I have been thinking recently, with the start of the school holidays and me working and all, about something I need to work on to keep me busy in the time where I would be usually burning time at school. A bit of this has been solved by me getting an oboe (though that has been in the planning for alot longer), but I think I need to do something that comes with my other 'hobby' type thing: computers.

So I was thinking as I read a copy of Macaddict, that it would be really cool if it were possible to publish a magazine in my own view of interests (and others). I kept thinking along this line, until I came to the problem of who on earth would publish it. Then it hit me, Cafepress with their new perfect binding system would be perfect for just an idea. Only real problem is greyscale inside the magazine, but surely this can be overcome by very good content.

But what could this content be? Heck, I decided that the 3 operating systems that I found intereasting would be good enough. And the fact they are on 3 differnt platforms makes them even better. So, the content would be on Windows, MacOS and RISC OS. The next thought was on how to convert this into a single magazine...until I decided it did not have to be. My dream, as I see it, is one, big (100 pages or so) fortmonthly (one every 2 months) magazine that is split into 4 sections: 1 as a general section that ties them all together, 1 for Windows, 1 for MacOS and 1 for RISC OS. Each OS would have an editor, and the magazine would have a Head Editor that plonked it all down on the page for Cafepress (Im looking at myself for that job ). Each section would carry out its own review, interviews, help topics ect ect.

The great thing about it is, now lets say a mac zelot bought the magazine for the MacOS content, but once he got it, he read a little about Windows and RISC OS and become a bit wiser. And then a Windows zelot bought the magazine for the Windows contnet, but once he got it, he read a little about MacOS and RISC OS and became a bit wise. And then again a RISC OS zealot bought the magazine for its RISC OS content, but once he got it, he read a little about MacOS and Windows and become a little bit wiser. You get where I am going....it would encouracge learning on all sides, and acceptance.

By looking at Cafepress's website, the cost of the magazine at no profit would be at $10, and cafepress would handle the constructions, selling and shipping. By having it at no profit, it would ofcourse require a big community effort, but once it got going, it would pretty much run itself.

My reason for posting this. Well, just to get some input from a nice melting pot of ideas this forum is, and if anyone voluntered to help, I wouldnt stop them .

Later, once the online magazine is well established, you might look to create a print version.

Just my 4 halfpennies.

Good luck!

G4From128k

I shall continue working on it.

Fedorenko: Hello, is this Fake Computer Wholesalers?
Salesman: Yes
Fedorenko: Well, I would like to order a 600mhz Iyonix, a dual 1.42ghz G4 Powermac and a 3.2ghz P4 system please.
Salesman: Cool. I just need to take down your credit card details.
Fedorenko: See, here is the thing. I am from a magazine and we are doing a review on those systems, so I want them for free.
Salesman: ....
Fedorenko: Come on, all those other magazines have reviews of these systems.
Salesman: But they are all borrowing them for a short amount of time.
Fedorenko: Well that sucks then.
Salesman: If you promise to write up were you got the computers from, you can have them.
Fedorenko: Sure.
Salesman: Ill get them express posted, give me your postal address, and they will be there tommorrow.
Fedorenko: Sweet.

*Fedorenko gives computer wholesaler his address, and wishes this could happen in real life*

Iff'n you need anything about MacOS or Windows, You can call upon me I was going to do something like this for my website too, I had screenshots and writeups for BeOS and OS8 and OSX server 10.1 and Jaguar client. It was an interesting little page, and I am very regretful of having lost those files. I've now recreated the page, but have only been able to recover my OSX 10.1 server screenshots. (I was going to get the others via VPC and Basilisk II)

On the note of the salesman skit...
iff'n you want to team up with me on some reviews of a few systems, I am all for it! [')] I'll get myself a good 68k, a 6100 and a G5 and talk about when an OS has to make the transition from one major kind of processor to the next. (040 to PPC, and PPC to PPC64bit) It'll be uber

Another thing i was thinking about for MLAgazine was a roundup of SVGA projectors and other projectors that the companies are bold enough to claim support for of while using 68k systems (as if that's going to happen with most companies, but a few like Proxima still claim "Mac" compatibility )
(Sorry for taking the stage there, I get carried away sometimes )

[shameless plug]
If you have any content ideas for the MLAgazine, especially pertaining to Quadras, I would love to hear them. Any artists? Mac related art is something else that'd be good, or art made on older macs.
[end shameless plug]

Good luck Fedorenko!
(Actually, i was hopefully thinking about you saying something like "I got this large load of stuff for MLAgazine!") (With alot of exclaimation points!!!!!!!!!)

