Loadstar 128 37/q37.d81/t.viewpoint 37

Text File | 2022-08-28 | 8KB | 162 lines

   V I E W P O I N T : T H E   F U T U R E  O F   L O A D S T A R   1 2 8

                              by Bob Markland


    When LOADSTAR 128 was launched 9 years ago Fender Tucker was managing
editor, there were two associate editors and a whole bevy of support
personnel. But those days are gone forever. For the last 18 months Fender
has been the Grand Exalted Mojo, I have been a contributing editor and Judi
Mangham has held everything together as CEO and driving-force behind the
scenes.

    Then one fateful day last December Fender sat down to write his
editorial for Issue #36. He happened to be particularly frustrated at the
prospect of doing justice to both LOADSTAR 64 and LOADSTAR 128 and dared to
suggest that one day LOADSTAR 128 would come to an end.

    Almost immediately the rumors began to fly: LOADSTAR 128 was going down
in flames. But NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH! As long as there
are enough loyal subscribers to keep the wolf away from the door there will
be a new issue every quarter.

    As a point of law LOADSTAR 128 belongs to Judi and Fender. As a point
of fact, LOADSTAR 128 belongs to you! Without you, we cannot exist. And to
maintain the high standards LOADSTAR 128 has achieved I must have your
help. Here is what I need:

 1. PROGRAMS - One of Fender's greatest frustrations (and the reason some
issues have been delayed) is finding enough good programs to fill an issue.
You may have noticed that Fender and I have written as many as half the
programs on some recent issues. But this isn't the "Fender and Bob Show."
Surely there are a multitude of good 128 programs out there. Please help me
find them.

    Fender prefers 80-column programs, and for the most part, I do too.
However, I believe there is a real potential for 40-column programs as
well. (See "1000 Miler on LS128 #36). The only real restriction I have
placed concerns the graphics commands (e.g. BOX, LINE, CIRCLE, etc.) By all
means use these commands sparingly to create effects, but don't make the
user wait the better part of the evening while a complex picture is drawn.
It's simple to BLOAD a complete graphic in a matter of seconds.

    If you have written a 128 program you feel would be of interest to a
reasonable number of subscribers, by all means send it to me. On the other
hand, time is money. If there is a program you would like to write, send me
a query or call me with your idea BEFORE you put your heart and soul into
it. This can save a great deal of aggravation and minimize the possibility
of a rejection slip.

    Perhaps you don't feel you have enough experience to write a LOADSTAR
program. No problem. I will be happy to co-author programs, sharing the
byline and payment. Send me what you have and I will make an offer, based
on how much work each of us must do to get the program ready for
publication.

    If you have any Public Domain programs that meet or could be upgraded
to LOADSTAR standards, by all means send them to me.

 2. INPUT - Living in the hinterland, as I do, is much like living in a
vacuum. The only two people I know face-to-face who own Commodores have
purchased them used within the last year. In all honesty I don't have my
finger on the pulse of the Commodore community. But I could, with your
help.

    I welcome suggestions, ideas, comments; and yes even criticism. The
more I know about what the majority of you are thinking and what you want
LOADSTAR 128 to be, the more likely it is that LOADSTAR 128 can reach its
full potential.

    Perhaps there are many others like me who are isolated and I believe
this is a good reason to resurrect the "Forum" as a regular feature. In
this way we can all share news, views and information.

 3. PATIENCE - Unlike the crew in Shreveport, LOADSTAR is not my primary
source of income. So I don't work full-time as managing editor. As a result
it may occasionally take time for me to respond to letters and queries.
Please bear with me. My primary concern at this point is to put together a
superior product on a predictable schedule.

 4. PROGRAMS - See #1 above.


    It's unlikely that you will see any sweeping changes in the content or
look of LOADSTAR 128. Why tinker with success? Besides, Fender remains the
Grand Exalted Mojo, just in case I end up too far out in left field.

    Beginning with this issue there are subtle changes. There have always
been a few things I would have done a little differently, and now that I
can, I have.

    LOADSTAR LIBRARY (on this issue) is a case in point. The search
function has always been case sensitive and to locate a name, for example,
the user was expected to enter search criteria in a combination of
uppercase and lowercase to achieve the desired result. Is an author listed
as E.G Bell, e.g. Bell or e.g. bell? Who knows? Now you can enter "e.g. b"
and find all three. And, you may have noticed the database for the library
had a rather cryptic method of identifying the issue and category. Now the
first line of each record lists the issue in arabic numerals, followed by a
letter designation for the category.

    In all likelihood general content will remain much the same as it has
been. Our demographics, as un-scientific as they may be, indicate that the
typical LOADSTAR subscriber is older than the median for the U.S. For this
reason there probably won't be many "slide-and-shoot" arcade type games.
However, many subscribers are introducing their children and grandchildren
to the Commodore, so you may expect to see programs which appeal to a
diverse audience.

    "Quantity" is another subject that has often been discussed in both the
64 and 128 "Forum." One frequent comment has been "I didn't care for this
or that. Don't waste any more disk space with this type of program." While
we welcome all comments and keep track of the majority opinion, it is
unlikely that one or two negatives will cause something to be discontinued.
Instead, please look at LOADSTAR as you would a paper magazine. Many people
read some, or most of the articles, but seldom each and every one. Yet they
feel they got their money's worth, even though 30% or more of the content
is advertising. If only one program on an issue helps you solve a problem
or entertains you for an evening, it's no more expensive than a new tool or
price of going to a movie.

    This also relates to a question posed by some subscribers who receive
the 1581 version. On occasion, in the distant past, a few extra articles or
PD programs were added to the 1581 disk because of all the empty space
remaining. This practice has been permanently discontinued because of the
time and expense involved in procuring the extra material. Beyond that,
those who cannot afford to buy another disk drive feel cheated if the 1581
version has programs their disk does not.

    Eliminating disk swaps and reducing the incidence of damaged disks is
and always was the purpose of the 1581 version. So if you receive your
LOADSTAR on a 3-1/2 inch disk, please try to put this in perspective. The
next time you go shopping, if your purchases don't completely fill the bag,
I trust you won't hold your breath until the grocer tops it off with more
stuff just because the bag has a greater capacity.

    As you peruse this issue you will find programmers' utilities, a
bowler's aid, a sign language tutor, an excellent arcade/adventure game,
and more. You will also find STAR BOOT II, which is a corrected version of
Star Boot, published on Issue #36. The original version was renumbered by
LOADSTAR, which caused serious problems. We apologize to you for any
inconvenience this may have caused, and to Bill Laabs for the extra work we
caused him in setting things right. Use STAR BOOT II with confidence, but
please DO NOT renumber if you wish to make any modifications. The same
problems will rear their ugly head again.


    In closing, I would like to emphasize the importance of your role in
the continued success of LOADSTAR 128. I would really like to hear from as
many of you as possible. At this point nothing is set in concrete. LOADSTAR
128 can be anything you want it to be.

    Now, if you have turned off the background music, please tu