Vol. 6, No. 3, March 1995

Prestidigitation

We're asking integrators to perform magic when installing systems

Installing a publishing system -- be it editorial, classified, display or business -- was no piece of cake in the halcyon days of the 1980s.

Working with suppliers dedicated to the publishing industry, we frequently found that these makers of proprietary hardware and software knew little to nothing about how we made publications.

All too often, it seemed like we were asking them to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Almost eight years after the call to use open systems -- off-the-shelf hardware and shrink-wrapped software -- in publishing environments resounded across the land, we are just glimpsing the profiles of the new generation of suppliers.

The integrators.

In our travels, the staff of The Cole Papers has found a number of publications that have spurned traditional suppliers -- who tout their own wares, built in-house -- in favor of integrators, who usually sport a thorough knowledge of networks and operating systems.

Sometimes, though, they bring little to no knowledge of publishing to the site.

Our Man Pete Wetmore decided that these new suppliers deserved a closer look. Inside, you'll find his report on seven of these next-generation publishing systems suppliers. (There are a few more out there; we've chosen ones that have made a mark at more than one or two publications.)

Each of these integrators has an opportunity to explain its philosophy and a relationship to publishing. Some -- such as Atex, CNI and Digital Equipment -- have a deeper understanding of our industry’s unique needs. Others suggest that since they have provided large, high-availability systems to other industries, they are qualified to handle the wants and desires of newspapers.

As we keep repeating, choosing a supplier -- whether one traditionally in publishing or one new to the business -- is much like a romantic relationship.

Sometimes there’s magic, and a long-term marriage; sometimes there’s acrimony, and a divorce.

Bill Woodruff of Phoenix Newspapers Inc. (publishers of the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette) dropped us a note recently. After installing a remote terminal at the home of a copy editor at the Gazette, he was wondering just how many newspapers supported workers who telecommuted -- that is, used computers at home to accomplish most, if not all, their chores.

Woodruff’s note reminded me of a situation at the San Francisco Examiner in the early ’80s. The food editor, an early adopter of the personal computer, was filing more and more of his stories via modem from home, where he felt it was easier to compose mouth-watering prose (not to mention having easier access to a kitchen to work out those recipes).

He petitioned upper management to allow him to work from home. The editor of the paper -- never a real friend of technology -- said no.

The food editor was adamant: Let me work at home four days or I'll quit. The editor was equally adamant: Who will supervise him? How will we know if he’s really working those 30 hours? Won't his bosses lose touch and not be able to direct him properly?

The food editor quit, and promptly found a publication that let him work at home.

The reality a decade later is that editors and writers can do their jobs well while rarely seeing the inside of the office. A copy desk doesn't necessarily have to be in one place any more.

Inside, you'll hear the trials, tribulations and joys of not only Woodruff’s installation, but also those of other telecommuters.

Also inside are some observations about an annual workshop on pagination and workflow sponsored by Harris Publishing Systems of Melbourne, Fla. In years past, these meetings have focused on hardware and software; this year, though, attention was moved to the workers -- the people who run the pagination equipment.

The Hellbox this month has stories on Knight-Ridder’s shift in new media research, the ongoing acquisition of Atex Publishing Systems Corp., and the Newspaper Association of America’s annual Pre-Press Symposium, as well as the ever-popular Bit bucket.

All in all, it looks like we're still an industry of magicians. Pick a card, any card. ...

-- David M. Cole

Illustration : Joe Shoulak

From THE COLE PAPERS, March 1995, Copyright © 1995, All Rights Reserved.