Editor's Forum

The Wit to Win

“Good cooking takes time. If you are made to wait, it is to serve you better, and to please you.”

You may recognize this excerpt from the menu of a Fine French Restaurant if you’ve ever read Frederick Brooks’ Mythical Man Month, where this quote appeared many years ago (in French, of course). Brooks used the quote as a metaphor for the nature of software projects: if not anything else, they tend to make us wait. Good software takes time, as does good publishing.

The mission of CUJ has always been to be the first place to which C and C++ professionals turn for insights and practical advice to meet the everyday challenges of software development. We are happy to report that CUJ continues to be favored with a steady stream of quality articles and proposals for the same. We take the time to bring you the very best.

You may have noticed lately that the page count of this and most, if not all other publications, has decreased. What you may not know is that the print publishing industry is in the throes of its worst advertising slump in over a half century. Nor is anyone I know willing to go on record to predict things will return to their previous levels anytime soon, if ever. (Don’t let the thickness of our monthly issues fool you, though — we’re using thinner paper to minimize cost ... and thus maximize page count in spite of the adverse climate).

Nonetheless, we don’t want to keep you waiting.

Rather than passively observe our industry’s trends, we are seeking ways to deliver more content than ever before. To wit, we announce the following:

• Our online content and presentation will be greatly enhanced. We are expanding the Experts Forum by moving the bi-monthly columns of two of our community’s leading experts, Herb Sutter (“Sutter’s Mill”) and Steve Dewhurst (“Common Knowledge”), to the web. Furthermore, in the coming months we will post new content more frequently than just once per month. (This won’t take place overnight, of course — give us a little time at least!).
• We are moving Herb Sutter and Jim Hyslop’s popular “Conversations” column from the Web to the print version of CUJ. Starting with this issue, you’ll be able to take the Guru’s counsel with you on the plane or to the bank (or wherever else you stand in line).
• Next month we’ll introduce a new column on embedded programming.

Expect even more bullets like these in the future.

As resources allow, we will continue to print supplements on timely topics. As is our wont, we’ll keep an ear to the ground for developments in C++0x, C/C++ compatibility, and the effect .NET is having on the world of programming. All this so that we may “serve you better, and please you,” without making you wait.

P.S. — The End of an Era

There is one more change that we’re reluctant to own up to. Our publisher, Martha Masinton, will have retired as of December 31, 2002, after many fruitful years at CUJ. I will personally miss her very deeply. She is one of the main reasons I have maintained my long-term relationship with the magazine. At the same time, we welcome Bill Uhler, former associate publisher, as he steps into the role of publisher. The best to both!

Chuck Allison
Senior Editor
cda@freshsources.com