In his first editorial in the first issue of Applied Optics (January 1962), editor John Howard revealed some of the issues the Society addressed when it proposed publishing its second journal. Chief among them was a concern about competition with its premier journal, the Journal of the Optical Society of America. When I was a graduate student 20 years later, and knew exactly what topics each journal covered and what was appropriate to submit to each journal, this was a difficult issue to understand. Given my present position as Editor-in-Chief, I now understand and admire the efforts of previous editors who tirelessly worked to create a unique place for Applied Optics and who nurtured the journal to build its high reputation. My greatest concern when I became editor-in-chief last year was how to maintain the great reputation Applied Optics has, especially in this era of online publishing. Born as a print journal, Applied Optics now faces competition from a plethora of publishing opportunities, including its "Express" brethren.
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