Loadstar 128 #10/q10.d81/t.diskovery

Text File | 1990-01-01 | 5.0 KB | 92 lines

                   D I S K O V E R Y :  Users' Groups Update

                               by Fender Tucker

     Ever since we first started publishing LOADSTAR 128 two and a half
years ago I've had to mince words whenever someone would say, "Hey, how
come LOADSTAR 128 is only one disk and LOADSTAR 64 is two?  Yet LOADSTAR
128 costs more!"  What can I say?  At the time, programs for the 128 were
harder to come by and more expensive, and, I admit it, we tacked on an
extra $5 to the retail price because everyone was hurting for 128 software.
 In our defense, how many mail-intensive products have kept the same price
since 1981, as Softdisk products have?

     But the fact remains: in the recession year 1991, coming up with $40
for a year's subscription can be pretty tough, especially for retired
people who must live on fixed incomes.  There's got to be a less expensive
way to keep your ol' C-128 alive and crunching -- and there is!  The answer
is to join a users' group.

     I was just given the lowdown on Softdisk's Users' Group policy.
Here's the deal.  If 10% of a groups' members (or 5 if the group numbers
less than 50) sign up for a year's subscription to LOADSTAR 128, the cost
is $25 per subscription.  That's a hefty discount, by any standards.  The
catch is that Softdisk saves money on postage, which is one of our major
expenses.  Instead of shipping a LOADSTAR disk to every subscriber, we will
send the group's representative two copies of a LOADSTAR 128 (one for
backup) and the representative will be expected to make copies for each of
the subscribers.  He will also be expected to make sure that only paid
subscribers get copies of the disk.

     It's sort of like having the group representative act as our agent.
Everybody saves -- except Uncle Sam, I guess, who hasn't done much to
deserve the proposed 4-cent hike in first-class postage anyway.  Check with
your local users' group and see if you can't find five or more compatriots
to join you in extending your subscription.

     *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

     Now that self-promotion of subscriptions is out of the way, let's get
onto self-promotion of this issue!  It's got some major stuff on it -- all
programmed by three of LOADSTAR 128's finest magicians, Jon Mattson, Robert
Rockefeller and Robert B. Cook.

     Jon is no stranger to us all, since he's the genius behind the
80-column presenter we're now enjoying.  He contributed a couple of
programming tools, CONTROL-80 for the 80-column mode, and GBASIC for
40-column graphics.  There are demos of each, as well as entertaining
programs that really show off the usefulness of these tools. ZONE 13 is my
personal favorite.  It is an addictive puzzle-game that has forty puzzles
built-in.  I realize that I promised fifty of them, but my Christmas
vacation, during which I lost all memory of that which had gone before, cut
into my creativity time.  But that's okay, forty puzzles is a lot, and
anyway, you can make your own with the handy construction option.

     Robert Rockefeller is a more serious sort and contributes two
high-level utilities.  One is 128 SHELL (or LOADSTAR SHELL) and it allows
you quick access to a dozen or so utilities on disk (or in a RAM disk)
whenever you want them.  One of the utilities is so "major" that I consider
it a separate program, even though it runs from inside of the shell.  It's
a full-featured Assembler/Editor for the 80-column C-128.  Try buying one
of these for less than $30 mail order.  If you're ready to jump into
Machine Language for the C-128, this is THE program you need.

     For the home user, Robert Cook is rapidly becoming a patron saint.
His HOUSE CAT is a very easy to use cataloguing system for keeping track of
your household items.  We've published similar programs for the C-64 but
Robert's straightforward use of 80-columns makes this one especially nice.
He also supplies us with CRIBBAGE 128 which challenges you to a game
against the savage power of your C-128.

     There's plenty of documentation on all of these programs and I
recommend you print the text files out.  If you subscribed via a users'
group, you'd have spent $6.25 for this issue, and some of the words used in
the docs are worth that much alone!

     But what's the deal?  I usually don't talk about the current issue --
it speaks for itself -- I usually talk about the NEXT issue.  Well, it's
going to be good, too.  I'm hoping that frustrated 80-column programmers
out there will snatch up CONTROL-80 and flood Maria (the lovely LOADSTAR
secretary) with terrific programs for upcoming issues.  Jon Mattson has
already sent a couple of great games for it (of course), and Robert
Rockefeller promises some more gadgets for his shell.  Bob Cook sent me a
program for anyone who saves coupons, but with all the money you can save
by subscribing through a users' group...

     Let's just say that LOADSTAR 128 #11 will be a further adventure in
entertainment and usefulness.  See you then!

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