›              o=o=o=o=o=››          00011110, 1E, Etc.›› No, this isn't an article on machine-› language programming, nor  is  it  an› article  on  binary  and  hexadecimal› notation.   The savvy among you would› have figured out  by  now  that  both› expressions    in   the   title   are› equivalent  to  the  decimal  numeral› "30."    The  Thirty  Column  is  the› traditional way for a newspaperman to› say  goodbye  to  his   readers   and› colleagues,  and  I  guess  this   is› mine.›› 'Thirties'   usually   contain   some› mention of the  difficulty  that  the› writer   had   in   producing   them.› Goodbyes  are never easy.  This isn't› the most difficult piece  of  writing› I've  ever done, but it  comes close.› I've enjoyed being the editor of  the› Ol' Hackers Newsletter for the three-› and-one-half years that I've done it,› and it will be hard to shut that part› of my  life  down,  but  I  know  I'm› leaving  the   newsletter   in   VERY› capable  hands.   RON FETZER is going› to  edit   the  next  issue   of  the› newsletter,   and  it  will  then  be› passed, in turn,  to  JACK  GEDALIUS,› HAROLD  PEGLER   AND  HARRY  TUTHILL.› Each  of  them has more experience in› the Atari 8-bit world than  I,  so  I› know  the  content  will  be  rich --› perhaps richer than  what I was  able› to  muster.  Some of them have no PCs› (which I still  consider  to  be  the› ultimate  8-bit support  peripheral.)› Those who  do  have  PCs  don't  have› SIO2PC  cables,  but  the  club  will› receive   mine   in   December   and,› hopefully, the guys will learn how to› use it before that.›› Just  so that none of the rest of you› line up  to  become  editors  without› knowing  the  facts , let me fill you› in on what I faced, but  was  luckily› able  to overcome.  Ron, Jack, Harold› and Harry  are  pretty  aware  of  it› already.›› There  were  deadlines  to   be  met.› Sure,  we  could  have  found time to› mail a newsletter from someone's home› instead  of  getting  it out before a› meeting,   but   I   decided  to  put› pressure on myself in  the  tradition› set  by  ALEX  PIGNATO.  It sometimes› came close to making a  wreck  of  my› family life.  The key words here are,› "came close."   I  guess  the  lesson› here  is  to  learn  to put things in› perspective.   We  are  hobbyists,  I› hope, and  not  obsessives.   We  can› enjoy  our  hobbies  more and be more› productive with them if we  let  them› just be hobbies.›› There were times when  submissions of› articles  were  few and  far between,› and I wound up writing many of  them.› But  most of  the time you guys  came› through  for me  like  champs.  There› are so many people out there to thank› for what they sent in.  (If  I  don't› mention   your  name   in   the  next› sentence,   it  isn't   because  I've› forgotten  you or taken your work for› granted.)  Thanks  especially  to RON› FETZER,  TOM ANDREWS,  FRANK  WALTERS› and JOE HICSWA for your contributions› to  this  newsletter.  Thanks also to› JACK GEDALIUS and BARBARA KELLER  for› getting their respective writings  to› me  in a timely manner.  I guess what› I've learned here is that  you  might› not  be  able  to count on others for› articles all the time, but when those› articles  do  appear  they're usually› great.›› The Internet has been both a boon and› a  detriment  to  my  being  able  to› produce  newsletters over my  tenure.› It  has  provided  me  with  lots  of› material   --   technical   articles,› opinions,  and  the  means to contact› others.  But it has also  contributed› to  the  diminishing  number  of user› group newsletters that  are  part  of› our  exchange program.  Even before I› was the editor of this newsletter,  I› wrote  the  Newsletter  Review column› and   thus   also  became  Newsletter› Librarian.  I can say that the number› of  newsletters we receive from other› user groups is  now  less  than  one-› third of what we used to receive back› then.  Much of this  is  due  to  the› demise of the user groups involved in› producing them, but in some cases the› clubs    did    survive   and   their› newsletters   were   supplanted    by› Internet-based  activities.  