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2006-10-19
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA NEWSLETTER JUNE 1990
^^^^^^^^^^^^ LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Charles,
Yes, I am enthusiastic about Harry Wilhelm's The
Missing Link (a.k.a. TML). I'm not sure exactly what I said
on the phone, but I think it was something like this: "Of
all the Extended BASIC extensions I've reviewed in Computer
Shopper and elsewhere - and I think I've reviewed all of the
most important ones - I think The Missing Link offers the
most striking possibilities." I believe the TML demo
program itself is proof of that.
If I said that TML was "the best" of the lot without
qualification, I may have said more than I intended, because
I tend to be rather cautious when it comes to declaring on
product "THE best." Which enhanced Extended BASIC is best
depends upon your purpose. For example, Myarc Extended
BASIC II offers a speed increase not found in other
enhancements. For another example, if you want to do direct
sector disk access, you may need something like Michael
Riccio's STAR or "my" XXB. For yet another example, if you
want to do database-type activities, you may prefer Jim
Hollender's SXB or Richard Mitchell's String Master. I
could go on to mention the strengths of other packages as
well (such as Curtis Provance's EDP), but Ill close with
just one more example: if you want to use an enhanced
Extended BASIC to simplify writing standard Extended BASIC
programs, i like Triton's SEB (which is probably the one I
use more than any other).
But, again, to me The Missing Link opens up exciting
possibilities for the Extended BASIC programmer who wants to
do some neat things with bit-mapped mode in graphics. With
TML, you can put a TI-Artist picture on the screen, and add
windows, music, sprites with automotion, etc., doing it all
at the same time. Harry Wilhelm's TML is an outstanding
accomplishment, and I'm proud to have been involved in at
least a small way with the beta-testing before Harry decided
what software company to market TML with.
Incidentally, I do have perhaps a minor complaint about
the way Texaments is doing the marketing: in a full-page ad
in MICROpendium (March 1990, page 5), Steve Lamberti claims
(in large type in the center of the page), "Through Extended
BASIC, The Missing Link allows anyone to access all of the
incredible graphics and text capabilities found in the
TI-99/4a. This was something people said could never be
done... we did it."
Well, Steve didn't do it: Harry Wilhelm did it, before
Steve Lamberti ever saw the program, and it's disappointing
to see a full-page ad for TML in which the President of the
software company seems to take the credit and doesn't even
mention the author by name! But I hipe that won't stop
people from buying the program. (All they have to do is
send $24.95 plus $3.00 shipping to Texaments, 53 Center
Street, Patchogue NY 11772.)
A quick comment or two about XXB. XXB has its own
distinctive strengths. (1) XXB itself is free. (It's okay
to pass around all the material on that 360 sector XXB/1-5
disk!) (2) XXB is not just an XB extension, but a growing
library of "modules" of routines (written not only by me, but
also by J. Peter hoddie, Curtis Provance, Andy Becker, and
others) that you can, if you wish, embed in your XB
programs. Source code for almost all of the routines is
also available in the genial TRAVelER (which, however,
is NOT free! <grin>). in short, XXB is perhaps best for
those who want to try their own hand at putting together
whatever routines they like for themselves, whereas The
Missing Link is an easy-to-use integrated package for the XB
programmer of exciting routines that at this time you can
find nowhere else.
By the way, i intend to include material in GT for the
benefit of those who own TML. I've already written several
things, including a program that allows you to use Wayne
Stith's KWICKFONT with TML, and another program that
simplifies putting TI-Artist Instances on the screen with
TML, and I hope to do more as well.
Barry A. Traver
835 Green Valley Drive
Philadelphia PA 19128
(phone 215/483/1379)
.PL 1