CACM: Past, Present, and Future

Moshe Y. Vardi

Rice University

The Past: Great Research Journal

R.L. Rivest, A. Shamir, L. M. Adleman: A Method for Obtaining Digital Signatures and Public-Key Cryptosystems. CACM 21(2): 120-126 (1978)

R.A. Demillo, R.J.Lipton, A.J. Perlis: Social processes and proofs of theorems and programs. CACM 22(5): 271-280 (1979).

The 1980s Redesign:Journal to Magazine

• Huge backlog (12-18 months)

• Transactions series initiated

• Growing numbers of practitioner members

The 1980s Redesign: Satisfy Everyone

• Regular columns• News analysis• Hot technologies• Interviews• Case studies• Tutorials• Research articles: mainly MIS

The 1990s Redesign:Further Magazination

• Shorter articles

• Stronger focus on applications

• More responsibility to professional staff

Why Another Redesign?

• Pervasive dissatisfaction with current CACM

• Current design over 20-year old• Evolving membership• Internet, WWW, Digital Library• Queue (2003)

Proposed New Design

• 2005 Task Force• Options:

– Minor change– Fully professional magazine (a la IEEE

Spectrum)– ACM’s “Science”

Preferred: “Science”

The “Science” Model

• Extensive news section• Premier research journal• Perspectives (scientific or news)• Other features (book reviews, policy,

education, etc.)

51 issues per year, staff of 100.

CACM as A Research Journal?

• No!– CS research is conference driven– Journal review process problematic

Solution: “Best of Best” section with perspectives.

A New CACM?

• News• Columns• Computing Practices• Best of Best (w. perspectives)

Questions

• Is “Best of Best” idea viable?

• Can CACM be all things to all people?

• Can/should ACM have a flagship publication?

Why I like “Best of Best”

• Fight fragmentation of CS

• Unlike JACM: be conference driven

• Prestige to selected articles

• Prestige to CACM

Next Steps

• This discussion

• Three focus groups (Feb. 12- NYC, Mar. 16 – Palo Alto, Mar. 23- London)

• Goal: Content and business models

• Deadline: Early June – Council Meeting