However,› print newsletters specific to our  8-› bit   are   still   being   produced,› principally by such organizations  as› Pinellas  County ACE, The San Leandro› Computer Club, the JACG,  the  Garden› City ACE,  IMAGE,  the AAAUA,  LVAUG,› Club Cenacle of France, and the print› magazine that  accompanies  the disk-› based newsletter produced by ABBUC of› Germany  (I wish I  could read French› one-tenth  as well as I  read English› and  German  one-tenth as  well  as I› read French!)  I'm happy  to say that› RON FETZER has expressed an  interest› in  being  the  new  custodian of the› print  newsletters  we receive.   I'm› also   proud   to   have   played   a› relatively    minor   part   in   the› continuing   presence  of  disk-based› newsletters.  Our format may  not  be› as fancy as that of ABBUC, but it has› been   praised   widely    for    its› readability  and  ease of navigation.› Thanks to TOM ANDREWS  for  continued› improvements in this area.›› Very  recently, another user group of› which I'm  a  member  took  a  sudden› turn.   It  was headed toward being a› user group for alternative  operating› systems (Linux, BEOS) that run on the› PC.  After several months  of  trying› to  start  in  that  direction,   the› members  realized  that  there  was a› more   widespread   need  to  support› mainstream  PC users  (Windows 95/98)› --  even if those users were complete› novices.  Many PC user groups are  so› intimidating  to novices, perhaps not› intentionally, that the newbies don't› even ask questions.  To that end, the› group to which I referred will choose› a  name  and  acronym to suggest that› even first-time users  can  get  help› from them.  Furthermore, the group is› planning a web site with links to all› of  the realy good help sites.  In my› tenure as  OHAUG  Newsletter  editor,› I've  very  often  hinted at the role› that OHAUG could play in helping  new› Atari  8-bitters.   I'm  proud to say› that  we've  done  that  to  a  great› degree.    The    newsletter    could› continue  to  be  a  vehicle for that› support, and  I hope  that  it  will.› And  may  I  suggest that OHAUG could› have a presence  of the Web as  well?› Or  even  dare to suggest that such a› web   site   could   cater  to  8-bit› newbies?›› I got into computing in  general  and› Atari  8-bitting in specific in a way› that's perhaps  very  different  from› your  experience.  I was motivated to› do so by a question on  an  interview› exam I was taking for a New York City› teaching  license in the early 1980s.› (Although  I held several licenses, I› was interested in one more.)  On this› test,  I   was   presented   with   a› situation  in which I was the teacher› of a small special education class in› a school whose PTA was going to raise› money to buy the school ONE computer.› I had  to  tell the  examiners how  I› would convince  the school to involve› my  students,  how   I'd  utilize  my› paraprofessional in fund-raising, and› a host of other computer-related  and› education-related questions.  At  the› time  I knew nothing about computers!› I  managed  to   ace  the  interview.› But   a  year  later, on a sabbatical› leave,  I  began  to  learn a  little› about   computers   by  learning   to› program  in  COBOL   on   a  terminal› connected to  a  mainframe.  The  bug› bit -- hard.  In time, I had  my wife› convinced that a computer would  help› the  whole  family.  It would provide› educational activities for our  kids;› it  would give my  wife and me  tools› to use in our teaching.   Why  did  I› choose    Atari?     Ease   of   use;› brilliant,   easily-programmed  sound› and graphics; and a  good, all-around› machine with software to  support  it› were the key reasons.  To this day, I› see computers more  as  communication› and  education  aids than as business› tools.  It is  my  hope  that  OHAUG,› through  it's  disk-based newsletter,› continues to emphasize those  aspects› of computing.›› In  December,  I'm  giving   up   the› newsletter,  which  I've  edited  for› three-plus  years.   I'm giving up my› 8-bit       hardware,       software,› documentation  and technical articles› to make room and time for what I hope› will  be  a  new  career.    I   will› continue  to  be  an  OHAUG   member,› although  I  probably  won't  get  to› every meeting.  I'll also continue to› enjoy the feel of Atari 8-bitting  in› emulation  on  my PC.  It's a feeling› that  I  hope  I  can  keep  with  me› forever.›› Thank you for allowing me to be  your› editor.›› Alan Sharkis››              o=o=o=o=o=›››