Page 6/NAU Search

[prixon]

Hi Matt

 

Purely by chance, I was browsing here today!

I just had a quick flick through all the mags, looking especially at the disk bonus programs, and I couldn't find "Insectamania". However, it's possible I missed it so if it turns up, I'll let you know.

The sector editor in issue 80 is a Turbo Basic program credited to John Foskett.

Thanks for your hosting offer. However I will soon be moving "page6.org" from its present temporary accomodation to a professional host. I seem to be getting a lot of hits, despite the fact I haven't made any effort to advertise! The intention is to get some more issues in place before shouting too loudly.

Can you maybe drop me an email to feedback@page6.org sometime as I would be keen to include you in a "where are they now?" section in the future ...... though it will be a while before I get to issue 56 !

 

Cheers

Paul

[Matt Bennett]

I've long been regretting the day I gave away ALL my 800XL equipment and magazines (I'm sure I'm not the only one) and I am searching for one of my old games that I submitted to Page 6 - I'm sure it would have been supplied on the cover disk, sometime after issue 57. I would love to play it on my emu

 

The game was called "Insectamania" and it was a Centipede clone - it was my first (and last) 100% assembly game that actually got finished! So if anyone with access to the cover disks (Paul Rixon, please read this ) could look for it I would be very grateful.

 

While I have your attention I have a Page 6 story to tell... In issue 56 I had a type in utility published- and 80 column text utility inspired by a similar program in a very early original Atari User. I was most pleased with myself The next issue printed my follow on article- a type-in disk sector editor that made use of the 80 column util - but my spirits were severely dampened as they had given the credit to someone else I kept issue 56 (and still have it today) but I discarded iss 57 when I gave away everything else. My subscribtion expired, I was never paid for the articles despite the editorial promises and my relationship with Page 6 ended.

 

I see they gave away a disk sector editor in issue 80, I'd love to know if it was mine again!

 

So, around the same time as I submitted the 80 column util, I submitted "Insectamania". They were always struggling for content on the cover disks so I'd be amazed if it didn't make in onto one.

 

If you do read this Paul Rixon, let me know if you need any server space for Page6.org

 

Cheers everyone!

 

Matt

[welshleo]

Heh! Looks like John got rather more credit than he asked for

 

I got to know John Foskett pretty well over the phone and met him once at an AMS show. He became a regular contributor to NAU so it's possible that Les was so used to getting material from him, usually in the form of utility listings, that he assumed it came from him.

 

I wonder what he's up to these days? Probably still typing away in Turbo Basic while bitching about his neighbours!!

[welshleo]

Matt,

 

While I remember. If I recall correctly, one way to know whether that listing you submitted is yours or not is to take a look at the start of it. John Foskett, I believe, ALWAYS put his credit into rem statements at the start of his programs.

 

Actually, I'll take a look at a conversion of an ST game he wrote for me some years ago to check my theory. It wasn't intended to be published in a magazine but was due for commercial release. If John followed his old habits then he will probably have given himself creditation at the start of his code.

 

Everyone has a bit of vanity in them, even John.

[Matt Bennett]

Thanks for looking Paul, just keep the name "Insectamania" deep in your sub-conscience then you'll know what it is if you ever stumble upon it.

 

David; Yeah, I did put my name in the comments at the start of my code - I learned to program from magazine type-ins! I know the article in iss 57 was mine, but I was wondering if they [Page 6 staff] had resorted to recycling articles for their later editions, I saw the cover pic for iss 80 on Pauls site.

 

So who got the credit in issue 57? John Foskett doesn't ring any bells, but I do remember it being a regular contributor (Damon Howarth, Paul Rixon etc)

 

Thankyou both for your replies.

 

Matt

[prixon]

David Rawlings got the credit for your program in issue 57. It was obviously a mistake as it referred to your previous article and your name still appeared in the program listing.

Hmmm .... now do I faithfully reproduce issue 57 as printed or correct the cock-ups ??

 

Paul

[Matt Bennett]

Paul; Keep the magazine true to form, don't bother trying to correct it, but perhaps if you have space for a synopsis of each issue I'd like to see the injustice corrected in there

 

If you have the iss 57 disk as an .atr, or even the .bas files for the sector-ed, please email them to me sometime. I'd like to re-read the article one day- I can tell from iss 56 that my writing style wasn't too good back then!

 

Cheers

 

Matt