The cyber family expands

Design News's cyber sibling (http://www.designnews.com) has just gained a new family member, and we would like to introduce you. At the end of October, Cahners Publishing's Supply Chain Link went on line. It incorporates the Design News web site and those of 11 other Cahners magazines that serve the manufacturing industries. With vital editorial content from all these sources, plus a myriad of other information, it promises to be the single most comprehensive and useful World Wide Web site for engineering information readers will have at their fingertips.

Manufacturing Marketplace (http://www.manufacturing.net ) also includes a supplier directory that contains thousands of product categories, including key suppliers, supplier profiles, product descriptions, technical specifications, and other critical information. Additionally, it has links to all 12 magazines' home pages. That means you can get to the Design News home page from the Manufactuering Marketplace, and vice versa. It contains announcements of thousands of new components, tools, and materials that can improve product design. And, it has an electronic roundtable, discussion forums, links to newsgroups, and a job-search feature.

Thanks to the hard work of Web Editor Paula Porter, the Design News home page itself includes a treasure chest of information so you can stay abreast of new technology in between issues of the magazine. The site will include additional information and sources for each feature story that we do not have room for on the printed page, links to websites of companies mentioned in stories, as well as additional Technology Bulletin items. And that's just for starters.

You'll also be able to research back issues, get the latest engineering news from Lexis-Nexis, read original stories on engineering innovations, and much more.

Does any of this mean a devaluation of the printed page? No way, according to what you have told us in survey after survey. In fact, we're making the printed page even more valuable by "virtually" expanding it, through our web site, to provide you even more in depth information on the latest technology you can use to make your job easier and your designs better. Visit the Design News and Supply Chain Link sites, and tell us what you think.