This file contains letters from our subscribers, along with answers from our editors and programmers. We also have a file of letters which contains comments from our subscribers that don't need a response. That file is available as our "SUBSCRIBER COMMENTS" column.
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Dear Sean:
I've been a subscriber since issue 75 and have enjoyed each issue. In fact, I look forward to receiving the disks like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.
The change in format to support VGA is nice. The menu system and presentation of the entire package is very well done. I was satisfied with the EGA version, but the switch is ok.
I think that the idea of presenting a SHAREWARE product with each issue is great. The programs that your staff has been producing are all high calibre, and quite varied in nature. But offering other authors' products for review is a real PLUS. I wasn't especially pleased with the offering this time, but you can't please all the people all of the time. Keep those SHAREWARE programs coming, please!
The inclusion of a real article ("Industry News") to read was a pleasure to see. The content and presentation made me feel as though I was reading a magazine, rather than just running programs on my machine. I would like to see this idea expanded on. More articles covering the constantly changing PC industry. Sure I could read the trade papers, and I do, but the more that I can read, the more I can learn.
I do have one question/problem that I would like addressed. On past issues, I have tried to print the PCX images using the PRINT button in the viewer program and always get the message that there isn't enough memory on my machine. Where is the memory requirement (on the processor, or on the printer) and how much is required to print the average image that you offer? I have 4MB of RAM on my system but no additional memory in the printers than that which is standard.
I would like to see the REPORT CARD as an interactive document that could be filled in and then printed.
Keep up the great work, and let the rest of the staff know that their work is greatly appreciated!
Sincerely,
R. Kent Soldevilla
Middleboro, MA
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Dear Mr. Kent:
Thank you for your nice letter. I certainly appreciate your support and I'm glad you liked my industry news article. I'll be doing more such articles in the future.
The problem you are having with our PCX Viewer problem is well-known to us. What is happening is quite simple. When you print to a laser printer, the program attempts to image the graphic in memory. Because laser printers have such high resolution the image is too large to fit in available memory. Many laser printers require up to two megabytes of memory to image a page. Obviously there are other methods to generate the image before sending it to a laser printer, but PCX Viewer was written before laser printers became prevalent and so doesn't support them well. We are working on a fix for this, but I promise you, it is not simple to work out.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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To: Softdisk Publishing
Re: Cribbage Companion
This is a note to inform you of a serious programming flaw I have discovered. Though it has become painfully apparent that the majority of the hands dealt favor the dealer (computer), I cannot really complain since I have won the majority of the matches. . .
The flaw discovered is when you (the player) are required to play all your cards which keep the total under 31. Why? The computer doesn't!!! On several occasions I have found the computer hiding a card which would have been playable. I feel it is just so that he can play the last card and get that final point, which during the final stages of a game allows him to count out ahead of you.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my subscription over the past three years and have found many enjoyable programs. I purchased several of the back issues to get some of the "Print Shop Graphics"" and now have a collection of over 3000 different graphics which I utilize. (I did purchase some of the graphics from a shareware company).
Keep up the good work. I for one do not use or care for Windows, but I do know many people who do, so I have no objection to those programs or clip art designed for them.
Thanks for letting me get this gripe off my chest.
R. Santana
Jax, FL
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Dear R. Santana:
I have passed your comment on to the individual who programmed Cribbage and he is looking into it. We are probably going to upgrade Cribbage Companion to VGA soon so fixing the problem you pointed out will be added to a growing list of suggestions. Thanks for pointing it out to us.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Dear ODM:
I am an old subscriber, but I quit as I had an XT and did not feel I was getting my money's worth. I gave my XT to my granddaughter and bought the 386DX -- Now I am happy --
You may have done this earlier, but I have a grocery program in GWBASIC that allows me to do my grocery shopping. I have had it so long I cannot remember where I got it. Anyway, I list the items as they are stored in the store -- I go through the list -- enter the items I want and print the list once through the store -- then check out. The grocery store will give you the list as to how the items are shelved.
Russell Hardin
Jacksonville, FL
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Mr. Hardin:
Our owner and C.E.O., Mr. Al Vekovius, has suggested a similar program, but with a more graphic approach. I'll discuss this with him again. For now let me throw this into an open forum. How about it everybody? Do you agree with Mr. Hardin? Should we work on a program like that? Let me know.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Attn: Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager
I really enjoyed your astronomy essay. Being curious, I wanted to find out more about a PARSEC. Several times I have encountered the term, but my dictionary did not describe how it was derived.
I checked your calculations with my pocket calculator (9 significant figures).
Please re-examine your formula: "This would give a distance of (93,000,000 miles) x 1 /(cos 1 sec)" The solution to this equation as written is the assumed distance to the sun = 93,000,000 miles.
According to my knowledge of trigonometry, the cosine of this small angle is almost zero. The sine of the angle is what you need, or within the limits of the distance to SOL, the tangent would also give a similar answer. My calculator indicates:
1 second of arc = 2,777777778E-04 degrees
The tangent or sine of this 1 second angle is
4.848136811E-06.
The cosine of this angle is 1.
