News-Disk issue 6¢-----------------¢¢Editorial by Dean Garraghty.¢----------------------------¢¢Welcome to issue 6 of the News-Disk. This one has been quite easy to put together, because I had some excellent articles from the newsnet. Thanks to Allan Palmer for submitting an article, which you will also find on this issue. Thanks also to James Haworth for agreeing to compile a list of high scores for the News-Disk.¢¢Articles! I still need articles for future issues of the News-Disk. The news-disk is now available on nearly every BBS system in the US, and some other countries as far away as Norway, Australia, and New Zealand! The number of readers in the US alone comes to several hundred! NOW is the time to submit those articles, letters, and adverts! Also, you may have heard of a new magazine starting in the US called Atari Classics. This is to be an 8-bit only magazine. I have been appointed UK correspondent for this magazine, and I know the proposed staff quite well. I have already submitted some people's articles to the editor and he is soon going to ask me to get in contact with those people for publishing rights. You will be paid a small token payment for these. So, submitting to the news-disk is just the first step to getting it published in the new magazine!!¢¢If UK subscribers reading this received their mail-shots, then you should know that I am considering producing the News-Disk on paper.¢This may increase the price a little, but I think it will look better. Of course, electronic copies will still be produced for the US and the rest of the world. The news-disk belongs to you! I make nothing from it. All copies are distributed free around the world. It's entirely up to you how it is produced. I would be grateful if every subscriber could write to me to let me know your opinions on this.¢¢PD price restructuring. I realised recently, that the PD pricing structure is a bit of a mess! What happens if you want 11 or 12 disks? Do I have to pay full price for the extra ones over 10? Well, this should clear it up:¢¢ No. of disks price¢ 1-9 2pounds a¢ disk¢ 10-19 1.50 a disk¢ 20+ 1.25 a disk¢¢Don't forget: the PD library supports the News-Disk!¢¢Digi-Studio. Since the last issue of the news-disk went out, I have finished another part of Digi-Studio. Package 1.5 is now available offering new programs, tunes, and samples. See the file ADVERTS.DOC for full details and an order form. For those who have not heard what sort of thing Digi-Studio can do, the tune played during boot-up was a fragment from View to a Kill, played in Pan Pipes, created using Digi-Studio.¢¢I would very much like to exhibit at a computer show sometime during the summer. This will probably be somewhere in the North, because that's where most of my customers seem to be located! It will probably be in Sheffield. If anyone would be interested in coming to such a show, then please could you let me know. We don't want to stand there like melons waiting for somebody to turn up! I have arranged for the usual bunch of misfits to come and help out (!!), and also a new hardware supplier to come and exhibit next to us, so you won't just be visiting us! I would take the PD library along, used software, Digi-Studio and the likes so there would be plenty to see! Also, we'll be at AMS again this year. Details of this are likely to available in about a month.¢¢Blank disks. I don't pretend to be a blank disk supplier, but I do buy lots of blank disks for the PD library, news-disk, etc. Because I buy in bulk I get a good price. However, some people have no use for hundreds of disks at a time, so I am willing to supply blank disks in boxes of 10 for 3.50 a box inc. P&P. That's cheap! The disks are good quality and boxed and sealed with labels.¢¢This issue, I have the following goodies on the disk:¢¢SAM.DOC - an article about an excellent sounding new desktop style environment from Germany.¢¢QUICK.DOC - an article about the new Quick programming language from Germany.¢¢SUPPLIER.DOC - a list of all the companies and magazines still supporting the Atari, from the US, UK, and Canada.¢¢REEVE.DOC - an article by Alan Reeve (late of Reevesoft) about his GOS system, and why he no longer supports the Atari.¢¢DSINFO2.DOC - an article by me explaining the features of Digi-Studo in more detail.¢¢NSTATREV.DOC - an article about News Station.¢¢A80012XL.DOC - an article discussing some differences between the Atari 800 and 1200XL.¢¢ADVERTS.DOC - the adverts, including full info about the new package of Digi-Studio.¢¢HISCORES.DOC - this is a new regular feature starting this issue. A list of game high scores is being compiled by James Haworth. Please write direct to James (his address is in the file) with your high scores.¢¢SPIRAL.BAS - a nice little Basic program to print spirals.¢¢I should mention that I have hit problems with Textpro 4.56XE in the PD library. It appears that the manual supplied is incomplete. Please don't order this disk until I can sort the problem out.¢¢Also, CC65 now comes on 5 DS/SD disks, but the price remains the same at 5pounds. I should also point out that it only seems to work properly with SpartaDos.¢¢Check out the PD catalogue for new disks! A few new pieces of used software are also available.¢¢Dean Garraghty.¢16 June 1992.¢¢During the writing of this editorial I received a phone call. A good friend of mine from university had been tragically killed in a cycling accident at home. I would like to dedicate this issue to Pete Marrows who, although not an Atari user himself, was always ready to critisize my work for the Atari! He was quite involved with the testing of package 1.5 of Digi-Studio, and helped design the Digi-Studio PD demo. He often read through bits of my articles for the news-disk, and gave opinions via facial expressions! A sad loss........¢
