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1993-11-22
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266 lines
Welcome to PowerBASIC 3.0!
==========================
Thanks for taking the PowerBASIC 3.0 test drive! We're pleased
you decided to take a closer look. This is the compiler awarded
EDITOR'S CHOICE from PC Magazine in September 1993, as well as
the READER'S CHOICE 1992 award from BASIC PRO magazine.
This special evaluation version will introduce you to most of the
unique new features of PowerBASIC. Use it to create, compile,
execute, and debug programs and see the difference for yourself!
If you've never used PowerBASIC, you're in for a surprise, if you
have, you'll discover a level of functionality: Built-in Assembler;
Unsigned byte/word/dword variables; Currency variables with user
defined precision; Bit operations along with implied bit arrays;
Code pointers; Unions; and much more. PowerBASIC 3.0 is simply
the most robust development language available.
Of the many new features in PowerBASIC 3.0, there are a few that we
just can't resist pointing out. Features that will truly enhance
your programming efforts:
TSRs!
Yes, you can actually create a TSR instantly. Never before has
it been so easy to create a POPUP! With PowerBASIC 3.0, it takes
just five lines of code to create a working TSR. Better yet, a
600K TSR can "pop down" to occupy just 4K of memory when not in
use. Your POPUP programs will use EMS, XMS, even virtual memory
on disk. You can use any stimulus to activate a TSR, even a
message from a foreground program. And with PowerBASIC 3.0, two
way communication between multiple TSRs is no longer a dream,
it's reality.
Built-in Assembler!
For the first time, you can write Assembler code and intermix it
line by line with your PowerBASIC code! Reference PowerBASIC
variables, labels, and procedures directly by name, and even debug
at the CPU register level in the expanded environment. Opcodes
like MOV AX, abcd% are now supported directly. Of course, you
can still link industry-standard .OBJ's as well as libraries, if
that is your preference.
Memory like an elephant!
Memory problems are a thing of the past! Use EMS, XMS, even
virtual memory on disk, to ensure you can compile any size real
mode program. And with PowerBASIC's new standalone debugger, you
can debug those larger programs as well.
New Data Types!
Unsigned integers (byte/word/dword), fixed length strings, even
both user-defined TYPES and UNIONS. These complement our 64-bit
integers, extended floats, currency variables with user-defined
precision, BCD floats, and flex strings.
Communications Options!
Full support for COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, even using any of the
non-standard IRQ lines. Communication speeds up to 115200 Baud.
Control DTR after the port is closed. Even mask eroors, or flush
data when one occurs. With PowerBASIC, communications are now
under control of the programmer, not the other way around!
The only way to really show you everything would be to give you
our Reference Guide. (PowerBASIC comes with a Reference Guide and
a Programmer's Guide -- close to 1,000 pages of documentation). In
it, you'll find more new features like: Unlimited Dynamic String
Space, Huge Arrays (greater than 64K), Absolute Arrays (specific
memory location), Bit operations (shift, rotate, test, set, reset,
toggle), Smart Linking of OBJ's, UNITS, and PB Libraries, Optional
variable declaration, Conditional compilation ($IF/$ELSE/$ENDIF),
ARRAY SORT/SCAN/INSERT/DELETE, and Local multi-level error trapping.
We've even added EXIT FAR to allow multi-level exit from nested
SUBS and FUNCTIONS (beats the LOMGJMP in C any day).
TRYPB3 Package
==============
The TRYPB3 package is provided to allow you to evaluate the
PowerBASIC 3.0 Compiler and Development Environment. The package
consists of the following four files:
README - This file.
100WAYS.TXT - "100 Ways PowerBASIC 3.0 Beats QuickBasic".
A slightly irreverent view of PowerBASIC's unique
features as compared to competing compilers.
ARTICLE.TXT - A reprint of the PowerBASIC 3.0 review which
appeared in the March, 1993 issue of Basic Code
Cache (formerly known as QB News).
TRYPB3.EXE - PowerBASIC 3.0 Evaluation Compiler. All language
features are fully functional, but the ability to
Load, Block Read, or Include a source file must be
restricted. There is no limit to the size of source
text, but it must be typed each time you wish to use
it. Source files may be saved for later use with
the full version of PowerBASIC 3.0.
TRYPB3.HLP - The PowerBASIC 3.0 Help File. Context-sensitive
help is available at any time by pressing F1.
