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