The answer you have is correct to the significant number of places that appear to be proper. My calculator gives the value of 1.918565698E13, or to 3 significant figures it would be 1.92 trillion miles.
This is really a small thing to write a letter about, but I spent quite a while figuring out what didn't seem quite right to me. The whole consideration will not have any significant impact on the immediate future of the world or my retirement.
All in all I enjoyed your program, the quiz and the new direction for ODM.
Thank you,
Robert L. Satterlee
San Diego, CA
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Mr. Satterlee:
Thank you for your kind words and your expressed interest in my astronomy essay. Since I was once in training to become a physicist, astronomy is still a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I am certainly glad that you, and many other subscribers, seemed to take a lot of interest in the essay, as well as the quiz.
My calculations for a parsec were pretty rough, after rounding the distance to the sun to two significant digits, calculating beyond two significant digits is not accurate, so I just rounded things off. (Getting lazy about things like that these days...)
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Dear Sirs:
I am writing to congratulate you for your excellent efforts in putting together ODM. I am a subscriber since Issue #41, and I am a hard-core ODM fan. I also have a love for your arcade games, especially Dark Designs, Legends of Murder, Catacomb, and Deep Sea Diver. I feel that now the only games you offer are solitaire games and puzzles, which I like, but not as much.
Overall, I love every issue and simply hope they could come more often! Keep up the incredibly excellent work!
Jonathan E. Spring
San Francisco, CA
ADDENDUM:
The map/geography quizzes were terrific. How about more of them? Better yet, team up with the State Department to do this and distribute them widely. In the 1990s, "geography literacy" will continue to be more and more important. The content of your lessons is helpful. Updates or focused studies (e.g. eastern Europe) from changing regions would be great too.
David B. Spring (Jonathan's dad)
San Francisco, CA
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Mr. Spring & Mr. Spring:
Jonathan:
Thanks for the kind words. Your letter also asked for help with Dark Designs. I have passed that on to our Technical support staff, so you should have received a call by now.
David:
The "map/geography quizzes" you are referring to must be from the "GeoTutor" series. Yes we do plan on updating and republishing GeoTutors in the future. Unfortunately the programs you refer to used a graphic library (called "metashell") that we had so many problems with that we have decided not to use it any longer. We have to design some graphic routines of our own before we can do another GeoTutor, but that is high on my list of priorities.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Dear ODM:
Love your mouse access for the opening. Wonderful graphics. I didn't like your comment in the Editor's corner "President Clinton and her husband". What's the problem, women who have worked hard and are more intelligent frighten you? You almost lost my subscription over that comment.
Does the columns section just take up a small portion of the screen? You cannot enlarge it to fill the screen?
Excellent, Excellent, keep up the good work. What is the shareware fee for the Klondike Game? Love it.
S.M.Wisneksi
Dover, DE
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Dear S. M. Wisneksi:
Thank you for your nice comments. I apologize if my little "dig" at President Clinton and his wife bothered you. It was meant in fun and not as a serious criticism either of President Clinton (who I did not vote for, but feel has done better than I expected) or his wife (who I also did not vote for and feel has done much more than I expected). I should have realized that such a comment would bother some people. Believe me, strong women don't frighten me any more than strong men, unless I disagree with their politics. Then I am frightened by both species!
The Klondike game is available from the author at the fee listed in the program's documentation. I am not allowed to mention the amount of the fee here or the address to send it to as part of the deal for publishing it on ODM in the first place. The author has a presentation that he wants people to see, mostly selling other shareware programs he has written.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Re: ODM 84
Subject: Halloween Hijinx
At level 10, there is only one key, and two gates to go through.
IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
J.R.Lilley
Boise, ID
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Mr. Lilley:
You are right! You can't solve level 10 in Halloween Hijinx with one key!!! You need the extra key from level 9 too.
Hope that helps.
Sean Golden, ODM Product Manager}
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Dear ODM:
If I can use even one program in an issue, I feel my money is well spent. Everything about a computer is still an exciting adventure to me -- I hope I never become jaded. I'm only sorry I didn't know about ODM a long time ago.
I just ordered 2 back issues. Did you change your name from "Big Blue Disk" to ODM or was there a merger?
BBD #37 with the "Duplicate File Finder" was more than worth the cost. I had no idea I had so many duplicate files on disk. It has cleared literally way over 100,000 bytes off my hard drive.
The Laser Show on BBD #4 -- is there any way I can run this as a screen saver program? How would I convert it -- if I can.
Oh, and I'm thrilled with the Win Decor program that randomly changes the wallpaper each time I turn on the computer.
I subscribe to 25 other magazines. Yours is the most exciting, intriguing, fun & useful "magazine" I take. How do you survive without ads?? (Yea!)
Barb Blanks
Garland, TX
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Dear Ms. Blanks:
Thanks for your nice comments. We are always glad to hear from happy customers. When we first started publishing our PC product we were called Big Blue Disk. We decided to change the name a few years ago. How do we survive without ads? We haven't had a need for ads since we began, and we don't have a lot of room for advertisements anyway, so we have managed to keep our prices at a point that allows us to maintain profitability while still offering the best product we can provide.
