Welcome to the premiere issue of COMPUTE!'s Gazette for Commodore VIC-20 and 64 personal computers. You are participating in one of the most successful launches of a personal computer magazine in the history of our industry. Press run for this initial issue is 175,000 copies (up from an originally planned 75,000).

Where is the demand coming from? Well, we estimate that Commodore is currently selling over 100,000 VIC-20s and 64s a month. Dozens of software and other support vendors are rushing to supply products for these rapidly growing markets. Personal computing power is now expanding at a rate far past that predicted by industry observers. With the recent price decreases in the VIC-20 and 64, we expect this trend to continue its dynamic escalation.

Why COMPUTE!'s Gazette?

As publishers of COMPUTE! Magazine, we've been well aware of the need for clear explanations and support for beginning personal computer owners. COMPUTE! has done an excellent job of building and maintaining leadership in bridging the gap in information, applications, and support of a wide range of personal computer users. In looking at the marketplace, and in studying the feedback from our readers, we realized that our Gazette positioned to support readers not yet ready for some of the more sophisticated features of COMPUTE! - was our missing link to the emerging consumer marketplace.

COMPUTE'S Gazette will maintain the quality and editorial standards of COMPUTE!. It will be written to support a broader mix of beginning and intermediate computer users. In every issue, you'll find interesting tutorials, exciting games and applications, hints, and much more.

A Call For Articles

Now that we've briefly explained the goal and direction of COMPUTE!'s Gazette, we invite you to consider submitting an article or program. For more information, see the author's guide in this issue.

User Groups, Where Are You?

As a regular feature of the Gazette, we plan to publish the names and addresses of local user groups. Send in the following information, addressed to Gazette User Groups: Group Name, mailing address, contact person, and local telephone number (if desired). Please include a brief description of your group, including date founded, sponsoring company if any, frequency of meetings, number of members, and any other pertinent information you think useful (such as composition of group, etc.).

An Introduction To The Editors And Columnists Of COMPUTE!'s Gazette

Tom Haifhill, Editor, is a journalism graduate, with honors, from Kent State University. After several years of newspaper and regional magazine work, Tom initially joined COMPUTE! in the spring of 1982 as Features Editor of COMPUTE!.

Dan Carmichael, Assistant Editor, has a background in writing and programming support. He is quite knowledgeable about the VIC-20 and 64.

Richard Mansfield, Senior editor of COMPUTE! Publications, is also the author of machine Language for Beginners, a recently introduced COMPUTE! book. He'll be writing, in his usual clear prose, a monthly column on the same topic.

Fred D'Ignazio is a prolific and frequently published author in the personal computer field. We're sure you'll appreciate Fred's ability to write clearly for both children and adults.

C. Regena (Cheryl) has been best known to COMPUTE! readers as a strong columnist for readers at all levels who use the TI personal computer. With this issue, she makes her debut using the same writing skills and programming expertise with the VIC-20.

Larry Isaacs is a BSEE who originally worked for COMPUTE! when COMPUTE! was starting up. Now a software specialist with Micro Technology Unlimited in Raleigh, NC, Larry is bringing to the Gazette his ability to clearly explain the sometimes unexplainable.

Enjoy the premiere issue of COMPUTE!'s Gazette, and please use the Editor's Feedback postcard in the back of the magazine to let us have your thoughts and input.