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1990-10-14
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Alphabet Soup Version 1.0
Copyright 1990, Larry Neack
All rights reserved
This program takes from one to five scrambled words as input
and compares them to a standard dictionary of words. It
prints out to the screen which valid words in the dictionary
represent possible solution for the scrambled words.
If the computer can run MSDOS, it ought to be able to run
this program. It uses text mode only and ought to be able to
run on a 128K PC if any exist out there! I'd advise using
MSDOS 2.0 or later or the equivalent.
This was inspired by the Jumble word game in the Cincinnati
Enquirer and represents an excellent way to cheat at it, if
you wish. Also, this program could be given possible letter
combinations for Scrabble-type word games and will output
possible valid words. Finally, it will solve most of the
stupid scrambled word games that places like McDonald's or
Bob Evan's give to kids on those paper place mats. (I do not
expect this program to create a new market for home PCs!)
The dictionary files, for sake of brevity and speed of
access, do not have the '-ed' versions of verbs unless they
are also used as adjectives (like 'winged'). Also, the '-s'
or '-es' plurals of most words have been omitted. This does
not have any consequences in solving the Jumble game in the
paper, since it doesn't use those versions of the words in
its solutions. In other applications, try entering the
scrambled word minus one 's' or 'es' if present to see
whether a standard plural is the desired answer. Example, if
the scrambled word is 'gges', then inputing 'gge' (the word
minus the 's') will yield 'egg' as an answer. (In this
example, the 'eggs' was scrambled -- it's a joke, son! :-) ).
Speaking of Jumble -- this program will not give the final
answer, since it often includes a pun which I can't program a
computer to understand! It can help with the three to four
clue words, though.
The dictionary files themselves are simple ASCII text files.
If you run across a word that is not in the dictionary files,
it is simple to add the word yourself. Just count the
letters in the word and add it to the appropriate file with
any word processor or editor. You don't even have to
alphabetize the file. Make sure that you write the file back
to ASCII.
MSDOS, Scrabble, Jumble and Cincinnati Enquirer are
trademarks of their respective publishers. McDonald's and
Bob Evan's are restaurants which my family has been known to
haunt.
This is being uploaded as shareware. What does that mean?
The vast majority of people out there won't find a need for
this program. Fine and good -- pass it on to a BBS but you
must include all the following files in their ORIGINAL and
UNMOLESTED form:
File Name Length Description
SMALLWS 3487 Words, < 4 letters long
4WORDS 12575 Words, 4 letters long
5WORDS 22304 Words, 5 letters long
6WRDS 38458 Words, 6 letters long
7WRDS 51533 Words, 7 letters long
8WRDS 58749 Words, 8 letters long
9WRDS 59358 Words, 9 letters long
10WRDS 53078 Words, 10 letters long
BIGWORDS 103392 Words, > 10 letters long
ALPHSOUP DOC 4052 This file
ALPHSOUP EXE 47785 The program itself
If you try this out and find that you have a use for it
(school, classroom, personal, cheating at word games), send
me five dollars at the address below:
Larry Neack
10204 Amberwood Court
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
I will not assume any liability for losses, injury or any
other mishap arising from the use or abuse of this program.
Even if you do pay for it! No warrantees are extended
concerning the applicability of this program for any use.
(The LEGAL stuff!)
This was FUN to write -- I'm looking for another word game
for which to write another cheat program!
Larry Neack
(if PCs aren't meant for fun, why are you sitting there?)