Micropendium Volume 1 Number 4
We've changed our name
 May 1984 Micropendium (Home Computer Compendium) Front Cover | |
| Editor | Laura Burns |
|---|---|
| Categories | Home Computers, TI-99/4A |
| Publisher | John Koloen |
| Country | USA |
| Based in | Round Rock, Texas |
| Language | English |
Contents
What is MICROpendium?
I hope not to meander with this month's commentary, but you must understand that we've had a difficult time getting this edition of the magazine out. Producing even a small publication is fraught with peril.
For one thing, we've been threatened with a lawsuit by another company because of our use of the name Home Computer Compendium." You will probably have noticed that we're using a different name on our mast. We're now calling ourselves MICROpendium.
I could care less what we call the magazine, since our focus will remain on the Tl99/ 4A home computer and we will do everything just as we have done since we started this venture.
But things are tough all over. Elsewhere in this issue you'll find a brief article about the end of software distribution by TI. There'll be no more cartridges or anything else going to vendors from Texas Instruments, which may leave some home computer users in a quandary. Check out our lengthy piece on retailers. Some vendors have stocked up on TI products and expect to have quite a bit on hand, enough to last for months. However, if you plan to stay with the TI, my advice is to buy whatever TI software that you've been wanting because days of scarcity may lie ahead, particularly for some of the application programs. From now on, there is no tomorrow as far as TI is concerned.
FIRST-CLASS VERSUS THIRD-CLASS
Some readers have found that delivery of this publication is a bit on the tardy side. We sympathize with them but there's not much we can do about it because the U.S. Postal Service will not provide timely delivery of third- or second-class material mailed nationally on a monthly basis. Those who want to be assured of receiving their copies within five days of the pressrun have no alternative but to pay first-class delivery rates. This will amount to about 30 cents more per issue than the base subscription price, which includes third-class delivery. Although it means more work for us, we encourage our readers to pay the first-class postage rate because it is the only means we have of insuring timely delivery, particularly on the east and west coasts.
To determine how much this will cost, based on the number of issues remaining on your subscription, simply examine the mailing label on the front 'page of this edition. You will see a series of numbers and letters at the left-hand corner. It should begin with the letter "A" followed by four digits, the letter "S" and another number. This last number represents the month of the year your subscription started. The number 2 stands for February, 3 for March, etc. Since each subscription is for 12 months, simply count the number of months remaining on your subscription and multiply this number by 30 cents. The total is the amount needed to pay for first-class delivery for the remaining issues on your subscription. Send a check or money order for the amount and we will start your first class delivery with the next edition.
I wish there was a better way of doing this, but there isn't.
SOMETIMES WE'LL WAIT FOR THE NEWS
Just so you know, our policy is to hold the magazine for a week if need be in order to get late-breaking stories in. I warn you of this so as to forestall some of the disappointment that may come when your edition hasn't arrived by the usual date. However, we think that most readers would rather have the news as soon as possible, rather than having to wait a month because of inflexible deadlines. Again, if this is not to your liking, let us know.
RUMORS AND RUMBLINGS
Here are a few rumors picked up over the past several weeks that seem worth repeating:
There's supposed to be a third-party spelling checker coming out for the TI-Writer cartridge. The rumor has it that it will include 20,000 words and operate out of the Utility section of the program. We're looking into it.
Programmers who work in console BASIC may be able to protect their programs from being listed or edited. A new program may become available soon that is designed to prevent BASIC programs from being copied by users. It is said to require the Mini-Memory cartridge for programs less than 4K in length and the Mini-Memory and 32K memory expansion for longer programs. It is said that the programs that are protected will run in console BASIC only. However, orders are not being taken at this time. That's it for now.
— JK
Debugged
Tunnel problem
A reader has reported that a tip published in the March issue about using the Tunnels of Doom cartridge to transfer Scott Adams adventure games from cassette to diskette doesn't work for all of the games. We tested it on for Pirate Adventure game and it worked. However, he encountered some difficulty in trying to transfer other games, noting that they didn't play properly after the transfer.
Tips such as these cannot be tested thoroughly under all conditions. We publish them to help other TI users or to give them ideas of ways to better use their systems. We hope this is an acceptable policy to you. If not, please let us know.
Meanwhile, anyone have any suggestions about why the transfer works qith some games but not others?
Feedback
More solutions
The solution offered by Chuck Moats (March 1984) to the GROM problems was very helpful.