Cory, I was thinking along the lines of the evolution of OS and hardware of all 3 platforms. Though, I am hessitant with this 64bit thing Apple is doing now .

MacOS: 680x0 -> PPC -> PPC64
Windows: x86 -> Pentiums
RISC OS: ARM -> Better ARM (Xscale) With any luck, they will change of to Samsung Hellia chips when they are ready.

You never know, I might come along a pile of Quadra infromation on my search, Ill keep you posted

I know web publsihing makes sense...but it doesnt rival holding something in your hands. If any of you havent seen Cafepress book publsihing facilities, have a looksie at their page now. No upfront costs, print on demand.....it all sounds very nice (except for the black and white). Perhaps a few trial online issues, and Ill go from there.

How hard could it be to publsih a magazine anyway

I've been working on the MLAgazine since I moved to Arizona (started actual work on MLAgazine in about March...)

It's been a marginal PITA sometimes...

For example, i'm doing alot of my stuff on a donation basis, therefore, I've either gotten all my content that's in no way related to the topic at hand, very badly written, or have gotten very little of it.

The hardest part, again, is finding time, and finding content.
Next, comes making all the decisions, like weather or not you want advertising, and if you do, what kind of stuff you might want in there, and then dealing with all the people getting angry with you because of what you're doing.

Get ready for an exciting ride, alot of people complaining at you because it's taking you longer than expected, and long nights of trying to layout the one problem-article in DTP program of your choice (I suggest QuarkXPress).

Well, I have decided about the advertisements...Im not going to use them. Well, mabye a section in each ssection of the magazine for related eBay auctions, but I might give that away as a freebie anyway. I dont feel the need for advertismening, whither I go online or Cafepress stlye, the cost to me is going to be very minimal. And its a hobby anyway.

Content: Ill start trawling around some of the commmunity forums for the 3 OSs Im covering for committed people.....or Ill take the far less ideal way, Ill do it myself . I can see this being a huge pain in the ass though .

For the sake of getttingpeople buying the magazine...ill probably only give away a couple of freebies to some of the more popular community based sites for the OSs...once I know its good.

But yes, a fun ride, a difficult ride, but you have to admit....its going to be a satasfiying rid eonce it gets going

quote:

---

Good ideas usually are created by crazy people, go figure...

---

If I open my window all the bugs will get in…That's just one more reason to use a Mac!
Mac Portable
LC ||
SE/30
||si
||ci
Quadras: 660av, 950
PMs: 6100/G3/233, 6214CD, 5400/120, 7100/80av, 9500/G3/300
PB 5300ce
SuperMac C600 180, 240

That my idea is good but I am crazy

or

That my idea sucks but I am not crazy

Idont know whether to take either as a compliment [:P}

I hope you find people at those different forums who really are dedicated, I tried looking some places other than the MLA for people who might help, and at the AFF, my thread got not only moved, but deleted within 24 hours...

After that, I didn't try to find help at the 'fritter for anything else.

Yeah, that would be weird huh? like if someone got syphillis and didn't treat it... (stupid abstinence class, now I *gasp* remember stuff...)

quote:

---

That my idea is good but I am crazy

---

/me faints.

You must be crazy too! to have such an idea

Nothing ends up as what it was started to be

I like the idea of that, and iff'n you need help with screenshots of any OS, I might be able to help (NT4 workstation/server on the bro's PC, then XP, then such and whatnot) and I've got Panther here on the 'Book )

I actually thought about doing this before. Hvae the whole book laid out in a format, that gave development information, screenshots, hardware, history ect ect for every OS ever....using cafepress it wouldnt be a cheap set of books to buy.....but it would kick ass

quote:

---

what is a textbased start of correctness? and did I ever have one before?

---

If there was a book like that, fedorenko, I would try to buy it

It would have to be at least 500 pages though, because I know that there are ALOT of Operating Systems,and MANY screenshot and long text writing opportunities for each of them

I personally own a book of the sorts about macs 'Everything you ever wanted to know about the mac" 3rd edition, it's 1200something pages. I have a book *just* about HyperCard, it's a similar size.

like a content management system ~ish maybe?

Good ideas usually are created by crazy people, go figure...

Ofcourse more fun comes from looking into platforms that no one really knows about. Just like Alpha Micro (http://www.alphamicroproducts.com/). Spent 10 minutes on O-C.com trying to remember the comapny name again so I can have another look into AMOS

68k Macintosh Liberation Army Forums

© 2001-2003 68kMLA