Robert McCaffrey has the last word--ROBERT MCCAFFREY GIVES YOU MORE-103 percent MORE!

摘要

This month's Column, as you might imagine, is about optimisation and modernisation. Believe it or not, this magazine has been both modernised and optimised. If all of my behind-the-scenes planning has gone well, then you will not have noticed anything different: the magazine will look exactly as it does every month (apart from its resplendent metallic red cover, printed especially for this special issue). All of the photographs will be sharp, the writing will be as concise and as accurate as normal, and the issue will be as readable and interesting as ever. It is behind the scenes that the magazine has been modernised (and in the process optimised). Firstly I have given my old computer the 'heave-ho.' When I bought it, it was fast, with a huge memory, and I installed all of the latest software on it: it was state of the art. Somehow, over only the last four years, it became (relatively) slower and slower, the memory filled up and the software became more and more 'quaint.' I have upgraded to a G4 1GHz dual processor 80Gb PowerMac, a machine that can officially be classified as a 'supercomputer,' a machine now running a Unix-based operating system that has been described as the most stable and elegant code available. With a large flat panel plasma screen and the best set of stereo loudspeakers I could buy, my computer now looks (and sounds) fantastic. I have ditched the page layout software I have used every day for the last decade, and I have learnt a completely new software package (InDesign 2.0, if you are interested), one which will enable me to do things I have never dreamed-of before, as well as allowing me to double the speed at which I can do all of the old things. It will also allow me to take advantage of the latest pdf-workflow and CTP (Computer to Plate) technology being offered by printers. I have invested in the latest versions of all of my old software, and I'm delighted to see that times have certainly moved on in the realm of software development in the last four years. And do you know what? You shouldn't be able to tell the difference without reading about it here!