Pragma (periodical)
Pragma.[1] (later becoming Pragma's Product Profiles[2][3]) was a periodical produced by Semaphore Corporation for Pick operating system users and programmers. Issues were published from August 1982 through May 1989, totaling 56 editions, and are notable for including a large amount of source code and for providing the only known surveys of a census of Pick Systems[4][5][6]
| Title | Issue | Dated | Pages | Size | Paper | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pragma | 1 | Aug 1982 | 48 | 8.5 x 11 | Bond | |
| 2 | Nov 1982 | First spot color. | ||||
| 3 | Feb 1983 | Plus 8-page 1-color centerfold ad. | ||||
| 4 | May 1983 | |||||
| 5 | Aug 1983 | 56 | ||||
| 6 | Nov 1983 | 48 | Plus 8-page 1-color centerfold ad. | |||
| 7 | Feb 1984 | Plus 4-page 1-color centerfold ad. | ||||
| Pragma's Product Profiles |
1 | Apr 1984 | 16 | |||
| 2 | May 1984 | First 4-color advertising. | ||||
| 3 | Jun 1984 | |||||
| 4 | Jul 1984 | 24 | ||||
| 5 | Aug 1984 | 20 | ||||
| 6 | Sep 1984 | 12 | ||||
| 7 | Oct 1984 | |||||
| 8 | Nov 1984 | |||||
| 9 | Dec 1984 | |||||
| 10 | Jan 1985 | 8 | Stitching discontinued. | |||
| 11 | Feb 1985 | |||||
| 12 | Mar 1985 | |||||
| 13 | Apr 1985 | |||||
| 14 | May 1985 | 12 | ||||
| 15 | Jun 1985 | |||||
| 16 | Jul 1985 | 8 | ||||
| 17 | Aug 1985 | |||||
| 18 | Sep 1985 | 12 | ||||
| 19 | Oct 1985 | |||||
| 20 | Nov 1985 | |||||
| 21 | Dec 1985 | 8 | ||||
| 22 | Jan 1986 | |||||
| 23 | Feb 1986 | |||||
| 24 | Mar 1986 | |||||
| 25 | Apr 1986 | |||||
| 26 | May 1986 | |||||
| 27 | Jun 1986 | |||||
| 28 | Jul 1986 | |||||
| 29 | Aug 1986 | |||||
| 30 | 09/30/86 | 11.5 x 14 | Newsprint | Color discontinued. | ||
| 31 | 11/21/86 | |||||
| 32 | 02/11/87 | |||||
| 33 | 03/06/87 | |||||
| 34 | 04/15/87 | |||||
| 35 | 04/28/87 | 16 | 8.5 x 11 | |||
| 36 | 06/15/87 | 12 | 11.5 x 14 | |||
| 37 | Jul 1987 | 8 | ||||
| 38 | Aug 1987 | |||||
| 39 | 09/15/87 | |||||
| 40 | 11/11/87 | |||||
| 41 | Dec 1987 | |||||
| 42 | Jan 1988 | |||||
| 43 | 01/31/88 | |||||
| 44 | 02/25/88 | |||||
| 45 | 03/14/88 | |||||
| 46 | 04/01/88 | |||||
| 47 | 07/06/88 | |||||
| 48 | Oct 1988 | |||||
| 49 | May 1989 |
Each issue of Pragma included 9 recurring columns: Utilities, User Profile, Benchmarks, Wish List, Command Files, Queries, The Computer Room, Letters, and Games. A tenth Local User Groups column was added beginning with issue 4, and the User Profile column became Producer Profile in issue 5.
Most of each issue's content was devoted to seven or eight feature articles in addition to the regular columns, and were typically devoted to programming and featured source code. Some articles had installments appearing in multiple issues, such as a series describing "vanilla" programs for manufacturing companies, and a series implementing a cross-reference system for applications. A very detailed index to the first four issues appears in issue 5.
Except for letters to the editor, interviews, and two by-lined articles submitted by readers for issue 3, all Pragma content was generated by Semaphore employees.[7] Detailed circulation figures are unknown, but local newspaper coverage of the first issue mentions circulation of "about 2,800".[8] Issue 4 mentions acquiring the 6,000th name on the mailing list, issue 5 mentions the 7,000th, and issue 6 notes the 8,000th. Selected new subscribers are often listed by name and company in small ads in each issue.
After seven quarterly editions with paid subscriptions, Pragma was renamed to Pragma's Product Profiles and became a free publication typically published monthly. Issue 30 mentions Semaphore "never mailed significantly more than 4,000 copies in any of its monthly issues".
The transition from the subscriber-paid Pragma to free Pragma's Product Profiles resulted in a higher ratio of advertising to articles, and copy tended to be "news" items like press releases, vendor interviews, product reviews, hardware surveys, directories of user groups, and similar content. Eventually, Pragma-style in-house generated articles about programming techniques and Pick internals began reappearing, with source code snippets first showing up in issue 15.
References[edit]
- ↑ Annotated Bibliography of Computer Periodicals. Data Courier Inc. 1983. p. 123. ISBN 9780914604259. Search this book on
- ↑ Microcomputer Market Place. Dekotek. 1987. p. 706. ISSN 0735-1925. Search this book on
- ↑ Complete Sourcebook of Personal Computing. Bowker. 1984. p. 901. ISBN 9780835219310. Search this book on
- ↑ "A Survey of Hardware that Supports Pick-Style Software". Pragma (4): 29. May 1983.
- ↑ "Hardware Survey #2". Pragma's Product Profiles (2): 3. May 1984.
- ↑ "Pick Hardware Survey #3". Pragma's Product Profiles (14): 2. May 1985.
- ↑ "More on Computing Modulos". Pragma (3): 36. February 1983.
- ↑ "Aptos Post". 1982-08-13.
resubmittal after edits[edit]
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