hue@netcom.UUCP (Johathan Hue) (12/14/89)
(Apologies if this subject has been beaten to death). You wanna know what holds back the sales of Amigas? Consider this: The first question someone interested in the Amiga asks you is "Where is the nearest Amiga dealer?" Out here the local Amiga dealer, HT Electronics is pretty good. Okay, what's the second question? The second question is usually, "What's a good Amiga magazine?" The answer, as you all probably know, there isn't one. Let's see what we've got. Amiga World. Yes, it looks slick from the outside, and there are a lot of good ads. But what do we find in the January issue? Lets see, how about the review of Cross-Dos. "I found CrossDOS challenging to use until I had committed its procedures to memory." This stupid f**k is writing for an Amiga magazine and can't figure out how to edit his mountlist and startup sequence??? Or is he saying that copy, delete, and rename are pretty tough to remember? Even worse was the editor's ranting about the NeXT in a recent issue. Or Amazing Computing, written by amazingly stupid people. In a recent issue the following sentence actually appeared: "Here you have to remember that with computers 0 is considered something when actually 0 is nothing! (I can't figure that one out)" Yes, there is Transactor for the Amiga, which is good when it actually gets published, though perhaps a bit too technical for the average Amiga user. It is quite easy for one to assume the Amiga is nothing more than a toy, given the amateurish quality of the two most popular Amiga publications. A good magazine should be able to make a toy look like a tool. Instead, these magazines make a tool look like a toy. Amiga - it attracts the best...and the worst. -Jonathan
barrett@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dan Barrett) (12/14/89)
In article <5168@netcom.UUCP> hue@netcom.UUCP (Johathan Hue) writes: >The second question is usually, "What's a good Amiga magazine?" >The answer, as you all probably know, there isn't one. > [not Amiga World] > [not Amazing Computing] > [not Transactor] Well, how about INFO? It is a combination C64/C128/Amiga magazine, but the emphasis is heavily on the Amiga. I like INFO's editorials and product reviews -- they are very unbiased, and the reviewers are not afraid to BLAST an inferior product. I subscribe to two Amiga magazines: INFO and TRANSACTOR FOR THE AMIGA. Together, I get lots of techinical and non-technical information. Dan //////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ | Dan Barrett, Department of Computer Science Baltimore, MD 21218 | | INTERNET: barrett@cs.jhu.edu | UUCP: barrett@jhunix.UUCP | | COMPUSERVE: >internet:barrett@cs.jhu.edu | BITNET: barrett@jhuvms.bitnet | \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////////////////////////////
swarren@eugene.uucp (Steve Warren) (12/15/89)
In article <5168@netcom.UUCP> hue@netcom.UUCP (Johathan Hue) writes: > ... Okay, what's the second question? The second question is >usually, "What's a good Amiga magazine?" > >The answer, as you all probably know, there isn't one. Let's see what we've [...Jonathan does a brief stint as a magazine critic ;^) ...] >Yes, there is Transactor for the Amiga, which is good when it actually gets >published, though perhaps a bit too technical for the average Amiga user. Yes, I always enjoy Transactor (when are those guys going to continue my subscription?). When I want lighter Amiga-specific reading, Info is fun. Those guys have a sense of humor. At least they don't take themselves too seriously. [...] >A good magazine should be able to make a toy look like a tool. Instead, >these magazines make a tool look like a toy. OK, sure the Amiga is a great tool. But I bought mine because it was a great toy! So there! ;^) DISCLAIMER: Not arguing; just presenting The Other Side: Come on, why did all the hackers instantly fall in love with the Amiga as soon as it was announced? Because it was the toy of their dreams, the one that the Apple II or the Mac wanted to be but just couldn't quite measure up. (hackers as a rule like very complex toys) If the Amiga was like an MSDOS machine (sombor and boring - all business - yuck) then there wouldn't be all these religious fanatics madly in love with it. END DISCLAIMER But you do have a point. If we want The Rest Of The World to join the Amiga camp, they have to be made to realise that the world's best toy, by virtue of its features (which are what make it such a dandy toy), is also the best tool. Well I think they are trying real hard. But I agree, I hadn't read a copy a AmigaWorld in a long time, and then I resubscribed (silly me) during their recent special, and I was surprised at how hollow the magazine sounded. --Steve ------------------------------------------------------------------------- {uunet,sun}!convex!swarren; swarren@convex.COM
