Loadstar 128 22/q22.d81/t.diskovery 22

Text File | 2022-08-28 | 6KB | 109 lines

                 D I S K O V E R Y : T H E    L O W D O W N

                              by Fender Tucker


     I just saw a new promotion where we're offering two years of LOADSTAR
128 for $54.95.  That's quite a reduction from our regular price and I hope
you take advantage of it.  Long-term subscriptions help out Softdisk's cash
flow and keep the numbers for LS 128 stable.  These days I don't see much
chance for our subscriber numbers growing much but as long as they hover
around the 1000 mark we're in good shape.

     With two million C-128s sold in the 80s the 1000 figure doesn't sound
like much but the numbers for LOADSTAR 128 never made it much higher, even
back in 1988 and 1989 when the C-128 was still being manufactured and sold.
My guess for the reason for this "silicon ceiling" is that most people who
bought C-128s were those who had money to spend on computers and wanted to
have the latest, greatest one.  When IBM wised up in the late 80s and
started making powerful, colorful home computers many of the 128 users
moved on to what they thought was the logical next step.  Commodore, rather
than support and upgrade the C-128, put all its eggs in the Amiga basket.

     The lowdown on all this is that I can see two more years of LOADSTAR
128 -- at least.  I made LOADSTAR 128 LIBRARY handle issues numbered up to
#32, which is two and a half years from now, but don't worry, I can change
it if we go past that issue.  I just want you to know that Softdisk plans
for LOADSTAR 128 to have an organized, user-friendly end, when it happens.
If you renew your subscription for two years, you will get those eight
issues.  You won't be offered a subscription to PC ENNUI or any other IBM
magazine in its place.

     Since this is a lowdown, I have to tell you that the main obstacle to
LS 128's longevity is not subscriber numbers, but quality submissions.  I
have to scramble a little every three months to assemble a disk's worth of
good, useful, entertaining, 80-column programs for the current issue, and
at the same time, have a reasonable number of similar programs in stock for
the next issue.  The lowdown -- on LS 64 I have about forty programs
purchased and ready for future release; on LS 128 I have about three.

     Of course, now that I've discovered the joys of BASIC 7 with CONTROL80
programming, I have no lack of ideas for programs of my own for future
issues.  As much as I enjoy editing LOADSTAR and LOADSTAR 128, there's
nothing I like more than writing programs for the 80-column mode.  If I
could just get the word to the super 128 programmers out there that there's
a cash-paying market for 24 to 30 good 80-column programs every year, I'm
sure my (our) problem will be solved.

     Perhaps you can help.  If you get on line with GEnie, QuantumLink or
other on line services and download a 128 program that interests you, drop
the author some Email, telling them you'd like to see a deluxe version of
the program on LOADSTAR 128.  In a perfect world, this would be my job of
course, but my world is far from perfect and I, frankly, don't like getting
on line.  After eight or nine hours of editing during the day, I like to
indulge myself with my own programs, not with LOADSTAR on line work.  Help
me out.

     Some good news.  I was able to find Lee O. Clinton, a master 128
programmer who wrote some of the best programs on past issues of LOADSTAR
128.  He had been missing (from me, anyway) for the last few years and I
really missed his superb programs.  This means that on LOADSTAR 128 #23 I
have what promises to be THE budget program for the C-128, Lee's PERSONAL
FINANCE 128.  I'm sure you'll enjoy using it almost as much as I enjoy
editing it.

     More good news is on this issue -- Jon Mattson's CONTROL80-C.  It's a
special version of CONTROL80 made especially for card games.  It contains a
very nice cards font and some specialized card game commands like SHUFFLE,
DICE and CARD.  You can count on some new card games and solitaires in the
future, even if I have to write them myself -- which you can bank on.

     An astronomy program is also planned for LS 128 #23, one that will be
modular, allowing information to be updated from issue to issue.  If the
Hubble Telescope is finally fixed (as I'm writing this, the prognosis is
good) there will be plenty of new knowledge about astronomy beaming in
every day.

     Be sure to check out the new, refurbished LOADSTAR 128 LIBRARY on Side
Two of this issue.  With this 22nd issue the number of programs on past
issues is more than 150, and that means it's not easy finding a particular
program.  LIBRARY 128 is faster, smaller and more streamlined than the
previous version published on LS 128 #12, even though it has to deal with a
larger database of programs.

     Finally, the word is out that a C-64 emulator for 286 IBMs is on line
and available for downloads.  I've seen it in action and it works, although
not perfectly.  A much more useful version for 386s and 486s is still in
the works, planned for a 1994 debut.  The reason why this excites me is
that it will soon be possible for you to show your IBM friends what your
computing life is like.  I haven't heard of a C-128 emulator yet, but it
seem to me that it's a natural.  The 80-column screen should actually be
easier to emulate on IBMs because it's virtually the same as the CGA and
EGA modes on IBMs.  If you encounter talk on line about 64-emulation for
IBM machines, please mention that a C-128 emulator would also be a noble
project.

     Conventional wisdom in the computer field usually advocates raving
about how rosy the future is, but I've never been especially wise or
conventional.  The real lowdown is that you have a terrific computer which
may be the last, best "individual hobbyist's" machine ever.  Some of us
just don't fit into the collective consciousness, and when the information
highway rips through our town, we will enjoy watching it from the front
porches of our little 128 houses, a comfortable distance from the highway's
squealing tires, high speed chases and drive-by mayhem.

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