page
last updated 10.31.2008
page
last updated 10.31.2008What is a Jumpdisk?
Jumpdisk was the first Amiga-specific magazine on disk to be published, and was the last one standing. It was also the best. The first issue came out in July of 1986, with a new issue every month thereafter. Richard Ramella was its editor. Richard also wrote some of the programs and did a lot of work to make Jumpdisk happen. I do not know when it officially ceased publication, nor am I affiliated with, nor know, Richard Ramella nor anyone that had anything to do with Jumpdisk. I'm simply a fan of the publication and would love to spend an hour or so with Richard.
Many people mistakenly think of Jumpdisk as a Public Domain (PD) software disk for the Amiga. While certain issues of Jumpdisk may have contained Public Domain shareware or freeware, this isn't what Jumpdisk was about. The people at Jumpdisk had a separate disk for this type of software that became known as PDQ. What Jumpdisk was was an honest disk magazine that contained articles, tutorials, as well as first-run programs. If there was shareware or public domain in an issue, it would only be available on Jumpdisk first, and not crippled. Nearly all of the programs on Jumpdisk were written specifically for Jumpdisk; Jumpdisk paid programmers for their contributions. This meant that you would receive fully working programs. Sometimes, these programs were comparable to, or better than, similar commercial offerings. Yes, it really was that exceptional.
The type of programs included both games and utilities. One would also often find original music, art, reviews, articles, tutorials, news, and other surprises. Each disk was ?packed? so it contained the contents of two disks in one. Jumpdisk was an independent effort, so the editor wasn't afraid to criticize Commodore or problems he saw in the industry. Due to the nature of the content, it was illegal to copy a Jumpdisk for redistribution, since it was not a public domain disk, but rather a commercial effort. For only $9.95 US/$11.00 Cdn., it was the best bargain for Amiga owners; especially considering the fact that advertising was minimal and non-intrusive. Yes, you could use a Jumpdisk and not be forced to see a single ad! I doubt we'll ever see anything as good as this again.
Why this project?
Recently, I've been getting back into using my Amiga. I pulled out my old disks, which were safely stored away; imagine my surprise when I discovered that some of my Jumpdisks had errors! Of course, I shouldn't be surprised; the oldest are coming up on to 20 years old now, and probably should have rotted away years ago. When I searched on-line, I couldn't find anything about Jumpdisk, except for a few unanswered questions from people on Amiga forums about how to obtain them, as well as the occasional eBay listing for the odd disk.
I couldn't let the best magazine for the Amiga slip away through the sands of time like that! After all, it was there for the Amiga community, even when Commodore wasn't. Reliable as the sun coming up every day, with a new issue every month. Jumpdisk was, and still is, a valuable resource for the Commodore community. It enriched the Amiga experience in so many ways. Today, it provides a historical point of reference with its news articles, and provides insight into what computing was like back in the day. Some of the programs include valuable techniques which may otherwise be lost to humankind. Some of the unique utilities are useful to Amiga enthusiasts to this day. No doubt, it definitely contributed to how computers and the Internet have shaped today.
I took it upon myself to create this historical archive. I patched up all the disk errors I could, and used Disk Masher to compress them as much as I could. I saved the results from Workbench 1.3 onto an Amiga-formatted Iomega Zip drive, then used that to transfer the files over to my PC, then to my server. I also decided it would be good to scan the front and back covers of the thin cardboard covers that contained the disks, and provide those for viewing as well. These files now exist on two separate hard drives in two different computers, as well as on a zip disk and CD-ROM. I did this to preserve Jumpdisk as best I can purely for non-profit, historical purposes, for the good of the Amiga community. Now my disks can Rot In Peace, while their contents, which represent a lot of hard work from real human beings, stand a chance of living on forever.
Click here to go to the archive!
Need DMS? Try here or here, or just google Amiga DMS.
You can help!
As you can see, my archive is incomplete. I didn't start buying Jumpdisk until I got my first Amiga in 1988. Also, I was young at the time, and had many other interests but very limited funds; as such, I wasn't able to buy every single issue; there are gaps in my collection. As well, I didn't keep every cover for every Jumpdisk. You can help by helping me fill in these gaps by e-mailing me the DMS image of the missing disks, and possibly even scans of the front and back covers that are missing. If necessary, I will even pay for the cost of shipping to have the missing disks from my collection shipped to me, if you are unable to archive them yourself.
Donations are welcome. I've tried to find the best deal for hosting, but it's not free. All money donated will go towards my hosting costs.
While I don't want to see my work here copied, I wouldn't mind it if someone wants to put up a "Mirror" of this site. Conditions are: 1) Ask me first, 2) Updates to the mirror should happen here first, and 3) Full credit with a link back to this site are necessary.
Everyone who contributes to this project, one way or another, will receive full credit for their contribution. It is my full intention to turn this project into a community effort, as we all can benefit that way.
I can be contacted at paul@paulq.org.
|
Back to paulq.org | My A500 Tribute Page | A2000 clock battery | My main Amiga page |