Another common problem is a key which prints two or more letters instead of one. The solution to this came off of the Source. Lift off the plastic key with a pair of pliers, shoot in some contact (TV tuner) cleaner onto the switch and press the keyh back into place. Sometimes part of the switch comes up with the key, but this is no problem if you are gentle. You need small slip-joint pliers to get a grip on the keys.
Bob Stephenson
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Faster entry
Your comment in your new magazine about slow entry into JUG (International Tl99 Users Group) Database 300/500 was true. If you inquire of IUG they will advise you of a minor correction that corrects the very slow data entry.
Also-I have provided them with a single disk (single-sided) version called Database 250 which does not require swapping disks, etc. Full featured-but only uses one disk for a 250-entry database. The database uses two disks for 300 entries.
New, how about an article on how to use TEii and modem with Compuserve. I can't get it all together: best way to save to disk, etc.
Help!
John Topham
Prospect Heights, Illinois
Ed: Any readers have advice on using Compuserve? We'd like to hear from you.
In agreement
I saw the first issue of Compendium at the Northern New Jersey 99er Users meeting. It is certainly the most informative magazine I've seen published for the 99 computer.
Your review of Database 500 was a copy of my impressions. After spending several frustrating evenings I came to the conclusion that it was a good program, but needed editing to a one line entry. After another week of decoding and learning much about files, I now have a much faster entry and search with four times the storage capacity. If you have a need, I will send you a copy, though I have personalized it for two disk drives and default prompts.
If you have an opportunity to review the Companion word processor, I believe you will also find it to be one of the best utility programs for this computer.
Robert Wolf
Bound Brook, New Jersey
Ed: We'd appreciate your suggestions on improving Database 500, and so would our readers. Also, elsewhere in this issue you will find a review of Companion.
For members only
The article in your magazine (February 1984) indicated the program (Database 500) is available as a nonexchange item. Evidently the person wishing to order the program must be a member of the "International Users Group," otherwise the order is turned down (a fact which is not mentioned in your article). This is aggravating to say the least (how would you feel after waiting two weeks to find that you did not rate the program due to being a "Non-Member")?
It was not indicated in the article that one had to be a member of any group to be entitled to buy the software. Perhaps the reviewer did not think to ask if this was the case, or the users group left the impression that the software would be available to anyone willing to purchase it.
Whatever the case, it is a pain to order something only to find later that it is unavailable to "Non-Members." Please state in future articles and or reviews if this is the case!
M.D. Gorman
Gardena, California
Ed: We did not know that International 99/4 User Group software is available only to members. We did provide them with a pre-publication copy of the review but received no comment from the IUG. We regret the inconvenience this has caused you ond possibly other readers.
| The Feedback column is for readers. It is a forum to communicate with other readers. The editor will condense excessively lengthy submissions where necessary. Contributors should restrict themselves to one subject for the sake of simplicity. Mail Feedback to: MICROpendium, P.O. Box 1343, Round Rock, TX 78680. |
CorComp introduces double-density card, 2 expansion systems
CorComp's new peripheral expansion system, the 9900 Micro-Expansion System for the TI home computer, has arrived.
And so has the company's first component of its 99000 Expansion System.
The hardware available with the 9900 Micro-Expansion System includes an RS232 card, 32K memory card and disk controller card. This unit is about the size of two TI speech synthesizers placed side by side. The cards may be purchased separately or as a package. The RS232 card offers serial and parallel ports. The 32K card is compatible with all TI cartridges. The company says all hardware will include extensive documentation.
Prices on the 9900 Micro-Expansion System are: RS232 stand-alone unit (1 serial and l parallel port), $149.95; RS232 stand-alone unit with 32K RAM and disk controller card, $399.95; upgrade kit for second RS232 port, $14.95; and upgrade kit for 32K RAM and disk controller, $289.45. Prices on the 9900 expansion cards for use with the TI Peripheral Expansion Box are: 32K RAM card, $135.95; RS232 card (2 serial and l parallel port), $117.95; disk controller card with disk manager software, $199.95; and cable assembly for internal drive, $18.85.
The disk controller card promises to be the greatest asset for those who already have a TI peripheral expansion box. The card is capable of handling up to four double-sided, double-density 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. The TI card was designed for use with up to three drives.
Included with the CorComp card is a disk-based formatter than will do what Tl's disk manager cartridge does and more, according to CorComp. The formatter will let TI users utilize double-density disks for the first time (provided they have double-density drives), essentially doubling the amount of storage they have had available to them using Tl's disk controller card, which is designed for single-density use. A CorComp spokeswoman said the card will fit in any TI peripheral expansion box.
