Re: IUCR-COMPCOMM: Jan 2002 edition of the IUCr Computing

["I. David Brown" <idbrown@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>]

Dear Lachlan,

	I have had a look at the Computing Commission web site and I am
impressed with what you have done, but I have one small suggestion for
improvement.

	As you instructed, I had a look at the Newsletter and I am
overwhelmed.  I have never before received letter containing over 100
pages and my printer decided it was far too much for it to print.  So I
had to content myself with veiwing the html pages.  One or two pages I can
handle on the screen, but I was lost with 100 pages of your newsletter.

	A newsletter is something I should be able to print and read at my
leisure over my after-dinner cup of coffee.  It should never be more than
20 pages.  What you have provided us with is a series of specialized and
no doubt valuable reports (I have not yet had time to read them), but they
would be much better posted as separate documents that can be individually
accessed and printed by those who are interested.  Unlike the articles
that appear in a newsletter which are read and discarded, these reports
look as if they have some permanent value.  Can I recommend that you
present them in a different format as a series of technical reports, each
separately paginated and accessed, and leave the newsletter format for
more general and popular articles outlining future directions, general
problems or historical reviews?

			Best wishes

				David


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Dr.I.David Brown,  Professor Emeritus
Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research,
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Tel: 1-(905)-525-9140 ext 24710
Fax: 1-(905)-521-2773
idbrown@mcmaster.ca
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