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

[Lachlan Cranswick <l.m.d.cranswick@dl.ac.uk>]

Hi David (and others)

I must admit copying from the experience of the Commission on Powder
Diffraction on their newsletter. Just having a "newsletter" without
technical articles did not generate much enthusiasm for the CPD
newsletter. But having a variety of "soft" technical articles -
opinions, etc did. (and greatly increased the size of this printed
newsletter - I must admit I tend not to print PDF files and read on the
screen - but I could be in a minority here.  I assumed most people might
only want to print out articles that particularly interested them from
general browsing on the screen.) 

The aim of having the variety of articles in this above type of 
newsletter is that - overall - there should be at least one article of 
direct interest to the average reader.  Plus try and get the "soft"
crystallographic computing information out of people's brains
and into print.  A newsletter format can be a friendly way to make
this happen.

One possible way for any future editions (the aim would be for one
every 6 months - though it is assumed there would be less technical
articles) could be to use the example of CPD Newsletter 
No. 20, (May-August) Summer 1998.
 
  http://www.iucr.org/iucr-top/comm/cpd/Newsletters/no20summer1998/

(Cut into small HTML files).  Though many people are fans of PDF
files.  Trying to do both a high quality PDF and a high quality HTML
version probably adds 50 to 70% more time and effort in cut and
paste (based on the CPD newsletters)

Lachlan.

-----------------------
Lachlan M. D. Cranswick

Collaborative Computational Project No 14 (CCP14)
    for Single Crystal and Powder Diffraction
  Birkbeck University of London and Daresbury Synchrotron Laboratory 
Postal Address: CCP14 - School of Crystallography,
                Birkbeck College,
                Malet Street, Bloomsbury,
                WC1E 7HX, London,  UK
Tel: (+44) 020 7631 6850   Fax: (+44) 020 7631 6803
E-mail: l.m.d.cranswick@dl.ac.uk   Room: B091
WWW: http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/