>> I subscribed to Annals fairly early on and
enjoyed reasding it, but got increasingly frustrated by the way articles began to sound
like someone's dissertation.
The staff, a couple of years ago, began encouraging participation from writers outside
their normal circle. For example at the 2007 SHOT SIGCIS conference I gave a lecture about
the importance of involving actual end users when writing history, and almost everyone
welcomed me into the fold. So, while you're correct about the journal style -- the
papers aften ARE chapters of dissertations* -- consider the old mantra of "be the
change you wish to see."
* PS: That kind of vintage computing is just as important as what happens in cctalk, at
VCF, etc. Plenty of room for both. Personally I feel these worlds need to trust each other
and work together to advance the topic.