From the Editor

All the papers in this issue of the JIOS Journal may fit into the Science as Usual categoryand are therefore not going to be dealt with in detail in the introduction. However, for oneof the papers included an exception has been provided, namely the paper Sigma-notationand the equivalence of P and NP classes by Miron Ivanovich Telpiz. The circumstancesleading to its publication in this issue of JIOS are presented by the editors in this preface.It is generally acknowledged that, ever since it was defined by S. Cook over thirty yearsago, P = NP has presented one of the major open problems in computing science andinformation science in general. Whereas, on one hand, this problem presents a formidablechallenge to any scientist dealing with it, its solution, especially in case it should turn out tobe a positive one considering that current technology tends to evolve in a practicaldirection and its overall functioning is conducted implicitly under the assumption of anegative solution would have a major impact on the development of informationtechnology as well as the wider context of human society as a whole. Apart from being putforward in conferences, both positive and negative “solutions” to P = NP problem can beoccasionally found in press, scientific and professional journals. The web page titled “Pversus-NP Page” (see http://www.win.tue.nl/~gwoegi/P-versus-NP.htm) provides anexcellent source for this issue. It contains links to papers stating that P = NP, as well asthose contradicting the opposite, i.e., stating that P NP. Furthermore, references are givento Oded Goldreich's rationale behind his decision not to review papers proposing solutionsto P = NP problem and related difficult problems because, in his own words, they “alsoattract the attention of non-experts, and one annoying consequence is a flood of falseclaims of resolutions of these problems” (see http://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/~oded/faq.html). Dr. Goldreich a recognised figure amongmathematicians of our time – recommends other scientists to follow his example when thisissue is concerned. Nevertheless, his arguments (at least those regarding non-experts) aredefinitely not to be acknowledged in the case of the work of the Russian mathematician andlogician Miron Ivanovich Telpiz, (see http://www.tarusa.ru/~mit/ENG/eng.php for details),who has been developing his positionality theory for functions, with a special emphasis onBoolean functions, for over two decades. While doing so, he has been drawing