HIM again

Chairmans’ bit

WE ARE BACK !!!! My apologies on behalf of the committee for the very late arrival of this issue. The last issue came out before we all went on holiday, and now I’m sitting typing this looking at snow gently falling past the living room window. Either there is something radically wrong with the weather, or the intervening interval between typing this chairmans’ letter and the last is a lot longer than it feels. Truth to tell, Paul and I have been extremely busy to the exclusion of virtually anything else. Admittedly we work for different companies but it seems our respective employers have both conspired against us getting this newsletter to press. Most of the copy for the October/​November issue was in hand before the end of September and that was where everything stopped. We picked up the pieces a couple of days ago, and we have set the final copy date for tommorrow. I don’t know what page count Paul has hidden on tapes and disks, but we intend this to be the biggest issue yet.

The first thing to notice is the the change of print style. To date most INMC newsletters have been prepared on NASPEN and then printed using a rather arthritic IBM printer. Progress has struck. We now have access to a Qume Sprint. This has not only meant that the printing process has been speeded by about three times, but that we can cram a lot more print per page. Our old page format of 72 characters per line, 56 lines per page has given way to 87 characters per line by 60 lines per page. This should help reduce our printing bills a little by using less paper.

For once I can not complain about lack of material for publication, we seem to be awash with it. There must be enough for this issue and most of the next already. Our thanks to all those who have contributed, even if we have not printed it in this issue. However, can I make an appeal for a Nascom owner somewhere near North London who has a Nascom 2 fitted with NASPEN and could put in a few hours transcribing letters, articles etc, prior to editing as typing time is now becoming our biggest stumbling block. Whilst asking for help, would a capable technical draughtsman please stand up and be identified. As you may have noticed we don’t go overboard with illustrations or technical drawings. This is because none of us can draw. We have a number of hardware articles which we would like to publish, but our printer complains that he can’t make litho plates from drawings on the backs of envelopes. Both jobs would only take a few hours every couple of months, and the reward is to see your efforts in print. Please reply to Amersham, for my attention.

Dodos are not extinct

Thank you all out there who replied to our ‘Prove a Dodo Exists’ appeal in the last newsletter. May I thank particularly those I haven’t had time to write to yet. Up until a few days ago we had identified our ideal dodo, but alas, extinction struck, and the hunt starts again (more about that later). Just as well I kept all the letters of application. One way and another we have managed to meet many prospective dodos, a few were even clever enough to ferret out an unofficial INMC committee meeting in the bar at the Cunard Hotel at a computer exhibition. We had decided that these budding ‘Sherlocks’ were really too clever to be dodos, as they had the whit to find and identify us. But as the dodo hunt is on again, who knows?

If you have been watching your magazine adverts, you will have noticed that a group of Nascom dealers have clubbed together to promote Nascom related products. More strength to their elbows, as this is one way in which lesser known products for Nascom will see the light of day. It is really most encouraging to see this kind of movement, as with the future of Nascom still uncertain (didn’t you know, then keep reading),