moynihan_r@apollo.HP.COM (Robert Moynihan) (12/15/89)
In article <3676@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> barrett@jhunix.UUCP (Dan Barrett) writes: >In article <5168@netcom.UUCP> hue@netcom.UUCP (Johathan Hue) writes: >>The second question is usually, "What's a good Amiga magazine?" >>The answer, as you all probably know, there isn't one. >> [not Amiga World] >> [not Amazing Computing] >> [not Transactor] > > Well, how about INFO? It is a combination C64/C128/Amiga >magazine, but the emphasis is heavily on the Amiga. I like INFO's >editorials and product reviews -- they are very unbiased, and the >reviewers are not afraid to BLAST an inferior product. > > I subscribe to two Amiga magazines: INFO and TRANSACTOR FOR THE >AMIGA. Together, I get lots of techinical and non-technical information. > > Dan I'll second that INFO nomination. I agree totally with Dan's assessment of the editorials and reviews. What I especially like is their 'attitude'. Though they are serious about putting out a good product, they also aren't above poking fun at themselves, and letting us know that they enjoy doing what they're doing. Getting each issue of INFO is like keeping in touch with friends. Bob ============================///==================================== moynihan_r@apollo.hp.com /// "Winners are losers who got up and Plink: Moynihan \\\/// gave it just one more try." Hewlett-Packard/Apollo \XX/ -Dennis DeYoung ============================///==================================== moynihan_r@apollo.hp.com /// "Winners are losers who got up and Plink: Moynihan \\\/// gave it just one more try." Hewlett-Packard/Apollo \XX/ -Dennis DeYoung
daves@hpcilzb.HP.COM (Dave Scroggins) (12/16/89)
Johathan, >You wanna know what holds back the sales of Amigas? Consider this: The first >question someone interested in the Amiga asks you is "Where is the >nearest Amiga dealer?" Out here the local Amiga dealer, HT Electronics is >pretty good. Okay, what's the second question? The second question is >usually, "What's a good Amiga magazine?" >The answer, as you all probably know, there isn't one. Let's see what we've >got. Amiga World. Yes, it looks slick from the outside, and there are a lot You didn't mention the "Amiga+" magazine. It's fairly new ('bout 6 months old). It has the polish of Amiga World but has real content like Amazing Computing. It does NOT have the ponification of Amazing Computing. They even have an article about the Amiga losing ground to competition. They have a disk included with the mag, but if you don't want it you can also buy it without the disk. Some of the mags which state they are published with the Amiga LOOK amaturish at best!! However the Amiga plus has, "virtually 100% pre-press production" done on on an Amiga, and are supposedly working toward, "absolute 100% Amiga desktop publishing." (It appears that believe in the Amiga eh?) Dave S.
hill@evax.arl.utexas.edu (Anthony Adam Hill) (12/22/89)
On the subject of magazines another good one to read is Amigo Times. It is
a Canadian mag that is DESIGNED on Amigas and final output is done on Lintronics machines. They use Prof. Page and USE the color separation features.
They have great content (if they would remove the BASIC column) :-). They
have columns on DTP, programming, and a novel one on women in computing.
The main drawback is that you have to buy the disk. And Canadian subscriptions
that way are EXPENSIVE. But often the disk has gems. In Nov they had the TASS
application system which if combined with ARexx is GREAT. They have developed
directory tools, color requesters boolean, string gadgets etc... Can do some
incredible things with files and system monitoring.
Anyway if you get a chance pickup a copy and read it you would be pleasantly
suprised at what our neighbors to the North are doing.
