Big Blue Disk 28/bbd28.zip/DISKOVER.TXT

Text File | 1988-11-21 | 4KB | 65 lines

|A╔════════════════════╗════════════════════════════════════╔════════════════════╗
|A║ ^0First Things First |A║═════════════ ^1Diskovery |A════════════║ ^0First Things First |A║
|A╚════════════════════╝════════════════════════════════════╚════════════════════╝
^Cby
^CDaniel Tobias

   I'm writing this on the day after the Presidential elections, that
quadrennial four-years extravaganza that lets all citizens register their votes.
The media is full of vote tallies, reports, and analyses.  In the midst of all
this voting, let me remind you that BIG BLUE DISK, too, lets you cast a vote.
And you don't have to wait four years; we do it every month.

   This is in the "Report Card" feature, which was inaugurated last month.  You
should print out that text file by selecting it from the "Last Things Last"
section of the menu and then pressing F5.  Then, circle appropriate letters (A
through F, like a teacher uses) to let us know what you feel about each item in
the current issue.

   There are two categories for each item: subject matter and quality.  In
grading the subject matter, you tell us how good an idea it is for us to run
that ^1kind^0 of item.  For instance, if we publish a text adventure game and
you like text adventures, give it a high subject-matter rating regardless of
whether you cared for the implementation of that particular game.  Conversely,
if we publish a program for managing a Mongolian yak farm, you non-yak-farmers
can give it a low ranking for subject matter even if its performance is
superlative.  This vote tells what sorts of things you'd like to see more often
on BIG BLUE DISK-- and what sorts of things you'd prefer we ignore.

   The quality line is used to indicate how well-done you consider a particular
program to be.  This is independent of the subject matter ranking; try to be
objective in judging the quality of a program without regard to whether you like
its subject or not.  (You may abstain from voting on a program, if you have no
interest whatsoever in it.)

   Why should you take your time to fill out this survey?  Because your votes
count.  The grades given for programs on the Report Card will have an influence
on our selection of programs for future issues, and let us know if we're living
up to your quality expectations.  So, if you give a landslide vote to the
"Helpware" ticket of useful applications, there will be more of these; if you
vote for the "Fun & Games" party, issues may start being weighted in that
direction; and votes for the "Happy Hacker" contender will also be counted.  Use
the space at the bottom of the form to make your "write-in" comments.

   We hope you elect to subscribe to BIG BLUE DISK, so you can see your feedback
mold the future of our publication.  Call [phone] now to subscribe or
renew!  We can't promise a chicken in every pot or a car in every garage, but we
can give you a disk in every drive.

   At any rate, this issue has something for many different segments of the
electorate.  Home Inventory helps you catalog your possessions, a must for
insurance claims and burglarized-property recoveries.  The Game of Life is an
excellent implementation of a classic mathematical recreation; you'll be
fascinated by the patterns that develop from the application of simple rules to
graphic patterns.  Keyboard Buffer lets fast typists get more keystrokes ahead
of their PC's; Fourcard satisfies the cravings of solitaire addicts; The BASIC
Quiz tests your programming knowledge; and PC-Notes keeps your memos to yourself
at your fingertips.

   If all that wasn't enough, our bonus feature, The Lost Crown of Queen Anne,
sends you into the desert in search of a missing treasure.  This text adventure
game includes on-screen help to eliminate the frustration which so many text
adventures provide when you can't figure out their vocabularies.

   Cast your vote for good software every month: run BIG BLUE DISK!