(Message acm:20) /home/mjd/bin/mailpager 20 Return-Path: white@hq.acm.org Return-Path: Delivered-To: mjd-filter-deliver@plover.com Delivered-To: mjd-filter@plover.com Delivered-To: mjd@plover.com Message-ID: <95537E2AB3BDD311B6FD00A0C9A31A511D908D@hq.acm.org> From: John White To: Mark-Jason Dominus Subject: RE: Renewal form Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 03:19:17 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" The vast majority of ACM members significantly value CACM ... not everyone, but certainly a vast majority. The cost of ACM membership contributes to many activities outside of publications ... particularly education and public policy. I am sorry we are loosing you as a member. John White -----Original Message----- From: Mark-Jason Dominus [mailto:mjd@plover.com] Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 4:03 PM To: white@acm.org Cc: mjd@plover.com Subject: Renewal form I'm going to let my membership lapse, because the cost is not justified for me. But the major tangible benefit of membership, CACM, is an embarrassment and a monthly annoyance. Peter Neumann's RISKS column remains interesting, but the rest of the articles are too low on content and too heavy on the catchy buzzwords to interest me. The recent article on remote education was a particularly egregious example. The article was badly written and had nothing ov value to present. The authors' `research' consisted of asking people for their opinions about remote education. I can't believe that CACM has so few submissions that you have no choice but to print shoddy articles like this one. When I joined the ACM, it was primarily to receive CACM, because I expected the sort of strong technical content that it can carried in the past, including research in to algorithms and programming languages. It doesn't do this any more. The answer to this may be that I should subscribe to the SIG journals or the digital library. It's galling to have to pay a $93 admission fee just to get the privilege of subscribing to SIG journals and the DL. If you offered a CACM-less membership for a reduced rate, I would consider renewing. Mark-Jason Dominus mjd@plover.com I am boycotting Amazon. See http://www.plover.com/~mjd/amazon.html for details.