by Jim Brain (j.brain@ieee.org)I recently had to choose between my interest in Commodore computers and something else. To many, the choice was clear. Many assured me that hobbies were important, but they simply had to take a back seat when other pressing issues came up. I'll admit that the decision was hard to make. I find that strange, do you? I mean, seriously, it's just an outdated, underpowered, orphaned, incompatible, proprietary, obsolete, 8-bit computer system. Why would I even consider that important?
If you can explain that to me, then you are a true Commodore enthusiast as well. We are all bound together by the immense "pull" of these systems. We don't just "own" them, we treat them like part of the family. We buy toys for them, we help them grow, we accept their limitations, we spend hours with them, and we know everything about them. Although we might have younger and faster family members, we cherish our Commodore. No person or thing could convince us to trade in our familiar family member for a newer, shinier model. As I think of it this way, it seems a bit scary, doesn't it.
Not to leave you in suspense, the "something else" I alluded to above
was a new employment opportunity and the subsequent relocation of
myself and my family. Even as strong as my feelings are for my beloved
machine, I decided that my family came first. Hobbies, no matter how
important, are not quite as important. I announced my decision to
others who have similar "family members" in their homes, and I pulled
the plug on my hobby.
Now, I don't consider myself that important in the scheme of things, but I did underestimate the consequences of my decision. As friends and I tallied up what resources would be unavailable as I left, the amount grew sizable. Luckily, just as with all situations, friends stepped forward to help and keep information from becoming unavailable. Others simply provided moral support and all offered the precious gift of patience while I turned to matters at hand.
I consider myself lucky that so many offered so much to make the situation more tolerable. For reasons unknown to me, it bothered me greatly that deadlines would be missed, pieces of information would go unpublished, important updates would not be updated, and information seekers would find nothing but unanswered questions. Although I knew better, I felt I had deserted the people who depended on me. It's amazing how wrapped up in this I have become.
As you may have guessed, one of the most disturbing resources that was
left unfinished was this issue of Commodore Hacking. Although
originally scheduled for publication in mid-June, I regretfully shelved
it and spent what little time that remained in preparing for a move.
Luckily, the move is over, and you now hold the newest issue of this
publication.
With this newest issue comes some notes. My wife, Julie, has graciously agreed to offer her services as assistant editor. This will free some of my time to write articles and concentrate on technical article editing. In our quest to find capable writers to author the columns found in each issue, Geoffrey Welsh is now writing "FIDO's Nuggets". We encourage others to help out in this way. Finally, due to the delay in publishing this issue and the length of some submissions, this issue is far larger than our maximum desired size. We apologize for those who will find the excessive size a problem, but the timeliness of the articles and the sheer volume of current events information prevented reduction in size. We will return to a more manageable size by next issue. As well, we created a professionally laid out and printed version of Commodore Hacking Issue #12. If you would like one of these copies, please see "Commodore Hacking Information" (Reference: info) for more information.
Enjoy YOUR magazine,
Jim Brain (j.brain@ieee.org)
Editor
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Last Updated: 1997-03-11 by Jim Brain