(Note: I originally wrote and posted this [[BELOW]] on my web site back in 2001; this version adds a remarkably-terse-for-me few additional intro/set-the-stage deets. I haven’t meddled with the main text, other than adding the photo-and-caption, but I’ve taken the liberty of pre-pending some historical context.

In 1999, my friend and colleague Paul Schindler, got put in charge of Byte.com (the web-only version of BYTE magazine, which CMP/UBM had just acquired from McGraw-Hill); some months later, Paul was also put in charge of CMP’s WINDOWS magazine’s web site…which led to my being hired as editor, reporting to Paul, to run Byte.com.

(Paul reminisces about his Byte.com time, in particular, his interactions with Jerry Pournelle, in two posts of this PSaCoT (Paul Schindler: A Column On Things) blog: My Pal Jerry and the Byte.com Week In Review/Audio Review: The Worldʼs First Podcast, where Paul was the host and Jerry was the regular, primary guest. (I was involved in a few — I’ll guess about a dozen — of those.)

In mid-October 2001, my job at CMP was one of the many eliminated as part of the on-going series of business contractions in the company. Over the next year or so, Byte.com got subsumed into Dr. Dobbs; ultimately, Byte.com content disappeared from the site, followed, some number of years later, by the release (or sale?) of the Byte.com domain name. (Sigh.)

Here’s the farewell editorial I wrote, which I wrote for the final “edition” of Byte.com, but, alas! (at least as far as I’m concerned) was never run on Byte.com…here it is – dpd

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Hed: Dern bids farewell to Byte.com

Dek: So long, and thanks for all the bits

Blurb: Daniel strikes up the band and then passes the Byte.com baton

And now it’s my turn to say goodbye.

Two-and-change years ago, I found myself in charge of Byte.com.

It’s been an interesting, exciting, challenging period, to say the least, to have been in charge of the direction of Byte.com. (I can now confirm from personal experience that running an online-only publication is different from running a print pub.)

During this time we’ve seen the Microsoft anti-trust trials, the rise of Linux, the rise and fall of BeOS, affordable CD/R and RW, and the emergence or continued maturation of USB, DVD, 802.11 WiFi, TransMeta, new viruses, Win2k/ME/XP, broadband, digital cameras, PDAs, and more. Not to mention a few dot-ups and dot-downs.

I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of working with Jerry Pournelle, along with the other Byte.com columnists and regular contributors. Their subject expertise has never ceased to impress me. I hope you’ve enjoyed the columns, the trade show coverage, and the feature articles during this time.

I’ve gotten to see and try out a bunch of interesting new products, and talk to interesting people. I’ve gotten the usual far-too-many trade show coffee mugs, t-shirts, and tchotchkes. I even got the marketing department to make a tchotchke of our own, the Byte.com Pocket Protectors, as give-aways.

I’ve enjoyed writing these From The Editor pieces — and getting your letters — and doing other articles here as well. (I’ve got one last products round-up report to finish, about various things vendors have been good enough to let me play with.)

It’s now somebody else’s turn at the helm — Jon Erickson, Editor-in-Chief of Dr. Dobbs Journal, Byte.com’s parent site.

Thanks again to all the Byte.com contributors for their great content. One last time, I want to thank all the vendors and PR people who have helped out by doing their jobs — I’ve been a PR person in previous lives, and know just how hard it can be. And thanks again to you, the reader, for being there.

Stay in touch, don’t be a stranger!

I’d like to close on this note, or rather (cough) notes:

(To the tune of “I Am the Captain of the Pinafore” from, of course, Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore”)

(Dern)    I was the editor of Byte dot com,
(ALL)     And a darned good editor too!
(Dern)      I was there a year or two,
            and let me tell to you
          I herded a chaotic crew.
(ALL)     He was there a year or two,
            and we agree, it's true,
          We were a chaotic crew.
(Dern)    Though unsure of peer-to-peer
          I use shell account, and fear
            to use Outlook or Windows XP
     	  I never was vexed
             by PR calls for Comdex,
          And I never argued with Jer-ry

(ALL)          What, never?
(Dern)           Well, sometimes...
(MOST)         Just sometimes?
(Dern)           Well, often...
(ALL)     He often argued with Jer-ry...
          So... left-click twice and one more time
          for the former editor of Byte online.
          Left-click twice and one last time
          For the former editor of Byte online.

‘Nuff sung!