President's Letter: Big Changes

Anthony Meadow

In case you haven't heard, MADA is undergoing many changes. To go through them all, one by one…

Bill Anderson, after four years as our Manager, is stepping down to pursue other directions in July 1992. Bill will be greatly missed because he represents our organization on a day to day basis. He is also our institutional memory. He knows more than everyone else put together about how our organization operates.

Don Sawtelle has decided that he wants to spend more time programming and less time editing. Most of the improvements to FrameWorks have come from his hard work, so he will also be missed. We hope to see an occasional article from him. Don will be editing one more issue after this-the March 1992 issue. We hope to have found our new editor well before that issue reaches you.

It looks like the MADA offices will be moving from Washington state to the Silicon Valley. Our offices were located in Washington because MADA was started there by Carl Nelson. Until Bill's letter of resignation, we never considered moving them because we have been able to effectively operate the association remotely. Our support staff, Bill and Chuck, have done an excellent job without any local supervision. Now that Bill is leaving, we will be moving our offices to be closer to Apple and many of our members.

Earlier this year the Board of Directors created a charter committee (composed of eight of our members, including two Board members) to recommend a long-term direction. This is the first time we have done long-range planning for our association, and their report comes just in time. Our industry is undergoing many changes-some unthinkable even a year ago. The alliance of Apple and IBM is one of the most important changes which we must consider. Second, the rise of Windows as a platform has forced even Claris to develop Windows software, if the rumors are correct. If MADA is to survive and grow stronger, then we must make some organizational changes. The Board of Directors will be considering the report of the charter committee.

If you have any strong feelings about where MADA is going, now is the time to let the Board and others know. And if you're interested in working for MADA, either as Association Manager or FrameWorks Editor, please contact Bill Anderson (at MADA) or myself. Both are paid positions, and the manager will be working from our new offices somewhere near Cupertino. The editor can be located almost anywhere and communicate via AppleLink.

Orlando, February 1992, Third MacApp Conference… see you there, I hope. You can reach me at AppleLink: D0068, or by telephone at (510) 644-9400. Note the new area code. Bill Anderson can be reached at AppleLink: MADA, or by telephone at (206) 252-6946.