It was a dark and stormy night.
Actually it had stopped raining when
disaster struck. A small quantity of
beer spilt into the drawer, not just
any drawer but the drawer that holds
the 8-Bit Software pool. Well, things
were certainly swimming now! Never has
so little gone so far.
The keeper of the 8-Bit Software pool
was by now doing a fair impression of a
headless chicken. The settled children
were now being summoned to do various
tasks, tell Stephan I've had a
disaster! Get me some towels! JOHN
(This is the third shout and the poor
lad's in bed).
The house is now well disturbed and in
turmoil, but what can we mere mortals
do? In fairness the air was not blue
but despondency abounded, "Oh no! OH
NO! Oh, I don't belive this!" was
repeated frequently. One thing I have
learned in 15 years is keep your head
down. It's often not as bad as it
seems. I decided my first priority was
to resettle the children into bed
whilst the keeper wrung his hands over
dripping disks and repeated "Oh no!"
a few more times.
Well, it's an hour later and the
disaster is not of the magnitude first
thought, but is still being mopped up.
Many disks are very wet and sticky, the
keeper has declared he needs a can! I'd
have thought he's seen more than enough
for one day.
I've got a pile of towels to wash, an
exhausted hair dryer and the keeper has
the remains of a mess to sort out that
will take a week, only he will try to
do it before he goes to bed! Still it's
given me a bit of typing practice.
To: 999 (all members)
From: D5B (Jon Ripley)
Subject: Hi!
Hello all 8BS members out there!
My name is Jon Ripley and I have been
subscribing for a couple of issues and
I am very impressed by 8BS (and the
fact that there are other BBC users out
there!
I own BBC B, BBC B+, Master 128,
Electron, Spectrum 48k, C16+4, Amstrad
CPC464, IBM286PC. (Among others) And a
EPSON FX-80 and NEC Pinwriter P6+
printers. Everything apart from the
BBC stuff is piled up against a wall
of my home. (Well apart from the BBC
stuff I use anyway!)
Some of you may receive personal
messages from me with this issue
(answers to help, etc!). I have quite
an extensive knowledge on most aspects
of the BBC/Elk/Master/Arc and general
computing as well! Please, if you have
any programming queries or suggestions
for things you would like to see
whether they are programs or articles
or just general queries/questions.
I am willing to help people debug
their programs (ADFS/DFS/Tape) for a
small charge if you actually send me
the program. (No printouts of listings
please unless accompanied by the
tape/disc when printouts are
welcomed!)
If you send me a query by post then
include return postage/packing (I am
only a student!)
I am 18 years old and have a 150+IQ, I
would like to also correspond with any
other high-IQ members! (If we live in
the same area then possibly meet for a
game of 10 dimensional noughts and
crosses!) I would especially like to
correspond with other high-IQ younger
people to discuss the problems of
growing up with a high IQ.
Thanks for reading my long, long
message and I hope you like my
software (hopefully Chris has put it
on this disc!)
Please contact me if you have any
comments, criticisms or suggestions
for improvements/changes to any of my
submitted articles/programs!
My address is;
37 Ceylon Place
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN21 3JE
Tel: 01323 721091
To: 999 (all members)
From: D5B (Jon Ripley)
Subject: Planet Earth
If the Earth were only a few feet in
diameter, floating above a field
somewhere, people would come from
everywhere to marvel at it. People
would walk around it, marvelling at
its big pools of water, its little
pools and the water flowing between
the pools. People would marvel at the
bumps on it, and the holes in it, and
they would marvel at the very thin
layer of gas surrounding it and the
water suspended in the gas. The people
would marvel at all the creatures
walking around the surface of the
ball, and at the creatures in the
water. The people would declare it
precious because it was the only one,
and they would protect it so that it
would not be hurt. The ball would
become the greatest wonder known, and
people would come to it to behold it,
to be healed, to gain knowledge, to
know beauty and to wonder how it could
be. People would love it, and defend
it with their lives, because they
would know that their lives, their own
roundness, could be nothing without
it. If only the Earth were only a few
feet in diameter.
By Unknown
To: 999 (all members)
From: D5B (Jon Ripley)
Subject: Adventure Game Creator
I am currently developing an adventure
game creator for the BBC, Master and
Electron computers tape/disc based. I
would appreciate any comments or
suggestions for features that you
would like to see included in the
program.
I shall be submitting it to 8BS in a
few issues time and would appreciate
any comments or suggestions in advance!
My main focus is on ease of use and
user-friendliness, (in the creator! I
intend to make the adventures for all
abilities of adventurer, from the easy
to the difficult and impossible
(almost!))
I would also like to correspond with
any other members interested in
adventuring, I have a collection of
games and am always looking to
increase my collection! Or just
talking with other users who are
interested in creating adventures.
