[1] Editorial

With this issue of the Amateur Computerist we celebrate 15 years
of publication. Our first issue appeared on February 11, 1988.
Though there were various thoughts of what to name our new
newsletter, we soon arrived at an agreement that the name the
"Amateur Computerist" would be appropriate. Michael, one of our
founding editors, had proposed the name. Floyd Hoke-Miller, who
was one of our early writers, concurred, explaining that
"amateur" signified those who do something for the love of it.

Since that first issue we have maintained our effort to put out a
newsletter for those who do computing, and now online computing,
for the love of it. Though the general tenor of the online world
has changed, since the early 1990's when the Amateur Computerist
first got online, the goal of the newsletter was constant. We had
a 10 year reunion meeting in 1998, at which all the founding
editors were present. That gathering was in Toronto, Canada. At
the meeting, Michael proposed that we seriously consider
publishing a book version of the back issues. We did not find a
way to pursue the suggestion and to republish the back issues,
but William Rohler, another of our founding editors has gotten
all of our previous issues into a PDF format and they are now all
online at our web site at: http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/Back_Issues/.

This issue is celebrating 15 years of publication, so we also
include some articles from past issues to give current readers
and contributors a flavor of the earlier years of the Amateur
Computerist. We include "Dawn of a New Era" by Floyd Hoke-Miller.
Floyd welcomed the publication of the newsletter and put it in
the context of the pioneering struggle for an open press, that he
had been part of as a contributor to the early American labor
press, and the creation of a local trade union press in the UAW.
The article "The Impact of the Computer on Society: The Future"
describes the social potential that the computer can provide for
society if the goals are kept in mind, "The Spirit of Babbage:
Chapter One" looks back at the early mythological origins of the
computer and gives a fresh perspective for creating this
mythology anew. The labor roots of the newsletter are reflected
in the cartoon by Doc Wilson. There are other articles that
describe the commitment to freedom of speech that is required to
support the continued evolution of the computer and networking,
and an article about computer pioneers like Gary Kindall, the
creator of the early operating system CP/M, and why he is the kind
of pioneer that need to be remembered and cherished as those who
have made the open and vibrant networking world a reality. There
is also an interview with Staff Member, which looks back at the
roots of interactive computer development and the hobbyist
movement that spawned the BBS developments and the sharing
tradition it was part of. The second part of the interview looks
back at the introduction of computers onto the shop floor in a
factory and the kind of challenges that presents.

Along with these reflections from the past, we have included
articles on the potential for a more participatory democracy that
the Internet provides. The article "Doing Democracy" was written
to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the first posting online
of "The Net and Netizens". The article is reprinted from its
publication in German and English in the German online Journal
Telepolis. Another reprint from Telepolis, is John Horvath's
article "The Reality Behind E-democracy" examining how hard is
the challenge to actually achieve a democratic form of democracy,
and what are some of the obstacles to be overcome. The article by
K. Jean Min, "OhmyNews.com: A Case Study," describes how a
participatory form of journalism was created in South Korea and
how the netizens movement there was able to challenge the
conservative press and achieve some victories over it. A
president for the country who was not part of the conservative
power structure was elected as a result.

We want to thank our readers, subscribers, contributors and all
who have helped to make the Amateur Computerist possible through
these 15 years. Most especially I want to thank the editors.
William Rohler, Norman Thompson, and Jay Hauben have worked hard
to keep the Amateur Computerist publishing and developing. Sadly
one of our founding editors, Michael Hauben, is not able to share
this 15 year anniversary with us. We will strive to carry on the
tradition of the netizen that he helped to bring into the world.
We welcome comments on this and other past issues, contributions
from readers, and support toward continuing to publish the
Amateur Computerist long into the future so that there will be a
journal for those who do computing and online networking for the
love of it.
                                                  R. H.
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Reprinted from the Amateur Computerist Vol 12 No 1, Winter 2003/2004
The whole issue or a subscription is available for free via email.
Send a request to jrh@ais.org  or see  http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/
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