Elden Nelson: Published Samples

Here are links to a few articles I've written over the past few years. Mostly, you'll see Editor's Notes and interviews I've done for VCDJ, VSM, and asp.netPRO magazines, though toward the bottom you'll find some lighter fare I've published on cycling.

Editor's Notes

	I Know Who You Are (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, March 2000) I know what you do, how long you've been doing it, and what you use to get it done. Think I'm psychic?
	Beg? Borrow? Steal (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, April 2000) I don't know whether to think of myself as a programmer, a derivative hack, a thief, or a genius in the tradition of Dr. Frankenstein.
	An Interview with Bjarne Stroustrup (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, May 2000) VC++ has been improving, but Microsoft has the resources to further improve standards conformance and provide a higher-quality support for core language facilities and the standard library.
	Change is Good (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, June 2000) We're making some big changes to VCDJ. Microsoft is making some big changes to VC++. Which means we'll need to make more changes to VCDJ. Will the madness ever end?
	Seventh Heaven? (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, July 2000) VS7 promises to have an integrated IDE, more robust debugging tools, attributed code, Internet support beyond your wildest dreams, and more, more, more. But does it have what you want?
	True Stories (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, August 2000) For 16 years I've believed that if I could imagine something happening on a screen, a computer could make it happen. So what can you imagine?
	Look Sharp (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, September 2000) Microsoft has got religion about its latest language, C#. Frankly, it's hard not to be a convert.
	C# Standards: Why? How? So What? (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, October 2000) Microsoft wants you to develop your C# apps here, there, and everywhere. Are you gonna do it?
	Dot-NET, or Not Yet? (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, November 2000) We're all walking a fine line between learning what's coming, and writing code for products that ship today.
	VS.NET: The Forgotten Features (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, December 2000) XML, XML, XML. C#, C#, C#. Web, Web, Web. You'd think VS.NET has nothing else to offer—until, that is, you look a little closer.
	Bring in the New (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, January 2001) The world of development is evolving fast. VCDJ is making some changes to help you keep up.
	On Going Mainstream (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, February 2001) Developers are diverse, well-adjusted, and have experience the "real world" should pay attention to. So why are we still imagined as dweebs with tape on our glasses?
	The Perfect Day (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, March 2001) No programmer's day has ever gone perfectly. But what if one did?
	What's on Your Mind (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, April 2001) Interested in upcoming development tools, but afraid your old-school C++ buddies will scoff? Well, you’re not alone. Not by a long shot.
	A Silicon Fable (from Visual Studio Magazine, July 2001) I'd like to tell you a story. ChickenLittle Inc. had been around for about five years, doing custom desktop and Internet development. For several years, ChickenLittle did just fine. It had a long list of ongoing, active clients, with prospects for Big Things on the horizon. Perhaps its expenses were a bit lavish, but hey, you've got to spend money to attract customers and top-notch programmers, right?
	Are You a Techno-Retro Grouch (from Visual Studio Magazine, August 2001) Techno-retro-grouch: noun, derived from mountain bike slang): A programmer who insists on using the same old tools for development, rejecting any new language or technology as a passing fad or plot to rule the world.
	Don't Stop With VB.NET: Try C# (from Visual Studio Magazine, September 2001) I'd now like to state for the record that I think you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't also start acquainting yourself with C#.
	Your Yukon Questions, Answered (from SQL Pro, October 2001) Yukon is often regarded as the first true .NET-integrated SQL Server, and a lot of readers have sent in questions about what they ought to expect. I gathered up some of these questions recently and brought them up with Steve Murchie, Microsoft's SQL Server group product manager. Here's what he had to say.
	Pop Quiz (from Visual Studio Magazine, October 2001) You're a developer. Therefore, you have a nasally voice, a pocket protector, a complete inability to relate with people, an almost supernatural gift for breaking through security measures (coupled, by the way, with a disregard for others' privacy), and an intense love of math. What? That's all (or at least mostly) wrong? Of course it is.
	No Experience Necessary (from Visual Studio Magazine, November 2001) After starting over for the fourth or fifth time, you start to wonder: Does any of my 15 years in the industry count for anything? Or is all my experience—everything I've learned, or am working to learn right now—useless, or about to become so? And if so, what's the point?
	Wrap Your Head Around .NET (from .NET Magazine, Fall/Winter 2001) After starting over for the fourth or fifth time, you start to wonder: Does any of my 15 years in the industry count for anything? Or is all my experience—everything I've learned, or am working to learn right now—useless, or about to become so? And if so, what's the point?
	Good Development = Great Marketing (from asp.netPRO, July 2002) A month or so ago, my wife and I were having an argument. She said our twins must be identical, I said they're fraternal. Either of us could have been right, but neither of us had proof. Knowing that this debate would go on (and on and on) until resolved, I pulled out my trump card and said, "OK, let's check their DNA."
	Good Things (from asp.netPRO, August 2002) Martha Stewart's in hot water right now, so I'm willing to bet she's not currently thinking about her trademark "Good Things." And that's a big problem. The world desperately needs someone to identify Good Things in the world. In the short term, I'll be happy to take on that role. Here are a few.
	All Together Now (from asp.netPRO, September 2002) Ten years ago, I started work at my first technical publication: WordPerfect Magazine. I was an eager technical editor and writer, and I wanted the whole world to know how great I thought WordPerfect 5.1 was. I spent hour upon hour of free time on TAPCIS, monitoring CompuServe's WordPerfect forums (remember, this was before the Internet had gone mainstream), answering questions practically before they were asked, and promoting "my" magazine whenever I could.
