Re: ATM Journal and OSLO Lt.

[Atmj1@aol.com]

To All - concerning ATM Journal and OSLO Lt.

As it looks, things are going well for getting the Journal to press by the
 middle of August. I will be out of Seattle from the 20th through the 29th this
 month. However, Peter Hirtle, who has replaced Tim McKechnie as my Assistant
 Editor, is at this moment on his way to Vermont to meet with family and cover
 Stellafane. In addition, he has taken a number of articles with him for
 proofing. Thus, by the time we are both back in Seattle, all that SHOULD be
 required is a little prettying up with the Desktop Publishing software and
 getting it to the print shop. I won't state this too loudly until we have had
 a FEW on time issues under our belts. I have seen "should" fall on its face
 too many times.

I paid close attention to the questionnaire in #10. We will be concentrating
 more on scopes and less on events. However, all must understand that SOME
 coverage of the major events is a must - especially as it applies to covering
 Merit Award winners.

I must still ask all of you to consider doing articles or encouraging other to
 do so. It may take some prodding. At Riverside '96, I told Dave Pitou that he
 had the cover of any issue he wanted for a 4 or 5 page article on his
 wonderful 20-inch scope. However, I just got a commitment within the last few
 days. The Dave Pitou's and Gerry Logan's of the world have so bloody much to
 share and they are either so modest or wrapped up in their next project that
 they don't want to write. For example, In the last few years, Gerry has shown
 up at RTMC with a large ventilated Mak, a Schupmann, and a Houghton, yet he
 has written on none of them. Why? probably because it's just "old hat" stuff
 for him. I think that we should continue to make the Gerry Logan's, Dave
 Pitou's, and Gary Wolanski's of the world know that before throwing their "old
 hats" away, they should show them to the rest of us.

I have been reading with interest the memos concerning OSLO Lt. I have
 downloaded in and have tried to work with it a bit. I have had only limited
 success. Still, while I am most certainly not going to be wooed away from
 Zemax-EE……FREE is a very good price! And, I have seen enough to know that if
 they continue making it available to all who want it, they are going to really
 hurt many of the low end products. In a way, this is a shame. Many people who
 have worked long and hard to scratch out a dime in selling their low-end lens
 design software may now just throw in the towel. Topping out at 12 surfaces,
 OLSO Lt. is not going to turn many professional heads regardless of its power.
 However, the walls to the amateur community have obviously been breached in a
 big way.

Now that we have it, what do we do with it? I would suggest that anyone who
 has been working on any type of compound or off-axis design send the specs on
 3.5-inch diskette to Peter Hirtle or myself (preferably Peter), so that we can
 keep a growing lens library to share with others as new designs get punched
 in. Or, better yet, maybe Mel knows how to make an online library that can be
 downloaded or added to - preposition on the end and all.

Having used, and promoted, Zemax since the very beginning, some have indicated
 that I must get some kind of kickback from Focus Software. I do not. However,
 I am proud to wear that error in judgement. I have used virtually every
 package out there costing less than $1,000 and will tell anyone, in no
 uncertain terms, that if you melted the rest down and put them all in one pot,
 they wouldn't equal a portion of the entry level version of Zemax. So why does
 - presumably neutral - Bill Cook care. Well, the ATM market will most
 certainly not to make a fortune for Ken Moore. Our niche is so small, and we
 as a community are so cheap, we will never matter much in a financial sense. I
 say what I do because I know there are still two or three of us out there who
 are nuts enough to actually enjoy lens designing as an end within itself - oh,
 yes, there are some sick among us. And for those bitten by that bug, I would
 encourage checking out Zemax on the net. They too have a downloadable demo.
 This incredible power design and optimization tool is so easy to use that I
 would personally send anyone a flyer who should contact me -- and do so as a
 public service. With the entry level price being $900, I do not expect ATMs to
 run out in droves to get a copy. However, it is my belief that any large
 astronomical society or telescope making group should at least have a copy to
 share.

Okay, I'm off my soap box now, and ready to be yelled at.

And closed circuit for Clive:

Since Houghtons are 'kinda what I do, I will start trying to poke one into
 OSLO when I get ATMJ #12 in the mail. If any one beats me to the punch, I
 would be pleased to get the file to help save the keystrokes which, as many of
 you who must endure my spelling know, would be like helping a blind man across
 the street.

Regards to all,

Bill Cook, editor / publisher, Amateur Telescope Making Journal