Just a few days ago, I posted a message to the ISO WG14 reflector. It was not an easy message to write. Here it is in its entirety, as my Editor's Forum for this month:
I regret to inform WG14 that I find it necessary to resign as Convener. My third three-year term expires in mid 1997. I had intended to at least serve out this commitment, but sheer exhaustion, and the press of other matters in my life, now make that course too difficult. Eight meetings a year (3*C, 3*C++, 2*SC22) is a grueling schedule, and a real strain on the resources of an independent, both in time and money. I hope to be replaced at the SC22 Plenary in late September of this year.
John Benito has expressed a willingness to take on the job of Convener. He is a person eminently qualified for the post. I don't presume to hand pick my successor -- I just wanted to be sure that at least one able candidate was prepared (and foolish enough) to step into the role. Rex Jaeschke will soon be sending out a call for volunteers, so that X3J11 can vote on a recommended replacement in time for the Plenary.
I've been involved in standards work since 1980, in the standardization of C since the outset in 1983, in the standardization of C++ since 1992. The work I've done within X3J11, and later within WG14, has certainly been a defining aspect of my career. My current commercial interests lie more with C++, but my aesthetics lie more firmly in the C camp -- both in the areas of language design and the standards development process.
I may not be able to attend most meetings, in the future, but I consider the ongoing work of X3J11/WG14 important. Consequently, I intend to become an observing member of X3J11 so that I can remain on the reflector and continue to receive mailings. Be assured that I will also continue my role as self-appointed historian and sage, chiming in on discussions where I think I can make a difference. I also intend to continue to keep the larger community informed of our standards activities through my editorship of C/C++ Users Journal. No eulogies, please.
What makes it easy to step aside is the people who participate so actively in X3J11/WG14. You're doing a great job. What makes it hard, however, is also the people. I will miss most the regular contact with friends I have made over the years. I always look forward to WG14 meetings for this reason, with confidence that we will spend yet another productive week in an agreeable atmosphere, and have at least one more excellent Chinese meal in a restaurant unearthed by John Kwan. The memories of Amsterdam are particularly poignant, and will remain vivid to me for many years to come.
Thanks for everything,
Bill PlaugerBug Fix
In "Programming with VESA BIOS Extensions," by Chris Krehbiel (CUJ, August 1996, p. 37), the file vbe.c (Listing 1) has a bug in function VbeSetMode(). The line in this function beginning with _Window = ... is listed incorrectly. The correct line is
_Window = 1024L*_ModeInfo.WinGranularity; /* convert to bytes */We provide a corrected version of Listing 1 on this month's code disk and online sources. -- mb