#004 07 января 1987

Editorial

Greetings!- A special welcome to
all newcomers.Well,we planned on
launching our Opus disc  version
of OUTLET this issue but we have
been badly let down TWICE by our
suppliers and are still waiting!
If it arrives soon  we may still
publish a late edition on disc. 
Thanks for all  your comments to
which we have given very careful
thought.We have so much material
piled up waiting for you that we
MUST have a bigger OUTLET for it
or burst!Despite all our efforts
we find that we can't get all of
the programs in we want and they
get pushed back an issue or two.
Latest casualty is "HB DATABASE"
which we promised in GETOUT last
month but, reluctantly, have now
moved to the January issue.

So from January- as you will see
from your latest order form- the
microdrive version will become a
twin cartridge magazine, costing
only `2 - if you supply your own
cartridges - `5 if you prefer us
to supply the cartridges. 
REMEMBER!- you can STILL buy the
single cartridge only should you
want as everything  of a topical
nature such as letters, messages
and the editorial will all be on
the 1st cartridge at the present
price of `3. For practically the
price of one blank cartridge- `2
extra however,you can obtain the
additional cartridge.  We'll try
and give you some idea what will
be in every forthcoming issue in
our "GETOUT" section, but for `2
more than the former price we're
giving away all the extra things
for the cost of your cartridge!

For clarity [WHO'S SHE?!] we are
calling these "twin" cartridges:
CARTRIDGE A and B (Clever huh?).
If you have two drives, then you 
can put: A into drive 1 and B in
drive 2.  All items shown on the
CONTENTS page will load from the
correct drive  automatically. If
you only have one drive then you
will be prompted  to switch over
cartridges. Items on CARTRIDGE B
will be shown in a different INK
colour on the CONTENTS page and,
naturally,if you haven't got 'B'
then they wil not load. However,
you can  always order any A or B
cartridge later as a back issue.
Note,though, there will not be a
CONTENTS 'loader' on 'B' itself.
Of course,all programs will load
independantly using the "normal"
Sinclair commands.

The Opus user is even better off
because disc prices are a little
 
cheaper than  cartridges - `3.50
for OUTLET on a disc - `2 if you
supply the disc,identical to the
equivalent microdrive version.

We've  been asked if CHEZRON can
provide blank cartridges as some
readers are having  difficulties
obtaining supplies. We can't get
them  very much less than anyone
else- but thought we'd give it a
trial run  for a few months. You
might find it more convenient to
order from us  if you  regularly
take OUTLET anyway, but you will
probably  be able to obtain them
elsewhere cheaper as the minimum
we can provide them at is  `1.85
each. We've so many little boxes
on our forms now we are thinking
of writing a song so if you want 
any cartridges simply add a note
or scribble on your form for the
time being.  If Opus users think
we should also supply discs then
write in and put your view which
we will consider but don't place
any firm orders just yet please.

May we remind you that  we'll be
on Table 11  at the ZX MICROFAIR
on Saturday, 12th December, 1987
at:- the NEW HORTICULTURAL HALL,
GREYCOAT STREET, LONDON,  S.W.1.
so if you can get there we'll be
glad to see you!

Right- grateful thanks now go to
Chris Lewis, Peter Armstrong and
especially  Brian Gaff  for help
in our search for the microdrive
error-trap routine  to deal with 
the loading  conveniently in our
coming twin-cartridge OUTLET. We
now have the info we wanted  and
are writing  our own routines in
time for the next issue(we hope)
and eventually  it'll become yet
another "OUTLET UTILITY" in some
future issue of OUTLET (Hooray!)

Did you like the "snow storm" at
the end of this month's  loader?
You get one brownie point if you
watched it until the end plus an
extra special point to those who
spotted the top hat...

Finally -  remember you can send
in articles, letters or messages
etc.  in Jotter files or Tasword
files, in ordinary DATA or PRINT
statements, via  PRESTEL mailbox 
to: 014703943 or just hard copy.
It helps  if you format Tasfiles
to 32 columns  (before you start
typing) as it is not easy to re-
format from 64 to 32 - Try it!

Full articles,  programs or even
decent short routines gets you a
free issue (now double the size)
if published but "haggle" if you
think your contribution is worth
more as we'll offer  modest cash
rewards where appropriate.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM US BOTH -
 HAVE A GREAT TIME!
                   - RON & BRIAN

STOP PRESS!  PRESENT SUBSCRIBERS
MAY UPGRADE THEIR  SUBSCRIPTIONS
TO TWIN CARTRIDGE BY  PAYING THE
DIFFERENCE SHOWN ON THE FORM..