This small investment on our part has really paid off. The old hands at CUJ tell me that submissions have climbed to an all-time high. I can attest that the number of high-quality submissions has gone up dramatically since I first signed on as editor. That makes my job simpler in one way. I find it easier and easier to fill an issue with the kind of material I think you want to read.

It also makes my job harder in another way. More and more often, I have to defer accepting stories that are eminently publishable. As an author, I never like being told that my good job isn't good enough. As an editor, I dislike having to say that sort of thing to an author.

I tell you this with a bit of trepidation. The last thing I want to do is scare off potential submissions. Please, keep those cards and letters rolling in. Unlike many computer publications, CUJ is written largely by you, the folks who read it. Sure, we rely on a few war horses for regular copy. (I am one of them.) But it is you folks in the trenches, willing to share your experiences with fellow readers, that makes this publication the special forum that it is.

Go read the boilerplate that accompanies each Call for Papers. We repeat it for emphasis, not out of laziness. Our primary requirement is that you have something to say to your fellow C programmers. If you can put it in context, that's a big help. If you can provide code that is telling and succinct, that's also a big help. If you write well, that's nice — it saves us some editing work — but it's by no means a necessity. Just say it the best way you know how.

A couple of recent submissions could be published in respected academic journals. That's flattering to us, I suppose, but I rejected both of them. You needn't worry about competing for space in this publication with skilled academicians. Just imagine the kind of article you'd most like to read here. If you feel you can write it, let us know. There's a good chance we want to print it.

P.J. Plauger
pjp@plauger.uunet.com