Babbage?

[Einar Saukas]

Babbage issue 0 is currently classified as "covertape". However I suspect there's no associated paper magazine, I'm guessing it was just a standalone tape sold on newsstands.

Does anyone confirm this information?

[jpablo]

Hi Einar,

I'd say it's not a covertape but an electronic magazine. Not long ago I found this advertising leaflet somewhere on the Internet. I don't see this as conclusive proof but it seems to point in that direction.

I'd say it was sold as a standalone cassette accompanied by a backing cardboard. I don't think any more issues were ever released, just issue 00.

If we happen to find any more information, I'll let you know.

Cheers,
Juan

[druellan]

[mention]Neil Parsons[/mention] has information on https://programbytes48k.wordpress.com/2 ... pectrum-i/ It was a tape with a booklet, not sure if this qualifies as a covertape, seems the intention was to sell the tape, not the booklet.

[Neil Parsons]

No idea about how this softmag was presented. The only reference we have is the preserved files (TZX, instructions and inlay) at SC and WOS archives. In my blog I wasn't quite sure what to say. At the end, I have to modify that entry.

[druellan]

Thanks [mention]Neil Parsons[/mention]. I was looking for any mention of "Producciones Cicero S.A." and the only match I've found is on the ZXSF Issue 7, and it is exactly the same text https://archive.org/details/ZXSFIssue07 ... +Cicero%22
Thanks for the clarification.

[jpablo]

Hi,

The above discussion raises another question to me.

From the old WoS times, we've been classifying certain kind of Spanish tape collections or series as electronic magazines when they aren't zines - at least not in an strict sense. They shared some characteristics though:
- Sold in newstands
- Not enclosed/linked to any paper publication such as magazines
- Published in a regular basis (monthly/bimonthly/...)
- Numbered by chronological order

However, such tapes are not really zines as far as I understand them since these tapes contained standalone programs/games which were essentially unlinked one from another and the tape did not contain any news item or review.

There are several examples of these and I believe that Babbage might fall within this category, but also other alleged zines such as El Mejor Spectrum. I could prepare a full list of them if [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention] feels that a different genre may make sense for such cases.

[Einar Saukas]

I could prepare a full list of them if @Einar Saukas feels that a different genre may make sense for such cases.

Yes, I'm very interested. Thanks for the offer!

I have been fixing exactly these cases recently. The latest list can be found here:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/magazines.php

In Spain and Italy, many of these titles were mostly excuses for selling programs (sometimes pirated) on newsstands. The vast majority had a few pages sized like a magazine, together with a tape containing utilities and games. The main criteria I have been using to classify them is basically the same as yours:

• If there's publishing content on paper (editorial and/or articles, such as reviews and type-ins) then it's a paper magazine with a covertape.

• If there are just basic loading instructions on paper, but publishing content on tape (editorial and/or articles), then it's an electronic magazine with paper instructions.

• If there's no publishing content, just paper instructions and a tape with standalone games and utilities, then it's a compilation series.

Both "Babbage" and "El Mejor Spectrum" look like compilation series to me. However existing PDFs for these titles suggest there was additional content on paper that wasn't properly preserved. This is tricky.

[jpablo]

Hi Einar:

Here comes the list. Please do not hesitate to ask me any question you may have. I think [mention]Neil Parsons[/mention] may add valuable information here:

