EDITORIAL LICENSE
PETER SCISCO
New Look, New Style, New Content: Introducing the New Compute!
Ten years is a long time in the magazine business, an eternity in the computer business. Both enterprises boast more shakeouts than a Hollywood hair salon. A discriminating audience, computer-literate and future-bound, makes short work of any computer magazine that fails to fulfil its promise.
COMPUTE! is still here; strong, lively, and dedicated to the world of home computers. From the VIC-20 and the Atari 800, through the Commodore PET and the CoCo, into the days of the Commodore 64 and the Apple II, and finally to a world where IBM PC and compatible computers dominate in the home (80 percent of our readers use an MS-DOS machine), COMPUTE! has evolved as the computing community has evolved. We've embraced the new technologies and celebrated the old. We've written the stories and shared the perspectives that have made the personal computer the harbinger of the Information Age.
But time waits for no one, and if you've thumbed through this issue of COMPUTE!, you've noticed quite a change. A bolder palette with a much stronger presentation may catch your eye first. But look deeper. We've broadened our scope as well, bringing in special departments devoted to productivity, entertainment, and learning. And we're launching a special section dedicated to in-depth explorations.
No matter what you use your computer for, you'll find new uses inside our trio of departments. Parents and teachers alike can look to our Learning department for the products, strategies, and techniques that make the home computer an educational wonder. At a time when policy makers and self-proclaimed experts bemoan the mediocre performance of our schools, you can be sure that you and your children are prepared for the future because of the discoveries you make at your home computer. The computer isn't a substitute for school, but a tool for moving beyond those walls and into the world of imagination. And we can help you, and your children, make that leap.
Game players can keep up with the latest toys through our Entertainment section, and they can put their computers to work with what they glean from our Productivity pages. And, for those of you who bought your computer for serious work, discover how truly productive your computer can be when it becomes a focal point of family fun and curiosity.
Each department not only offers informational features, but also profiles what we call a COMPUTE! Choice: a product representative of the best and the brightest in that area. This month we look at the updated version of BetterWorking Eight-in-One. an inexpensive integrated package that can help you be more productive; we cast our vote for Hidden Agenda, a game that uncovers the gray areas of diplomacy and should spark discussions at home and in school for some time; and Omega, a cybertank war game that gives group entertainment a new meaning and brings programming out of the basement and into the living room.
Another addition to COMPUTE! is our In Focus section, in which we expand upon a single topic—complete with features, guest columns, a buyer's guide, and a resource page for expanding your horizons. And don't overlook our monthly In Focus disk offer; the disk features a collection of outstanding shareware programs that exemplifies the special area of home computing we've covered in that issue. We've take special care to select packages that bring real value to your PC; each month you'll have a chance to increase your software library and expand the usefulness of your computer.
This anniversary issue of COMPUTE! doesn't close a book. It opens a new chapter. And to that end we look ahead in a special anniversary story about the future of home computing—the products and ideas in development today that will shape the way you and your children will use computers tomorrow. No more pie in the sky; take a look at the reality of the 1990s.
But don't worry that we've completely abandoned our old ways. You'll still find our Specific section (now with two MS-DOS columns: one for beginners and intermediate users, the other for more advanced users) with news and views about your favorite system, our concise and honest reviews, our insightful columnists, plus new-product announcements and news about the home computing front.
COMPUTE! will continue to write stories that can help you get the most out of your computer, no matter what software you use or what hardware you choose. And it will maintain its place as the authority in the home computing field.
The magazine you're holding reflects several months of big dreams, long days, and hard work. A lot of enthusiasm went into it, and we think a lot will come out of it. So open your eyes to a new decade and enjoy.