Conference hydra::amiga_v1

	OK, I usually read both magazines.  I tend to like Amazing
    Computing better when I can find it.  AmigaWorld needs to go just
    a little beyond the basic beginner magazine.  It's set up like Compute!
    with a fancier cover and all, but it's too simple.  It needs the
    following: 1. Sophisticated type-in programs   2. Hardware projects
               3. A list of public domain, users groups, and BBS's.
    
    But, all in all, AW isn't too bad.
    
     - Chris
    

    I'd like to cast my vote for the Amigan Apprentice & Journeyman.
    Not a "magazine" really, doesn't accept advertising.  More like
    a journal.  Doesn't cover as much as the mags do, but what it does
    cover it covers in very good detail.  It's printed on 3-holed paper
    which makes it easy to build a reference notebook.  I consult it
    often.
    
    I also get both AC and AW.  I agree with .-1 that AW tends to have
    more non-technical than technical articles.  I'd like to see a better
    balance of articles for "ordinary" users and compu-geeks.

    
    I agree that AW is a bit to simple minded, and the reviews seem
    to be always favorable.  I like AC the best, but I have to travel
    about 75km to get it.  I subscribe to Amiga Transactor, but so far
    I have only recieved just the second issue (I bought the first).
    None of the computer stores around Halifax seem to know whats going
    on because they don't care much about the Amiga.  Has anyone else
    had problems?  I plan to give them a call as soon as I can find
    their phone number.
    
    MArk.
     

    
    Amigo Times is a new offering that includes a disk with some recent
    PD/shareware software.  The price is $8.95, the reviews are pretty
    good.  I've only seen one issue, and I liked it.
    
    Ed.

    AmigaWorld - relentlessly breezy, often inaccurate.  I put down
    every issue wondering when they will get their facts straight the
    first time.  Wonderful layout and graphics don't quite make up for
    the thin content.
    
    Amazing Computing - I'd like to see this magazine make it big. 
    Good balance of product reviews, news and technical articles.  AC
    could use more of just about everything - staff, newsstand
    distribution, professional layout and production - but their hearts
    are in the right place.
    
    Info - about 2/3rds Amiga, 1/3 C-64.  I predict it will be all-Amiga
    within a year.  Good for news and product reviews.  Interesting
    interviews.  Easier to find than AC.
    
    [I subscribe to the first two and buy Info at a bookstore.]
    
    Transactor for the Amiga - high quality technical magazine.  Hope
    they can survive a shaky startup.
    
    Amiga Sentry - News and reviews with heavy West Chester bias.  More
    depth and timeliness in show reports.  Commodore people often
    contribute articles.
    
    Robo City News - News and reviews with heavy Los Gatos emphasis.
    Almost like a BADGE newsletter (BADGE is the software developers'
    club in Silicon Valley).
    
    A merger of any two of these would produce a first-class Amiga 'zine.
    AmigaWorld is unfortunately the first magazine to recommend to a
    beginner due to their breadth of coverage and quantity of ads. 
    But I would urge any AW subscriber to find at least one of the other
    magazines mentioned in the base note and replies.
    
    There are also offshoots of some C-64 magazines, and Commodore Magazine
    carries some Amiga coverage, but they all seem too simple-minded
    and too close to their origins.
    
    Wes Plouff
    

    	Hey, has anybody seen AMNEWS, the disk magazine?  I saw a new
    issue in one of the computer stores in Greenville.  It seems that
    they disappeared for a while, because it said on the front of the
    package: AMNEWS IS BACK!, and all the numbers for volumes and stuff
    were back to 1.  This edition contained 3 disks packed with stuff.
    I got the first one, and thought it was pretty good, with the exception
    of a few bugs...it contained a hardware project (Battery backed
    clock) and several interesting reviews.  I was wondering if anyone
    has bought the new issue.  Is it worth it?  If it really disappeared
    for a while, then I'm glad I didn't subscribe to it, otherwise,
    I'd have been out some money.  Phew!  If anybody has seen it, please
    let me know.
    
     - Chris
    

Re: .6

The original company that produced AMnews went bankrupt.  I suspect
that anyone who subscribed to the magazine lost their money.  Peggy
Harrington (is that her name?), a writer for AmigaWold, bought the
rights to the magazine's unique hypermedia interface and is producing
the magazine again.

I am pretty impressed with AMnews.  I tend to buy a copy every time I see
a new issue.   Their user interface is just gorgeous.  Its sort of like
a hour long demo of all the features of the Amiga: from music, sampled
sound, animation, graphics, and a whizzy user interface.

