johne@rocksvax.UUCP (Dan Fleysher) (04/23/85)
The attached message is from ARPAnet INFO-ATARI@Score. Please do not respond to me with comments for the original author. I am trying to limit myself to forwarding only news messages of general interest. Dan Fleysher -------------------- To: info-atari@su-score.ARPA Subject: ANTIC & ANALOG Date: 23 Apr 85 09:12:59 EST (Tue) From: Walt Lazear <lazear@mitre.ARPA> I have subscribed to both magazines for around two years. ANALOG seemed to present better software (games and utilities) with more sophisticated use of Atari's capabilities. The last half year, though, I am having trouble telling them apart. They both present the same utilities (cross reference of BASIC programs, name table printers, etc.) and the quality of the games is *way* down. I have even tried to detect if the utilities were submitted by the same person (or the same code). It seems clear to me that they both use the same techniques in the programs, but they are not direct copies. My problem is that I feel perhaps the Atari 800 architecture has been exploited as far as it can, and that the magazines have naturally gravitated to the same path of offering retread programs to their readers. Where I used to have two sources of different information, I now have two sources of the same information. I guess I am disappointed that the newness of the architecture has worn off, and I feel ripped off by not being offered anything distinct between the two magazines. Yes, I have thought about cancelling one of the subscriptions, but I keep hoping they will diverge again. I wonder if the software quality issue stems from people turning to commercial sales of good software, instead of publishing through the magazine? Perhaps Softside should have served as a better example for magazines of this type? By the way, has anybody ever heard from Softside again? They gave great promises of a new approach about a year ago, but have remained silent since then. [end of forwarded message]