Denial Return to Print

[Jeff-20]

Some of you may remember Denial started as a fanzine in the 90s. I love the forum, but sometimes it is difficult for me to catch up with the new developments when I've been away for a while. I thought the wiki might be a solution, but I have another proposal I'd like to share:

Would Denialers be interested in Denial returning to print? Well, sort of. I am thinking of a peer-edited, open access journal. Like an academic journal or trade magazine. Something that would come out quarterly or biannually as a free PDF. Reviews, new software, new hardware, even the wiki historic data, everything we do here, but organized and edited with a table of contents and index. It could be neat, just as our annual software release pinned threads have been helpful.

Of course, the forum would still exist to discuss things. The journal would be great for prosperity; I often refer back to old Compute magazines as a resource. There's so much valuable information on this forum. Scattered about. Even the search function isn't always helpful. We could alternate editor roles each issue (or all can contribute what the can). I know some of the past paper journals have come and gone, but many (like 2600 Connection and others) relied on one editor. I think we could each offer our own pages in an agreed upon format that would be easy for editor to compile.

Any thoughts?

[English Invader]

I think it's a great idea but I'm guessing you meant bi monthly instead of "bi annually" and for posterity instead of "prosperity".

I don't wish to be a pedant but we need to be mindful of semantics if we're going to do this right.

[prowlr]

I like the idea.

I still subscribe to one or two non-main stream magazines. I find that it is great to sit down and read. It allows me to catch up on things of interest I may have missed or not been aware of.

[srowe]

I never remember to read periodicals, I'd rather have information stored in a wiki, easier to update and reference.

[Jeff-20]

I think it's a great idea but I'm guessing you meant bi monthly instead of "bi annually" and for posterity instead of "prosperity".

I don't wish to be a pedant but we need to be mindful of semantics if we're going to do this right.

Would you believe autocorrect technology failed me on the "posterity" thing? grrr. But I did mean once every 6 months. I felt like the more frequent journals for retro tech always lost steam as people get busy in life.

I never remember to read periodicals, I'd rather have information stored in a wiki, easier to update and reference.

The wiki would still be around. I just felt a magazine would be easy to index. Maybe even more compact and reliable.

[Mike]

I think it's a great idea but I'm guessing you meant bi monthly instead of "bi annually" and for posterity instead of "prosperity".

But I did mean once every 6 months. I felt like the more frequent journals for retro tech always lost steam as people get busy in life.

I also understand biannually meaning twice a year. "Every two years" trades under the name of biennially.

That being said I am indicating interest, too - the intended publication period should make it easy to reserve one or two weekends to write an article for a pending issue.

[English Invader]

I also understand biannually meaning twice a year. "Every two years" trades under the name of biennially.

Guilty as charged. Thought it meant every two years .

[beamrider]

Sounds good. I like periodicals. I used to read CommodoreFree and was sad to see it discontinued.

[chysn]

I'd be interested in this. I'm even interested in dead-tree publications for limited applications. I'm trying out Lulu.com for a printed manual, and they do magazines, as well. I'll report back on the quality.

[orion70]

Lovely idea! I'd support it.

[DarwinNE]

That being said I am indicating interest, too - the intended publication period should make it easy to reserve one or two weekends to write an article for a pending issue.

Same for me, if I can contribute, I'll do that with pleasure.

[Noizer]

Sounds interesting, something that can be immortalized on paper forever. I agree with that. I think the elephant should show how fast he can be, shown how retrocomputing is great today 2020

[joshuadenmark]

As a copier tech I would say “Go for it”

[akator]

I like this idea.

[Jeff-20]

Ok! Let's organize this!

First, I think we should not set deadlines. We are all busy with life. I welcome all to contribute to planning, and I will start with my ideas:

1. I would like everyone to figure out how they would like to contribute and maybe make an informal proposal. A general call for submissions may produce redundant articles (for example, journalistic coverage of the new VIC 20 model), so I think proposals would make more sense for the first issue or two. It may encourage collaboration and co-authored articles for a higher quality standard.

2. I like the dry aesthetic or an academic journal more than the nostalgic computer magazines we remember fondly. So, I imagined fairly consistent page layouts with images to a support articles (no cover page art). I felt this would make production easier, but I welcome your thoughts on this.

3. I think we should set a rotating editorial board. A peer reviewed journal could help curate what articles are compiled for which issues to create more balanced content each publishing cycle. Each issue would have a fresh perspective and produce less work for all. We could also have a reserve of articles for slower times in VIC developments. Issues would not be themed.

As far as content, I look forward to similar content we see in the forum. Development logs for new projects. In-depth critical reviews of VIC content both old and new. Historical records related to the VIC business. Etc. However, I am also interested in more casual and personal content as well. A good vic narrative is fun from time to time. There should also be content of interest to newbies. Maybe even a pointed coding or electronics tutorial article now and then.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: I should also add, I would very much like this to be an international journal, so I would encourage multilingual content with translations if available.