Control-F1 allows automatic lookup of the word
at the current cursor position.
Third-Party Tools - Commercial
==============================
AnSoft, Inc
8254 Stone Trail Court
Laurel, MD 20723
(301) 470 2335 Voc/Fax
Printer Graphics Library "PGL Toolkit"
CDP Consultants
Fred Lepow CIS ID# 70340,140
1700 Circo Del Cielo Drive
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-440-6482 Voc
800-876-0098 Phone/Fax
Index Mgr -PB Sing User Ver $ 99.00
Index Mgr -PB Netwrk Ver $250.00
Creative Software
Dave Navarro
1325 Glenwood Drive
Petaluma, CA 94954
707-778-1591
PBTools Professional $129.00
Crescent Software
Ethan Winer CIS ID# 72241,63
11 Bailey Avenue
Ridgeway, CT 06877
203-438-5300 Voc, 203-431-4626 Fax
800-352-2742 (Orders ONLY)
Graph Pak Professional $179.00
DigiTek Data Systems
1350 Birchcrest Blvd
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
(813) 629-9313 Voc
(813) 629-9145 BBS
GAP Source library
EllTech
Tony Elliott CIS ID# 76220,2575
4374 Shallowford Ind. Pkwy. Suite-B
Marietta, GA 30066
800-553-1327 Voc
404-928-8960 Voc
404-924-2807 Fax
E-Tree Plus - B+Tree ISAM $199
Compression Plus library $149
PB Toolkit, Printer Plus library, and GUI library
GeoComp Corporation
Aileen Lim
66 Commonwealth Ave
Concorde, MA 01742
(508) 369 8504 Voc
Printer Graphics Library "GeoGraf"
Ted Gruber Software
P.O. Box 13408
Las Vegas, NV 89112
(702) 735-1980
Graphics Gaming library "FastGraph"
Information Management Systems, Inc.
Alan C. Earnshaw CIS ID# 72520,2264
1165 North Industrial Dr.
Orem, Utah 84057
801-226-6390 Voc, 8:00am-4:00pm Mtn
The Full Power ToolBox $129.95
BASICally Speaking PowerBASIC Newsletter $24/year
NoGate Consulting
P.O. Box 88115
Grand Rapids, MI 49518-0115
616-455-6270 Voc
Compression ToolKit Edition for PowerBASIC
Arc,Zip,Pak & Unpak utilities $75.00
Novell
P.O. Box 9802 #917
Austin, Texas 78766-9990
512-794-1796 Voc, 512-345-7478 Fax
Btrieve File Indexing System
Ocelot Computer Services, Inc.
Suite 1104
Royal Trust Tower
Edmonton Center
Edmonton Alberta CANADA T5J 2Z2
403-421-4187 Voc, 403-497-7342 Fax
SQL Database Management System
TeraTech
Michael Smith
100 Park Avenue Suite 360
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 424 3906 Voc
(301) 762 8184 BBS
ProBas Library, Financial Library,
ProMath extended mathematics library,
Spell Checker, & more
TNT Software
Bruce Tonkin
34069 Hainesville Road
Round Lake, IL 60073
(708) 223-0832
Creator Lite Single-User Database $59.95
Creator Multi-User Database/Report Writer $99.00
My Word! Word Processor $29.00 with source $58.00
Third-Party Tools - Shareware
=============================
Howard Ballinger CIS ID# 71121,776
2097 7th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
APLIB\ADD POWER Toolkit
Menu, Entry, Screen & System Functions
PC ASM Tools for PowerBASIC $20.00
DavisWARE Software CIS ID# 74250,1062
3 Williams Blvd -1C
Lake Grove, NY 11755
BBS: (516) 737-4637
BBS systems/Libraries/Toolkits
Charles Robertson CIS ID# 70130,330
Unique Software
PO Box 26613
Fort Worth, TX 76126-0613
PBFmt PowerBasic source code formatter
Registered Version $19.95
Bruce Nopper CIS ID# 73300,2444
Shadetree Software
P.O. Box 642
North Amherst, MA 01059
PBINL-Assembler Routines for PB
Tom Hanlin
PBWiz
3544 E. Southern Avenue #104
Mesa, AZ 85205
Libraries for EMS/XMS, SVGA modes.
Software Magic
Larry Perry
408 Lake Vista East
POB 293361
Lewisville, TX 75029
214-317-1793
Graphics, Icons, Characters
Registered Version $29.95 + Shipping