Office Memo

Steve Mann

At the risk of showing my age, I remember an early 1960s R&B song by a singer whose first name was (I think) Shirley. The song was called "The Name Game". The first verse of the song contained an embedded algorithm for taking any name or noun and turning it into a rhyme (of course each rhyme happened to fit the syncopated melody and rhythm of the song). The remaining verses beat you into submission with many examples of how you can play the game.

I don't remember the algorithm, but I vaguely remember the result. For instance, with the word BANANA, the output was something like:

BANA-BANA BO-BANA
BANANA-FANA-FO-FANA
FE-FI-MO-MANA
BANANA!

Continuing (as the song did):

LET'S DO MADA!

MADA-MADA-BO-BADA
BANANA-FANA-FO-FADA
FE-FI-MO-MADA
MADA!

Exciting isn't it?

MADA needs a new name

The point of this exercise isn't to practice "The Name Game" (exactly). The point is MADA needs a new name. Actually we need a new phrase to match our acronym. We're no longer the MacApp Developer's Association, but we've kept the acronym for historical (and continuity) reasons. The problem is we're often asked what MADA means. The embarassing answer is nothing. We're tired of that.

We've had a variety of suggestions, such as Modern Application Developer's Association (my personal favorite is My Aunt Does Applications). None of the suggestions have really stuck, however, so we've decided to throw the problem in the lap of the membership.

As an incentive, we've decided to hold a contest. Between now and January 31, 1993, any member can submit an association title that matches the acronym MADA and fits our corporate charter. The Board of Directors will select their favorite submissions, and their choices will be voted on at the annual banquet at MADACON '93 in San Diego. The creator of the winning name will be awarded (as-yet-to-be-decided) fabulous prizes. Please submit your suggestions via AppleLink (MADA), Internet (MADA@APPLELINK.APPLE.COM), or fax (408/253-2765). All suggestions are welcome.

Conference Update

Speaking of MADACON, pages 34-35 of this issue contain an updated, and virtually final agenda for the conference. We're pleased to announce that a representative from Mjolner Informatics will be joining us to present both a technical overview and tutorial about BETA, a next generation object-oriented language spawned out of the European OO community. BETA, which is available for the Mac, Windows, and Unix, has several new OO features that should interest all of our members.

In addition to the BETA sessions, there are many other additions to the previously-published agenda, including LISP and SmallTalk presentations and tutorials. We're trying to cover the full spectrum of object-oriented technology. We hope you like the results.

One note regarding the conference-the cut-off date for guaranteed hotel reservations at the MADA rate of $125 per night is January 18, 1993. After that date, the hotel will be opening its doors to everyone on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you want to be sure of getting space at the Hilton, please contact them at 619/276-4010.

New Partnership

We're also pleased to announce in this issue of FrameWorks that we're embarking on several ventures with SIGS Publications, publishers of the Journal of Object Oriented Programming, Object Magazine, C++ Report, and The SmallTalk Report. SIGS also hosts many conferences and seminars such as Object Expo.

The initial benefit of this relationship is that we're able to offer the complete line of SIGS products, at their conference discount rate, to all our members. See their ads on the inside front and back covers for specifics. In addition, we expect to be exhibiting at each others conferences. SIGS will be at MADACON in February, MADA will be at Object Expo in April. This is the beginning of what should be a fruitful partnership with a variety of benefits for our members.

The End of the Road

Finally, I would urge all of you to vote in the Board of Directors election. If you haven't already received your ballot it's on the way. Ballots must be postmarked by January 25, 1993 in order for them to count in the election. Please cast your votes and return them in time. See you in San Diego.