To     : 999 (All)                     
  From   : YJ2 (Andrew Snodgrass)        
  Subject: SOLINET                       
                                         
  (I am member 069 if you want to contact
  me via the NET)                        
                                         
  Some of you BEEB devotees may have seen
  the news items  in  the  Acorn User and
  Micro  User  about  SOLINET  which is a
  self help BBC Micro user group like 8BS
  (not a P.D. software house).           
                                         
  SOLINET  is  based  around a bi-monthly
  disc magazine which supports the BBC A,
  BBC B, B+ and Master  (128 and compact)
  and is edited by Ron  Marshall.  Useful
  utilities  and   programs  also  appear
  regularly on the disc. This along  with
  the  user  group's  extensive   library
  (called SOLILIB) of software makes sure
  that  the  members  are  not  short  of
  useful programs, games and  utilities. 
                                         
  Some of the software present in SOLINET
  and   many  SOLINET  issues,  is   with
  permission from Solidisk technology.   
                                         
  So if  you  have  any Solidisk  add-ons
  there is an  even better reason to join
  in with the fun.                       
                                         
  So  far  there  have  been 37 (80T DFS)
  issues  spanning  over  the many  years
  since it was founded  in  1986.  If you
  join these back issues are available at
  30p per  issue  as  long as you provide
  your own formatted  discs.             
                                         
  Unfortunately   SOLINET   has  a  large
  shortage of  members,  and  it has been
  said  that  the  group  (or NET as they
  prefer to call it) may have  to end due
  to the fact  that they only have thirty
  odd members!.                          
                                         
  Now being a member  I  have found  that
  this is indeed a  very  good user group
  and  would highly recommend joining the
  NET considering the lack of support for
  BBC users from commercial publications.
                                         
  It  costs  4  a  year to join  and  the
  membership year begins in January.     
                                         
  4  isn't   really   a   lot considering
  it is 50p a month for an 8- bit  issue.
                                         
  If   you   send   Ron   an identifiable
  blank  formatted  disk  in  any of  the
  following  formats,  and  if  you   ask
  nicely, I am  sure he will provide  you
  with  a  back  issue  (and  information
  sheet)   before  you  decide whether to
  join or not.                           
                                         
  Ron Marshall  can  take  5.25" discs in
  the following forms:                   
                                         
  Single  density  80T  DFS  (or 40T) and
  640k ADFS                              
                                         
  He  can also cope with  3.5"  discs  in
  DFS OR  ADFS,  but  prefers   5.25"  if
  possible.                              
                                         
  You also need to  send  RETURN  POSTAGE
  and  an  ADDRESS  LABEL  IN  AN  EASILY
  RE-USED PACKAGE.                       
                                         
  If  only  on  40T  remember,   ONE  80T
  side=TWO 40T sides.                    
                                         
  The ADDRESS to send your disc to is:   
                                         
  SOLINET                                
  The BBC Micro User Group               
 
  So what's your excuse?!?               
  Join now or you will surely regret it. 
                                         
  I  am  wondering  if  SOLINET  would be
  interested in hearing about 8-Bit      
  Software  and  what they do.           
                                         
  Do 8-Bit members mind if I show off    
  some  of  their  software  to SOLINET?!
  (After all most of it is PD).  I  would
  especially  like  to  hear the editor's
  comment on this. (YJ2)                 
                                         
  .......Editor......  Yes Andrew, by all
  means send whatever  you want.  ALL  of
  the software in  8BS is PD.  We want to
  gain as wide a circulation as possible.
  In fact I shall  be  sending  a copy of
  this issue to SOLINET.                 
                                         
  We also have a membership crisis by the
  way.  But  as  long as there at least a
  couple  of  other  members  we will not
  fold.  We  will  hold on steadfastly to
  the end!