Letter from the Editor

摘要

We have five columns, nine papers, three workshop reports, two book reviews, as well as the book list from Ahmed and the calendar from Daniela. Alex reviews Programming Pearls. Two columns delve into the differences between process and product. Mark explains how to implement various sections of IEEE/ISO/IEC 12207 by referring to websites from industry, government, and academia; the examples are diverse; the advice is practical. Bob writes about the irony of efficiency in software management. Two other columns delve into the differences between illusion and reality. Raccoon argues that planning is mostly smoke and mirrors. And Peter points out that too many finished applications don't live up to the demands of the real world, in other words, claims of software quality are smoke and mirrors.