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1994-03-14
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Gears 94
AN APOLOGY
(AND AN EXPLANATION!)
---------------------------
This edition of ZAM should be finished in March 1994 if all goes
well, but if you read our last issue (cunningly named ZAM-3) you
may be slightly puzzled. Yes, we admit it. There has been a SLIGHT
delay. We promised you that ZAM-4 would be released LAST MARCH !
Good huh ? We're quick aren't we ?
I can see reviers of ZAM-3 saying, "....unfortunately ZAM-4 never
appeared...". Yes, you thought we'd `died' and gone to PD heaven
hadn't you ? Even I thought that another edition of the Zircon
Amiga Magazine was a bit impossible. But we were all wrong. Let
me read you a story children...........
THE STORY OF ZAM
----------------
Once upon a time there were computers, and there was one computer
called the Amiga. People could educate, draw, type, learn, play,
and read with it.
Someone said that they liked using their Amiga, and wanted everyone
else to see what they had done. The creation was Public Domain, and
it was shared by all. Then a group called "Zircon" came along and
looked at this creation, "Hey!", they said, "this is one chillin`
piece of equipment !" They looked for a way to share their ideas
and thoughts with others of a like mind. One member said, "Why don't
we produce a magazine ?" Others agreed, and the Zircon Amiga Mag was
born. A coder, called Hawk performed miracles and compiled the limp
mass of text into a sweaty-palmed menu system. After a couple of
months Z.A.M. 2 appeared, and it was likened to Claudi Schiffer as
a floppy......disk. Then, during Christmas / New Year 1992 / 1993
the final issue in the old ZAM trilogy appeared. People liked it,
and wrote to Zircon asking for more. Yet, alas, there was no more.
The coder of the old ZAM, Hawk, decided to follow a seperate path.
He went freelance, and is now known as MFM - He codes the Visual
Intensity magazine, which is on issue 3. This, however, was bad
news for the Zircon group. Then Gears, the ed, had to work on some
A-level exams which meant that the summer of 1993 was a quiet time
for the Zircon group. What did Zircon do ? They had no programmer !
The search began for another artist, and a new coder. After a few
months an artist came forward, and amazed us with his art work. He
suggested a coder, but suddenly he failed to reply and hope was
lost again.
Then Gears stood, and spoke those immortal words that we now look
forward to, "Screw this, I'm going up the pub." He sat, thought. Sat
and thought..... and an idea popped into his head (pop!) Why didn't
he compile the mag ? Can't be that hard .... can it ? But it was...
he even thought of using MenuMaster or ProgramSelector as a menu !
Nay, for it was not good enough for us or our readers. Then, Gears
saw the light....... it was possible...... and he began his task.
But look, it was now 1994 ! We would have to come up with something
new and different. Gears decided to implement a small (and rather
basic) function which would allow readers to respond immediately
to anything they read. And so it was done. All the readers have to
do is type in their comments, and send the magazine back to us with
an envelope - Zircon would then give a new copy of the magazine
back to the readers. And so it was. It was finished, and the
magazine was sent out to fight against all the other european
disk-magazines which had appeared in the time ZAM had been gone.
From now on, we would have to fight.
APOLOGY !
---------
On the floor right next to me are a pile of old envelopes and jiffy
bags. These were sent to me a year ago from readers of ZAM-3, asking
for a copy of ZAM-4. These envelopes and jiffy bags represent people
who are disappointed at not getting anything in return. I'm extreemly
sorry to these people ! I hope that this new mag, the Lazarus of
disk-mags will please you ! As you can see, it's incredibly short
of articles. I'm hoping that you will write something for us, so that
we can return for a bigger 2 disk magazine in a couple of months.
I apologise also to all the PD libraries who I promised would get
ZAM-4 last year. Sorry ! I apologise to all my contacts, and thank
them for sticking with the group through the `dead' patch ! Thanks
and sorry !
Gears 94 !