I am especially interested in
obtaining copies of The Quill, Graphic
Adventure Creator and ALPS (adventure
language programming system).
From: 0E7 (F.W.Nevin)
Subject: TRENDS
It would now appear that to find a
packet of 5.25" floppy discs on the
average computer dealers shelf is as
difficult as the water companies
preventing water leaking from their
mains.(In this part of the world at
least)
One is left wondering in the
present climate of multi-media how
long it will be before the 3.5" floppy
goes down the same road leaving the CD
as King.
Then one has to ask oneself the
question 'For how long'.What will be
the next innovation. Obviously
programable CDs but what some
ten years or so on.All very nice and
tempting but if all our Beebs have
packed up by then who will be able to
afford the latest technology
Obsolecense will have triumphed once
again.
I only hope our EDITOR has a large
stock of floppies on hand to keep us
all going
Cheers from
Fred
EDITOR... Ordering disc is always a
nightmare, I always seen to have great
difficulty. However, there is usually
a stock of around 1000 discs in my
bedroom!
From: D2G (Neil Parry)
Subject: The 8Bit Universe
Do you want to be part of the biggest
adventure ever created for BBC, well
you can now.
If you read the editorial in last
months magazine, you would have seen
that I was gonig to write an
adventure, then I thought, how can I
make it different, !BANG! then it hit
me one of the kids toys, don't you
just love them.
I know nearly 200 people who might
help, yes It could be you.
What I need is all your adventures,
everything, big or small, so I can
compile them into one BIG adventure.
If you send me your adventures (and I
hope you will) I will add a code at
the end, but will not change it in
any other way.
Your adventure can be anything you
like, as I said above I will add a
code at the end thats all.
The main program is set in space, you
are Sam Peckitt a Pollymorphing
Humanoid who travels around space
looking for adventure, and with any
luck he will find it.
The code that I will put at the end of
your adventure is the co-ordinate for
your onboard computer, which will
(Hopefully) take you to your next
destination.
So you can see the adventure can be
never-ending ( Ha Never-ending story
get it ) and you could be part of it.
If you send an adventure to me you can
still play because you wont know where
you adventure is in,
THEeee 8BITttttt UNIVERSEsssss......
If you decide to send me your
adventure(s) I will need to add the
code mentioned above, so send the
source code please as well.
If you fancy a bit of the other I
dont want to know, But if you want to
be part of THEeee 8BITtttt UNIVERSEsss
then send me your adventure now.....
DON'T DELAY POST TODAY
Neil Parry
17 Coke Street (No im not joking)
Bathside (Yes it is Real)
Harwich
Essex
CO12 3HP
To: 999 (all members)
From: 20G (Roy Dickens)
Subject: SEASON'S GREETINGS
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/With all good wishes for and the To all members and especially all the contributors. Roy /*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/
And a big thanks to
Chris, our ED.for putting
it all together.THANK YOU.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 20G (Roy Dickens)
Subject: My List of items for sale,
(a couple of issues ago).
*
* * * * *
* * * * *
*
*
*
*
I would like to
thank all of you who POP
enquired/purchased
from my'for sale'list
including Ron,Chris,
Tim,Paul,Charles,Ray,
Roger,Brian,John and
many many more. Every thing has been
sold now so it pays to advertise.
I think that all members should note
that ..........
Five wanted the Eprom Programer so
there maybe four out there who would
like one.
Four wanted the Zif socket so there
maybe three who wish that they had
one.
Four wanted the Master File DB so
again perhaps three need one.
I could go on and on,(my incoming
phone calls did). So if you have items
no longer required why not help some
one who may need them.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 3SQ (Tim Parsons)
Subject: JOHN ADAMS D4T
Early this year I helped the above
Gentleman, he lives at Abbey Gardens
in Belfast.
I saw a plea for help from him in the
Micro Mart.
I duly loaned him a Copy of the Disc
Doctor Manual and also several disc's
full of Master Goodies.
Despite several letters that I have
since written to him, he has NOT
replied AT ALL, nor has he returned or
said thank YOU for anything I have sent
him !.
I see he is NOW a member of our
ESTEEMED Club, SO PLEASE let me WARN
you in advance, if you have any
dealings with this fellow, take note
of my previous experience.
I have taken the opportunity to send
John Adams a message, whether this will
bring any better response than my
letters I KNOW NOT !!
John has specified he doesnt want his
phone number known.
Tim Parsons
40 Coniston Road
Flitwick
BEDS
MK45 1QH
01525-715013 after 6pm
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin Wilson)
Subject: Elite
I'd be interested to hear from people
who have encountered the so called
space dredgers mentioned in the
manuals and completed all the missions
in the BBC version. I'd also be
interested to hear from any hackers
who have looked at the Elite code and
found anything interesting?
PRESS SPACE