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From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Computer Magazines
Message-ID: <1173@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Feb-84 23:30:42 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1173
Posted: Fri Feb  3 23:30:42 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 8-Feb-84 08:07:19 EST
References: <4701@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 80

[Benediction:  UN*X, give us the strength to resist temptation ...] 
[	       Loathsome thoughts of wombats, begone!		  ]

[Side note:  I wrote this before reading the net so as to check spelling  ]
[	     (shock!) -- Imagine the shock (:-)) when I saw another micro ]
[	     magazine article posted! (Where has the ground-hog been?)    ]


Is anyone else disgusted with what is happening to the computer magazines?

I realize that Sturgeon's law is a strong force in rapidly expanding fields
(i.e., where the money is), but this is getting putrid!

It seems that nearly all articles fall into two categories: `Gee, aren't
you dumb', and `Gee, aren't I smart'.

The `Gee, aren't you dumb' category covers the 23rd variation of paccritter 
for the Timex 1000,  the 107th typing tutorial for *any* system, and all
other software which should be within the reach of anyone who takes the
time to read their manuals and work through a `Be a PROGRAMMER in 3 days'
book (by Tab, no doubt).

The `Gee, aren't I smart' category has been prominent in *Byte* recently.
You know the type, you read it in excitement because it is just what you
bought a computer for, and when you get to the end you find out its just a
PR piece for a company you've never heard of before (and never hear of 
again).  Worst yet, no references are given to similar material available
on the micro market.

Honestly, how many people expect the next issue of *Byte* (as I am most
familiar with it), to contain the following articles:

      *Building a Hard Disk Drive* by Steve Ciarcia

      *My Dog ate My Floppy at Chaos Manor* by Jerry Pournelle

      *Organizing your Computer with Software* by the R1 development team

      *'Missle Command' on the Arpa-net* by Dr. Strangelove

      *'Breakout' on a Cray-1* by who-cares?


Not to be left out are all of the specialty magazines.  Does anyone know
if either the IBM rags or the Apple rags (or both!) have discussed the
high-speed links available?  After all, to discuss the link would require
that they mention (GASP) the other machine!  They are so *SPECIFIC* I expect
anyday to see a *IBM with 48K and 1 Disk without Printer Magazine*



Sanity returns....

I realize that there are many computer owners who do not have any
background with computers, and these magazines are their primary way of
learning about this mysterious machine that is brain-damaging their kids
(how else could they sit still for more than 10 minutes without asking
for a cookie?)  but in that case these magazines are doing a very poor
job (in my humble opinion) of showing good programming techniques.
Afterallwhoeverhearofaprofessionprogrammerstuffingentiresubproceduresonto
onelinewithoutanycommentsorselfdocumentingnames?

Oh, do I long for the old days of *Byte* when they discussed machine-
independent programs and moderately advanced programming techniques
(i.e., write your own dissassembler), modest hardware expansions which
were simple enough for anybody with a good sense of electronics to build,
and provide useful applications of the same (i.e., A/D & D/A converters,
parallel & serial ports), and an occasional advanced topic which could
be done by anyone *really* interested (i.e., generating various map
projections from a data base).  I know that I learned far more about 
computers from reading *Byte* in high school than I did in my first
year of computer science courses.



ave discordia				going bump in the night ...
bruce giles

decvax!ucf-cs!giles			university of central florida
giles.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay			orlando, florida 32816