¢FUTURA INTRODUCTION¢Issue 8 - July/August 1993.¢¢¢ Hello everyone and welcome to the eighth issue of Futura: The NOSAUG Newsletter! I must apologise for the delayed release. An explanation is required...¢¢ Just after the release of Futura issue 7, I attempted to produce the NOSAUG PD Catalogue. After working my way through about one quarter of the disks I realised that it was going to be a BIG job which would take many sleepless nights to complete.¢¢ Putting the PD Catalogue on hold for a while, I decided to concentrate on other NOSAUG business: advertisements, NOSAUG PD orders, Futura back issue & sample disk orders and Futura issue 8. I also started my two columns for Page 6.¢¢ By this time it was well into July and I was then offered as much overtime as I wanted from my work. This I could not refuse! I decided to work long hours in order to save for a NOSAUG trip to AMS7. Weekends were spent catching up with NOSAUG PD and Futura orders.¢¢ Before I knew it, it was September! My girlfriend's mother then suggested that we look after her house in Glasgow while she went on holiday to Canada. Two weeks free accomodation in Glasgow? Too good to miss! However, I did take my 8-Bit system with me (much to the annoyance of my girlfriend!).¢¢ During these two weeks, I completed the Page 6 columns, some more NOSAUG PD orders and spent a couple of days on Futura issue 8. Yes, I did take a few days off; to be honest, I needed the break.¢¢ Returning home on the 17th, I had finished about 50% of issue 8. Since then, that's all I've been doing. I've only had maybe 30 hours sleep this week. However, I think it's been well worth it because issue 8 has arrived safe and sound! Perhaps I'm just a glutton for punishment but I've really enjoyed putting this issue together.¢¢ I'd like to thank all of you for being so patient over the past few weeks. You must have been wondering where issue 8 had got to! Those who did write were mostly pleasant and understanding. THANK-YOU!¢¢ Futura will be around for as long as there are 8-Bitters to enjoy it! Issues may occasionally arrive late but they WILL arrive. The release dates published in Page 6 are always difficult to stick to because they are submitted to Les and Sandy months in advance. If a future issue is late please do not worry - I will be doing my very best to get it to you as soon as possible. Running Futura and NOSAUG in my spare time means that work and other commitments must take priority, even though they may not be my preferred option.¢¢ My problem is that I'm a bit of a perfectionist! I prefer to delay the release of an issue rather than rush out a sub-standard disk. Quality is my number one priority! This is why I spend on average 60-70 hours on each issue of Futura. The content is changed over and over again until I feel it strikes the correct balance.¢¢ Moving on, I must tell you that the documentation for software on this disk can be found within a new file called SOFTDOCS. I felt that the Introduction was becoming dominated by this information and so decided to create a separate file. The Introduction will now serve its correct purpose - introduce you to a Futura disk and inform you of any changes or updates!¢¢ There is no Futura Feedback in this issue. Sorry about that but there simply wasn't enough sectors on the disk due to the OHAUG article and the 1993 Survey results. Hints & Cheats, 8-Bit Trivia and The Atari Classic Bookshelf have also taken a rest until issue 9 due to lack of sector space. The time for two large ARCed files may soon be appoaching us!¢¢ All that's left to say is I hope you enjoy this SHAREWARE disk and if your copy is unregistered please send in your regitration fee. Supporting shareware is crucial to the future of the Atari 8-Bit!¢¢ My personal thanks go out to all Futura subscribers for supporting this publication with your hard-earned cash! This truly is YOUR magazine!¢¢¢Keep flying the 8-bit flag!¢¢Stu.¢
