[author : Tom Williams] #Edito

Extract : «  The second volume of Dr. Dobb’s Journal is being compiled quite some time after the publication of the magazines it contains. That makes it possible to write a preface with some degree of perspective. By contrast with the contents of Volumes 1 and 3, this volume provides a picture of an industry’s growing pains.

Microcomputers were still very much the domain of hobbyists and technology junkies in early 1977, but, during the course of that year, computers began to emerge as useful tools for home and business. At the same time, Dr. Dobb’s found itself acting as a consumer advocate in a market that was beginning an era of explosive growth.

In late 1977, it was my privilege to follow Dr. Dobb’s founder, Jim Warren, as editor; I walked right into the middle of a world of dazzling machines, selfless people exploring difficult systems for the love of the science itself, and fast-talking carny barkers. Since it seemed that the field genuinely needed a publication to speak for the consumer, Dr. Dobb’s began to publish independent product reviews and reports on delayed deliveries, and to pursue consumer complaints. [...]  »