 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Pres Said John Beck |
In announcement that the Public Domain library disks have been reduced in price was in an article by Leon Cohen, which should have been printed in the February edition of PC Update. It was sent for subediting but the subeditor was out of town. (Ed: Leon's article appears in this issue.) Some may have noticed the change on the disk order form. To clarify the situation, from the 1st of February the cost of disks is $10 for the first one and $5 for each subsequent one in the 5.25" format, and $12 & $6 in the 3.5" format. The above prices are for disks in one order, and handling and postage charges remain at $3 for Metropolitan members, in spite of the recent increase in postage. The $3 charge has been contained because we managed to obtain disk mailers at a discount price, due to Australia Post misreading their order and printing excess quantity. These charges make Melb PC User group the cheapest source of virus-free Public Domain software. Please note the emphasis on virus free, as several members have advised that they have received contaminated disks from other outlets.
There is a new version of the library catalogue disk available, which is version 2.05, and it covers all disks up to MELB 1522. It is increasing in size and the archived files had to be processed in PKZIP to maintain it on one disk. There has been some modification to many disks with reference to the files contained on them. With the policy of continuing updating, some files became too large and were put on disks by themselves. In consequence, when ordering disks, only rely on the latest catalogue for disk numbers. An update of your old version will only cost $2. As this is the production cost, the free post to Country Members only applies if an update is ordered at the same time as other disks. The next update of the catalogue will not be for at least six months, and an effort will be made to list actual files in archives rather than the archive names. This will make it easier to find files, and also will indicate if the same files are in differently named archives. Self-extracting files could be a problem. Currently the feasibility of the data manipulation is under way to test if it can be done effectively.
There is an increase in interest by Shareware writers to the Australian market. Many disks are being received directly from authors, and in many cases the arrival of the disk is the first intimation that the author exists. This may be due to Melb PC, having contact with the Association of Shareware Professionals. At the March meeting we will be addressed by Bob Wallace, the author of PC-Write, which is by far the most popular of the shareware programs for which we are organising
registrations. Peter Norton was in Australia in January on holiday and was prepared to address us. However the notice was too short to advise members of date and venue, if one could have been obtained at short notice. Jim Button has advised that PC-Dial, PC-Style, PC-Tickle, and XD-Extended DOS will no longer be supported, and at his request the programs have been removed from our catalogue, and the numbers reused.
Now is the time to start the preliminary planning for PC 90. It is great to have Tom Coleman back from Darwin, and he has agreed to take on the task of organiser for this event. We hope to secure a better position in the exhibition than last year. Many prospective visitors to the show were discouraged from attending due to the restrictions placed on the younger age group, who after all are the computer users of the future. This reflected in the number of new members joining the Group, which was well down on 1988. If you can help in any way to assist at the show, which will be sometime in August, drop a note to Tom at the office address. It is never too early to assemble a list of volunteers, as it makes administration so much easier. This early warning can give the Graphics SIG plenty of time to produce some new promotional material to run on the PCs on our stand at the exhibition. The ones used to date are four years old with only minor updates, and thus are becoming a little tired. Some animation should attract
interest.
Tom is also making things move in the training department. At the February monthly meeting he put proposals forward, and no doubt will have some advice on courses elsewhere in PC Update. From feedback I hear, there are many members who are at the beginning of the learning curve in computing. I am surprised at the poor response to past courses. For the beginner and others wanting to learn about DOS our courses are less costly than most, and are held at convenient venues for most.
The numbers attending the various Special Interest Groups (SIGs), especially the New Users, and Public Domain are only a small proportion of the membership. If you are battling with some facet of computer use, these are the meetings to attend. They are run by knowledgeable people who are willing to give demonstrations of programs, or resolve any difficulties. It is always easier to understand by watching something being done and then having a try yourself, than by ringing someone for advice. This does not cast a reflection on the good service given by the Dial Helpers, who are doing a great job. If the requester does not understand the "jargon" it is difficult for the helper. Random Access at the monthly meetings is a good source of advice on anything related to computing. If you cannot get to the meeting send in your query in writing to the office and it will be raised by proxy on your behalf.
Is Your Renewal Due?
March is the month when a large number of members' subscriptions are due. If you have not looked closely at your mailing label, do so now to establish if it reminds you that your subscriptions are due now. The special offer on modems ended at the end of February. The last few Pocket Rockets were a little slow in moving. I trust all who took advantage of the reduced price on this gadget (apologies to avid BBS users) will find good use for them.
Reprinted from the March 1990 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
