Filling a market need

I FIRST heard of your magazine at the ZX Microfair but I thought it would just be two pages of old news for members of a user club. I am very pleased to find it on general distribution at such a reasonable price. The magazine seems to fill a market need, judging by the amount of ZX information which has been appearing in other magazines.

I feel there are three ways in which the magazine could be improved. First, the introduction of an advertisers' index in an easily-locatable part of the magazine. Second, how about having a small section on the old MK-14 ranging from a piece about what it was, to a regular hardware and software spot? Third, I find one of the most informative parts of computer magazines in the letters page and I hope you will introduce one.

The queries raised and ideas suggested through letters pages have often prompted me to try ideas I would never otherwise have thought of.

Hoping that you will maintain the same high quality.

William Nuttall

As you can see, points one and three are now taken care of. We are still thinking about point two. What do other readers think?

Not just propaganda

I HOPE that in future you will not merely publish propaganda for Sinclair Research, because although the ZX-81 is undoubtedly an excellent machine, it has its faults, and the Sinclair organisation still leaves something to be desired.

An advertisers' index at the back of the magazine would be very helpful. I wish you every success in your new venture.

A Maclure

See page 65 for the advertisement index.

Monopoly information

I EXPRESS my thanks for the information relating to ZX-81 Monopoly.

We were pleasantly surprised this morning to find an order in our post for it. As you are probably aware, it is very unusual to obtain direct response from a press release, especially so early after the publishing date.

We wish you luck with Sinclair User and enclose information for your next issue. We feel sure our investment will be rewarded with an increase in turnover.

We would ask you if possible to advise your readers that ZX-81 Monopoly requires 16K RAM to function. We ask it because it was omitted from your editorial and we would rather not take orders which eventually will lead to disappointment for the purchaser.

Thank you for your assistance and good luck.

Derek Tidman (WorkForce)

Discipline and guidance

ONLY a week after I bought a ZX-81 and 16K RAM, your welcome magazine appeared in the newsagents. Excellent timing, if I may say so.

It is obviously early days for you but I hope that your reviews of hardware and software will be frank and critical, as well as giving praise where it is due. I realise that as a commercial enterprise you must keep a weather eye on advertising but the kind of discipline you could help impose can only be good for products and users and for your circulation in the long run.

I look forward to future issues, and certainly wish you well. Meanwhile I wondered if you could give some guidance to help me resolve a programming problem?

To calculate hours worked during a week from data recorded on time cards, thus:

Data supplied

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
arr.	0845	0900	0836	0905	0848
dep.	1310	1232	1238	1242	1303
arr.	1405	1340	1315	1358	1352
dep.	1705	1716	1648	1702 	1654


To be adduced from data

Total		Total
		4414
6405
		6850
8425

A 14830		B 11304

A-B = 3526 hours worked, in hours and minutes

T Newman

Thanks for the compliments and we have sent your problem to Andrew Hewson. Hopefully he can provide a solution. - Editor.