	What Does the Future Hold? (from asp.netPRO, October 2002) Yesterday, my 8-year-old son, Nigel, wanted to show me a computer game he had just "written" (see Figure 1). To me (and to you, I'm sure), it looked like just a bunch of folders. That's his game, though, and - if you'll allow for some parental indulgence - it's a pretty clever one.
	What's Next (from asp.netPRO, November 2002) On Dec. 27, 1992 - almost exactly 10 years ago - Microsoft proudly announced the beta of the 1.0 version of SQL Server for Windows NT. Partnering with Sybase on this product, the SQL development team consisted of around five people. When the product shipped the following September, Microsoft gushed over SQL Server's numbers in its press release, proclaiming, "This architecture has allowed SQL Server to achieve a price/performance record for relational database management systems of 226.32 TPC-B transactions per second at a cost of $440.88 per transaction." By way of comparison, today, the SQL development team is closer to 1,000 people. SQL Server 2000's best TPC-C throughput (the antiquated TPC-B has been retired) is 308,621 at a cost of $14.96 per transaction. What a difference a decade makes.
	New Year's Resolutions (from asp.netPRO, January 2003) I'd like to make a confession. This year, there've been times when I've been ... weak. I've taken the easy way out, instead of doing the right thing. I've ... I've ... I've developed a Web site using PHP and MySQL. Why? Well, it was a freebie site, and I'd used PHP many times to do the kinds of things this guy wanted (ASP.NET hasn't been around forever, after all). So I just leveraged existing code and knocked the project out as fast as I could. No harm in that, right?
	What's New for ASP.NET? (from asp.netPRO, February 2003) Sometime within the next month or two (or three, I suppose), Microsoft will release version 1.1 of the .NET Framework. As you'd expect, it sports a bunch of new features - and you can check out Microsoft's official overview if you're the kind of person who likes to get the full scoop.
	Help Each Other Out (from asp.netPRO, March 2003) As I plan out each issue of asp.netPRO, I consult with the editorial board to see what articles and topics will be most useful to our subscribers. Then, when an issue hits the streets, I always look forward to reading your feedback; invariably I'll run across a number of terrific ideas for improving the magazine, as well as comments on how a particular article helped solve a thorny problem. It's gratifying to see that asp.netPRO is helping developers out, because that's why we're here.
	Just Add Water (from asp.netPRO, April 2003) I don't think I've written an application from scratch, top-to-bottom, since college. Or maybe not since high school. I'd much rather spend a little time and find someone else's code that does what I need - or close to what I need - and make it my own. And I'm betting that because you're reading this magazine, where we make a big fuss about the fact that we give you lots of working code, you're not opposed to adapting code to your own purposes, either.
	Good Choice (from asp.netPRO, May 2003) Back when Microsoft was getting ready to launch Visual Studio .NET, I interviewed a number of Microsoft luminaries. Anders Hejlsberg, the genius behind Microsoft's C# programming language, was one of them. I thought I'd start easy by asking him to describe the best thing about VS .NET. Of course, I fully expected him to say "C#." So he caught me off guard with his response: "ASP.NET." Even then, those in the know clearly understood the potential - and importance - of this technology.
	Buy or Build? (from asp.netPRO, June 2003) Back when Microsoft was getting ready to launch Visual Studio .NET, I interviewed a number of Microsoft luminaries. Anders Hejlsberg, the genius behind Microsoft's C# programming language, was one of them. I thought I'd start easy by asking him to describe the best thing about VS .NET. Of course, I fully expected him to say "C#." So he caught me off guard with his response: "ASP.NET." Even then, those in the know clearly understood the potential - and importance - of this technology.
	What's New in Version 2? (from asp.netPRO, July 2003) As I'm sure you've guessed, Microsoft's been hard at work on the next version of ASP.NET, which will be part of the next version of Visual Studio .NET (code-named "Whidbey"). They've been keeping a pretty tight lid on what's new, though - at least until now. Although Microsoft still hasn't unveiled most of what we can expect to see in ASP.NET 2.0, I was able to talk with Shawn Nandi, Microsoft's ASP.NET product manager, to find out at least a couple of the most important features we can expect to see. Says Nandi, "The features we're including in ASP.NET 2 come from the great feedback we've received from the developer community on ASP.NET version 1 and tools like Visual Studio .NET and Web Matrix."
	Are You a C#PRO? You Should Be. (from asp.netPRO, September 2003) Year after year, in interview after interview, I have tried to trick Microsoft spokespeople into taking a stand on which .NET language they prefer: C# or VB .NET. It's never worked. I have never been able to get anyone to go public. "It's a lifestyle choice," they say, implying that it's nothing more. And for a long time, much of the press has gone along with this noncommittal philosophy. Well, enough time has passed that I think I can say the .NET language you choose is not simply a lifestyle choice. Which language you use can impact the design and maintenance of your applications, and what languages you know can affect your salary or even your options of where to work.
	Your Language Picks Revealed (from asp.netPRO, October 2003) In the July 3, 2003 issue of asp.netNOW - the e-newsletter companion to this magazine - I asked three questions about your what .NET language you're using and why. I never could have anticipated the barrage of answers I'd receive: hundreds of thoughtfully considered answers, and only one flame in the bunch. Because I spent this space last month talking about why I thought you should be considering C# (see Are You a C#PRO?) as a language to add to your tool belt, this month I'm going to relay back what you've told me.
	Make Your Case (from asp.netPRO, November 2003) In the July 3, 2003 issue of asp.netNOW - the e-newsletter companion to this magazine - I asked three questions about your what .NET language you're using and why. I never could have anticipated the barrage of answers I'd receive: hundreds of thoughtfully considered answers, and only one flame in the bunch. Because I spent this space last month talking about why I thought you should be considering C# (see Are You a C#PRO?) as a language to add to your tool belt, this month I'm going to relay back what you've told me.

