''.info'' (originally ''INFO=64'' and later ''INFO'') was a

computer magazine Computer magazines are about computers and related subjects, such as networking and the Internet. Most computer magazines offer (or offered) advice, some offer programming tutorials, reviews of the latest technologies, and advertisements. His ...

covering Commodore 8-bit computers and later the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graph ...

. It was published from 1983 to 1992.

History

''INFO=64'' began as a newsletter published by its founder, Benn Dunnington, operating out of a spare bedroom in his home. After a few issues, the entrepreneurial spirit struck and he decided to expand it into a full-fledged magazine. The first few issues of the magazine were published by Dunnington operating as a

sole proprietorship A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole tradership, individual entrepreneurship or proprietorship, is a type of enterprise owned and run by one person and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity. A sole ...

in the state of Washington. After a few issues, he moved the company to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, eventually incorporating as ''Info Publications, Inc.''. This, in turn, became a

limited partnership A limited partnership (LP) is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership except that while a general partnership must have at least two general partners (GPs), a limited partnership must have at least one GP and at least one limited ...

, (''Info Publications Ltd''), which published the magazine until its demise. ''INFO=64'' was produced using personal computers. An editorial statement in each issue explained that the magazine was produced using only "lay equipment", such as home computers and 35mm cameras, that were inexpensively available to the general public. Early issues were typeset using a

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

and a dot-matrix printer, giving the magazine a distinctive hand-crafted appearance. ''INFO=64'' changed its name to ''INFO'' from issue 8, September-October 1985, reflecting its expanded coverage of Commodore computing. The magazine soon switched to a more professional appearance using

laser printer Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to ...

s with Springboard Software's The Newsroom or Berkeley Softworks' GEOS geoPublish software for 8-bit Commodores, before changing its editorial focus and publishing platform to the Amiga, and changing its name in issue 32, September 1990, to ''.info'' which was coincidentally the file extension of Amiga icon files. The magazine switched to its new name and exclusive focus on the Amiga because by 1990 there was no news to cover or advertising interest in 8-bit Commodores. The Computer Press Association named ''.info'' as one of two 'Runners-Up' in the category of ''Best Computer Magazine - Circulation Less Than 50,000'' at its seventh annual awards ceremony in April 1992. Computers in Accounting won that category, which included well over 100 computer magazines at the time, but ''.info'' tied with the slicker and much better-funded NeXTWORLD. Ironically, ''.info'' was in serious financial trouble by then, and the publisher was desperately seeking someone to buy the magazine. The magazine closed its doors in April 1992, and on September 20 the magazine's assets were auctioned off.Auction flyer
from the sale of the assets, according t

nostalgia page a lot of the office furniture was actually added by the auctioneers to bulk the sale Over the course of its run, ''.info'' absorbed three pioneering Commodore magazines that ceased publication during the "great extinction" that struck computer magazines in the late 1980s. These were Jim Oldfield and James Strassma's Midnite Software Gazette (which had previously absorbed 'The Paper', one of the oldest independent publications supporting Commodore computers), Mitch Lopes' RoboCity News (the one-time official publication of FAUG, the First Amiga Users' Group, before it was spun off), and Chris Zamara and Nick Sullivan's Transactor (the official publication of TPUG, the Toronto PET Users' Group). Unfortunately, when ''.info'' ceased publication, the receivers stood in the way of allowing its publisher to find another magazine to fulfill its subscriptions. A full set of the entire run of INFO magazine, including photocopies of the original newsletter along with other documents related to the magazine, is housed in the library of the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City,

. Scans and full text of most issues of INFO are available at

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Staff and writers

*Benn Dunnington - Founder, Publisher, Editor *Mark R. Brown - Managing Editor *Tom Malcom - Senior Editor * Jim Oldfield - Associate Editor (after acquisition of 'Midnite Software Gazette') *Carol Brown - Advertising Director (through issue 31) *Anna Folkers - Advertising Director (issues 32-49) *Megan Ward - Art & Production Director *Kent A. Embree - Art & Production Assistant *Tony Bodensteiner - Art & Production Assistant *Marty Amorin - Data Manager (early issues) *Judith Kilbury-Cobb - Data Manager (through issue 47) / Staff Writer *Krista L. Kapacinskas - Data Manager (issue 49) *Chris Zamara - Technical Editor (after acquisition of 'The Transactor') *Nick Sullivan - Technical Editor (after acquisition of 'The Transactor') *Bradley W. Schenck - Contributing Editor / Graphics Columnist *Harv Laser - Contributing Editor / Multimedia Columnist *Peggy Herrington - Contributing Editor / Music & Sounds Columnist (through issue 42) *Bob Lindstrom - Contributing Editor / Music Columnist (issues 44-49) *Oran J. Sands III - Contributing Editor / Video Columnist *Jeff Lowenthal - Contributing Editor / Public Domain Columnist *Don Romero - Contributing Editor / GEOS Columnist & 'CHUMP' computer magazine parody guru *Jim Meyer - Contributing Editor / Productivity Software Reviewer *Mort Kevelson - Contributing Editor / Hardware Reviewer *Gregory Conley - Contributing Editor / Cartoonist *Warren Block - Contributing Editor *David Martin - Writer *Bob Baker - Writer * Daniel Barrett - Writer *Mindy Skelton - Writer *

Jim Butterfield Frank James "Jim" Butterfield (14 February 1936 – 29 June 2007), was a Toronto-based computer programmer, author, and television personality known for his work with early microcomputers. He is particularly noted for associations with Commodore ...

- Writer * Dave Haynie - Writer

References

External links

Partial ''.info'' index
from the Amiga University Library
Partial Gallery of ''.info'' covers
from Benn Dunnington, founder, publisher {{DEFAULTSORT:INFO Amiga magazines Monthly magazines published in the United States Commodore 8-bit computer magazines Defunct computer magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1983 Magazines disestablished in 1992 Magazines published in Iowa Magazines published in Washington (state)