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3]READERS' FORUM
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VCHECK, CHECK IN PLEASE
     Where in creation is the icon or place to run the VCHECK1.1 program on
the January 1988 JUMPDISK? Did I miss something?
ANTHONY PERANIO, Nyack, NY

3]     Several readers have mentioned having trouble with VCHECK1.1. There was
3]nothing wrong with the program or JUMPDISK. To run VCHECK1.1, it is
3]necessary to open a CLI window and there type
3]vcheck1.1 df0:    (or df1: or df2: etc)    <Return>
3]and the program checks the disk in the drive named in the run command. See
3]READER TIPS for more on this -- EDITOR

1]BEYOND FUN AND GAMES
     Beyond the fun and games, I have probably learned more about Amiga
Basic, AmigaDOS and the CLI through JUMPDISK than I possibly could have with
all the manuals on my local dealer's shelves. Being able to run a program
and simultaneously dissect it in another window on the same screen to see
how it ticks, is one of thew things that makes the Amiga a truly unique
computer, and a disk magazine written mainly in Basic is the ideal format
for exploiting its capabilities.
GARY CAMPO, Livonia, MI

3]     Not everyone likes our use of Amiga Basic. See THE EDITOR'S TWO CENTS
3]in this issue. -- EDITOR

1]APPROACHING LIFE WITH NEW ZEALAND PLEASURE
     Greetings from New Zealand (not to be confused with Australia).
     We can tell you a lot about sheep, earthquakes, great lifestyles and
being nuclear free, but I'm afraid some of us are still crawling out of the
sea as regards programmes for our Amiga computers.
     A lot of us are into home schooling our kids in this part of the world,
and we need as much help as we can get with regard to educational games and
programmes.
MARTIN and JAN DAVIES, and children EMMA and ANNA, Orewa, New Zealand

3]     Since we received your letter, you've seen a few issues. We hope
3]Emma and Anna have found a few JUMPDISK activities worth of inclusion in
3]their home curriculum. See the contents of the EDUCATION drawer within the
BasicLab drawer in this issue. -- EDITOR

1]ARKANOID BOO
     Arkanoid is published by Discovery. Discovery published Marauder II,
which allows backup disks to be made of just about any piece of commercial
software. Yet, Arkanoid can't be backed up. Could it be Discovery doesn't
subscribe to the old adage about what's good for the goose being equally
good for the gander?
J. C. CARL, Minneapolis, MN

3]     Perhaps. But also consider Discovery published Arkanoid under
3]contract with its owner, Taito. Maybe Taito insisted on the copy protection.
3]See THE EDITOR'S TWO CENTS for a bit more on this. -- EDITOR

1]MORE JOHNSON
     The satirical pieces you've published by Les Johnson, most recently
"Vapor Caper" in the November 1987 JUMPDISK, are welcome changes of pace
from the technical stuff. I have two suggestions for future pieces: software
pirates and those interminable BBS forums about how many angels can fit on
the head of a byte.
SHEILA CALLAHAN, Bronx, NY

3]    Consider your suggestions passed to Mr. Johnson. We shall see if the
3]micro-muse moves him in either direction. -- EDITOR

1]GUARANTEE A MISTAKE
     "At least 10 programs and 10 articles in every issue?" That is a
mistake. This can only lead to the inclusion of inferior articles and
programs, stuffers, just to keep your promise. Far better to have a few good
programs and articles, than to have a bunch of junk.
A. P. BATCHELDER, San Francisco, CA

3]     You're right. Yet, we don't want to pull back from the guarantee.
3]Without making any new claims, we've begun including more than 10 programs
3]and 10 articles in each issue. So the reality of our intent it to provide
3]as much as we can within the constraints of one disk. One thing we've done is
3]put smaller programs and routines in the BasicLab drawer. It would make our
3]life at JUMPDISK much easier if we only felt it necessary to shoot for three
3]or four large, excellent activities each month; such an issue could be put
3]together in a week. But we don't think it would have wide appeal. The
3]hardest part of editing a JUMPDISK is the effort to create a monthly mix of
3]material that's not overweighted toward any taste. -- EDITOR

1]ROOKIES
     I hope you will always have room for rookies in your magazine.
R. B. MAPLESDEN, Three Rivers, CA

3]     Yes. And that's a promise. -- EDITOR

1]STILL AROUND
     I was ready to let my subscription lapse, but the December 1987 and
January 1988 issues were so good that I'm staying for another year. Irv
Herskowitz's mortgage program was superb (we're shopping for a home), as was
Amoeba Attack (I'm sending them a check).
     How about games similar to Amoeba Attack, comparative reviews, and good
PD utilities? Don't be ashamed to use PD; we would rather pay $5.50 an issue
for what we can use than pay $3 for disks 80 percent full of stuff we can't
use.
EDWARD SHERMAN, Flushing, NY

3]     We're happy you're still with us. Since we've begun to offer PD disks
3]at $3 each, we've tried to use less material that has already appeared on
3]the PD disk series. Reasoning is that the PD price is so inexpensive, it's
3]within reach of anyone who really wants a given program from any of the
3]disks. The Fish Disk 0, available from us for $2, catalogues contents of
3]that entire series.
3]     However, thinking in your direction, we won't ignore good PD material
3]when it is fresh. We realize that while one JUMPDISK reader may have a
3]collection of 200 PD disks, another is just as likely to be a new Amiga
3]owner who yet is unaware of the Fish and Amicus series. -- EDITOR

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