From: abend@sunfish.cis.ohio-state.edu (dan edward abend)
Subject: Amigaphile
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 17:19:56 GMT

Do you think that Commodore has dropped the ball when it comes to support
for the Commodore Amiga?

Do you sometimes feel like you are the only Amiga owner in existence?

Do you wish there was some place to get answers to you questions?

I started taking a survey at the beginning of April and I have found that
these are common feelings among Amiga owners.  I would am attempting to
pick up where all others have left off.

Have you noticed that Amiga World Tech Journal and Info magazine have
ceased publication due to financial problems.  Both these publications
are profit oriented.  Many other Amiga related companies are no longer
with us.  My idea is to provide a service that does not depend on profit.
I am going to donate my time in order to better the Amiga community I love
so dearly.

The following is a summary of what I have in mind:

Amigaphile - a non-profit Amiga oriented organization whos purpose is to
	     coordinate support for the Amiga computer.

I am to accomplish this by depending on the Amiga community.  Amiga owners
are very resourceful.  If they were not, they would have sold their machines
and bought something with a large software base or a bigger name-brand
reputation.  
(1) I want to publish a magazine devoted to issue related to the
    Amiga community.  The articles and ideas in these magazines will be
    submitted by the readers of the magazine.  Each reader will pay a fee
    equal to the cost of printing and mailing their issue of this magazine.
    I think this is a bargain which can't be beat.  Everyone who submits an
    article which is used will recieve some sort of compensation, even if
    this is only a free issue or something similar.

    I would also like to have each issue contain information about
    bulletin board services, user's groups, and Amiga dealers in
    particular areas to keep you informed of support options in
    your local area.

    I would like to work this together in conjunction with local user's
    group publications as well as work to spread information between
    user's groups.

(2) I would like to set up a bulletin board network to tie together
    other Amiga bulletin boards.

The only way, this can work is if many Amiga users band together.  I would
like to organize this group.  I wouls like to organize it around the already
existing structure of local user's groups and bulletin boards.  It should
be obvious to you that we need to unite in order to support our machine
of choice.  I don't believe ther is any reason we should feel inferior to
owners of other machines.

Please, if you haven't replied to my other posting, reply to this one.
I will send you a survey to complete.  If you return the survey with
your name and mailing address, I will send you the first issue free.

If you have an comments or suggestions, please eel free to send them along.
I am very willing to listen to the ideas of other owners and it may be a
good idea to put these in the first magazine to spark others ideas.

Information about myself and my background:

	My name is Dan Abend.  I am currently a senior at The Ohio State
University in Columbus, Ohio majoring in Computer Science.  My first
computer was an Apple II+ which I started programming when I was in Junior
High.  I later went on the the IBM world and wrote serveal specialized
commercial programs which I marketed.  This allowed me the oportunity
to buy the first computer I could call my own.  I purchased an Amiga
500 the first year they became available.  I now own a 2500/030 along
with a Video Toaster.  The A500 in owned blew a power supply and I replaced
it with the one from my Apple II+, that 500 is still running and is in
use by my girlfriend.  The Apple II is still running (I replaced the
power supply) and so is my Commodore 64.  Last year I began repairing
IBM compatibles and this year I wrote an update for one of my commercial
programs.  I also learned C and am planning on starting to write Amiga
software.

I am fed up with feeling like I am the only owner of an Amiga
in Columbus and I am tired of being treated like gum on someones shoe.
The support is this town is poor but we do have a few good users groups.

If you are enthusiastic about your Amiga computer, you are an Amigaphile.