Editor's//Comment
Content Management
By Jerry Coffey
It's feast or famine with you folks. Just before last month's issue went to bed, I asked whether there was too much C# code appearing in this magazine, as opposed to VB.NET. I asked the question in the free bi-weekly e-newsletter, asp.netNOW, that accompanies this magazine. There was no shortage of strong opinions on both sides; I heard from you loud and clear.
(By the way, if you aren't receiving the free e-newsletter, it's probably because we don't have your e-mail address. Just browse on over to http://www.aspnetPRO.com and select "asp.netNOW Newsletter" under "Subscription Services" and enter your e-mail address. Then you'll get the e-newsletter regardless of whether you subscribe to the magazine.)
In the next e-newsletter, I asked for your input as to editorial direction, i.e. what kind of material would you like to see in the coming months? You didn't have a lot to say, so it appears that you want direction for this magazine, and not vice versa. That's perfectly fine; one of the traditional roles of a development magazine is to help its readers navigate the ever changing technical waters. So I thought I'd take a moment to share some of our plans.
As you'll see, this issue begins with an article from a new columnist, Steve C. Orr. Steve is a Microsoft MVP in ASP.NET and an MCSD. He also happens to be an excellent writer with plenty of developer chops to share with all of us. His "Control Freak" column will explore the world of Web controls, from inheriting and extending existing controls, to compound controls, designers, creating custom controls from scratch, and more. He also plans to alternate between C# and VB.NET code every other month, so what's not to like?
Coming soon is a column devoted to "the big picture," the architectural and design issues that are quite literally fundamental to the lasting success of any ASP.NET project. These should be "code free" for the most part, but should have plenty of lovely diagrams.
Also in the works is a column for those who are relatively new to ASP.NET. All too often, technical magazines present increasingly expert-level material - sometimes to the point of alienating its core readership. I've seen it happen more than once, and I don't want that to happen to asp.netPRO. The column will always feature code in C# and VB.NET which should make everyone happy.
And you won't be giving up a thing. There will continue to be the great columns you expect to see from Dan Wahlin, Dino Esposito, Jeff Prosise, Ken McNamee, and Jonathan Goodyear. Of course, there will be plenty of feature articles on important topics, and most articles will have supporting source for you to download.
That's a brief description of what's in store for this publication, but never forget that it is you who are ultimately in charge of this magazine. Never hesitate to let me know what you think about anything you see, or don't see - good or bad - in these pages.
Thanks for reading.
Jerry Coffey is editor-in-chief of asp.netPRO and its companion e-newsletter, asp.netNOW. Reach him at mailto:[email protected].
