Pro/USER is at something of a crossroads. As most experts would agree, Pro/ENGINEER is a mature software in a saturated market. Although PTC continues to enhance and add functionality, the fact is that growth will be significantly slower than in the 1990s, especially in North America. Historically, the growth of Pro/USER membership—and more specifically, conference attendance— generally follows that of PTC. Another more basic issue is that, as users become more expert at using Pro/ENGINEER, it is more difficult for our organization to provide value without upgrading our educational and information sharing products.

International Initiatives

As one the world’s largest software user groups, Pro/USER stands ready to take up the challenge. Our membership now approaches 15,000 strong. Although largely centered in North America, the number of international members now exceeds 1,000 PTC product users. We are confident that our first European Conference—to be held jointly with PTC in Berlin, Germany on May 21-22— will serve to buoy those numbers.

Representatives from Pro/USER have also made numerous visits to Europe and Japan over the last year to improve our relationships with international Regional User Groups. We will begin to reap the fruits of these efforts as we explore new ways to increase cooperation between Pro/USER and PTC in international venues. In a related initiative, we are reviewing our Technical Committee structure in terms of both scope and geography to provide our worldwide membership a more coherent voice in PTC’s core development process.

New Information Sharing Efforts

Along with our international outreach, we are expanding the array of products and services we offer—particularly in the realm of electronic information sharing services. In February, we introduced our completely revamped website (www.prouser.org), redesigned from the ground up to improve information access. Most pages are directly viewable from links on the home page, requiring far less navigation than before. We have also deployed www.myWindchill.org, a website targeted at Windchill developers in the PTC customer base.

After many years of faithful service, the Majordomo software used to host the Pro/USER email exploder has been replaced with Lyris Technologies’ ListManager system. This new software provides enhanced functionality that allows subscribers to tailor the format of the messages they receive. Subscribers also have the option of reading mail at the website or via a new secure newsgroup reader.

Most exciting of our Internet initiatives is profilesmagazine.com, our new home on the web. This site offers a variety of material that supplements the print version, including Tips & Tricks and online subscription services. The launch of ProfilesMagazine.com also marks the first step toward developing multi-lingual editions for our international readers.

Pro/USER is also in active discussion about other new products and services that will serve to satisfy the incredible appetite for knowledge that our membership has expressed. While our organization will continue to be the major forum for education, community, and problem solving, more change is coming. Attend the Pro/USER International Conference in June to find out more, or look for an update in the upcoming issue of Pro/files.