Publisher's Forum
I suppose one who publishes several magazines shouldn't admit to having a favorite, but in truth I think Sys Admin and its readers are special. First, I hold UNIX in high regard. I'm a programmer and UNIX is a particularly nice home for programmers. I also think that system administration tools (perhaps because they so often involve shell capabilities) very effectively showcase the elegance of UNIX. Second, I probably don't really know as much as I should about UNIX. Of course, there are lots of subjects about which I should probably know more. Unfortunately, I already know as much as I want to know about many of them. I enjoy learning more about UNIX, so I enjoy reading the material we receive for this magazine. Third and most important, I like the attitude of our readers. Teachers often comment on how different classes have different "personalities." Well, in my experience, different portions of the technical community also seem to have different personalities. Of the subgroups I've worked with, I think System Administrators are the least contentious--at least when talking to each other. It sounds corny, but I believe that's because System Administrators are genuinely interested in helping others. It's particularly gratifying to be helping such a group help others. Which leads to a final point: there's a happy symmetry between Sys Admin's goals and its readers' attitude. Like other R&D publications, Sys Admin serves as a forum for readers--a place where they can share ideas, answer each other's questions, provide a bit of code that turns out to be missing piece in someone else's puzzle. The natural inclination of System Administrators to do exactly these things makes for a perfect fit.
Sincerely yours,
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