---
title: "SUM"
id: 10242
type: "periodical"
slug: "sum"
url: "http://localhost/periodical/sum/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/periodical/sum.md"
published_at: "2019-06-01T01:46:29+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-08-02T00:07:40+00:00"
author: "David Anderson"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/20221115-105207.jpg"
excerpt: "Originally a user group newsletter, it transitioned to a full magazine."
category:
  - name: "SUM"
    slug: "sum"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/sum/"
  - name: "TS Specific"
    slug: "ts-specific"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/ts-specific/"
post_tag:
  - name: "SUM Magazine"
    slug: "sum-magazine"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/sum-magazine/"
publisher:
  id: 11354
  title: "SUM: The Sinclair/Timex Users Magazine"
  type: "company"
  url: "http://localhost/company/sum-magazine/"
publisher_publications:
  - id: 11354
    title: "SUM: The Sinclair/Timex Users Magazine"
    type: "company"
    url: "http://localhost/company/sum-magazine/"
  - id: 24787
    title: "Gainesville Sinclair/Timex Users Group"
    type: "usergroup"
    url: "http://localhost/usergroup/gainesville-sinclair-group/"
periodical_issues:
  - id: 70445
    title: "The Best of SUM: The Sinclair/Timex Users Magazine"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/the-best-of-sum-the-sinclair-timex-users-magazine/"
  - id: 39345
    title: "SUM v2 n9"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v2-n9/"
  - id: 36076
    title: "SUM v2 n10"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v2-n10/"
  - id: 39346
    title: "SUM v3 n1"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n1/"
  - id: 39347
    title: "SUM v3 n2"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n2/"
  - id: 52364
    title: "SUM v3 n3"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n3/"
  - id: 39348
    title: "SUM v3 n4"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n4/"
  - id: 26626
    title: "SUM v3 n5"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n5/"
  - id: 26627
    title: "SUM v3 n6"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n6/"
  - id: 26628
    title: "SUM v3 n7"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n7/"
  - id: 39349
    title: "SUM v3 n8"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n8/"
  - id: 26629
    title: "SUM v3 n9"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n9/"
  - id: 26630
    title: "SUM v3 n10"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n10/"
  - id: 26631
    title: "SUM v3 n11"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n11/"
  - id: 26632
    title: "SUM v3 n12"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v3-n12/"
  - id: 39350
    title: "SUM v4 n1"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n1/"
  - id: 39351
    title: "SUM v4 n2"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n2/"
  - id: 39352
    title: "SUM v4 n3"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n3/"
  - id: 39353
    title: "SUM v4 n4"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n4/"
  - id: 26633
    title: "SUM v4 n5"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n5/"
  - id: 26634
    title: "SUM v4 n6"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n6/"
  - id: 39354
    title: "SUM v4 n7"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/sum-v4-n7/"
archive_url: "https://archive.org/details/SinclairTimexUsersMagazine/"
advertisers:
  - id: 26776
    title: "Time Designs Magazine v2 n2"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/time-designs-magazine-v2-n2/"
  - id: 26777
    title: "Time Designs Magazine v2 n3"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/time-designs-magazine-v2-n3/"
  - id: 26779
    title: "Time Designs Magazine v2 n5"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/time-designs-magazine-v2-n5/"
  - id: 26780
    title: "Time Designs Magazine v2 n6"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/time-designs-magazine-v2-n6/"
---

# SUM

SUM grew out of a Timex Sinclair user group formed in Gainesville, in September 1982. The user group’s newsletter started out as postcards sent to a handful of people telling them when and where the next meeting would be.

In January of 1983, the group started sending out a single sheet of typed “news”. Slowly it grew to two pages, and then to a four page newsletter — all typed. The July 1983 newsletter was the first one created using a word processor: Memotech’s Memotext and the Seikosha GP-100 printer (also known as the Gorilla Banana).

Over the next year, the newsletter stayed at four pages, covering events at the last meeting, reviews, short programs submitted by user group members and where to find hardware and software.

When Timex exited the market, the newsletter’s editors, Richard Cravy and Joe Williamson, thought that interest would dry up.

> “Instead, we were flooded with requests for more information on our group and newsletter. There was a great thirst for Sinclair knowledge from everywhere. Everyone wanted to unite to keep the faith going. So did we.”

At that point, Richard and Joe decided to turn the newsletter into a magazine.

August 1984 was the first issue of SUM Magazine. It was eight pages long, had six articles and two ads.

SUM merged with [Time Designs Magazine](http://localhost/bibliography/periodicals/ts/time-designs-magazine/) after the July 1986 issue (volume 4, number 7).

The first year of SUM was reprinted in [The Best of SUM](http://localhost/book/the-best-of-sum-the-sinclair-timex-users-magazine/).