Big Blue Disk 18/bbd18new.zip/DISKOVER.TXT

Text File | 1988-02-02 | 4KB | 61 lines

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^CBy Daniel Tobias

   This is issue #18 of BIG BLUE DISK.  If these were years instead of issues,
it would be old enough to vote.  So you can say it's "come of age."

   You may have noticed that a couple of months ago we dropped the month and
year from the top of our menu screen.  We did this to emphasize that, unlike a
paper magazine or newspaper, BIG BLUE DISK is a software collection that is not
"dated"; it will continue to have value for PC users indefinitely.  While we
run various features to keep you acquainted with what's up in the computer
industry (On The Editor's Desk, for instance), we'll mostly leave it to the
paper media to provide timely news, while we provide lasting value.  Our issues
remain "in print" permanently, and, when I last checked, we were doing a very
brisk business in back issue sales.  Hence, our decision not to firmly tie an
issue to a particular month or year.  (Subscribers get it at a slightly
different time from newsstands, anyway.)

   On the other hand, I'm still keeping count of what month this issue would be
if we were still dating them, and I make use of this information sometimes when
planning material of a seasonal nature such as our Christmas greeting a few
months ago.  Now, it seems we're up to the April issue.  (You might be reading
this in March, but we follow the magazine tradition of dating it a bit ahead.)
What this means is that it's time for our annual tradition: the April Fool
parody issue.  This is our attempt to keep alive a spirit of lightheartedness
that used to be prevalent in the field of computer magazines.  Back in April,
1980, Creative Computing did an excellent spoof issue.  (If you can beg,
borrow, or steal a copy of that classic, I suggest you do; it's hilarious.)
However, since then, publishers have competed with one another to see how dry
and dull they can make their magazines; instead of "fun" and "humor," the
buzzwords are "productivity" and "efficiency."  Our annual April tradition is
intended to keep alive a spirit of fun.

   You may remember last year's (BBD #6) spoof, "A Peek at PC Strife."  After
this was published, the staff of PC Life (the competing diskmagazine we
parodied) called to say how much they liked it.  Our parody even ended up
getting a mention in PC Magazine.  If you don't have a copy, you can order it
from us for $9.95.  (Color graphics are required to run the PC Strife parody.)

   This year, rather than doing a full-fledged parody, we have adopted the
approach of sneakily slipping in a few less-than-fully-serious items throughout
the issue.  Most of the stuff this month is entirely serious.  (Seriously!)
But watch out; there are a few tongue-in-cheek items to keep you on your toes,
plus a magic trick to let you fool your friends into thinking your PC has
gained a stunning new power.

   On the sober side (at 18, BIG BLUE DISK isn't old enough to drink in most
states; that will have to wait until #21), there are some useful programs this
issue.  Check King will get your household budget in order; maybe you'll
finally be able to get your checkbook to balance, and you can keep track of
what you're spending on what.  George Leritte's Print Shop Utilities will help
you make better use of Broderbund's Print Shop program and the Print Shop
graphics we've been publishing.  Home Tutor will help you learn at home.  And,
for some serious fun, we've got Canfield, another solitaire card game.  Like
Klondike a couple of months ago, Canfield works on monochrome or color, and
with keyboard, joystick, or mouse.

   So, don't be a fool:  start running the issue now!