Being Editor in Chief of CODE Magazine is a cool job. Every other month I get to facilitate the creation of our content by working with some of the best software developers in the industry. My goal in each and every issue is to provide content that will help you, the reader, succeed in your everyday work. Our authors are all professionals working daily in the field of software development. One aspect that you may not be aware of is the theme that surrounds each and every issue. Every issue has a theme (usually visualized in the cover art), and it's my goal to provide two to four articles related to that theme. For instance, this issue is all about Visual Studio 2012 and Windows 8 and for that theme I recruited authors to write on subjects like what's new in ASP.NET, Visual Studio 2012 tips and tricks, and an interesting article on creating Windows 8-themed applications without Windows 8. I consider this issue to be a big win for the upcoming technologies being released as I write this editorial.

Before we can begin gathering content for any issue we need to establish an editorial calendar for the coming year. The editorial calendar serves multiple purposes. First, it assists the advertising department in selling ads for the coming year. Second, it helps me recruit authors and content.

At times I find creating the editorial calendar for CODE Magazine a bit daunting. Each year I try and anticipate what themes readers might find interesting some 18 months out (we create our calendar six months before the end of the calendar year). As you well know, the software industry does not stand still and it can be a challenge to anticipate what things will be interesting over time. Here's what you can expect in 2013 (keep in mind these are subject to change):

Cloud Computing

The first issue of 2013 will focus on cloud computing, a concept that has yet to reach an apex. Every vendor's stack sees dozens if not hundreds of changes and improvements annually. This issue will focus on the two most feature rich cloud providers: Amazon and Microsoft. These two vendors are very completive and it is important to understand how to build solutions on each stack. Along with proprietary stacks we will spend time looking at OpenStack, an open source cloud platform.

JavaScript

JavaScript is 20 years old and is more in vogue today than it has ever been. This issue will take a look at emerging and maturing JavaScript tools. We will cover stalwarts like Node and jQuery. We will also look at emerging contenders like CoffeeScript as well as new comers like TypeScript (announced just this week). JavaScript is the universal web language and we will help you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Ruby on Rails

Along with being editor of this magazine I am also a software developer. I specialize in ASP.net MVC development and Ruby on Rails. Ruby on Rails 3.0 was a massive overhaul to the Rails stack. The velocity of that stack has increased dramatically and in the coming year, Ruby on Rails 4.0 will be released. We will dedicate an issue to exploring what is new and interesting in the Rails world.

SQL and NoSQL Databases

As software developers we will never leave the data world. This world is occupied by two competing sets of concepts. First is the “old school” of OLTP/SQL databases. These databases will never go away and CODE Magazine will continue exploring what is new and interesting in this world. The “new school” focuses on new types of data storage. We will focus on data technologies like Redis, Mongo and Cassandra.

Other Themes

These are just the first three issues of 2013. We will also spend time focusing on the tools and techniques that matter most to you. We will cover Visual Studio 2012, general web development techniques, SharePoint and many others.

Your Themes

I am curious what themes would you like to see? What tools do you see as up and comers? What tools do you feel are left out of magazines like this? I cannot make any promises, but I'll do my best to get your ideas in print.

Crystal ball image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsowens/1801587352/sizes/l/