The CorComp disk manager program will permit users to load and run assembly language programs, such as TI Forth, without using the TI Editor/ Assembler cartridge, the company says.
The disk controller card also provides several new commands not available previously on the TI card. CorComp says the card will allow users to peek and poke into CPU and VDP RAM, among other things.
The disk controller card also allows the user to set the head seek times for all four drives, permitting use of newer, faster drives with the system.
The company says the disk controller loads files 2-4 times faster than the TI disk controller.
The 99000 Expansion System is designed to be compatible with the TI99/4A and CorComp's own new computer when it is ready for the market. It is priced at $549.95. It is about one-half the size of Tl's peripheral expansion box and utilizes a system motherboard. Two half-height drives can be installed in it or one full height drive. It features a flexible cable to link the expansion system to the TI99/4A, eliminating the bulky TI cable that links the TI PEB with the console.
Included with the CorComp 99000 Expansion System are an RS232 card with two TI-compatible serial ports and one Centronics parallel port, 32K memory card and a double-sided, double-density disk controller card. The controller has the same features as the card already described.
The motherboard provides locations for future auxiliary cards, the company says.
The new hardware products are being shipped to dealers during April, CorComp says.
The company is offering TI user groups a special price on a single CorComp product through its User Group Product Review Program. User groups are asked to provide a review of the product to CorComp in exchange for the price break.
For more information, write: CorComp Inc., 23461 Ridge Route Dr., Suite H, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.
The selling of TI
Marketing in times of change
Retailers are the primary link between computer users, manufacturers and programmers.
We talked to retailers in different parts of the country who sell products for the Texas Instruments 99/4A computer. Here are their thoughts on selling the TI.
REACTIONS TO PULLOUT
Selling products for a computer which is no longer manufactured is, of course, quite a special problem.
When TI initially pulled out of the market, Steve Ficklin, general manager of Computer Shows in Austin, Texas, says, "It was probably not that much of a surprise, based on their marketing. I didn't know how long they could stay in there losing money. It probably was a little bit of a relief that we knew what was happening."
Ficklin says he is "surprised that more people have not made software avilable-that TI hasn't made more popular software available. such as the TI-Writer. A lot of Tls are being unused because the software and hardware are not available."
Don Mccutcheon, owner of the Home Computer Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, says his reaction was "utter astonishment."
He adds, "We were expecting it. Being a dealer I knew what was going on. But I still was astonished because they have one of the best computers in the market in the price range and they couldn't make a go of it due to poor management.
"I hate to see it go because it's such a good little computer. But it (the pullout) helped my business tremendously."
Mary Jane Burger, an owner of RAM Enterprises (in this case, RAM stands for Richard And Mary) in Vermilion, Ohio, says that initially "we definitely felt concerned, but we took a wait-and-see attitude and were hopeful someone would pick up and continue the TI or at least the accessories and so forth."
Now, she says, "I know that we're definitely encouraged."
She says that "Cor-Comp and others are coming out with peripherals. This is a very hopeful sign. We felt a responsibility to our own customers and a concern that we couldn't get software. That seems a little better now."
Craig Reitan, president of Unisource Electronics, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, says, "We had mixed reactions. Almost all our business is TI. We have several phases: a couple of stores and mail order."
He says that "after the intial panic" they realized that two million TI computers were out there. "It's an opportunity for a mail-order business like us."
He says Unisource is in the process of doing "a brand-new catalog with the things available, things being phased out and things available in the future."
Unisource markets more than 1,000 products for the TI, he notes.
The pullout means that "we have to work harder," he notes.
"We're having third-party authors work on software alternatives," he says. Important pieces of software we'll manufacture ourselves, if we have to, although that's a business we'd rather not be in."
Noting that TI stopped shipping software at the end of March, Reitan notes, Unisource purchased "about $1 million worth of software." (Interviews for this article were conducted in mid-March.)
Of this, "some titles will be gone in 45 days and some will last a year and a half," he predicts tentatively.
Susan Smith, owner of Tree of Knowledge in Reading, Pennsylvania, says her reaction was "just terror. It was awful. I figured that was the end. I'd never sell another TI computer."
Now, she says, "I think they knew what there were doing. I didn't give them enough credit. They did it at the right time. I had the best Christmas market ever and I'm getting the aftermarket now with the software and the peripherals."
Bob DeMars of Specialist In in Minnetonka, Minnesota, says he was "very surprised that they pulled out."
