What started as an idea at an ACS meeting has developed into an experiment in which we are very much learning as we go along. When the Journal of Molecular Modeling was designed, we had to rely on FTP for the data transfer and Postscript as format for the papers. WWW, VRML and Java were still in their childhood and only used by some few experts. The development of a new journal needs the experience of a publishing house and the enthusiasm for the truly new possibilities represented by the Internet. The Springer Verlag gives us a rich source of publishing talent, while the editorial office situated at an university environment adds the creativity and enthusiasm.
Online books offer a number of unique advantages.
They can accommodate a great volume of information, not only scientific papers, but also tools, 3D scenes, sample programs, videos, program inputs etc. The paper becomes the front end or interface to much larger bodies of information. The first steps have already been make. Search features make it easy to locate information not only within a single contribution, but also across the entire journal and all the related information stored behind. The incorporation of 3D-structures and videos is merely routine.