PUBUSHER'S
l,EJ-J'ER
Welcome to the
second issue of Silicon Chip
Welcome to the second issue of SILICON CHIP, Australia's newest and most entertaining electronics
magazine. For those of you who have already contacted us with your reactions to the first issue, thank
you very much for your wishes of support. It was nice to get moral support as we finished off our second issue.
As I write this it is the 27th October, so our first issue has been on sale for less than one week. It is
therefore too early to judge just how well it will be accepted in the marketplace. If the early reactions
are any guide, we are mightily encouraged.
That is one of the gratifying sides of publishing I have already found; the enthusiasm of readers who
have contacted us. People have been very complimentary about the first issue. Some have even expressed doubt about whether we can consistently maintain such a high standard. That might sound
like a back-handed compliment but it encourages us even more because we know we can do better.
With your support we will certainly do better. It is a great learning exercise for us as we strive to attain a high standard, both technically and on the production side. As time goes on we are learning how
to streamline the production process to minimise errors which otherwise have to be corrected during
the proofreading stages. One of the drawbacks of computerised type-setting is that all the mistakes are
ours alone. In times gone past publishers were inclined to blame errors on the printers but this was
always a cop-out. There is no substitute for careful proofreading.
Further down the track we may present an article on how SILICON CHIP is produced but that will only
happen when we are well and truly familiar with all aspects of the process. We are not using a
desktop publishing system by the way. Present desktop systems have too many limitations for a
publication like ours.
Incidentally, SILICON CHIP has had a very rapid startup. We began serious preparations for the first
issue on August 10th and it was cleared to the printers early in October. Before August loth, SILICON
CHIP was just a business name, a gleam in our collective eyes. We had to set up everything, buy computers and office furniture, and do all the organising that goes with a fledgling publishing operation.
Now, as we approach the final deadlines for this December issue, we have generated considerable
momentum. Projects have been designed and constructed and articles have been written for up to two
months ahead. Indeed, some articles are written for as far ahead as June 1988. This is all part of the
process of striving to produce a magazine of high standard. Naturally, it has involved a large amount
of planning and long hours at the workbench, drawing board and keyboards, designing, writing, subediting, producing page layouts, proof-reading and so on.
We do appreciate your comments on the magazine and any suggestions where improvements can be
made. You can also help us in another way too, apart from your direct support in purchasing the
magazine each month or taking out a subscription. Since we do not have a large promotions budget we
are relying on word of mouth - your recommendation. Please tell your friends about SILICON CHIP.
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SILICON CHIP