"It doesn't bother us," he adds. "Business is good. It's never been better."
THIRD PARTIES
"I think a lot of third parties are creating software," DeMars says.
"We're creating software."
He describes a program for learning BASIC they have that is "interactive not just turning the pages of a manual."
With this program, the user is given a problem and two chances to respond. If he gives the wrong response twice in a row, the program tells him the answer and takes him back to the material the problem covers for a review. Then he is given a similar problem on the same material.
Specialist In is also providing classes in BASIC, Extended BASIC, assembly language, Microsoft Multiplan, TI-Writer, Forth and printers.
Printers are "very difficult" with commands for such items as boldfacing, for instance, DeMars says. He says Specialist In markets 50 different models of printers and has had a program written for each.
He says they evaluate the software they sell "to be sure it is quality software."
Specialist In sells to customers all over the world, he says.
"We don't advertise a lot," he says. "People find out by word of mouth."
Ficklin says he hasn't seen much third-party software so far.
"I hear a lot but haven't seen much so far," he says. "Frisco (Frisco Electronics, a high-volume electronics chain) has Atarisoft. That's games. Games get old real fast."
He notes that Computer Shows is a dealer for Scott Foresman, which has discontinued its TI line.
"Initially, I though a lot of people would write stuff," he says. "I'm beginning to have my doubts now, which is too bad."
"As far as what's available for people who already have TI's, there's a lot of new stuff coming out," McCutcheon says. "The limit on computers is going to limit what's available, because there's no new computers coming out."
He notes that "TI tried their best to restrict stuff" so that they would be the software source.
"We're finding a lot of new stuff out there." he says.
"We've always had problems getting what people want at the time," Burger says. "It's still a problem."
She notes that it is harder to obtain peripherals than software.
"It always seemed Texas Instruments put out a carrot a long time before it was ready and that's what we're facing now, too," she says.
"I'm not sure what they're going to do with their chips and their module," she says. "The best quality software has always been in the module."
In regard to third-party manufacturers, she says, "they' re more encouraged. There's more benefit for them to be in the market."
Reitan says, "We're starting to get things that have been needed for a long time, but weren't made because people expected TI to manufacture them."
He notes, "There are obviously those who got disenchanted and dropped out, but there are those who are building up their system. Business is better than it's ever been."
He notes that Unisource "couldn't support" the initial period of "panic buying" because of a lack of enough WATS lines.
Smith says, "I'm hoping TI will encourage third parties to do even more than they did before. One of the problems with TI was they wouldn't let anybody else make software."
Smith says she specializes in TI products.
"Some people, as soon as they sell out what they have for TI, are pulling out," she says. "I'm getting more and more third-party business. We're the center for TI in Reading, and even the big department stores are sending customers to me."
MARKETING CHANGES?
"I never had a whole lot of money to advertise in the first place," Smith says. "Had I been in the thick of advertising I probably would have made some changes."
"We rent a lot of their software now," Ficklin says of his TI inventory. "We kept enough in stock so we could rent it. We're selling some that we have enough of."
He notes that if Cor-Comp comes out with its planned Phoenix. Computer Shows will sell software, but if not, "we'll stay with rented."
"I advertise less locally and do more advertising through my list of names," Mccutcheon says. "I have a good-sized list of names of people who own a TI. Every time a new product comes out, I want to deal with people who already have computers."
"At this point we haven't changed it too much," Burger says of her business.
"We're waiting to see what happens with Cor-Comp and the Phoenix. The TI market is still strong. We probably will diversify," she says.
"I don't know that we've changed our marketing as much as we've beefed up our warehousing and investment in inventory," Reitan says. "Our catalog has to be republished more frequently because the market is changing more."
He says Unisource now plans to issue a hardbound catalog every quarter at a cost of about $75,000.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
"We're all hopeful for the Phoenix," Reitan comments. "We are Cor-Comp distributors and looking forward to that product as well as our other products."
He also refers to "rumors that surrogate TI's" we be manufactured.
"We'll serve the TI market as long as there is a TI market, whether that's two years or 20 years," he says. "Until the last customer rings our bell and says 'We don't want to buy anything,' we'll be here."
I'm going to hang in as long as people want to buy things," echoes Smith. "When it dwindles down, I'll stop carrying TI."
DeMars predicts. "I expect that the TI will be back on the market under a new name-that somebody else will make it."
Ficklin says simply, "I don't know right now."
He says that Computer Shows, whose "main thrust is educational" has expanded into some other lines of computers.
