2009 is a year of great change for CODE Magazine, and it starts right here and now with this issue! (So much so that I am highjacking Rod Paddock's editorial this time). You may have noticed a face-lift in the appearance of the magazine. But that's not all! We launched a new companion podcast for CODE Magazine called “CodeCast” and we're working on a completely new CODE website that will provide tons of extra content. But let's take a look at all the news one after the other.

A New Look

You probably saw that our logo changed slightly and sports a more modern look. The cover layout changed to address the new world for magazines, where substance is more important than tons of cover headlines. The cover is also more functional. Even though you can't see it in this issue yet, upcoming covers will also have a “Surface ID Tag” which means that you can put the magazine down on a Microsoft Surface table (a technology EPS Software, the parent company of CODE Magazine, is highly invested in) and the table will react by showing additional information or add the magazine to your Xiine library (if you haven't checked out our free Xiine reader application, go to www.Xiine.com!).

While many of CODE Magazine's competitors cut page count and content, we are on a mission to provide more of our in-depth articles that rate so highly with you, our reader. The layout in the magazine has changed slightly to allow us to print more content on each page. At the same time, we believe that the new layout is clearer and easier to read. We changed the format of code listings to provide more contrast between the background and the text, yet maintain a clear distinction between code listings and other text. We were the first magazine to print colored listings (and are still one of the few that go through the effort required to do so) and we will continue to do so in the future, even for new languages and syntax.

Talking about new content, I want to welcome two new columnists: Paul Sheriff and Ted Neward. Paul and Ted are long time friends of CODE Magazine and well known in the .NET industry. Paul will tackle technology issues from a management standpoint and Ted will provide insight into current and future software development trends. I am excited to have Paul and Ted as regular contributors to CODE Magazine.

CodeCast

In 2008 we launched CodeCast, the free companion podcast to CODE Magazine. As those of you who have already subscribed know, CodeCast is a talk show that discusses .NET topics in a fast moving format. Ken Levy, Gary Short, and Markus Egger are the co-hosts of the show. Many CODE Magazine authors as well as other .NET community “big-wigs” are making a regular appearance. Why does the .NET world need another podcast? For one, because we always wished for a faster moving .NET podcast, that covers more topics in less time so we could stay up to date with various developments. There are many good podcasts out there, but such a format didn't exist before, which is why we started CodeCast. Furthermore, CODE Magazine has a vast network of authors, colleges, and friends. We are highly involved in the MVP, Agile and Design communities. Within this network of people there is so much good information that simply must be shared. We can't print it all, and some of it isn't even suitable for blogs or online articles, and thus a podcast makes a lot of sense.

I hope you will enjoy CodeCast. Go to http://codemag.com/codecast and subscribe with your iPods, Zunes, or MP3 player of your choice, or simply listen online.

A New Web Site

You may have noticed that the URL listed in the print publication changed from www.code-magazine.com to www.codemag.com. Both really redirect to the same page, but in the future, we will use the shorter, simpler URL which will host a completely new Web experience. Unlike many of our competitors, we will not stop printing a magazine, as we always feel print is the best format to provide information about new technologies and techniques. However, that doesn't mean that online isn't important. Many readers are using our popular Xiine reader application. The new website will, of course, provide access to all the print articles, but it will also host a lot of additional content that will only appear online. The site will provide ways for the community to get involved and participate in ways previously unavailable. The website will take advantage of new technologies such as Silverlight and SOA. We are excited about it and can't wait to talk about it more, but for more details, you will have to wait until the new site launches, which shouldn't be too far in the future. (You can also check out my blog at www.MarkusEgger.com for some sneak previews and behind the scenes information on our changes). Stay tuned!

Markus Egger