• 48K: Covertape (comes with a rather simple magazine, but it has editorial, news and even some type-ins). Some of the programs may have been unoficially released/hacked.
• Astrodata 3000: Compilation series, I'd say. A very slim magazine is attached, and it even has an editorial, but apart from that it just contains information about the program in the tape. See issue 3 here (thanks to Dave P.T.): https://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/Revi/ ... 3000-3.zip
• Audio Spectrum: Electronic Magazine.
• Babbage: Compilation series (failed series, I'd add, since there is only one known issue published)
• Concon: Covertape (comes with a rather simple magazine, but it has some type-ins)
• Divertimentos: Covertape
• El Mejor Spectrum: Compilation series (no magazine has been seen yet). Only one game per tape (in this sense no tape is strictly a compilation either).
• Enter Spectrum: Compilation series. A very slim magazine is attached though, but it does not contain any editorial or news piece. Just some ads and information about the compilation contents. Many games were blatant hacks. See issue 11 here (thanks to Fede Jerez): https://trastero.speccy.org/cosas/Revi/ ... rum_11.pdf
• Juegue con su Spectrum: Compilation series (no magazine has been seen yet). Only one game per tape.
• K'Set: Electronic magazine, probably. It seems there was a paper magazine attached, although no issue is scanned yet. The tapes have an editorial though - having a look at these editorials, I'd bet that the corresponding paper magazines were more incidental than anything. Just my personal opinion though.
• K7 Magazine: Electronic magazine. No paper magazine has been seen yet, if exists. Only one known issue.
• Lenguaje Máquina (Spanish edition). Compilation series. The attached tape contained at least an editorial and it may contain as well some very simple type-ins, but it was a mere excuse in order to sell these tapes in newstands. The tapes themselves contained blatant hacks. See issues 1 and 2 here (thanks to Ignacio Prini): https://archive.org/details/LenguajeMaquinaSpectrum
• Librería de Software Spectrum: Covertape. This one is rather tricky, because initially there was a somehow extensive magazine attached, but that only lasted for the first 12? issues. After that, it turned into a compilation series, with only one game per tape.
• Load'n'Run (Spanish edition): Compilation series, I'd say, though it is a borderline case. Similarly to Astrodata 3000, there was an attached magazine which even had an editorial, but it seems a mere excuse. Many of its games were blatant hacks.
• MicroHobby Semanal: These were sold apart of the magazine, so it is a compilation series. The tapes are correctly classified as compilations already, but there is no series attached.
• MicroHobby Cassette: Covertape
• MicroHobby tapes (rest of): Covertapes
• Ordenador Educativo: Covertape (although the most important part of the lot was the tape, not the paper magazine).
• Patágoras: Compilation series. There was an attached paper magazine, but it seems it was merely related to the content of the tape.
• RUN Casete: This is a different beast. Probably covertape is the most accurate term, but the attached paper document was not a magazine, but an encyclopedia installment instead.
• Soft Spectrum: Covertape. Similar case to Librería de Software Spectrum - the paper magazine lasted for half of the issues. Comes from the same publisher.
• Software Magazine: Compilation series, clearly. Many of its games were blatant hacks.
• Spectrum Computing (Spanish edition): Electronic magazine.
• Spectrum Magazine: Electronic magazine.
• Spectrumania: Electronic magazine.
• Stars Spectrum: Compilation series, imho. The attached paper magazine was merely focused on the compilation contents. Each issue come with two tapes: one with games, and the other one with utilites. Many of the games were blatant hacks, but I think the latter does not apply to the utilities tape.
• Tus Juegos: Compilation series. No attached magazine. Many games (all of them?) were blatant hacks.
• Tus Juegos Single: Compilation series. Same as above, but in different format (one game per tape/issue). No attached magazine. Many games (all of them?) were blatant hacks.
• Tutto Computer (Spanish edition): Compilation series. It probably came with a very simple paper magazine, but no issue has been scanned yet, so we can only guess. The tapes contained blatant hacks.
• Video Basic: I'd bet for covertape, but a tricky one again. The attached paper document was somehow a programming course installment in 20 issues. However, each installment was somehow independent (each issue was clearly structured in a set of sections) and the tape was tightly linked to the magazine contents.
• VideoSpectrum: Covertape. The attached paper magazine was slim but its structure is quite traditional. However, the covertape also can be seen as an electronic magazine, with its own editorial and a collection of very simple programs.
• Your Computer (Spanish edition): Strange as it may seem, I'd say this is a compilation series. I don't think there was a paper magazine. Each tape contained a (apparently, licenced) collection of Your Computer type-ins.

[Einar Saukas]

Thank you!!!

You mentioned a Concon paper magazine but I cannot find it anywhere. Do you have a link?

[jpablo]

Hello, Einar:

AFAIK no issue has been scanned yet, but I can see some photos scattered through marketplaces such as:

https://www.ebay.es/itm/Revista-Concon- ... 4734054378
https://www.ebay.es/itm/254734053856

(My apologies for linking to private auctions - I hope I didn't break any forum rules! Don't hesitate to delete the links if necessary)

EDIT: (Thanks to José Manuel for the information) In fact, the attached paper document to the Concon tapes is not a magazine, but a paper installment such as those of Video Basic. There were 8 installments (and consequently 8 tapes) and these 8 installments could be binded together into a single book.

I catalogued the tapes as covertapes since the attached document contains type-ins, according to the photographs, but you may consider it a compilation series more than anything. For me it is a blurry case, such as those of Patagoras, RUN and Video Basic for similar reasons.

[Einar Saukas]

I catalogued the tapes as covertapes since the attached document contains type-ins, according to the photographs, but you may consider it a compilation series more than anything. For me it is a blurry case, such as those of Patagoras, RUN and Video Basic for similar reasons.

I agree these are covertapes. Whenever a tape was sold with a few pages with the characteristics of a paper magazine, then it should be considered a paper magazine, regardless of content quantity or quality.

[jpablo]

A couple of photographs of the official binding for the eight installments of Concon (along with 7 out of 8 tapes):



Each installment was sold individually with its co-related tape. Probably the binding cover came with some extra pages - a kind of prologue that came before the first installment. This can be seen in the second photograph.

[Thanks to José Manuel for the extended information!]

[Einar Saukas]

MicroHobby Semanal: These were sold apart of the magazine, so it is a compilation series.

About MicroHobby Semanal tapes: Were they published before the corresponding magazine issues, or afterwards?

According to old WoS, program Copyupi was originally published as type-in within magazine "MicroHobby #44", then later republished in tape "MicroHobby Semanal 041-044":

https://web.archive.org/web/20180216085 ... id=0014398

Also according to old WoS, program Roland Garros was originally published in tape "MicroHobby Semanal 041-044", then later published as type-in within magazine "MicroHobby #44":

https://web.archive.org/web/20170915005 ... id=0016343

They cannot both the right!

Information imported from old WoS related to MicroHobby Semanal is not very consistent. Whenever a program was released both in MicroHobby magazine and MicroHobby Semanal tape, perhaps we should always indicate magazine as original, or perhaps always MicroHobby Semanal as original?