AN EDITOR REPLIES
Dear PAGE 6,
In issue 8, Mr B. of Herts encourages Atari owners to write to magazines and software houses asking for more and better support
"Your voice does count", he exclaims. He is right. Editors have only a hazy idea what their readers want but are
in the business of trying to supply it. All feedback makes an impact
In my own magazine, Practical Computing, we regularly publish a lot of material for the Research Machines.
RML 380Z. This is because lots of teachers read Practical Computing, they send in lots of well written material and we publish it. It is not because the 380Z is an enormous seller.
As an Atari owner myself, I want Practical Computing to cover the Atari as well as possible. This includes fairly regular games
reviews and an "Open File" program section, but (a) we very rarely get sent programs for review, except by Atari and English Software - we never get sent the expensive American imports. Also (b) the number of short, usable readers programs sent in is fairly small. The Sharp and Research Machines micros do better, as well as all the obvious ones!
Magazines usually beg, borrow or buy the machines they need to run software, we have over a dozen. Some manufacturers help with long term loans and Commodore, for example, sells 64's to journalists at half price. When the staff have machines, software and readers programs
to run, they tend to get to know those micros better than others and the bandwagon starts to
roll...
Don't blame the magazines for their ignorance of Atari. Follow Mr B's advice, get out your keyboards or pens and start writing!
Jack Schofield
Editor
Practical Computing
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THE COMPUTER JUNGLE?
Dear PAGE 6,
Computer terminology is baffling enough but for Atari owners it is getting worse.
Imagine hearing someone say "I have my Gorilla Banana tied to an Ape-Face and use Elephants in my
Rana". Maybe Jungle Book should be required reading instead of the Basic Manual!
Alan Hollis
BFPO 40
__________
BLEEP!
Dear Sirs,
Here is a tip that newer owners may not know.
When loading or saving a program press CTRL and 2 together and when the cassette has finished the computer will bleep at you to let you know that it has finished. Much
better than sitting watching an empty screen.
Kevin Ramshaw
Tyne & Wear
__________
GOING DUTCH
Dear Les,
With the introduction of the Atari home computers in the Dutch market, the moment has arrived to found an Atari Users Group and the initiative has been taken by
three 'founding fathers' who are members of HCC, the large Dutch Hobby Computer Club.
The User Group is now being constituted within the framework of HCC and Dutch and Flemish readers of this journal are invited to get in touch with Nic Oosterbaan, Raadhuislaan 114. Voorschoten, The
Netherlands, phone 01717-2555. Also there is a HCC-Belgium and we would welcome hearing from
French-speaking members of that organisation as well as anyone interested in our
work. At the time of writing we have about thirty members half of whom are more or less able to read English and several who read and write French.
Authors of published and unpublished programs are invited to send us their material for inclusion in our library and possible Dutch translation. Apart from our recognition we shall endeavour to repay you in kind with disks
or cassettes of suitable material.
Nic Oosterbaan
Holland
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