ICSE2000: Window on the World - Issue 1

On behalf of ACM SIGSOFT, one of the cosponsors of ICSE 2000, it is my greatest pleasure to welcome you to Limerick and the first ICSE held in Ireland! As I'm sure you've noticed already, the welcome we've had from the organizing committee, from the University, and from the entire country has been terrific. Limerick is a bit more out of the way for most of us than most cities in which ICSE is held, but it's clear that the trip will be worthwhile. And, of course, the program looks exceptionally strong. The keynote speakers — Grady Booch, Maunel Castells, Chris Horn, and Axel van Lamsweerde — represent the best of ICSE: exceptional quality combined with true diversity. They come from different communities, which is great for ICSE (and we hope for them!), they come from academia and from industry, and they come from a truly international set of backgrounds.

The workshops (with a couple coming after the conference) and the tutorials have already laid a strong foundation for the technical program for the week. My only problem earlier in the week was that I couldn't go to all the workshops I wanted to. With any luck, I'll continue to have this problem at every ICSE in the future, too. The paper sessions and the panels look broad and strong; this is essential, for they represent the core of ICSE.

As of this writing, we're still trying to schedule a SIGSOFT general membership meeting; it's difficult because the week is packed with so many activities. Please stay tuned to the bulletin boards and the WOW for announcements of the meeting. We encourage everyone — even non-members, if there are any in attendance — to attend the meeting. Alex Wolf, the program co-chair of ICSE 2000 and the vice-chair of SIGSOFT, will chair the meeting; I, unfortunately, have to leave ICSE 2000 early to go to some graduation activities at the University of Washington, in Seattle.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee, most particularly Carlo Ghezzi (general chair), Mehdi Jazayeri and Alex Wolf (program co-chairs), and Kevin Ryan (conference organizer) for the enormous amount of work and planning that they've done and that they are finally seeing in action this week. It's hard to convey to someone who hasn't organized an ICSE what is involved, but rest assured that it is all but all-consuming for many, many months. Coming from volunteers, this kind of commitment is awesome and exactly what ICSE needs to put on a successful conference. Thanks to you four and to your entire team!

I'd also like to thank Jonathan Cook and Hal Hart and the WOW team for continuing this tradition. It was started at ICSE 95 in Seattle, when Michael Gorlick suggested the idea and Will Tracz and others put it together. As SIGSOFT chair, I've distributed (electronically) some issues of WOW to the other SIG chairs; their reaction has always been, "Wow! This is terrific! How do you make it happen?" The answer, as always, is that it happens because of a few dedicated volunteers.

Have a wonderful week at ICSE. I'd like to ask only one more thing of you, something that I've often asked in the past. In principle, ICSE is a mixing place for researchers, educators, and practitioners. But it is only a mixing place if people actually mix. So, please go to at least one session that you normally wouldn't go to. And at social events, talk to at least one person you don't know. If we mix enough, we'll learn a lot, and we'll become an increasingly stronger community.

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Caroline Kehoe