1994 by GEnie ========================================================================== This file is brought to you by The Commodore 64/128 RoundTable on GEnie This file may be published or excerpted in User Group newsletters providing credit is given in this manner: "Copyright 1994 by GEnie From the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable File#:#####" This file maybe be distributed, if distributed whole and unaltered, on , croll, uit ? non-profit BBSs or non-profit networks. For more information on GEnie call by modem: 1-800-638-8369 (8-N-1 300/1200/2400) Enter: HHH Then reply: xtx99018,commrt Then enter: Commodore And enjoy! ========================================================================== On September 27, 1994 the Commodore RTC got a visit from Steve Reid, the editor of Random Magazine. The conference brought out much information about the magazine, and what it offers Commodore users. This includes GEOS, programming, news, telecommunications...but wait, you can read this all for yourself. Enjoy. This conference, as the others in the series was hosted by GEOS-TIM (Tim Hewelt), captured and edited by THE.OUTLAW (Cam Stewart), and the back scenes communications was handled by C128.QT PIE (Sherry Freedline). Look for other conferences in this series in the library. *********WELCOME TO THE RANDOM MAGAZINE CONFERENCE************** Our guest tonight is Steve Reid, the editor of this new Commodore specific magazine. Welcome Steve..... We are feel privilaged to have you as our guest tonight. Well, like Tim said, I'm Steve Reid, editor of Random Magazine. Random has been published since March of 1993, and we plan on supporting the Commodore market for many years to come. Steve, I know that many don't know a lot about Random magazine...the top question on my list is....is this a disk magazine or hard copy? Random is a printed magazine, which has averaged around 56 pages in size. We do also have a Companion Disk, which includes the latest public domain and shareware software, as well as our type- in programs. Sounds pretty big. Every magazine has a focus. It may be on programming, beginning computing, general articles , technical articles, etc. What is the focus of Random Magazine? Basically each issue we try to give a wide variety of articles, focusing on everything from GEOS to modemming to some programming, though the primary focus is that of the beginner to intermediate user. We plan on adding more technical articles for more advanced users. Each issue usually has two or three feature articles on topics affecting Commodore users, such as upgrading your system, getting into modemming, the effects of piracy, programming, and the like, as well as our standard columns on topics inlcuding our programmers page, a GEOS column, BASIC for Beginners, Commodore Thoughts, reviews of new hardware, software (commercial and shareware) and a news column. Sounds like it covers quite a gamot of topics. To those in our audience....we will be entertaining questions at any time Tonight....just type /rai if you have a question...and you will be called in the order recieved. Yes, well we do our best. :) Right now we're actively seeking writers for a new machine language programming column and a CP/M column. Random has been on the market for almost two years now. Have your goals as a magazine been met? Or surpassed ...? Yes, that's correct.. Well, we've grown a lot, and learned quite a few things in the process.. I think that we have met our original goals and expectations, but that we have many new ones we have set. That's great....It is good to see so many magazines coming on the market.... That leads me into the next question..... Yes, it really is. With so many choices....what sets Random apart from the rest? Why should a Commodore User get Random Magazine? Well, I suppose what sets us apart is, well, we're different! :) Random tries to focus on the beginniner to intermediate Commodore user, and offer the greatest amount of information and support we can. We keep abreast with the latest in Commodore news worldwide, and try to offer different and lesser known information than the other magazines. We also are not afraid to criticize, and let Commodore users really know whats the best for them. I guess you could say we're a bit more radical than the rest. :) Plus, we also try to offer the most information for Commodore users, as well as the best, and that's why we've kept up steadily at over 50 pages per issue-- there's simply so much for Commodore users to know. If one wanted to subscribe to Random magazine, where would the subscription be sent to , and what is the subscription prices? Do you have sample copies? Our address is Random Magazine, 7161 N. Maine, Clovis, CA 93611-8200. We accept checks or money orders payable to Random Magazine. We also have a 24-hour voicemail/fax line at (209) 323- 7841. And, of course, we can be contacted here on GEnie under RANDOM-MAG, on the Internet under RANDOM-MAG@genie.geis.com. I figured you would probably like that question. :D Heheh.. :> About how many writers have written for you magazine, and are there any names that we would recognise? C= famous guys. :D Well, the first few issues were written by our staff.. We have only recently started taking submissions, and we haven't exactly had any of the greats-- though perhaps we will in the future. Cameron (THE.OUTLAW) has just written a lovely article on the Internet, which will be published shortly. We also reprinted an article by Craig Taylor in the March/April 1994 issue. That is a name we recognize.... Harry Blake-Knox has written a few articles, and also Mr. Tuomi (D.TUOMI I believe) wrote an article on the collapse of Commodore. <[Sherry] C128-QT.PIE> we know him here as Doc Other than that, most of the articles