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MADA Office Memo: Interesting Times

Steve Mann

Technology Comedy

A funny thing happened to me while reading MacWeek a few months ago-I read MADA's ad for a manager. Bill Anderson wrote such compelling copy that I immediately sent in my resume. The job sounded interesting and varied, and the thought of working with the creme de la creme of the Macintosh technical community was (and is) very exciting.

Much to my surprise, Bill called me to schedule an interview. Even more surprising, after Eric Berdahl interviewed me in a lavish suite at the fabulous Cupertino Inn, and Tony Meadows interviewed me via car phone, I got the job. I couldn't be more pleased.

After several days of intense training (kind of like cramming for an exam) in our new Cupertino offices, Bill and his able sidekick Chuck Sohnly are off to new adventures. There are quite a few things we weren't really able to cover in much depth, so don't be surprised if there are some (hopefully minor) glitches in the next few months. My apologies in advance for any problems we may cause during the transition.

As Eric said during my interview, I've got big shoes to fill. Bill has been with MADA from the early days-one of the few constants in an everchanging world. In many ways, he and Chuck are MADA. I don't expect to be able to fill their shoes (it would be much easier to get a smaller pair instead). I'd just like to carry on their tradition of service and excellence.

How We Doin'?

I would encourage all MADA members to call (408 / 253 - 2765), write (see the masthead for our new address), fax (408 / 253 - 2767), or link us (MADA) if you have questions, comments, complaints, or suggestions. For instance, some of you may have noticed that your May FrameWorks had some binding problems. If so, contact us at the new ofice--we'll be happy to send you a replacement issue.

In the future, we're interested in providing new member services such as health insurance, a class library clearinghouse, an employment registry, or anything else our members might want. We're also interested in providing you the most up to date information about object technologies and their place in the computer industry.

To that end, Mary Elaine Califf is doing an excellent job covering the technologies in FrameWorks, although we could always use more contributors and source code samples. Regarding the industry, we have a huge quantity of data from the recent membership survey. In order to make any sense out of it, we need your help-what types of questions do you want answered? Link your suggestions to Arvid Jedlicka at MADA.LIB. We also hope to include additional technology and industry news in future issues of FrameWorks.

Last Minute Bedrock Commentary

The July Board of Directors meeting took place the night before this issue of FrameWorks went to press. A large part of the discussion focused on Bedrock and its possible effect on our membership. The Board is dedicated to making sure that MADA members receive complete and detailed information about Bedrock as quickly as possible. In the coming months expect to see lots of Bedrock information in FrameWorks, as well as some special member programs and mailings. MADA is committed to making the MacApp to Bedrock transition as painless as possible for our members.

Ad Lib is Here

Finally, it's my pleasure to announce the availability of Ad Lib, the ViewEdit replacement that supports MacApp 3.0. Unlike IcePick, which was licensed to us by a large, faceless corporation (which subsequently decided to sell it to someone else), Ad Lib is provided to us by one of MADA's own members-Nick Nallick. The Ad Lib - MADA history should be very different than the IcePick - MADA saga.

In that ever popular tradition started by Apple and APDA, we're now shipping the beta version of Ad Lib (all beta buyers get a free upgrade when the final version is ready). The price for MADA members is $160 plus shipping and handling (IcePick owners get an additional $20 discount). See the advertisement on the inside cover of this issue for full details.

Once again, it's my pleasure to be taking over as MADA's new Manager, particularly during these interesting times. n