8-BIT NEWS - NOV/DEC 1992¢¢¢- More new software! Derek Fern (021-353-5730) has just aquired the rights to release four new programs under the name, MD Software. Print Lab and Tricky Print are two new utility programs for Atari 1020, 1029 and Epson compatible printers. The Last Guardian and Tagalon are two previously unreleased games that were written by Tynesoft in the late 1980's.¢¢ Derek has also just received some new games from Europe. Operation Blood and Adax (Mission Shark II) are the first of many new titles which will soon be available. He is hoping to receive a shipment of Brundles (Lemmings) before Christmas. I can't wait!¢¢¢- The Tyne & Wear Atari User Group (TWAUG) are soon to release a bi-monthly newsletter with accompanying disk. The first issue will be available in January 1993 and will cost 1.50. All other issues will then cost 1.95.¢¢¢- Do you live in the UK and program demos for the Atari 8-bit? If you do, get in touch with Andrew Thompson. He is compiling a British Demo Disk and needs some classy demos. You can contact him at: 135 Henllys Way, St. Dials, Cwmbran, Gwent, South Wales NP44 7NF.¢¢¢- Page 6 has now become a subscription magazine. No more copies will be available through newsagents. You must write to Page 6 directly for a single copy (1.95) or a yearly subscription (12 pounds for the magazine or 25 pounds for the magazine & disk). Please consider a subscription as without Page 6 the 8-bit community in the UK will have no central forum. Issue 59 (Dec/Jan) is available on Nov 26th.¢¢¢- The Stourbridge XL/XE PD Library is dead! Futura reader, Steve Phillips wrote to them asking for their latest lists and received the following letter:¢¢Dear Steve,¢ Thank-you for your letter, alas we have had to stop the P.D.Library as none of the 8-bit Atari users wanted to take it on. I did carry it on until the end of July, but had to stop as it was too much for me to handle. The group has only three 8-bit Atari users left, and we have let people with Amiga's into the group (this includes myself), so as we can TRY to keep the Atari 8-bit alive.¢¢ Yours,¢¢ Les Taylor.¢ (secretary)¢¢ Thanks for letting us know Steve. This will save Futura readers from wasting their time and money in writing to Stourbridge.¢¢Eds comment: The collapse of this PD library (and ultimately the 8-bit group itself) seems to be due to a lack of commitment from the organisers. If they had really wanted to continue with an 8-bit service all they had to do was place a few adverts in Page 6, 8:16 and the local press. To say it was, "too much for me to handle" and then go on to mention the emergence of an Amiga service is pathetic. They have renamed the user group, the Stourbridge Atari 8-bit & Amiga User Group. Why not just call themselves the Stourbridge Amiga User Group - that's what they will soon be (if not already!). I have only two words to say - SELL OUT!¢¢¢- The 1991 Atari Corp. Financial Report mentions the 8-bit Atari! After no mention whatsoever in the 1990 Report this is indeed a welcome development. Perhaps Atari are thinking again. With the release of Atari Classics in the US we may see a re-birth of Atari's interest in the 8-bit market. This is what Atari had to say in the 1991 Report:¢¢ "Atari's XE (tm) series of computers are targeted for the price concious markets. The 65XE (tm) and 130XE (tm) have 64K and 128K of RAM, and generally retail for less than $100 and $150, respectively. Both are supported by a variety of peripheral equipment and a variety of software titles including entertainment software. This computer line retains compatibility with the Company's previous generation of 8-bit computer systems, i.e. the 400 and 800XL computers."¢¢¢- Futura is now available as a 6-issue subscription. Check the FUTURA.DOC file on this disk for full details.¢