I think every Amiga owner should by at least one issue.

I must admit, I liked the last issue of AMnews better than the first
issue of the new AMnews simply because there was a greater variety
of sampled sound and graphics in that issue.

       IF I SEE ANOTHER ARTICLE ON CLI I THINK I'LL PUKE!!!!
       
       AMIGA WORLD has always been the Park Avenue style magazine -
       full of color glossies, more ads than articles, etc.  Lots of
       sizzle - no steak!  Seems to me that they made a decision right
       from the start to appeal to the masses and cover everything to
       some extent and nothing to the full extent.  I continue to buy it,
       but I am not surprised when I find little or nothing of value.
       
       AMAZING COMPUTING on the other hand always appealed to me because
       I got the impression that these folks weren't really in it for the
       money - foolish notion I know - but were plodding along with the
       rest of the pioneers that plunked down a couple of grand when the
       only thing you got with your A1000 was KS/WB 1.0, 10 blank
       diskettes for the better part of $100, and a promise from the
       dealer (most of whom don't carry the line anymore) that everything
       else would be available RSN.  Hoping beyond hope that you hadn't
       bought the next TI-99!  However, I get the impression that they
       are trying to find themselves and consequently have found them a
       bit inconsistent.  Over the past year, a couple of issues that I
       bought have been so void of anything of value that after an hour
       of skimming through them, I have never picked them up again!  On
       the other hand, some issues have been excellent.  I hope they are
       not following the AMIGA WORLD route and end up appealing to
       everyone in general and no one in particular.
       
       AMIGA TRANSACTOR (the first 2 issues anyway) have been excellent
       in terms of value and content.  I also hope they can get their act
       together and survive their startup problems.
       
       I purchased issues 1 and 2 of AMIGOTIMES because it was new, it
       was Canadian (good reason - aye!), it was reasonably priced, and
       was accompanied by a disk.  While I think this magazine has
       potential, I found that virtually everything in the articles or on
       the disk was 'old news'.
       
       
                             WHICH BRINGS UP A POINT
       
       
       I suspect that we are somewhat spoilt and it shows at times.  We
       work in the industry - so most of the terms, concepts, etc., are
       familiar to us.  We have access to the USENET - an invaluable
       source of information (most of the time).  And finally we have
       this Notes conference - which hosts a large number of very
       knowledgeable, articulate, helpful, and talented individuals who
       have made the AMIGA experience so much more enjoyable for us all
       (thanks again to each and every one of you).  A majority of the
       AMIGA owners don't have those advantages, so the various AMIGA
       magazines must certainly fill a major void with respect to
       answering questions, providing information, making them feel warm
       and fuzzy, etc.
       
       Art
       

    re: 8's comments about usenet
    
    I agree.  It keeps me from believing everything the Bandito says
    about the ][GS :-)
    
    I got a subscription to AmigaWorld because I got tired of paying
    the cover price for glossy ads.  But those ads are often the first
    time you see that a new product is available.  The articles have
    been getting better, but it is still a mass market magazine, so
    they can't get too technical.
    
    Amazing Computing seems to be getting more mellow.  Those couple
    issues of Amiga Transactor really showed up the difference between
    the old Amazing and the new.  But I guess there is a big market
    for reviews.
    
    I bought the AMNEWS Is Back and AmigoTimes.  I think AmigoTimes
    hit on the right combination of disk magazine vs. paper magazine.
    I loved the article on the Transputer, complete with pictures
    of the board and an interview.  AMNEWS was flashy, but I got
    sick of mousing around it.  It did have a nice blipvert feature,
    it will display the entire magazine while you watch for anything
    of interest.  Like thumbing thru a magazine.
    
    Amigan, Sentry, etc. are good depending on what you are looking
    for.  Sentry just does product reviews, Amigan depends on the 
    quality of the articles submitted to it.  INFO is fun, even if
    you have to wade thru the C64 stuff.  They have the right attitude
    about the computer industry.  They do indulge in a little Atari
    bashing every once in a while, but not any more than the Atari
    magazines do about the CBM computers (I have this opinion problem
    with the C64, no doubt cause in part by years of reading Antic
    and Analog :-) ).
    
    -Dave

    Yeah, I have to agree about AW.  I usually just page through and
    look at the ads.  I get more meaty information from Usenet.
    
