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Loadstar 128 25
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t.diskovery 25
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2022-08-28
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D I S K O V E R Y : Journal of a Meandering Mind
by Fender Tucker
I received a healthy variety of programs this quarter and somehow
managed to squeeze them all onto the disk. In fact, disk space was so tight
that Side Two not only has no Presenter, it has no Copier. The programs on
Side One can be copied using Copy It but those on Side Two must be copied
with a file copier. DISKSERVANT (on LS 128 #21) will do the job nicely. Of
course, those of you with 3.5 inch drives don't have to worry about this --
all programs can be copied with Copy It.
One of the programs on Side Two is MEGaBasic, e. g. bell's new
programmer's aide for 80 columns. It's compatible with CONTROL80, our
favorite BASIC 7.0 extension, and is recommended for all 128 programmers.
It has around 170 blocks of documentation/information. The docs are split
into files suitable for viewing on our Read It screens, but are also more or
less formatted for indexing with ed bell's INDEXER on LS 128 #22. You
should read the docs before using MEGaBasic but you may be able to get by
without printing them out. MEGaBasic has the handy feature of showing you
the syntax for a command when you simply type the command in the
intermediate mode.
Another program on Side Two is LONDONTOWN, a Public Domain program that
has been translated from the 64, and before that, the Apple. We don't often
publish PD programs but this one was especially good. My main complaint
about PD programs is that they are usually "unfinished" by our standards. I
just can't imagine that any PD company has the time and manpower to devote
days (or even hours) to editing each program as we do. But there are always
exceptions.
I have a "catalog" of PD and shareware programs from Keystone Software,
Dept. 393, PO Box 8369, Pittsburgh PA 15218, (412)-243-1049, and it lists
dozens of disks filled with PD software of all kinds. Maybe some of you
have dealt with Keystone? If so, and you've found a PD program that you
feel is superior, why not send it to me?
Someone anonymously sent me a copy of ELITE 128 by D. Bragen and I.
Bell, a 3-D space-faring game that looks very professional. It must have
been a popular program because Keystone sells a keyboard overlay for it. I
realize it's difficult for an individual to know the copyright status of a
program -- it's just as difficult for me -- but if I can be reasonably sure
that we're not stepping on anyone's rights, I'll be happy to look at any PD
programs you send and consider them for LS 128. We'll turn a PD program
into a real program.
We're in a murky world that's getting murkier. Few new programs are
being created for the C-128 but there's a wealth of software that authors
have abandoned. Are the best of this forgotten lore doomed to extinction or
can they be resurrected? Is it the function of copyright law to give an
author the right to sell a product one year, leave its users high and dry
the next, then sue the pants off of anyone who, years later, tries to keep
the program alive? In my opinion, because the computer field is so flighty,
they should have had special copyrights that last for three or four years,
rather than the standard 29 years plus 29 more if renewed.
The C-128 is such a great computer that it's easy to be upbeat about it.
But at the same time, the C-128 software industry is so negligible that it's
easier to be downbeat about it. I guess I'm neither upbeat or downbeat.
I'm just beat.
But leave it to Ed Rainey to pull me through my morose mood. Ed is an
81-year-old newcomer to programming who took the time to convert VIDEO CRAPS
(LS 128 #20) to 80-columns for LS 128 #22. Then he was inspired by
CONTROL80-C (LS #22) to write his first program from scratch, BLACKJACK,
which is on Side Two. This is what home computing is all about. Check out
the best-selling book lists for computers. Everything is titled DOS FOR
DUMMIES or WINDOWS FOR IDIOTS. Fine. The IBM world is a haven for know-
nothings, especially those with $4000 in expendable cash on hand.
The C-128 owner is more than just a user; he's a hobbyist. He's a
retired person (in most cases) who is curious about computers and their role
in today's world. He has a totally accessible, 100% malleable tool in his
C-128 and would like to create something that will benefit himself and the
rest of the C-128 world. That's where LOADSTAR 128 comes in. Let's work
together and we'll all be big fish in a small, but classy, pond.
And finally, a plug for our neverending COMPLEAT series. The first two
installments, THE COMPLEAT WALT and THE COMPLEAT DAVE, are now available for
$20 apiece, post paid. THE COMPLEAT WALT contains 24 slide shows of Walt
Harned's impeccable art for the 40-column screen. That's over 250 pictures
on three 3.5 inch disks or seven 5.25 inch disks! THE COMPLEAT DAVE has
over 250 SID songs by the SID-master, Dave Marquis, playable with MUSIC
STAR, a 64 mode program included with the package. It comes on two 3.5 inch
disks or three 5.25 inch disks.
We plan to have more compilations like these in the near future, all
costing $20 apiece. If you're looking for a must-have package for your
C-64/128 friends or relatives for Christmas, this is it.
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