-----------------------------------------
adam hill -- Dark Programmer (apologies to Frank Miller)rsingh1@dahlia.waterloo.edu (12/22/89)
In article <6654@nigel.udel.EDU> hill@evax.arl.utexas.edu (Anthony Adam Hill) writes: > The main drawback is that you have to buy the disk. And Canadian subscriptions > that way are EXPENSIVE. But often the disk has gems. In Nov they had the TASS > application system which if combined with ARexx is GREAT. They have developed > directory tools, color requesters boolean, string gadgets etc... Can do some > incredible things with files and system monitoring. I agree that the magazine is really great. It looks quite slick, and the content is good (except for the basic column too :^) But you CAN get it without the disk. Although no computer store I've ever seen carries the no-disk version. If the disk doesn't look interesting this month, I go to W.H. Smith or Coles and they usualy have the NO-DISK version (for $4.95 canadian). Have a look around. If you don't see it, ASK. W.H.Smith should be able to order the no disk version of the magazine for you and put it in a folder in the back for you. (They do this for me. Each month (when the issue comes :-) I drop by and get the Amiga Transactor that 'should be' waiting for me.) later /Paul Anton Sop (Esquire?). rsingh1@dahila.waterloo.edu/ /Graphic Designer 4 Spaghetti Western Words and Images / /100 Kinzie Ave, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2A 2J5 / /(519) 578-8525/742-0372 (if seriously really desparate)/
don@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Donald R Lloyd) (12/22/89)
On the subject of Magazines, has anyone read one called A/X? I've
seen it around occasionally for a while now, but up until a few days ago
never bought one (and sorry I finally did). 75% of the magazine is written
by a guy named Jay Gross, who has absolutely nothing good to say about
Commodore whatsoever. He all but completely denounced their ad campaign,
as well as their restructuring of the dealer base, and a good portion
of the issue was devoted to his "Blunder after blunder heaps up..."
attitude (quoted from 'Jay's Way'... closest thing to editorial AX has,
I guess...). JG's seven articles aside, the magazine is fairly poorly put
together. One article appears twice, in completely different layout each
time. In some places the large characters used to start the first paragraph
of the article actually overlap the text of the article itself.
I will give them credit for their reviews, which, although I haven't
really thoroughly read any yet, do seem pretty unbiased (nobody advertises
in AX so they don't have to worry about offending their advertisers), and
they feature quite a few screen shots of the items they review.
--
Gibberish .sig for sale or lease.
is spoken Contact don@vax1.acs.udel.edu for more information.
here. DISCLAIMER: It's all YOUR fault.tlimonce@drunivac.uucp (12/23/89)
In article <5384@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>, don@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Donald R Lloyd) writes: > On the subject of Magazines, has anyone read one called A/X? I've > seen it around occasionally for a while now, but up until a few days ago > never bought one (and sorry I finally did). 75% of the magazine is written > by a guy named Jay Gross, who has absolutely nothing good to say about I was going to mention this magazine a while back when I bought my first (and last) issue. I think this guy wants to put himself out of business by bad-mouthing the Amiga until C-A goes under :-) He publishes rumors that we heard on Usenet three months earlier. The issue that I have was published around when C-A announced that ARexx will a part of AmigaDOS 1.4. What did his issue say? It made a big stink about how if C-A was smart they'd add ARexx to the 1.4 distribution but they'd never be smart enough to do that. I think EVERYONE on the net knew that 1.4 would include ARexx before it was "official". The registered developers MUST have known before that because all of a sudden every developer that always seemed to be "in the know" had just re-released their major packages with ARexx ports. Don't magazines get at least as good info as registered developers? Oh, I guess you have to Make An Effort. (On a good day) I think the guy is a ninny and should be ignored. (On a bad day) I think the guy should be politely driven out of busniess by C-A's lawyers... or shot. Lucky for him, today is a "good day" for me. :-) The other magazine that I've had trouble with is "Compute!'s Amiga Resource". I had one of the first subscriptions to Compute! when it was THE 6502 journal and I watched it go down hill. The last issue that I bought had a side-by-side debate about 1.4. Get this: One person was debating that it should be released ASAP because it was needed. The other person (a real the-C-64-roms- never-changed-why-can't-I-just-do-what-I-want-on-my-Amiga-style- programmer) was (get this!) arguing that C-A shouldn't release it because it will break some software. This latter guy's writing indicated that he was a technical my-code-breaks-if-you-jump-from-1.2-to-1.3-roms-style programmer yet he didn't grasp that new roms in 1.4 would be required to get great things like autobooting ffs floppies, a greatly enhanced workbench, sugar plums, Christmas stockings, toys, etc. Best of all, neither of them mentioned that there were bugs in the ROM that can't be fixed without a rom-change (without a kludge... and I don't mean set-patch is a kludge... it isn't). Oh well, enough mag-bashing for tonight. Merry Yule! -Tom (Don't reply to this new address, it'll bounce. Use rutgers!drew!tlimonce or tlimonce@drew.uucp or tlimonce@drew.bitnet or limonce@pilot.njin.net)