Since Mid-September, 1985
This week marks my 30th year in the CAD writing business. Thirty years ago, the CADalyst founder, owner, editor, and publisher hired me on as the brand-new technical writer/editor. I was the first full-time employee.
In those days, CADalyst magazine was concerned only with AutoCAD. The new version at the time was v2.17f, which offered the ground-breaking "Expressions and Variables" feature. The first issue I worked on featured the first use of color in the magazine, with the cover story by Bill Kramer on how to use expressions and variables in AutoCAD -- later to be known as AutoLISP.
Cover of the issue of CADalyst that marked my entry into the rarefied world of writing about CAD
I stayed with the magazine for just over five years before going off on my own in this fascinating business. What a ride it's been, as I published CAD++ newsletter in print, followed up upFront.eZine e-newsletter, this WorldCAD Access blog, the now-defunct Visions.eZine newsletter for Visio users, the eBooks.onLine ebook sales portal, lots of kinds of consulting, writing and updating nearly 200 books and ebooks about CAD, and a whole lot more.
Thanks for reading me all these years!
Congratulations Ralph!
Posted by: John McEleney | Sep 15, 2015 at 09:19 AM
Congratulations! I'm sure it has been quote the ride and I enjoy reading everything you publish!
Posted by: John Gear | Sep 16, 2015 at 12:41 PM
Congratulations Ralph. Enjoyed all your contributions.
Posted by: Arnold van der Weide | Sep 17, 2015 at 12:47 AM
Congratulations Ralph!! Indeed, it has been an incredible journey for you and a very educative one for your readers. I like your unique, creative reporting style and it is indeed one of the best CAD journalism I have read.
Posted by: Rakesh Rao | Sep 24, 2015 at 09:28 PM
While many write about current stuff, you also manage to pull out trivia from the past and bring back nostalgic memories with your writing and pictures about software in the 80's and 90's.
Posted by: Rakesh Rao | Sep 24, 2015 at 09:32 PM
Congratulations! Enjoy your work.
Posted by: Edwin Schalk | Oct 03, 2015 at 11:45 AM
Hi Mr. Grabowski: I have been using VISIO 5 C Technical when I was =
working and have continued to use it at home for projects around home; =
I recently had Win 7 installed on my computer and was finally able to =
install my VISIO 5C, but have been having problems getting the HELP to =
run. Every year I used this program to create yearly calendars and I =
cannot remember how to do this. I have several of your books on VISIO 5 =
as well as other books and cannot find any that describe how to create =
the calendars again.
If possible could you please send me the steps in VISIO that I need to =
follow to make another yearly calendar?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Chuck (Charles Christensen)
Posted by: Chuck (Charles Christensen | Dec 27, 2015 at 04:49 PM
Here is online help for creating calendars. Let me know if this does not work for you:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Create-a-calendar-in-Visio-53eb59b5-d72d-484b-a22d-8ea8c62a5b09
Posted by: Ralph Grabowski | Dec 27, 2015 at 09:15 PM
Thank You for all your guidance. I could not have gotten this far with out your support.
Very well done.
Posted by: Christopher Eddy | Sep 05, 2016 at 11:56 AM