IMPORTANT NEWS (December, 1987) ------------------------------- A number of circumstances have forced us to make some changes in the way 2600 is published. As of 1988, we will become a quarterly publication instead of a monthly publication. We've been printing 2600 under the "new" format for a year now. And one thing we can't help but notice is that it's frightfully expensive. We adopted this format so that we could present longer articles and also become a little more visible. And we have succeeded in both of these ambitions. However, if we were to continue at this pace, we would run out of funds entirely. The $15 we charge for an individual subscription is actually less than what it costs to produce one issue for a year. This is why we charge more to those that can afford more, namely corporations and large organizations where the magazine is passed around to many people. And this is why we continue to sell back issues. By providing alternate sources of income, we are able to continue to keep the magazine going at a low cost. By raising the price to cover the costs of printing, mailing, and running an office, we could easily put the magazine out of the reach of most of our subscribers. We've seen publications smaller and less informative than ours with annual prices of more than $100! We don't want to take that road. By reducing the amount of times we publish during the year (at the same time increasing the size of each issue slightly), we can keep the price down, keep ourselves out of financial problems, and hopefully give ourselves more time to make each issue mean a little more. This brings us to the time factor. We put a great deal of time into putting out the magazine. But 2600 is more than just a magazine. We're constantly trying to educate the populace on the uses and abuses of technology. We're told that as a result of our campaign to abolish the touch tone fee in New York, a bill may be introduced in the state legislature proposing just that. Our growing bulletin board network will do much to ensure freedom of speech for all computer users. And, of course, we want to make sure that people see and hear about this magazine and our organization, either by getting maximum exposure in the media or by getting international distribution. At our current frenzied pace, we just don't have the time to adequately pursue these goals. At a more relaxed pace, we feel we'll be better able to put out a quality publication and make it more memorable overall. Naturally, we don't expect everyone to agree with our conclusions. If you feel strongly negative about this change or about anything else, we'll certainly give you a refund for the balance of your subscription. We hope, though, that you'll stick it out at least to the first issue of our quarterly format to see if we live up to your expectations. Our spring issue will be mailed on or around March 15, 1988. Subsequent mailing dates are scheduled for June 15, September 15, and December 15. Your expiration date will be adjusted in the following manner: January, February, and March will end with the spring issue; April, May, and June - summer; July, August, and September - fall; and October, November, and December - winter. A number of subscribers have complained about their issues arriving late or sometimes not at all. It appears we must become militant in convincing the post office to do their job. If you do not get an issue within a week of when we send it out, you should call us and call your post office. Usually it is the post office on the receiving end that is at fault. As always, we welcome your feedback on what we're doing. We hope this change results in a better publication and a stronger 2600.