It has been 25 years since we launched the first issue of Test & Measurement World, setting out to serve the test, measurement, and inspection industries with reliable, unbiased information about test equipment and technologies. While a lot has changed since 1981, one thing that has not changed is the importance of the test engineer in delivering quality products to consumers and industry.

Throughout the past 25 years, we have stayed on top of a variety of technical advances and how they affected our industry. Consider the advances in machine vision. In 1981, one contributor fretted that minicomputers didn't have the processing power to "process image data quickly enough to give real-time feedback" for effective location of visible shorts in thick-film circuits. Note the reference to mini computers. As for micro computers, the PC, in its IBM implementation, was born one month before Test & Measurement World, sporting 16 kbytes of RAM and optional 5/-in. floppy drives—hardly the computing powerhouse necessary for automated inspection tasks.

We've grown up with the PC as it has evolved to handle the most challenging real-time test, measurement, and inspection tasks. And as it evolved, we, too, have developed a variety of ways to serve you better.

For example, advances in electronic media have helped us provide you with more timely information. No longer do we need to wait for our monthly print cycle to inform you about technology developments and standards updates. Using the Web and e-mail newsletters, we can bring you news on the day it breaks.

Of course, we continue to provide cutting-edge feature stories and editorial content in print, but we also offer a digital edition of the magazine, technology-specific test reports, a robust Web site (www.tmworld.com), interactive Webcasts, TMWSupplierSearch.com (a search engine that helps you locate products and companies), e-mail newsletters covering the worldwide test and inspection industry, and focused e-mail newsletters addressing specific topics. As technology continues to evolve, we will continue to look for ways to bring you information in whatever format best suits your needs.

Test & Measurement World thanks you for your loyalty, readership, and ideas for improvement. Without your support, we would not be able to provide the technical information you have come to rely on. As we venture into the next 25 years, expect and challenge us to continue to keep pace with technology. As always, if you have ideas on how we can improve our service to you, please let us know.