Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) Newsgroups: comp.org.acm Subject: Re: Proposals for CACM format Keywords: cacm acm Message-ID: <1991May13.163652.20481@mp.cs.niu.edu> Date: 13 May 91 16:36:52 GMT References: <1991May13.144014.9051@rti.rti.org> Organization: Northern Illinois University Lines: 49 In article <1991May13.144014.9051@rti.rti.org> duncan@rti.rti.org (Stephen Duncan) writes: >I'm starting this off with three quotes from the "New format of CACM" >thread to continue a slightly different issue, namely, what do we >want in a format? > > writes: > ... > writes: > ... > writes: > ... Since you quote me, and my comment that CACM should be modelled after Scientific American, let me add a few comments: Firstly, what do I get out of Scientific American? SA typically has about 6 articles, plus a few features. Sometimes they have a special topics issue, with the articles related. Most issues are not special topics. When I pick up SA, after scanning the table of contents, I usually turn first to "Science and the Citizen". This gives a relatively thorough review of important recent developments in science. Next I look at the articles that interest me. In some issues there are none. In some there are two or three. I would guess that on the average there is about one really interesting article per issue, and perhaps another 2 worth skimming through, but not worth reading in detail. Coming back to CACM, I would be very happy if there were one solid interesting article per issue. That would be a huge improvement. Both before the new format, and with the new format, the average has been way below that. More importantly, something akin to "Science and the Citizen", but more specific to computers, would be highly welcome. But it should be at a level more comparable to the "Science and the Citizen" than to the recent developments columns in Byte, PC-Magazine, etc. If CACM could meet these two requirement, keep ACM Forum as more than just a letters to the Editor, and keep its calendar -- and if the format could be a little less unpleasant -- I think they would have a real winner. -- =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb, IL 60115 +1-815-753-6940