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The LOADSTAR Roving Reporter
=== ======== ====== ========
goes to the M.A.R.C.A. Fair 85
==== == === ========== ==== ==
by: Joel Ellis Rea
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Commodore
User's Association (MARCA) is an or-
ganization of user's groups, like the
Toronto PET User's Group (TPUG). Each
year since 1984 (long history, huh?)
MARCA has held a Computer Fair, where
users, programmers, vendors and speak-
ers who are associated with the world
of Commodore home computers can get
together. This year, LOADSTAR was one
of the vendors, and I went along as a
reporter.
The Fair was held in the luxurious
Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel and Con-
vention Center in King of Prussia, PA.
It lasted from Friday, July 26 through
Sunday the 28th.
Those vendors who had their own
booth at MARCA were Abacus Software,
Ahoy!, Apogee Software, Avalon Hill
Game Co., Cardinal Software, Cgr
Microtech Inc., COMAL User's Group
Ltd, Commodore Business Machines,
Comp-U-Save, Computer Specialties
Inc., CP3 Inc., Custom Programming
Group Inc., CW-Communications (RUN).
Didak Manufacturing, Disktronics,
Donaldson's Computer Supplies, Fiscal
Information Inc., Floppy House
Software, FS! Software, Genesis
Computer Corp., Gold Disk Inc.,
Grolier Electronic Publishing, Handic
Software, Info Designs, Leisure Time
Computerware, LOADSTAR.
MARCA, Master Software, Micro-Pace
Computers Inc., Micro-W Distributing
Inc., Microphys, Okidata, PlayNET
Inc., Pro-Tech Protective Cover,
Progressive Peripherals and Software.
Quality Compu Covers Inc., R. J.
Brachman Associates, Schulace
Enterprises, Software Plus, Starpoint
Software, Swap-A-Dore Trader, Tab
Books Inc., Test Technology Inc., The
Compucats, The Guide, The Transactor,
Toronto PET User's Group, Viewdata
Corp. of America, Welwyn-Currah and
Wilanta Art.
Other vendors who shared a booth
with someone included Quantum
Computer Services (who announced
their QuantumLink network at the
Commodore booth) and Nth Digit
Solutions.
There were many good seminars with
excellent speakers. There was no way
for one reporter to see them all, but
subjects included: Writing about
Computers, Getting Started in
Telecommunications, Intro to Pascal,
COMAL in Depth, Transfer HiRes
Pictures Between Graphics Programs,
The Impact of Computers on Life.
Interfacing Non-CBM Printers,
Intro to Machine Language, Programming
Music in ML, Computer as Artist's
Tool, Intro to Word Processing, Intro
to FORTH, Converting BASIC to ML,
Accessing the Cartridge Port,
Computer-Aided Design, Designing
Interactive Games.
Computer Newcomer's Survival
Guide, Graphics Programs Reviewed,
Using Word Processing, 1541 Disk Drive
Maintenance, Intro to COMAL, Program-
ming RELative Files, C-64 Sound, News-
letter Editors, Pro-Line Software,
CP/M and CBM
Talk to Commodore, Getting Started
with your Disk Drive, Music Programs
Reviewed, Intro to COMAL Graphics,
Using Database Management Programs,
Running Your Own BBS.
Inside Commodore DOS, Improving
Your ML Programming, Using the
Interrupt, Librarians, How to Become
Rich and Famous, Interactive Video
Disk Adventures, Evaluating Software,
Intro to Spread-sheets, Intro to
BASIC.
How to Program SEQuential Files,
Game Writing Work-Shop, C-64
Graphics, Program Coordinators,
Computers and Music, Computers and
the Media - A Discussion, Quick
Diagnosis and Repair of the C64,
Engineering & Scientific Analysis.
Using Electronic Spreadsheets,
Interfacing CBM with Non-CBM
Computers, Principles of Structured
Programming, Programming C-64
Sprites, KERNAL I/O, ML Programming
Workshop, Treasurers, Copyright and
Patent Law, Computers & Psychology.
Scientific Applications of the C64,
1541 Disk Drive Discussion, Making
Programs "Friendly", Hardware
Interfacing, Presidents, Women in
Computing - A Discussion, Using the
Information Networks, Just What Good
is a Computer Anyway, Aircraft Design
with the C-64 and Programming the
Interrupt. Whew!
An attendee could only pick any 12
of these to attend - fewer if any
were two-parters (like COMAL in
Depth)!
The speakers were Louis Sander,
Bill Pytlovany, Arnold Friedman,
Borge Christensen, Len Lindsay
(Captain COMAL), Evelyn Manso, Randy
Chase, Morton Kevelson
Don Lewis, Ryo Kawasaki, Miles
Kurland, Dr. Hanson Kappelman, Dr.
Richard Halapin, John Fluharty,
Michael Peltier, Wesley James, Hank
Terefenko, Louis Sander, Barbara
Steinman, Valerie Kramer.
Jim Butterfield, Steve Punter,
Brian Templeton, Luke Mester, Baczor
& Gracely, Walt Loundsbury, Howard
Gazes, Melinda Skelton, Linda Levin,
Geoffrey Turner.
Dr. Richard Immers, John Krout,
Shelly Roberts, Deb Christensen, Joe
Harding, Dr. Andy Skelton, S. Brown
Pulliam, Joe Rutkowski, Wayne Shmidt,
Pat Cooney and Hyram Cook! Those are
some HEFTY NAMES in Commodore Land!
I made it a point to attend all of
the COMAL seminars once, and also Ryo
Kawasaki's "Programming Music in ML"
and Dr. Richard Immer's (co-author of
the Datamost book by the same name)
"Inside Commodore DOS". The COMAL
seminars are discussed in an article
in this issue's COMAL Corner section.
The others, and many of the new and
exciting products I saw, are
discussed in the article following
this!
===== Continued in Next Article ======