Poll results: Readers rate JavaWorld content

As JavaWorld prepares to enter its fourth year as the most widely read Java publication, we asked you, our loyal readers, for advice and specific suggestions on how we can enhance our content to serve your continually evolving needs.

The results of this poll were not at all surprising to us. Sixty-six percent of you (an overwhelming majority), when asked to indicate the single most important feature you’d like JavaWorld to implement, chose more technical content. As you know, JavaWorld focuses on delivering the most valuable and timely technical content in the industry today. In fact, we launched yet another new technical column (focusing on enterprise development) in this month’s issue, based on your feedback.

We are extremely pleased to note that our readers continue to find value in our technical coverage (thanks for the many encouraging comments!), and as we enter our fourth year, you can expect more of the same.

Another 12 percent of you identified a desire to see more real-world and/or implementation articles within our virtual pages. This result is also not particularly surprising, given the many challenges associated with implementing Java in business environments, large and small. As real-world Java applications continue to grow in number, JavaWorld will help you navigate the many obstacles you will likely face in serving your clients’ and employers’ technical and business needs. (For a recent example of a JavaWorld real-world article, see WebChart serves up Kaiser patients.)

Online vs. print magazine

A smaller number of you expressed interest in seeing a print version of JavaWorld, indicating a desire to read while away from your computer monitors. We already offer a handy, printer-friendly version of each article, and welcome suggestions on how to enhance this feature. And while we would love to offer a print version of Javaworld, a print magazine wouldn’t offer the many advantages of our online-only publication, including:

• Free content. (Printed magazine costs would almost certainly require readers to pay for each issue, as advertising revenue alone typically does not cover the higher print-publication expenses. Printed Java magazines cost as much as .95 per issue.)

• Abundant supply of unabridged, comprehensive articles — as well as information-rich resources such as the JavaWorld Developer Tools Guide (which includes essential details about more than 600 products) and our Java Book Catalog and Bookstore. (Print magazines have inherent space limitations due to paper, printing, and mailing costs.)

• Mid-issue updates. (A print magazine attempting to deliver our caliber and quantity of content more than once per month would be prohibitively expensive.)

• Timeliness — especially important given the constant evolution of Java products and technologies. (Content in a monthly print magazine typically takes three to six weeks longer to reach readers than content in an online magazine. And our mid-issue updates provide especially time-sensitive information, the value and relevance of which would diminish greatly if not delivered promptly.)

• Comprehensive, downloadable, and often reusable example code.

• Interactivity. JavaWorld readers provide valuable input to editors and authors by participating in reader polls, rating individual articles, and easily sending e-mail feedback.

• Searchable content. You can search not only our latest issue, but all 34 monthly issues of JavaWorld (plus mid-issue updates) published to date. (No need to fill shelf space with old printed issues or tediously thumb through previously published magazines to find the articles relevant to your latest project.)

We believe our online format, combined with our continued dedication to providing unparalleled technical content from expert developers, has distinguished JavaWorld from its print-magazine counterparts. JavaWorld boasts 200,000 readers — four to six times the readership of any print magazine dedicated to Java developers and their managers. We deliver more comprehensive content, in a more timely manner, with more frequency than any print magazine.

Some readers may suggest that we should publish both online and in print. Until advertisers express a willingness to spend their precious funds on both a (more expensive) print version and an online version of JavaWorld, however, it seems we are faced with an either/or proposition, and we therefore choose to continue publishing online, due to the medium’s numerous inherent advantages over print magazines — advantages our readers and advertisers continue to appreciate. If we had a print version, its higher costs would make it dominate our attention when it comes to resources, and the online version would be demoted to second fiddle. Because it is online-only, JavaWorld isn’t just a Web site supporting a print magazine, with “merchandised” ad banners and a “second string” editorial team — JavaWorld is a full-fledged, high-powered, high-quality magazine in its own right. The fact that it read more than any other Java publication reaffirms its superior value and quality.

As JavaWorld president Michael McCarthy aptly notes, “We invest our resources primarily in editorial — not in paper, printing, binding, postage and handling, not to mention expensive subscription mailing campaigns and those annoying “blow-in” subscription cards” (which often fall into your lap or litter the floor when you open a print mag).

We are considering, however, products in physical form, on a subscription basis, such as a quarterly “Best of JavaWorld” magazine or journal, and an annual CD-ROM containing all of JavaWorld’s content. If you’re interested in being alerted to this development, please let us know!

Meanwhile, we will continue to prioritize what our readers value most: timely, comprehensive technical articles detailing how to effectively use the latest Java technologies and products.

Poll details

Nearly 400

JavaWorld

readers responded to this poll. Here’s a look at the actual voter breakdown:

• 66% said they want to see more technical articles
• 13% said they want more real-world and/or implementation articles
• 7% said they want more analysis
• 5% said they want a print version of JavaWorld
• 5% said they want more original news articles
• 3% said they want more product reviews
• 1% said they want an online discussion forum

Below is a representative sample of the comments for the most frequently mentioned items you’d like to see us implement. To see all comments from this and other JavaWorld reader polls, head to our archive of past polls. And, of course, don’t forget to voice your opinion in our latest poll.

More technical articles (66%):

I request that you hit JDK 1.2 hard from all angles with some hard-hitting, detailed how-tos.

Write articles highlighting various workarounds for the most popular bugs in the Bug Parade, and ways to deal with undocumented idiosyncrasies in the APIs.

I would like more discussion on server-side Java.

I would like an article on moving from [JDK] 1.1 to 1.2, describing classes that have been replaced and deprecated, new ways to do things, etc.

[I’d like to see articles that] compare performance/scalability/memory use of different VMs, and analyze the time and space cost of Java.

Write articles on ways around the limitations of Java. For example, Java can play sound files, but has no evident way to synthesize sounds. I know that some people have done this, but how? It’s not obvious.

[I’d like to see articles that describe] how to arrange your directories (project source, configuration files, class files, 3pp files, jar files, project files from different IDEs, etc.) and different JDKs.

More real-world and/or implementation articles (13%):

I would highly appreciate more real-world examples here — from design to implementation.

Some articles that show what went wrong would be more helpful than articles about what went right every time, or maybe a failure story that has turned around. Some of us may already be treading those exact paths and would like to see what may lie ahead if corrective action is not taken.

I would like to have … more information on how to sell Java to potential customers. Competitive information comparing Java solutions to non-Java ones would also be great.

Implementation strategies require a mixed bag to satisfy their diversity. [Your articles] need to focus on implementation details.

I would like to see more about real-life implementations of Java. This helps to cut through the hype and promises.