The new Cadalyst

Welcome to the new Cadalyst. Following last month’s merger with Cadence, we’re building what really amounts to a new magazine and Web site to serve you better. These past weeks we’ve been attending to immediate tasks such as getting the cadenceweb.com site up and running, notifying subscribers by mail about their options, and crafting the structure for a combined Web site to debut early in 2004. We’re also taking this opportunity to evaluate all aspects of Cadalyst. Change is contagious—once you start thinking about doing things differently, all sorts of possibilities present themselves. Soon you’re remodeling the entire bathroom when all you set out to do was replace the shower curtain.

This month, we add Lynn Allen and Robert Green as regular contributors. Lynn continues her perennially popular Circles and Lines column, and Robert addresses CAD management issues not only in the print issue but also in a twice-a-month e-mail newsletter. Cadenceweb.com is now accessible through the Cadalyst site. There you can link to the CAD Questions and CAD Manager discussion groups. We’re happy to report that both Paul Aubin and Robert Green (he does keep busy) will continue to moderate those popular forums.

We’re also shaking things up on the Hot Tip Harry page. Instead of a token payment per tip, we’re introducing a tip contest, starting with the January issue. You’ll have the opportunity to vote for your favorite tip in each month’s code collection. Each month’s winning tip moves on to a final round of judging by programming expert Bill Kramer. The Top Tip of 2004 wins a $1,000 check. Second-place tip earns $500, and third place is worth $250. So send those potentially prize-winning tips to harry@cadalyst.com.

Finally, we’re extending the deadline for the mechanical Caddies design competition to March 1, also the deadline for AEC entries. This gives everyone in our expanded pool of readers a chance to show off their best design visualizations. To download entry information and to check out winners from past years, go to the Caddies page.

Because we work several months ahead, it’s hard to change direction on short notice. The process of change will spread over several months, and likely beyond that as we continue to fine-tune. We’ll be inviting many of you to give your feedback through e-mail and Web-based surveys. You’re always welcome to contact us directly at editors@cadalyst.com, or stop by booth #108 at Autodesk University.

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