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'''— JK'''

Ever wonder how to get a sort routine to run faster? Or may you've had a problem getting your printer to print graphics. Maybe your console is acting up from overuse (we hope not underuse) or you'd just like to pick up a few pointers that will make you a better programmer.

The information provided here is culled from newsletters published by TI99/4 user groups from across the country. But we don't want you to get the idea that non-user group members can't contribute ideas or tidbits that may help other computer users better utilize their equipment. If you've got an idea that may be of interest to readers, let us know. If you've discovered an undocumented feature of a piece of hardware or software and would like to share it, by all means send it in. Remember, we're all in this together.

So you've got some top-secret programs that are for your eyes only. Your problem is how to keep the secret without getting a reputation for being unsociable. Here is a brief routine that can be written into a program that will ask a user for the password before running the program. You choose your own password.

In this example, which comes from a users group in Sidney, Australia, you would write your program between lines 140 and 32000. You may number it any way you wish and add all manner of bells and whistles to let the "violator" know he's been found out.

The Airport Area Computer Club of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, has a five-line program that it would like to see run side-by-side on the TI and Commodore 64 home computers. It's a test of calculation powers. Here it is:

''140-END''<br>

Have you ever plugged in a cartridge only to have the system "lock up" on you 15 minutes later? Well. the Central Iowa 99/4A Users Group has an idea that doesn't cost anything to implement and may help unlock those keyboards. Assuming that the root of the problem lies in a loose connection between the cartridge and the GROM port, the Iowans suggest you insert a matchbook cover underneath the cartridge to improve the fit. This should be done as you slide the cartridge in.

This may not be of much help to most TI users, but the NET 99er group out of Hurst, Texas, reports than an electronics shop in Dallas will repair TI consoles and peripherals and cards. Our conclusion is that whatever is happening in Dallas is probably happening elsewhere, too.

Yes, there is. But don't look for it on the outside. It's inside, so to speak. According to the SGV Users Group in West Covina, California, disk drive owners can switch their disk drive off by using a CALL LOAD command from either the Editor/Assembler or Mini-Memory cartridge. Be warned. however, that once you turn it off you won't be able to turn it on without first turning the console off, which means you'll have to save your data to cassette. Also, if you try to access the disk drive after you've switched it off. the system will lock up.

''CALL LOAD (-3188.63.215)''

The Kings 99er Users Group of Hanford, California, has a suggestion that takes the hassle out of hooking up your TI to the TV. They suggest you purchase a pair of "antennae clips" from Radio Shack for about $1 and attach them to the RF modulator, thus eliminating the need to take out a screwdriver to attach or detach the modulator.

The Rocky Mountain 99ers, or Denver, Colorado, know what to do after they've entered OLD CS1 when they really meant to enter SAVE CS1. All is not lost, they say. Before doing something really silly, like turning the console off and losing everything, they suggest you type SHIFT E and press the enter key. You'll get an I/O error, but don't worry. You'll still have the program in memory and get a second chance at saving it.

Members of the 99/4A Owner/Users Group of Wonder Lake, Illinois, have learned how to use the sound capabilities of the their computers to dial the phone. Listed below are the ten tones required by a standard "tone phone." The Wonder Lake group says that if you place the telephone mouthpiece near the speaker of your monitor or television and use their program, you can let your computer do the dialing. You'll need to add your own input lines, but this will get you started.