When I was a teenager, my parents taught me never to argue about sex, politics and religion. Later on I also learned that it's never a good idea to argue with drunks. Now I find myself in the unenviable position of having to step into the middle of a "religious" debate.

In the July issue of JDJ (Vol. 4, issue 7) we ran a feature story regarding the use of Java with DCOM. It touched off a great deal of debate, both pro and con, concerning the suitability of publishing this article in a magazine like Java Developer's Journal.

Arguments against had a couple of themes. One main theme was anything that comes out of Redmond is bad, and there are Java-based alternatives to everything Microsoft. JDJ, as the standard bearer for Java, should have nothing to do with the "Evil Empire." A second, somewhat more reasonable theme was that Microsoft won't be supporting Java 2, so their technology is going away.

On the pro side, a number of readers felt this article was right on the mark. They're working in an environment where interoperability comes before portability, and this article provided information they needed to get the job done.

Rather than arguing with either of these sides, I thought I'd simply state where JDJ stands on this issue and explain its position. As the editor-in-chief of Java Developer's Journal, I look for a variety of articles. I look for high-level articles that discuss the principles of Java programming, technically detailed articles that explain useful Java techniques, and product-related ones that discuss the integration of Java with a particular tool.

That being said, Java Developer's Journal will not restrict the content of the magazine based on who creates the technology being discussed. We have regular columns devoted to what I think are the mainstream interests of the language, and they evolve as the times change and the language grows.

I try to mix in a variety of topics while sticking to the editorial calendar we set every year. My policy is that JDJ will be inclusive rather than exclusive. When we plan the magazine, we clearly realize that every reader won't read every article. That's fine. Our goal is to reach a broad audience every month with enough variety and content that they continue to read.

There will be the occasional article regarding Microsoft technologies. But there won't be a regular column regarding Microsoft, nor will we be turning the magazine into Microsoft Java Journal. Our focus will remain, as always, on all Java technologies. If you're not interested in topics concerning Microsoft, flip past it to the next article.

I know this may set off another flurry of discussions. I think that's good - I prefer to see people express their opinions instead of just sitting back and staring at you. If you want to send me e-mail regarding this, please do so. And please keep reading.