c04.------------------------------------. | c04 | | c02A review on Miracle #1; the newc04 | | c02diskmag from Iris. c04 | | | `------------------------------------' c03 MIRACLE! A NEW DISKMAG ON ITS WAY c03 by RokDaZone c03Iris c01 is not an uncommon name when it comes to producing diskmags. In its long history, the members often have shown attempts to challenge the leading handful. For unknown reason, regularily they failed or simply stopped being on their way. Now, it'sc03 MJc01 in the role of a main-ed to show to the world that Iris still belongs to the bigger names in this Scene. c03 Miraclec01, the name. A hitter or another one, doomed for oblivion? c02 LEADING IDEA c01Already in the editorial, it is made misunderstandably clear thatc03 Miracle c01is not meant to be an attempt to challenge c03 RAW c01 or c03 ROMc01. To be exact, already the subtitle taken alone shows it: 'f4The Mag For Swappersf1'. In the transposition a 'mag for swappers' normally means the following: c02- c01Basic code, design and music. c02- c01Few articles, c03Macno c01would declare to be fillers, one third of them only ranking around the mag and the group releasing it. c02-c01 many but old news, directly taken from those 'Newsletters', being put together from mass-swappers (see: 'Stuff4Magz'-directory). c02- c01charts of all kinds and there only weak emphasis on standard Scene- charts, about 75 to 125 voters. c02- c01tons of adverts c02-c01 masses of messages c02 OUTWARD APPEARANCE c01Actually, c03Miraclec01 makes no exception, when it comes to the first point. The code shows the traditional features and scrolls acceptably fast, yet no multitasking. The stearing is traditional. From the graphical part there is nothing to mutter about as the basic style may not stun for being rather unspectacular, yet suits for the eyes and therefore can be described as legitimate, whereas the titlepicture runs far behind the rest of the gfx. The music - and this is personal taste - is not of my style. Although it gives some interesting arrangements: To me, it lacks a thin red line. The composition of the textediting might appear some kind of strange as very contrasting colours have been chosen: Crafty red next to green and yellow, yet always - like the rest of the design - kept rather dim. Else, the editing is sparse but tasty so that fortunately no disturbing Ansis hit the eyes. Something which doesn't appear obligatory for this kind of diskmag-category. c02 CONTENTS c01The majorly important entrance when it comes to a diskmag for swappers surely is the newssection. c03 MJc01 here shows the will to become one of the leading newssupporters as he crammed everything he could get intoc03 Miraclec01. Yet, as if he would know what must follow now, he writes: 'f4...f1' If you knew it already, c03MJc01, maybe it would have been better just to avoid that at least a little. It is impressing to see how he has managed to get infos about most of the groups, yet by chance or will: News from 1995 simply ain't legitimate anymore, I am sorry, even not for a first release. Also it might be clever if from the next issue on, you tarn a little the fact that you got your info directly from newsletters (btw. most editors do) by changing phrases like 'f4ABC has left us...f1' into 'f4ABC has left them...f1', when the group he has left is not your own. Still, we have to keep in focus that c03Miracle c01 is a first release from a group, belonging to the middleclass, so it means they have by far a harder stand to get news than first releases from groups like c03 Essencec01 (c03ROMc01). The articles much follow the old pattern I have given before. Yet,c03 MJ c01openly admitted that before so I don't have to criticise here. His honest understatement here really prevents him from negative responds as it legitimises that there is few information to get out of it. In this way it is comparable to a TV-paper, having some small humaninterest articles in it to fill up the mag. When there's a market for those TV-papers, why shouldn't there be one for Miracle? The charts are big, colorful and detailed. The choice of categories and the stats are handed in a good way so that the extra information can be grasped without further reflection which should be the main aim of a chart. When one keeps in the eye that this was the first release, 89 voters is really a respectable record, although one still has to ask how old these votes partly may have been. There are, however, certain points remaining that seem doubtful: National charts, in which one gets asked what nation is the leading one may be fab, yet surely don't help away chauvinism. Spreadercharts may be a funny idea to motivate the spreaders, yet for the rest of the readers, this info is pointless. Only two votes are enough to be into the charts. I guess this will be changed as soon people get aware that it is quite easy to fake two votes to get into the charts. It might be nice when not always the same names get ranked yet still, somehow one should have to be special to deserve entering the charts. c02 SUMMING UP c03Miraclec01 doesn't provide something new, nor does it set new stakes for editing or design. To be exact it is a matter of taste if one declares such a 'f4swappermagf1' as legitimate, at least I do. Still, there is a lot of work to do for c03MJc01 and his mates as he is very dependent on the support he gets for his newssection and the charts. The logic steps now should be to build up a functionable distribution- and supportnet and work a little on the design. Still, if they are awilled to put in the effort (and the money), there might be a future forc03 Miraclec01. Maybe c03MJ c01 can become the main-ed,c03 Irisc01 has been waiting for so long?