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2022-08-26
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A BIT OF LOADSTAR FLOTSAM
From LS #138
DISKOVERY: MOM AND POP RULE!
by Fender Tucker
Mom and Pop companies aren't
given much respect in the 90s. The
current philosophy is that if your
company isn't headed towards the
Fortune 500 then it's headed for
bankruptcy. Fortune seems to think
500 companies are all this country
needs.
[2003 Perspective]: It's getting
worse. The kids don't want to take Mom
and Pop's place, so Fortune's
Favorites gobble up the blood, sweat,
and tears, and turn it over to an over
paid exec who is inordinately proud of
his parachute.
I've always considered Softdisk a
Mom and Pop company because even when
its megalomania was at its peak, it
still only had about 100 employees.
And while I can vaguely imagine Al
Vekovius as a wise-cracking Citizen
Kane, Judi Mangham has always been
"Mom" to me. Well, at least until we
got married.
In my opinion, there'd still be a
RUN and Gazette if they hadn't been
owned by huge publishing cartels.
They were still quite profitable by
my standards, but not enough to suit
the suits in their puny 20-story
towers in New Hampshire and North
Carolina.
But life is change; that's how it
differs from the rocks. And even
though Softdisk has been a Mom and
Pop organization for 14 years now,
it's time for a new Pop. Al and Judi
recently came to an agreement where
LOADSTAR has split from Softdisk and
is now published by J & F Publishing,
Inc. That's the company that has
Judi and me as Mom and Pop.
You will not notice much change,
except for our copyright boxes.
Softdisk will continue to do all of
the mundane things: copying and
mailing disks, taking orders, tech
support, stuffing envelopes, etc. But
now Judi and I will make decisions
about marketing and promotion. Or
rather, Judi will, since I've still
got the money-making sensibilities of
a Karl Marx. I was planning on
moving from Grand Exalted Mojo to CEO
but after a call from Maurice Jones
reminding me of all of the nasty
things I've written about the "High
Sheriffs", I didn't even argue with
Judi when she took over the biggest
chair in the penthouse.
So really all that's changed is
that from now on when an idea pops
up, we won't have a meeting; instead,
Judi, Jeff and I will go out for
pizza at lunchtime and talk about it.
You don't have to worry about Judi or
me getting ambitious and wanting to
move on to bigger and better things.
I smoked all the ambition out of my
system years ago. I just want to
keep putting LOADSTARs together until
I can cash in an annuity in 2006 and
spend the rest of my life collecting
and reading books.
Just call me "Pop".
[HERE DAVE ENTERS THE TALE 2000]
The above change-over took place
just 5 years and 3 months ago. Now,
LOADSTAR has changed its "Mom" and
"Pop." These things aren't supposed
to happpen. When an interloper calls
with a ridiculous idea about a
Pentium Computer magazine from
Classic software, even Grand Mojos
don't say "Go for it, Dave!"
Certainly CEOs would look twice at
such a deal.
I expected Fender to be at my
elbow, looking over my shoulder, and
generally Mojoing around eLOADSTAR.
He did keep an eye on the project.
But he made it clear that I was in
charge.
Wow! Thousands of incredibly
great programs in the LOADSTAR
Library -- and all at my disposal!
Last year, I essentially dumped all
the book work on Judi -- and all she
said is, "Do you want your check now,
or wait until later?" That is [not]
how it is supposed to work!
Then last fall, Sheri and I
decided that if J & F was not going
to continue LOADSTAR, we should try
our hand at it. We met with J & F in
October to work out the deal (which
is quite nice for both parties) and
insure a smooth switch-over to the
Tower West.
Then around the Second of
January, Fender called. "Here it is!
Good luck!" Judi emailed the book
work data for Sheri to continue. And
we will definitely need ideas,
suggestions, and moral support from
Shreveport. For one thing, the 1541
disks will still be copied by J & F,
since they have the copier. Fender is
even willing to divy up the programs
to the four sides of the 1541. This
year.
For my part, I discovered that
putting together a LOADSTAR was much
more difficult than composing
eLOADSTAR. The programs here have
been tested and proven workable.
LOADSTAR will have new software,
which means more quality testing and
tweaking. But, at least so far, I
really enjoy quality testing and
tweaking.
The LOADSTAR adventure continues
-- heading (I hope) in some new
directions. But with each month, a
new floor is added to the Mighty
LOADSTAR Tower. Even as I type, Sheri
is copying and stuffing LS #200's on
1581 disks.
Who'da Thunk!
DMM
[And 20 Floors LATER:]
Well, ahem, we missed a few issues
over the last two years. eLOADSTAR had
to go by the wayside. Sorry to those
who enjoyed the "One Button" PC
program. But on the otherhand, we quit
using the Frodo emulator and went to
VICE -- which just keeps getting
better and better.
I am rushing to get this issue
finished before I go to Pastor's
School in Denver. My professional
position requires 20 contact hours
with [new ideas], which may sound
strange if you are unfamiliar with
practical religion. In a way, it is
also a chance for Sheri and I go get
out and have some fun. One year, I
skipped classes to go downtown for the
Bronco's Super Bowl Victory parade.
Two years in the Tower has been
like a month and a half. I am still
excited about what the C-64 can do --
and wait with bated breath for the
CommodoreOne to make its debut.
[SHERI'S INTERJECTION]: Bated with
worms. THAT explains it!
And we keep finding new and
interesting things to bring to you.
Our new email subscriptions have
overtaken losses. I can't grump about
the subscriptions that have been
canceled. In most cases, the reason is
that a LOADSTARite has moved on to a
higher and -- we are sure -- better
place. Such is life. The mortality
statistics haven't changed: every
birth is equaled with a death.
But not LOADSTAR. Not yet! The
Home Tower project is very rewarding,
though I am surprised that more 1541
users haven't taken the plunge.
During these two years, I have
become a tad more humble. Before
embarking on this adventure, I was
certain that, given the opportunity, I
would be the world's greatest business
person and marketer. The fact is, I am
not driven by that SUV! I love to
play. Putting out LOADSTAR is, most of
the time, pure, unadulterated play.
Don't tell my congregation, but so
is clergy work -- at least for me.
Eighty-nine percent of the time, I do
things that are fun and/or rewarding.
I just don't know how I became so
fortunate. Brer God calls me right
into the briar patch, and Fender hands
me a 199 Story Tower and says, "Go for
it!"
Well, that's my State of the Tower
speech for 2003. Another exciting year
is stretched out before us. Do stick
around. You can never know what will
happen next!
DMM