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David Roman
Prepare for Launch
The task identified by ACM in 2005 has
come to fruition. Communications of the
ACM has been remade both in print and
online. The magazine was relaunched in
July 2008, and now we are putting the finishing touches on the Web site to launch
in March at cacm.acm.org.
To say a Web site is preparing to
‘launch’ hints at manned spaceflight and
adds an element of drama that aggrandizes a site’s unveiling. That’s unnecessary. The development of the
Communications’ Web site was dramatic enough.
The drama could be found in the faces
of ACM managers when they recognized
the developers’ simpatico braininess. It
was in the musings of stakeholders sharing wouldn’t-it-be-nice lists, and then realizing that some wishes do come true.
It was in the scrupulous attention that
Communications’ Web board members
paid to idiosyncratic design details such
as fonts, column widths, and bread-crumb trails, and in their elation when
they realized their suggestions begat change. And as the launch date drew near, it
was in the unbending determination of all parties to work through and past every
clash, to square the uncompromising conflict between getting things right and
hitting each deadline.
The site is ready, but not finished. That’s not to say it is not a complete product.
It is. Unlike its predecessor, it delivers a daily dose of news, blogs, and opinion
pieces from ACM and from around the Web. It reflects the rich history of
Communications’ 52 years and introduces a new chapter in its editorial scope and global
coverage. Indeed, its plentiful content will make you a frequent visitor.
But there are more features, content, and services in the offing. The site’s adherence to user-centered design will influence future developments, as will Web
trends, user predilections, and hard economics (for more details, see the Publisher’s Corner on page 7). The site does and will mirror the membership’s diverse
and changing interests. Enjoy it!
WenDY haLL aPPointeD
Dame commanDeR
aCM president Wendy hall
has been appointed Dame
Commander of the order
of the British empire by Queen
elizabeth ii for services to science
and technology. the appointment
was announced by Buckingham
palace as part of the 2009 new
Year honours list.
“hall is a member of the
United Kingdom’s prime
Minister’s Council for Science
and technology, former president
of the British Computer Society,
professor of computer science at
the University of Southampton,
U.K., and a renowned researcher
in Web science including
multimedia and hypermedia,”
said aCM Ceo John White in
a statement. “this honor from
the Queen recognizes her service
and speaks to hall’s life-long
commitment to advancing the
field of computer science, as
well as supporting her goal of
promoting the use of technology
to connect people across
international boundaries.”
hall is well known throughout
the computer science community
for her energy and vision, and
for being a vocal advocate of
women’s opportunities in
science, engineering, and
technology. in addition to her
large number of commitments
in areas of policy development,
she continues to advance new
research directions. in 2006, she
was one of the founders of the
Web Science Research initiative,
along with Sir tim Berners-lee,
nigel Shadbolt, and Daniel
Weitzner. they are pioneering the
new discipline of Web Science, to
develop a better understanding
of the architectural principles
that led to the Web’s growth
and success, and ensure that
these support the Web’s future
development.
taPia 09
the Richard tapia Celebration
of Diversity in Computing
conference is being held in
portland, oR, from april 1–4, and
will include a technical program,
plenary talks, a poster session,
a doctoral consortium, a robotics
competition, and networking
opportunities. For more information,
visit tapiaconference.org.
PhotograPh By nasa/Bill ingalls
