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.IF DSK1.C3
TEXTWARE, SOFTWARE, ELSEWHERE
^^^^^^^^^^^T.I. Articles and
Reviews
^^^^^^^^^^^by Jack Sughrue
About five or six months ago I
ordered and got COMPUTE'S GUIDE TO
EXTENDED BASIC HOME APPLICATIONS ON
THE TI-99/4A.
Exciting title, right?
It came in with two other COMPUTE
books I bought: 33 PROGRAMS FOR THE
TI-99/4A and TI-99/4A SOUND AND
GRAPHICS. I read and typed some of
the 33 PROGRAMS first. Then I read
and typed a few of the Sound/Graphic
programs, but I never got around to
doing anything at all (including
reading) the XB Home Applications
book, henceforth called "HA!"
(because that was my reaction when I
began reading). Then the HA changed
to HO and the HO to OH? and the OH?
to WOW!
I was (and still am) most
impressed with this book by
Christopher Flynn (from COMPUTE!
Publications, Inc., PO Box 5406,
Greensboro, NC, 27403 for $12.95
plus $2.00 S&H OR from your local
store, if you're lucky enough to
find one that carries T.I. books.
This is (except for the title) a
most impressive work. It does
things in ways I've not uncovered in
any other book.
But, first, let's examine the
book. Like all COMPUTE! books it
has a stiff, laminated cover and is
spiral bound. (May the blessings of
the gods settle ever in your
electrodes, you publishers who
spiral-bind computer books.) Nice,
easy-to-read large, black print on
white paper, chapter-separated (as
always from this publisher) by stiff
colored title sheets). As if all
this were not user-friendly enough,
there is yet more. All their books
are in non-bulkly, just-perfect 6x9
size. (If you use books around your
computer much, you will find all of
the above nothing short of
marvelous.)
Inside, the publisher's grand
touches abound: orderly Table of
Contents, easy-to-use Index,
properly-numbered program line
numbers, good displays, and, most
importantly, meaningful text. The
content is teriffic.
The 9-page intro explains why the
book is all (actually, almost)
written in Extended BASIC. Starting
with Chapter Two, Flynn teaches how
to develop XB techniques, when and
how to use them: subprogramming,
screen formatting, program design,
error trapping, and the like. This
chapter (and the final chapter
called Putting It All Together)
are worth twice the price of the
book, even if that's all you got.
But it isn't all you get; not by
a longshot.
Flynn ingeniously and clearly
takes you through a file management
system. You learn how to develop
program files, data files, records,
fields, and what to do with them
after you do them. (No more index
cards, Ma!)
From data files to spreadsheets.
Flynn offers two spreadsheets here,
one called Tiny Plan I and the
other, of course, is Tiny Plan II.
They are compatible and, amazingly,
require only XB and a cassette
recorder. (48K & disk & printer add
greatly to the possibilites.) These
two plans offer some remarkable and
automatic features of disk/cartridge
based plans. But they are no
substitute for MULTIPLAN if your
spreadsheet needs are great.
However, these programs are good if
your needs are small (or if you want
to find out what all this
spreadsheet stuff is about).
I could really do this entire
review on these spreadsheets, but
then I wouldn't be able to write
about the electronic charts.
Flynn's examples and instructions
are as clear and straightforward as
his bar-chart programs are to
operate. Simplifying the complex.
His Appointment Calendar is
superb (again, complex problems
resolved simply), but I was unhappy
about not tying in a printout. It's
not a small thing with me, so I'll
have to work on getting the
printouts I need for such an
otherwise superb program.
His Electronic Card File is set
up (as so many things are in this
book) for people with tape recorders
and for people with disk drives.
The separate approaches and needs
are discussed. He gives lots of
practices and shows, through
samples, how the card file works.
Believe it or not, after all
these fantastic programs, the finale
is the cherry on the fruit-salad
sundae. The final 10-page chapter,
Putting It All Together, opens up
more options for ALL disk owners
than any similar things I've seen to
date.
He puts the entire book onto one
menu-driven small program for you.
He has a loader and cataloguer that
can give you so much direct and
personal information about your
disks you may replace all the other.
Flynn gives you little sub or
intro minis to tack here and there
in your programs to open up more and
more of your programs and files.
If you're interested in getting
away from games for a while and want
to learn why the 99 is one of the
best machines still around, this is
the book that can do it for you.
A Note About My Biases: I
receive letters every so often from
people who complain about my
articles and reviews. (Fortunately,
most of the letters do not.) The
complaints fall into two categories:
I don't get into the technical
aspects enough or I am not
critical enough. Both complaints
are legitimate. But I feel I am
writing for the majority of T.I.
owners, and, if the majority is at
all like myself, they are limited in
their technical abilities (or
desires). One does not have to know
HOW a television set works to enjoy
viewing television or how a car
works to drive. One can appreciate
the technical aspects of our
electronic and mechanical marvels
which we use for recreation and work
and as essential living tools
without any knowledge of technical.
From the letters and comments I
receive, my audience seems to be
non-technical (which doesn't mean
they are not growing and learning
along with myself). And, as much as
I consider my full system absolutely
essential, the majority of TI owners
still have only a tape recorder. I
don't think these people should be
cut off from the T.I. Community,
though, of course, more and more
materials will be disk oriented
because more and more materials are
on disk only. Because we are, as
the involved members of our user
groups, ignoring these Tape People
(as I like to call them), they are
leaving us in droves. A problem
which nobody seems to be addressing.
There are lots of beginners still
out there, people who need to take
this computer business slowly and
lightly. I hope it isn't too late
to get these future backbones of our
international brotherhood back into
the main bodies. Otherwise, we
won't be able to stand up alone
anymore.
[Jack Sughrue, Box 459,
E.Douglas, MA 01516]
*******
If any newsletter editor prints
these articles, please put me on
your mailing list. Thanks - JS
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