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Interviews

	Interview with Bjarne Stroustrup (from Visual C++ Developers Journal, May 2000) Bjarne Stroustrup is the designer and original implementor of C++ and the author of The C++ Programming Language and The Design and Evolution of C++. A graduate of the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and Cambridge University, England, Dr. Stroustrup is the head of AT&T Labs' Large-Scale Programming Research Department, an AT&T Fellow, an AT&T Bell Laboratories Fellow, and ACM fellow. Stroustrup gave this interview in conjunction with SD 2000 last March, where he was a keynote presenter.
	.NET: Where It Is, Where It's Going (from .NET Magazine, Fall/Winter 2001) It's not a matter of whether you'll switch to .NET, it's a matter of knowing when to switch to .NET.
	Kent Beck Vs. Alan Cooper (from .NET Insight, January 15, 2002) When two development design visionaries meet, there's room for consensus—-but not much.
	Interview With Scott Guthrie (from .asp.netPRO, December 2003) If there's a "father" of ASP.NET, Scott Guthrie may well be it. Guthrie co-founded the ASP.NET team six years ago. Back in version 1, he was the key architect, driving the design of the feature set. Today, as Product Unit Manager over the ASP.NET and Visual Studio Web Tool Teams at Microsoft, he oversees the development, testing, and design of ASP.NET. Steve Smith - feature contributor and Technical Director for this special ASP.NET 2.0 issue - and I chatted recently with Scott to learn a little more about what we can expect in the next version of ASP.NET.
	What's New With SharePoint? (from Smart Solutions, June 2003) Smart Solutions Interviews Microsoft's Erik Ryan to Find Out What to Expect from the Next Version of this Product/Technology Combo.

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Mountain Biking

	Chasing the Dream (from active.com) Many mountain bikers dream of making a living in the bike industry, but few dare make the leap. This three part series delves into the lives of three people who have dared to take the plunge: a race promoter, a bike shop owner, and a titanium bike frame manufacturer.
	Riding The Kokopelli (from active.com) The Kokopelli Trail is long — 142 miles, to be exact. It retraces, more or less, a trade route used by Native Americans way back before the west was won. For another, it’s out in the desert, often far away from phones (and you can forget about getting a signal with your cell phone) and car-accessible roads. If you run out of food and water or have a serious mechanical, you’re in big trouble. You get injured and you’re really screwed. I've tried -- and failed -- to complete this trail 3 times.
	Racing the Leadville 100 (from active.com) Nothing — nothing — has ever got into my head like the Leadville 100. From the moment I first signed on in 1997 until right this very second, I think about that race every day. And, I swear, my obsession is only getting worse.
	The Littlest Big Race (from dirtworld.com) What do you call a road trip when nobody will go with you? The fact that I'm asking that question should be enough to tip you off that last September I couldn't persuade a single riding buddy to come with me and race the inaugural Brian Head Epic 100, a (naturally enough) 100-mile mountain bike race put on by Team Big Bear in (again, naturally enough) Brian Head, Utah.

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