"I expect some of the titles people are looking for are going to disappear," McCutcheon says of future software sales. "There'll be some third-party replacements but not exactly the same. We'll lose some that are popular but not popular enough for a third party to pick up the rights to."
"I definitely feel there is a future for home computers and it is a strong future." Burger says, "and though I'm not sure which direction we want to take I'm sure there will be a successful future out there."
THE TI MARKET
"As long as we have good products, good prices and good availability, we 'II get our our reward, which is orders," Reitan says.
He notes that Unisource has diversified in its retail stores, but not in its mail-order business.
"It is an awfully difficult business," he says. "There is not a good product in the home market compared to TI. We do carry Commodore and we do carry software for other computers."
"Saturday I could hardly have time to breathe, there were so many in here," Smith says. "I have a very -small store. TI's paying my rent. A lot of people are coming in asking for disk drives. Them I'm having trouble getting. A lot of my distributors are pulling out."
She notes, "It costs a lot of money to diversify. I tell people I can get them Commodore stuff if they want it. I can get them Atari stuff if they want it. But I'm not stocking it. Eventually, I'll have to."
DeMars says that Specialist In is "constantly getting new customers." They are diversifying, "but we'd planned to do that anyway."
He adds, "TI is our favorite company. You can't find a better company to deal with."
McCutcheon says that "one thing that's a little rough right now" is that items from third parties are "not completely on the market" and the expansion market has slowed down.
"As fast as I can get software in, I sell it," he says, noting that he has got in "about 25 new titles in the last 60 days from TI" through wholesalers.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU COMPUTE
"Most of the people we get calls on for Atari want games," McCutcheon comments. "The same for the Commodore. Most of the calls for the TI are for education and small business. There's still a difference in the way the market reacts."
He says it's hard to say whether TI owners spend more or less on their computers than owners of other brands.
"If we had the peripheral equipment I'd say more, he says. "A lot of people are not even thinking of switching over."
"From our experience, our research shows that the average buyer will spend 20 percent more on software and peripherals than on the computer," says Reitan.
However, the TI user spends a higher percentage on these items because of the low base price of the computer.
In Lubbock-the site of a Texas Instruments plant-"95 percent of our customers are fierce and loyal to the TI," he says.
He notes that with the TI "adding 100 percent of the peripherals it's still a heck of a value" compared, for example, to the IBM PC-Junior.
Smith thinks that TI users spend as much on their systems as users of other computers "in the long run. Maybe they're not as fast to do it."
She speculates that TI may have got out because of not having the "patience to wait for the aftermarket."
She notes that Tree of Knowledge is located in the center of the downtown business district.
"We're not seeing the people who go out to K-Mart," she says.
DeMars says customers are "all in about the same market. Some customers buy the computer because it's inexpensive and don't plan to expand. Others spend $1,000. They still get a good deal. Some expand very slowly."
He notes that "the typical Atari consumer is out for a game machine. The Commodore is more difficult to use for a beginner than a TI. Most people are impressed with the quality of software, educational and home stuff, for the TI. We sell it to a lot of business people, too."
"The majority of the TI market are probably computer illiterates now," Ficklin says. "Six months again that wasn't the case. The recent buyers after the price cuts expected to get a fully functional computer without having to program it or buy anything for data storage when they plugged it in after Christmas. This isn't anyone's fault, just the general state of knowledge about computers. Now probably most of them are in the closet."
HOW LONG TI?
The length for viability of the TI market, Ficklin says, "depends on what happens in the next two months. If Cor-Comp comes out with their stuff and if someone comes out with some viable software, it's 1 ½ to 2 years. If not-you're probably looking at it now. As far as most people are concerned, TI is a dead subject. Which is really too bad, because the computer is such a good machine."
"People who've got them won't sell them," Mccutcheon notes. He feels that the viability of the TI market depends on "if someone comes out with a comparable computer-not a Commodore or Atari."
"Two years, maybe," speculates Burger. "I think a lot depends on other companies. Most of the people who own Tls are really pleased with the computer and the features. If a computer such as the Phoenix came out that was compatible there is a market which is loyal and would upgrade. For the TI99/4A itself, I don't know."
"I don't know how to call that one," says Reitan. "Opinions range from six months on out."
He says it may be another several years "assuming a namesake never comes out."\
He continues, "I think we know enough to invest a lot. Past the near term, which I look at as a year, I don't know."
"I know there are a lot of machines out there," Smith says. "At least another year. maybe more."