were written by yours truly, and the rest of the staff.. Tom Patch has a question....go ahead Tom Are back issues available? And at what cost? Yes, we have back issues going back to the first issue. All back issues are $5.00, with the exception of the Jan/Feb 93, which we have only a few issues remaining, and thus is $7.50. Great look for my check in the mail Will do. :) One question, or perhaps two questions that C= users always want to know when a magazine comes out is....... What hardware are you using to put Random together with? Also what software? Ahem. Well, in all honesty I must admit that while the first two issues we produced on a Commodore 64 using GEOS 2.0 and geoPublish, we now produce the magazine on an Amiga 3000T/040 with 18 megabytes of RAM, 1.2 gigs of hard drive space, and PageStream 2.2. We simply had to switch to make production quicker-- The current version of geoPublish, even with a Turbo Master CPU, was just too slow and not powerful enough for what we wanted. We might, however, switch back to GEOS 128 when Maurice Randall's program is completed. :) Hehehe.. Yes..But we are all Commodore 8-bit users at heart. The A3000T sits in the back of the room while we use our commies... The Amiga is useful as it also runs our voice mail system. Well, at least it is in the Commodore family. :D If a person wanted to write for Random magazine...you did mention that you were taking submissions now.. What are the author's guidelines? And is their renumeration? And what would it be? Well, we really don't have a written set of writers guidelines. Basically anything which we feel is useful information to a good number of our subscribers can be published in the magazine. Currently, if we publish your article, you will receive a one-year free subscription (or extention) as well as a payment of anywhere between $5-$50. Usually though it's at the lower end of the scale, as we don't want to go bankrupt. ;) Can an author upload the text via GEnie? Yes, via email. That method actually works best, as it is the quickest and easiest way for us to receive the article, as well as to read it and let you know of whether or not we'll use it, payment etc. Alternatively you can send it, with both hard copy and floppy disk (Commodore 5.25" or 3.5") to our offices. What future goal do you have for your magazine? I guess right now our goal is to increase the number of pages to 64, add some color pages to the magazine, and just continue to support Commodore users. It appears you have been growing. I have heard Random Magazine mentioned more and more in C= circles....User groups and such.....Do you have any special deals for User Groups? Or is there one going to come in the future? Well, we did in the past. Currently there are no such special deals, with the exception that user groups only have to pay 3.95 per issue for a single issue, as opposed to $5.00 normally. Perhaps in the future, though, we will have a user group deal. That would be great. I know our user group always gets involved in those kind of deals. We also are publishing the 1994 Commodore Support Index, which is basically a book which lists all user groups, BBSes, and other places of Commodore Support wordwide.. That would be very useful...we hear people ask about that many times in the RTC You have mentioned your staff several times. About how many do you have on your staff at the moment? Currently we are a group of Commodore enthusiasts, consisting of myself, Steve Cremer, who writes some articles and does our subscription services, Stevan Noxon, who runs our nifty advertising department (as well as contributing), Trever VanNoort, who does a good deal of the actual magazine, and Mark Rodway. I have a Trivia question: What is the background of the name for your magazine? I have often wondered how you got it. Hehehe.. Well, it seems *almost* normal now, but I can see how it might seem odd to others.. :) We originally came up with the idea of Random in late 1992, during the time RUN magazine was slowly dying. We wanted a name that had the same sort of nice sound to it as RUN, and for some reason the BASIC programming command RND jumped into our heads. The rest, I guess you can say, is history. It just stuck. :) Of course, we also found out in our special piracy issue (Sep/Oct 93 that there was once a C= pirating group named Random, but we're proud to say there's no relation. :) LOL! That is an interesting tidbit.... Steve...I've asked many questions about your magazine, but I've neglected some about you. Could you tell us how you got involved with your Commodore computer? Well, I've been using Commodores since around 1984, when my grandfather purchased a 64 for me. From the beginning, I fell in love, and dabbled a bit in BASIC programming. I just loved the machine, and picked up every C= magazine I could find. Within a few years, I bought my first modem, and was constantly on local Commodore BBSes... It's been ten years now, but no other machine I've ever used has replaced my trusty old C-64. That is the interesting thing about our little 8 byte machines. People always have a urge to go back to them, even after getting a more powerful computer We are about to go into open forum..... Are there anymore questions from the audience? Thank you Steve Reid, for this portion of the conference. It was very interesting, and I'll be sending a check. Now to open forum Thanks. It was a pleasure.. The magazine is bigger than I thought. I didn't realize that it was so far a long Yes, well, we're one of the best kept secrets of Commodore computing! Heheh.. :) We are in open forum..so you can stretch your fingers now, folks. <[Sherry] C128-QT.PIE> giggle It sure was, STeve and we're expanding out into the Internet! :> <[Sherry] C128-QT.PIE> Nice conference Steve! Thank you!