\title{Editorial: what's this issue all about?} \providecommand\FAQ{\acro{FAQ}} \begin{article} \vspace*{-0.5\baselineskip} Your committee has long aimed to ensure that the \acro{UK} makes a valuable contribution to the world of \TeX: for example, it is possible to claim that the \acro{UK} \TeX{} archive led the world in comprehensive provision, and members of your committee continue to take active part in maintaining the internationally-linked \acro{CTAN} system of archives. The idea of maintaining the \acro{UK}'s profile motivated us to produce the `Frequently Asked Questions' (\FAQ) issues that appeared as `Christmas Editions' of Baskerville for 1994 and 1995. At the time that we decided to prepare the 1994 \FAQ{}, we had noted the great value of the \acro{NTG}'s 4All\TeX{} which had at the time just been released. We knew then that we could not hope to produce a \CDROM{} in the short term, but we agreed at the time that a similar disc, targeted at Unix\textsuperscript{TM} systems would be a useful thing to have. The rest is history (and is well explained in the documentation of the \CDROM{}, that constitutes the only `article' of this issue of \BV). Members will recall that we offered the first version of this \CDROM{} to them, for sale. Considering the economics of the matter, and given an assurance that useful software for other platforms (notably Microsoft- and \acro{OS}/2-based \acro{PC}s and Macintoshes) could be included on the disc, your committee decided to circulate every member with a copy in lieu of two issues of \BV. I would welcome feedback from members on their views of the value of the offering, and what (if anything) we might do to improve it. I continue to maintain the \FAQ{}: would members welcome its republication, perhaps as Baskerville Vol.~7 No.~6\Dash nominally the 1997 Christmas edition? As I mentioned in a brief `post-editorial' in Baskerville Vol.~6 No.~4, the extreme lateness of that issue was almost exclusively my fault. As a result, this double issue is following very closely on the heels of the last, and Vol.~7 No.~1 is also in an advanced stage of preparation. We maintain the fond hope that we will have brought ourselves up-to-date before the end of 1997, but~\dots\ we continue to rely, to a large extent, on external sources of articles for \BV. Please do submit them to Sebastian Rahtz, as mentioned in the banner line of each issue of \BV! \end{article}