SOFTER ISSN 1089-3032

EJGE is starting a new project: Software review for Geotechnical engineering (SOFTER).

The project's objective is to obtain independent expert reviews of the geotechnical engineering software and present these to the world wide web of geotechnical engineers. The original reviews, and any discussions will be published in the new forum SOFTER, an autonomous part of the Internet Geotechnical Engineering Magazine i-GEM, which itself is the Magazine Room of the Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering EJGE.
SOFTER will utilize the superior features of the Web, including the forward and backward referencing capabilities, and comparative tables which list a summary of features and the suitability to task. In this way a direct comparison between individual programs is provided, and unique features of a specific program may easily be found out.

An international steering group has been formed to organize this ambitious project. The steering group includes top experts of geotechnical computer applications in a number of countries, including Australia. Switzerland, UK, and, USA. Doctor Pit Fritz of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland is heading this Steering Group.

To accomplish this enormous task that bears a serious responsibility, the steering group is developing the principles under which the SOFTER Project should operate. Reviews will be done starting with new software as they become available. New reviewers are certainly be welcome. They are encouraged to register with the head of the Steering Group.