (me)
	is planning on being lame about it, for a while, at least.
Knowledge: good small project for someone who'd like to learn more
	about C and X.  (you don't have to rewrite the thing; just fix
	some stupidity of mine and Dan Heller's :-)