----------------------------Original message---------------------------- A reply on two fronts: First, as a commercial publisher, I enthusiastically support putting commercial information on the net, either as an edited "column" or simply as part of regular maps-l commerce. Readers of Maps-L may be interested in a Compuserve forum currently under construction, sponsored by Magellan Cartographix in Santa Barbara. As far as I can tell, this will be the first full-scale on-line discussion of maps oriented to the general public (I know Maps-L is open to all, but its format (mail-list) and general tenor tend to limit its interest to people in academic settings). Second: >I have a professor here who is looking for some basic instruction on making >maps using "Aldus-freehand 3.0". Can anyone recommend a text or tutorial? I know of no good texts specific to making maps with Freehand 3.0. Because the program has no map-specific tools, the process is somewhat different from learning a GIS or map-specific package. For example, you cannot directly import geographic data, but must either (1) convert to graphic format in another package, (2) scan and trace [and for this I recommend Freehand 4.0 over 3.1, as it retains scanned-image quality after rotation, reduction, etc], or (3) digitize using a tablet. We use technique (2), and would be happy to share info with him directly. Aside from this issue of importing info, any standard Freehand tutorial will teach him what he needs to know about the program, and any standard Cartography text will teach about Making Good Maps. For Freehand, I highly recommend Olaf Kvern's REAL WORLD FREEHAND (now in a 4.0 edition, but published in a 3. edition when that came out) Nat Case Hedberg Maps White River Jct, VT [log in to unmask]