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INTRO.DOC
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1992-09-21
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WHY OVERBYTE?
Because the world of magazines is changing.
Economic and environmental pressures are at work,
making it the perfect time for a magazine that is (1)
old-fashioned enough to want to serve as wide an
audience as possible and (2) modern enough to
realize that chopping down trees isn't the best way
to deliver that package.
What I'm proposing here is a bi-monthly
(to begin with, at least) magazine on disk that presents
the best of current non-fiction plus a healthy smattering of
fiction: articles on everything from crime, food and music to
politics, entertainment and history - just about anything,
in fact, that good writers can get excited about and then
pass that excitement on to readers.
In addition to that, I propose to take
advantage of the on-disk format and the growing popularity
of easier-to-read screens on laptops (especially the Apple
Powerbook) to make each copy of OVERBYTE as personalized
as possible. For example, if you are more interested in
stories about science than crime, your copy will contain
more stories about science and fewer (or none at all -
you decide) about crime. If you'd like an issue with nothing
but stories about music (or movies, or politics) in it,
that's what you'll get.
Another unusual feature of OVERBYTE (at least in
terms of electronic magazines) is that I plan to pay
writers for their work, by charging readers a fee and
by selling advertising space. People who use computers
not only buy computer-related products but other
necessities of life - or so I'm told.
So skim through this free sample issue, then decide
if you'd like more of the same (and even better)
kind of thing on a regular basis. Read WILL THERE BE A
SECOND ISSUE? from the main menu, then reply by typing
ORDER at the DOS prompt. To personalize your issues,
use your word processor to read and reply to the
questions in PERSONAL.DOC, print it and include it
with your order. Thanks in advance for your time.
This issue uses a licensed copy of a remarkable
program called WRITER'S DREAM, by Jeff Napier of Another
Company. To my mind, it's the best - i.e., the least
complicated - of the text readers around. If I planned
a very technical publication, I'd probably use some fancier
Hypertext program to let you jump around at the touch of a
key. But I don't do much of that myself, and I expect I'm
pretty much of an average reader. WRITER'S DREAM does have
some nice effects: hit F1 for ways to change colors, add
sound effects (if you insist) and let the program scroll by
itself at adjustable speeds.
Once again, welcome to the first but hopefully not
the last issue of OVERBYTE. See you on the floppies...
Dick Adler
Editor
DICK ADLER has been a magazine and newspaper
editor in New York (at ARGOSY, TRUE and LIFE),
London (TOWN, SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE) and for
the last 22 years in Los Angeles (TV GUIDE,
NEW WEST, LOS ANGELES TIMES and HERALD EXAMINER).
He has written two books, and more than 500
articles for magazines in America and England.