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{subhead} The AIO History{def}{p}
Article by Chris Seward
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Amiga Information Online, also known as AIO was first thought
about in roughly March of 1997. In May 1997 the first issue was
published.
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The first issue was very basic and presented in AmigaGuide format,
the layout wasn't so hot and it didn't look very appealing. When
the first issue was released there where only two people actually
working on it. Firstly there was me, Chris Seward as Editor and
someone who reported the latest Amiga news from Australia called
Daniel Kitingan.
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The first issue has some reviews taken from CU Amiga and also got
a mention in AIO in a small 'online' column. That issue was released
with little or no warning and as I have learned from experience
I should have made it publicly before hand and once released made
sure it was passed to every major Amiga place possible. I guess
you learn from your mistakes and it took a few more issues to build
up any reader base.
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I released the first issue to the Aminet and a few UK BBSes and
waited for the response.... waited... After a whole month has
passed and I was about to release the second issue I had no feedback
what so ever, undetered I released the second issue.
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The first issue has a review of a game which has just been released
the 3D racing game from Epic Marketing. This was in May 1997.
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Issue 2 was released and in the weeks following we received some
feedback with questions, suggestions and hints. We also received
our first 3-4 registrations from some readers, some of which are
still reading today!
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Amiga User International (AUI) one of the longest running Amiga magazines
closed in this month aswell as Vulcan Software decided to go CD only.
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Final Writer 97 was released and as to my knowledge was the last
update of that great package. We still hadn't received any software
to review and the team still on consisted of the original two members
of the team.
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Issue 3 was released in July 1997. The Articles/Features section of
the magazine was introducted with an article summing up the two best
Gamwboy emulators, Wzonkalad Vs AmiGameBoy. Index Information LTD
gains rights to build its own computers using the Amiga motherboards.
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Sean Talbot joins the team as Deputy Editor only to disappear from the
face of the earth a few issues later. Still out there Sean?
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Issue 4 released with the new feature that any program that receives
a score of 90% or over with become an AIO Gold.
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Adrian Hendy joins as our Utilities editor reviewing MakeCD V2.4,
APlayer V2.22, Hippoplayer V2.40, MultiCX 2.74 and MClock V1.0 for
his first column.
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Guildhall Leisure and Epic Marketing convince three main retailers
in the UK to stock Amiga games in 1997. This was good news but unfortunately
these retailers decided only to stock old Amiga games and the idea
didn't really take off. You can sometimes still find a very small
stock of Amiga games in some of these shops but very rarely now.
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Our first interview took place this issue with Epic Marketing, a report
from the Australian Amiga Gathering 97 was written by our australian
reporter, Daniel Kitingan.
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Issue 5 released, September 1997. Amiga Computing and Amiga Review
both closed this month. Screen shots of games reviewed where introduced
this issue after an initial idea from the Swedish distribution BBSes
Sysop, Pom Lekey.
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A few extra BBSes where added to the distribution section of the magazine
in some extra countries.
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Continued Next Issue...