The editors mailing list at O'Reilly is the place where we discuss incoming proposals, book ideas we dream up ourselves, and the general direction of technology. Sometimes we argue over issues that may be useful to our readers, and we highlight them here. Remember that technology choices are rarely cut-and-dry, and our editors are opinionated.

On "Eats, Shoots & Leaves"

Edited by chromatic
May 2004

To keep everyone on the same page, publishers have style guides that spell out matters of punctuation, abbreviation, and good sense. There are, however, occasionally matters of contention between writers and editors, just as brace placement and tabs-versus-spaces can be contentious between developers. A recent thread From the Editors List brought out some well suppressed grammar geeks.

Read this discussion.

Which Programming Language?

Edited by chromatic
March 2004

When you know a few programming languages, it's easier to analyze and pick up new ones. If you don't know anything about programming, where do you start? A recent thread on the editors list discusses what young people should look for, and how, when learning to program.

Read this discussion.

Magnets Versus PDAs

Edited by chromatic
February 2004

How well does your phone play with your PDA? Does your iPod coexist peacefully with your laptop? No, we're not talking about Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, or Firewire. Instead, does a strong magnet on one device interfere with the sensitive electronics of another? A recent thread From the Editors List started with accessories. . . .

Read this discussion.