    Anyone remember Ami Project?  Used to like it, but I guess it just
    died on the vine.
    
    Gary

    Anybody know places that carry AMNEWS, etc?  I don't think I've
    ever seen them around.

Seems everyone has the same feeling about AW. It's a great mag to just flip
through and gawk at glossy pictures. Never much heavy technical detail.
- Not sure I will use thier pencil :-)

AC, now that you all mention it, has been getting a bit weak lately. The
Bandito has been getting bashed real hard in the letters from readers. One
guy ended hit nasty-gram with "My lawer and I await your reply" (something
like that) this past issue! But AC does still have AW beat in my mind.

re. -?  Your right about us. DECAmigans have it made. We are as spoiled as it
gets (well, we could work for West Chester..).  When I read some of the letters
from people [in the mags] I think - Man, what trivial crap! That's been
answered a hundred times in Notes/Usenet! Kinda feel sorry for them - but then
the Amiga is probably somewhat mysterious and adventurous to them - we get
what we want without too much hassel/waiting.


Amiga Transactor, the ONE issue i've read looks fantastic. If we could get
a mag that had 3 sections - AC style, AT style, and AW style - all under a 
single BYTE sized cover (for 24.95/year with disk :-))....

I've seen INFO but never baught it (usually flip through it in the store, but
once I see C64, or any other invader, I don't take it seriously!


John

    re: .11
    
    Waldenbooks carries a large selection of computer magazines including
    some disk-based.  Full-line Amiga dealers such as the Memory Location
    in Wellesley are also good places to look.  Bookstores near colleges
    are also promising.
    
    Surprisingly, the software store (name misremembered) in the Greendale
    Mall, Worcester, carries several Amiga magazines but no Amiga software.     

     Softpro in Burlington, Ma. also carries some Amiga magazines, although
     the store is heavily IBM/MAC oriented. One sales person said they
     could order Amiga software for me. I didn't pursue it though. This
     store also has one of the nicest generic computer book selections
     around. 
     
     As for magazines becoming less technical, I think we need to consider
     our selves becoming more technical while they are perhaps staying
     the same.  Since I bought my Amiga in May, I have bought nearly
     every magazine related to the Amiga. When I thumbed through them
     on the rack, I always found something that could justify the purchase.
     Only recently, have I reached the point where I could turn down
     a mag that didn't have anything "new". I am still interested in
     articles on the CLI, although I can easily understand getting tired
     of them. I think the learning curve/magazine interest ratio exists
     for all obsess ... err  hobbies.  I know I have had similar experiences
     with bicycling, trail bikes, cars, audio etc.
                                                   
     As for disk magazines, I found a three disk issue of A(miga)
     (e)X(change) pretty good. The presentation went beyond the 
     disk-icon-to-drawer-icon-to-article-icon format. You can select
     articles & demos from a colorful Table of Contents all on disk
     1. If the requested item is on disk two or three, a requester
     tells you to insert the proper disk. Its clean & idiot proof with
     nice use of fonts etc. Content? ... depends on the learning 
     curve. PD offerings? ... depends on your Fred Fish disk access.
                                      
     Dave

    Why don't we start taking the Amiga notes file and turning it into
    some sort of publication?  :-)
    
     - Chris
    

    The Amiga notes conference is already a publication.  It is Internal
    Use Only, but that's 100,000 employees.  It's got a really good
    publication cycle (seconds, rather than months) and its not too
    costly (an employee benefit).  The best thing about it, of course,
    is the writers.  We're awsome!
        John Sauter

>    < Note 1731.16 by SAUTER::SAUTER "John Sauter" >
> The best thing about it, of course,
<    is the writers.  We're awsome!
                           *awesome*
    <        John Sauter

the writers may be "awesome," but the editors are brain-dead.
    ;-)
    To
    

    Has anyone seen AMIGA-EXCHANGE / AMI-EXCHANGE (A-X)? It is a magizine
    on a disk that I bought at B. Dalton's Software Etc. ( I'm located
    in Bellevue WA ). It comes with three disks that are rather loaded
    with reviews, demos, and some PD programs. They also offer a monthly
    PD disk.  I've forgotten what the subscription price is but off
    the shelf it cost me about $12.00.  I've only seen it the one time
    but I'm going to keep an eye out for it.  The demos and articles
    on graphics, music, and basics were pretty impressive to me but
    then I am impressed fairly easily. ( heck, I work for DEC don't
    I?) If you see it, I think it would be worth taking a look at it.
    
    Rob