Fast. Very Fast.

I was at Jim’s garage production space. We were getting ready to send the second issue of PBDJ to the printer. Jim had taken over the design and layout from me after my experimental premiere issue — which I had produced alone in my bedroom and which took nearly six months to complete.

As we were wrapping up, Jim realized he needed to fill half a page with a house ad.

We stood there staring at the empty space, trying to decide what to put in it.

Then the phone rang.

It was Ted Coombs — one of our writers.

He said, “Fuat, I can’t believe you’re not publishing a magazine about Java. It’s going to be huge.

Revolutionary. You have to publish a Java magazine.”

I didn’t hesitate.

“Ted, we will,” I said. “You’re the editor-in-chief of Java Developers Journal. Could you send Jim your editorial column when you get a chance? And feel free to accept articles from authoritative names. We won’t publish anything without your approval.”

Ted said sure.

We hung up.

I turned to Jim and said, “That half page you have open — let’s use it to announce Java Developers Journal. Branding, logo, and a mock cover.”

Jim nodded and went straight to work.

* * *

We announced JDJ in the second issue of PBDJ — at least a year before most technology publishers had even heard the word Java.

Yes.

We were fast.

Very fast.