"If it comes back with another supplier, a long time," DeMars says. "If somebody doesn't take it over, I think another five to seven years."
RETAILERS' PROBLEMS
Ficklin sees his biggest problem as a retailer as answering his customers' questions. Though he knows that the TI is a good computer, he says, he doesn't know whether any individual should buy a computer or not, or whether they should get more software or hardware.
McCutcheon says the biggest problem is that "suddenly there'll be a rush on something. Extended BASIC you'll get 10 in a day and they'll be gone. Peripherals-people want entire expansion systems and you can't get them."
He also cites frustration with not knowing what prices will be.
Reitan says the biggest problems "continue to be TI. They are difficult to do business with, though their withdrawal from the market has been honorable to dealers-amazingly so in that they haven't dumped a huge quantity of software on the market at nothing, leaving dealers with huge inventories of worthless software."
Reitan also cited the difficulties of predicting what customers' needs will be and thereby running short of inventory.
Smith said that "trying to get the product" is a difficulty. She cited TI-Writer, Editor/ Assembler, Pascal, Extended BASIC and Terminal Emulator II as being hard to find.
CHAIN STORE COMPETITION
DeMars says the biggest problem is "probably competing with the chain stores" who buy software in large volumes and sell it as loss leaders.
However, since large stores such as Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney have been phasing out TI products, the smaller operators have benefited.
"In today's market much of our business comes from the big stores sending people to us," he says, citing Sears, Penney's, Target and Dayton's (a large chain in the Midwest). "I'm glad from that aspect. Our business has quadrupled."
Smith also says she was unable to compete with the chains.
"They were selling stuff below cost just to clear it out. I couldn't compete with that," she says.
Ficklin says that "small retailers couldn't get them (TI consoles) when they phased out."
Reitan is philosophical at the "dumping" of some TI products.
"Those things last a day or two. We urge our customers to take advantage of it, and we're not too proud to do it ourselves," he says.
He notes that a customer who saves money on a particular product by buying it at a department store may buy other products·from Unisource, which has a larger selection of TI products than the chains.
— LB
TI discontinues software
Texas Instruments is no longer in the business of selling home computer products.
As of March 30, the company stopped shipping its remaining home computer products to vendors and none will be available from the company in the future.
A company spokesman said that the company will continue to honor warranties on its products, including software and hardware. Users may continue to bring defective equipment to TI's exchange centers for replacement but the exchange centers will no longer sell or distribute the products.
The spokeswoman noted that TI will continue to maintain its Toll-free telephone number to help home computer users.
The spokeswoman said she knows of no companies that have worked out licensing agreements to continue production of TI home computer software or hardware that have not already been announced.
Of course, scores of companies large and small are independently producing software and hardware for the TI99/4A. At this point, however, production of such cartridge-based programs as Extended BASIC, Microsoft Multiplan, TI-Writer and Terminal Emulator II has ended.
The spokeswoman did not rule out the possibility that other companies might eventually pick up production of such TI-licensed products.
Tex-Comp to sell Mini-Writer
Exclusive purchase of all remaining Texas Instruments Editor/Assembler, Mini-Memory and Extended BASIC cartridges was made by TexComp of California when TI discontinued selling its home computer products at the end of March.
In addition, according to Jerry Price of Tex-Comp, the company has acquired millions of dollars worth of TI products, enough to support the market "for years to come."
He said there were "not that many" left of the Extended BASIC cartridges. Tex-Comp has a large supply of Editor/Assembler and Mini-Memory cartridges, he said.
In addition, Price says, warehouse shelves at Tex-Comp are stacked with TI products "as far as the eye can see."
Tex-Comp also has rights to the Mini-Writer program which, he said, was never marketed by TI. MiniWriter is a cassette-based word processing program that does not require expansion memory. Price said that Tex-Comp will be making this available soon in a package with the Mini-Memory cartridge. Mini-Writer requires the Mini-Memory to operate.
He says Tex-Comp also carries a printer which does not require an RS232 interface.
Thus, he says, "for $349.95 a person can get into word processing with a printer, a Mini-Memory and everything."
For more information, contact TexComp/Calvert, 7051 Hayvenhurst, Van Nuys, CA 91406
Programmers, Part II
This article, continued from the April issue, consists of interviews with programmers from different geographic locations, all of whom write programs for the TI home computer.
Of significant problems with the TI, "one has less to do with the machine than with the company," says Dr. Allan Swett of Intelpro in Brossard, Quebec. " TI is not noted for dispensing information."
