Re: My favorite Apple II

["Apprentice" <mark@syndicomm.com>]

PZ wrote:

> I view the content at Syndicomm (chat, message boards, and file
> libraries) to be an extremely valuable resource to the Apple II
> comunity.  But it's exclusivity is what really irks me.  By
> exclusivity, I strictly mean its lack of outreach and accesibilty to
> new/returning Apple II users.

I've been a Syndicomm member since day one and I understand what you
are talking about.  For myself if I were a new or returning Apple II
user arriving on the scene I don't think I'd be interested in
Syndicomm.  Nobody, even at $35 / year, wants to put resources into
something that they don't understand the value of.  With all of the
great things Syndicomm does, promoting itself is something it is
terrible at.

For myself I became sold on Syndicomm back in 1997 before the current
version of Syndicomm even existed, back when it was run on Delphi.
However on Delphi there was free basic web access and you could pay $35
/ year for additional features like telnet or dialup access and the
file library.  If it wasn't for this free access it is very likely that
I wouldn't be involved with Syndicomm today.

I have voiced my concerns to the Syndicomm powers and I feel that it
has fallen on deaf ears.  Part of the reason for this is that the
majority of members there were part of the old GEnie A2 forum regulars.
 To them the benefits of a system like this is apparent and it doesn't
need to be promoted heavily.  Syndicomm offers what GEnie had, even to
the point of modeling the message board to being exactly what GEnie
had, at a fraction of the cost of GEnie.  Remember that GEnie use to
cost something like $10 / half hour (or something similar) so $35 /
year for unlimited access seems like a bargan.  Currently there is a
steady core of A2 members at Syndicomm but very little in the area of
new members.  I wish this would change but I fear it won't too soon.

As Michael pointed out, the general discussion on the message board
tends to be IIgs specific.  Myself being an 8-bit developer have had it
difficult to start conversation about my projects.  When I need help I
find much more interest in comp.sys.apple2.programmer that at Syndicomm
when it comes to 8-bit development.  Again I wish it wasn't this way
but that is the way it is.

Mark Percival
Montreal, Quebec, Canada