Dear Colleague:

In one place under one roof, you can learn of the results of the latest research, master important new skills in the tutorials, as well as meet your peers and share solutions to common problems. You can do all this and more at the USENIX Annual Technical Conference, June 15-19, in New Orleans.

If you are looking for in-depth instruction you will be able to use immediately, be sure to sign up for the tutorials on Monday and Tuesday. Courses are taught by fine teachers who are hands-on experts. There are 22 tutorials to choose from, on topics such as Java, Perl, Systems Administration, Security, Solaris, Linux, and Sendmail.

For cutting-edge research that will keep you ahead of the technology curve, there are refereed papers. The program committee had 87 excellent papers to choose from and selected 23. Papers are on topics of especially high current interest, such as Java and Tcl security, Web server performance, and quality of service, with more covering operating systems, networking, security, performance, and extensibility. The Invited Talks track offers a wide variety of very interesting presentations, concentrating on the extremely practical. Additional talks look to what may lie in your future: clustered computers and wearable computers.

This year we also have a track devoted to freely-redistributable software. You will be able to find out almost anything you ever wanted to know about FreeBSD, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD and more in 28 talks, plus evening BoF sessions.

Other highlights include Dennis Ritchie, one of the originators of UNIX, who will offer a perspective on the original UNIX paper from a quarter-century ago. Mr. Ritchie's talk will be followed by talks from some of those involved in the first UNIX ports.

For your entertainment (and maybe provocation), the "Amazing Randi" will describe how unscientific some science can be, while he reveals techniques "psychics" use to mislead the public. You may want to visit his Web site: www.randi.org.

Whether you are new to USENIX or a veteran of USENIX conferences, the 1998 Annual Conference has a lot to offer. Please join us in New Orleans this June. I look forward to seeing you there.

Fred Douglis, Program Chair
AT&T Labs - Research

PS: Register early for tutorials - they often fill up fast. You can use our on-line registration form.