As far as the machine itself is concerned, Swett says, there is a limited audience which has disk and memory expansion, and even so the memory is limited.
He says TI's BASIC and Extended BASIC are "adequate insofar as they were intended to be" and that TI's assembly language is "spectacular," better than IBM.
However, he says, the machine's limitations don't keep him from writing any programs he wants.
"I'm pretty confident in my ability to scrunch things down," he says. "By and large, I'm a believer in small computers. You can do pretty much anything you want on them, as long as you have a disk drive."
Vincent Lannie of Texas Software Design in Bayton, Texas, says he finds BASIC difficult to work with in the TI.
"I have more useful memory in Extended BASIC," he notes.
Scott Emory, a partner in EB Software of Santa Ana, California, sees a problem in that "when you're programming, every time you want to make it better-like going from BASIC to Extended BASIC or adding memory-you're excluding people from your market because fewer people have those peripherals."
He adds, "We're pushing it to a limit. We're making programs on our full-blown system and seeing if it can run in Extended BASIC."
BASIC is limited in speed and graphics compared to Extended BASIC and assembly language, Walt Dollard notes. Dollard is a 19-year-old programmer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"The only real advantage TI does have with graphics is TI is permanently in high resolution," he says. He also cites TI's 16 colors and sprites in Extended BASIC and assembly language as advantages.
"Memory limitations are the main thing, although I do have the 32K memory expansion," he says. "In 32K you should be able to write pretty much any program you want. The TI is really quite powerful compared to other computers in the under-$1,000 price range."
Gene Harter, a partner in Not-Polyoptics of Woodbridge, Virginia, says there are problems with memory, Extended BASIC and BASIC.
"A lot of our more popular programs, if we did them in machine language with 32K expansion would rival any game-any computer," Harter says. "When the serious people have gotten their expansions, we'll start making disk-based software."
K.E. Vaughn of Vaughn Software in Arvadus, Colorado, says one of the big limitations of the TI is the line length, so that "any time you approach text-especially in word processing-you have to cram as much as possible on one screen or go to two."
Regarding the line length, he says he's "cussed it many a time."
He says that in the drawing, redrawing and erasing in BASIC animation a programmer has "to be careful it moves quickly. You use a lot of call (statements) to move and animate the character."
However, in programming, he says, "we would attempt just about anything, unless it was too farfetched."
He would not try, for instance, to emulate a program like the windowing done in the Apple Lisa, he says.
To talk about problems or limitations with the TI or other computers is "not fair," says Larry Hughes of Quality 99 Software in Washington, D.C. "You do the best you can with the tools at hand. Some things are harder than others. Even Atari-according to Consumer Reports, Atari has the worst BASIC language, but you can still do things with Atari. It's harder, but you can still write beautiful programs."
About the 99/4A, Hughes comments, "This is a very, very shocking thing to me-TI won't tell me how to use it. You can get a Commodore book for $6.95 which has every memory location and what the value is."
With the TI, he says, "every memory location is a big secret. We're working blindfolded in a dark cave."
He cited his company's Quickcopyer, which reads a sector from a diskette and writes a sector to another diskette.
"TI won't tell you how to do it," he says. "Nobody outside of TI and my associate knows how to do it. It took him six months of hard work, and it should be common knowledge. The hardest part of working with TI is finding out what is common knowledge with other computers."
He continues, "The irony is, even with the Commodore you know, all these things but you can't do anything because it's not a very powerful computer."
ADVICE TO PROGRAMMERS
If he were to advise someone who wanted to program for the TI, Vaughn says, "I would have to tell them the best resource they have for anything is the manual they have from TI. I'd tell them to read it from cover to cover about 10 times."
He also feels that "just experimenting" is important.
For those interested in programming commercially, he says, "they should start with BASIC and move very quickly into machine language programs."
"Read the manual," Hughes agrees.
"Put that in all capital letters-READ THE MANUAL. I'm in a user group and I get 10 calls a night.
"People will call and ask, 'What's that funny curlicue-looking thing do?'"
"'You mean the ampersand?'"
"'I guess so. What's it do?'"
"'It's on page five of your manual.'"
He continues, "You need to read the manual not once, not twice, not five times, but 10 times. Then when you start programming and you have a question, you'll know where to look."
"I heard someone once say that programming is the best computer game of all," he says. "It's challenging, it's exciting, it's thrilling and you can win, and you can make it as hard as you want or as easy as you want, and you get immediate results, and you have something other people can use and enjoy."
