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|A ^0First Things First |A ^1Diskovery |Aͺ ^0First Things First |A
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^Cby
^CBob Napp

    Well, we are into the long hot Summer months now.  Time for family 
 vacations, barbecues, Fourth of July celebrations, and Big Blue Disk #33.  
 While it has been heating up outside we have been working feverishly inside 
 to prepare this issue for you.  We hope you enjoy it.

    I want to take this opportunity to thank you for sending in the Report 
 Cards contained in each issue.  Your comments and suggestions are extremely 
 helpful to me.  I always keep in mind what you say as we build each issue 
 of Big Blue Disk.  

    For the most part, the Report Cards have indicated you view our efforts 
 favorably, but I have noticed a trend developing in the grades we receive.  
 While the overall grade is good, grades for the individual areas of the disk 
 tend to be based on what I call "Direct Applicability".  In other words, an
 individual looking to find business productivity software would likely give a 
 poor grade to a game like Moraff's Revenge (BBD #31).  The same can be said 
 for the individual looking for entertainment software and the Small Business 
 Accounting Package (BBD #24).  Though each program is good, they receive poor 
 grades because they were not "Directly Applicable" to that user's needs.

    Another area of concern noted in the Report Cards is the inclusion of 
 graphics based programs on the disk.  Unfortunately, some of our readers do 
 not have a Graphics Adapter in their systems.  We have tried to provide 
 complete support for all video systems.  However, there are some things that 
 just can't be done in a purely text based environment.  

    As you can probably tell, putting together an issue of Big Blue Disk is not 
 as easy as it might sound.  Since BBD serves such a diverse readership, every 
 decision must be weighed carefully.  Believe me, I don't like to get poor 
 grades.  Under the current format of Big Blue Disk, I'm afraid this situation 
 won't get much better.  
 
    I need your help.  We are currently considering a rather bold move for the
 future of Big Blue Disk.  Instead of producing one product a month we produce 
 two.  The first would be a graphics based product geared for the home user 
 with helpware, utilities, Print Shop graphics, and games.  The second would be 
 a text based product geared for the business executive/small business owner 
 looking to improve productivity on their office system.  

    This is your chance to have an influence in the direction Big Blue Disk 
 will take in the future.  I want to stress that we are currently just ^1THINKING 
 about this type of approach.  Our goal is to create products that meet the 
 needs of our customers.  We feel that a two product PC format would provide 
 the best solution possible.  
 
    Here is your chance . . .  let me know what you think! 
