I view my principal task as new editor of CUJ as honoring its style. Change is inevitable. The magazine evolved under Robert's stewardship and it will continue to evolve under mine. But change for the sake of change is not a thing that I strive for. Opinionated as I am, stubborn as I am, I still cling to the engineer's golden rule — If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I believe that the technical slant of CUJ does not need fixing. This is a magazine written by C programmers and for C programmers. I may solicit contributions a bit more agressively, to have more input to choose from. I may edit a bit more severely, to minimize wording that is vague or misleading. But I intend to keep the range and mix of topics much the same.

CUJ is still Robert Ward's baby. He has spent hours telling me how he does various editing tasks. (Translation — Please keep doing it this way.) He has anguished visibly each time he passes off another task to me. I sometimes feel like a high-school sophomore being scrutinized by a girl's father before her first date.

Robert is a good techie and a good explainer. Those attributes lie at the heart of his editorial focus. Tell 'em what C is all about and tell 'em as clearly as possible. Every article I select or write will continue to serve those two purposes.

On a recent business trip, I experienced my first emergency landing. We lost an engine on takeoff, so we had to dump fuel and land still heavy and short one engine. Crash trucks and ambulances chased us down the runway. I was writing a C function during the takeoff. During the evacuation instructions, I finished it off. My last act before assuming the head-between-the-knees crash position was to make sure that the braces balanced.

I guess I'll be a techie to the end. That, if anything, qualifies me to edit this magazine.

P. J. Plauger
Editor