As someone involved in publishing (but on the literary side) I've always made the point that if we reduce the value that we provide to something mechanical, we will eventually become dispensable.
The key to that kind of publishing (and I believe this story illustrates that it matters in academic publishing also) is providing a framework for the best to come to the top. That means supporting, encouraging and publishing good authors.
The JMLR has the great unspoken advantage that all of the people involved in its production have a job that allows (or encourages) them to pursue this project also. That won't always be the case. Often the key people involved will have to have salaries if the enterprise is to thrive. But the point remains the same: if you measure your value by the bureaucratic production aspect then eventually people will simply say: what do we need these guys for?
> The JMLR has the great unspoken advantage that all of the people involved in its production have a job that allows (or encourages) them to pursue this project also. That won't always be the case.
I'm not sure what you're saying here. The vast majority of hours have always been donated by referees. Then there are the editors, who are either volunteers or paid only a small amount. Aside from that, it's a matter of posting the papers on a website.
Well I'm saying that all these people have a livelihood. Within that they are able to afford to volunteer time. That is a somewhat privileged position to be in. In a really good and positive way.
Nonetheless a lot of people that want to do important work in one field or another, need to be able to make that their livelihood. Usually because what they do has not got the automatic financial value attached of something like Machine Learning.
The key to that kind of publishing (and I believe this story illustrates that it matters in academic publishing also) is providing a framework for the best to come to the top. That means supporting, encouraging and publishing good authors.
The JMLR has the great unspoken advantage that all of the people involved in its production have a job that allows (or encourages) them to pursue this project also. That won't always be the case. Often the key people involved will have to have salaries if the enterprise is to thrive. But the point remains the same: if you measure your value by the bureaucratic production aspect then eventually people will simply say: what do we need these guys for?