  ``Galaxies: the Third Dimension'' continues a tradition which started in
Marseilles 1994 with the ``Tridimensional Optical Spectroscopic Methods in
Astrophysics'' meeting, followed by ``Imaging the Universe in Three
Dimensions'' at Walnut Creek in 1999. Since then, there have been developments
both in instrumentation and in the way astronomy is conducted, and these need
to be seen against a broad canvas. As we emphasize below, one of the main
reasons for satisfaction is the trend towards talks focused on scientific
results rather than on `yet another 3D spectroscopic technology.'