Dollard also stresses the importance of the manual.
"I started out knowing absolutely nothing about computers," he says. "At that time, there was no beginners' BASIC book."
He learned, he says, from the BASIC manual.
"You have to sit down and grind your way through the book. Patience is important," he says.
"As far as the TI itself, there's nothing special about it," Harter says. "The BASIC is slow."
As a result, he says, when using graphics the programmer should pay attention to timing in trying to get them to move realistically or look good.
"There are some hidden things that will slow computers down that you have to find out about," he says. "You have to experiment with it."
Lannie's advice is pessimistic. "I would probably say not start your own business. The way it is now, I wouldn't recommend anyone to program for TI. I think it's going to be hard for them to market their products to a big firm."
Emory feels it is important for a programmer to come up with an original idea, not an adaptation of something that is already out.
"If you know assembly language, it really helps," he adds.
"Professionally, my advice is to establish marketing and distribution before you write the program," Swett says, adding that this is "hypothetical advice" that he did not follow himself. He notes that the marketing and distribution arrangements may have to be based on the quality of the product.
"Don't be surprised if you can't get marketing and distribution because you haven't got credibility" if you try to set them up first, he adds. "After you've established credibility, be sure to set up marketing and distribution."
For the noncommercial programmer, Swett says, "My advice to that person would be to have fun. Enjoy the internal challenges you set for yourself like to make it faster. But above all, have fun."
— LB
Companion
A better word processor
| Perfomance | A |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | B + |
| Documentation | A |
| Value | A |
| Final Grade |
A |
| Cost | $79.95 (diskette) |
| Manufacturer | Intelpro, 5825 Baillargeon St1 , l}rossard, Quebec, Canada J4Z ITI |
| Requirements | console, monitor or television, disk drive and controller card , 32K memory expansion , Extended BASIC cartridge, printer and printer interface. |
Companion is a well designed and executed word processing program for the TI home computer. In many cases it is faster and easier to use than TI-Writer. It offers most of the features found in TI-Writer and is far superior in the way it can incorporate graphics into text. Although it seems to be written with the Epson MX80 dot matrix printer in mind, I had no trouble operating it out of a C. Itoh Prowriter.
The author of Companion, Dr. Allan Swett, believes his program is superior to TI-Writer, Texas Instruments' cartridge-based word-processing program. He suggested that I use TIWriter as the basis for reviewing Companion, a suggestion that I initially greeted with skepticism. I am familiar with numerous wordprocessing programs priced from $40 to $600. I include here Word Star, Word Pro and Superscript II, among others. Also, I am familiar with full-scale typesetting and pagination systems priced in the $25,000 range that provide the user with more formatting capability than he will probably ever learn to use. l am saying this because I regard TI-Writer to be a very fine word-processing program in the under $100 range. In fact, it offers the user features that programs written for other computers don't offer at twice the price.
There are, however, several things I don't like about TI-Writer, including the absence of a "look-ahead" buffer, the fact that it is organized so that the user cannot test printing formats without leaving the editing mode and the sometimes complex manner in which formatting commands are employed, particularly the Transliteration command, which is used to create software commands for execution by the printer. While this is a powerful tool, it is sometimes so confusing to implement that you don't bother to use it. Companion is superior to TI-Writer in all three of these areas. For one thing, it operates out of a single program that is loaded only once into memory. From here the user can write, edit and print directly out of the main menu. This is desirable because the user can edit his copy and then print it out and make chcinges or form a t a dju s t m e n t s i m m e d i at e l y. (Neither program has a screen formatting function that previews what the document will look like before sending it to the printer. However, in defense of both programs, this feature is generally found only in much higher priced software.) This is not possible with TI-Writer since the formatting commands cannot be read in the editing mode. Tl-Writer is also infamous for dropping letters at the beginning of each line in the editing mode. This is because the program does not store characters that are typed at the end of a screen line as it wraps around to the beginning of the next line. You may examine the sample copy created by Companion elsewhere on this page to see how graphics can be incorporated into text. A simple one key command followed by the ASCII code of the graphics symbol is all that it takes. One feature offered by Ti-Writer not provided by Companion is the ability to incorporate name and address files and other custom data to be inserted in form letters. It is more flexible in how it formats the copy on the screen as the user types it. Using a windowing technique, it's possible to type 80 characters on a single line, though users are more likely to set the screen parameters to display a 40-character line. Companion shows a 40-character line with no option to change it. Tl-Writer also prints user-created headers and footers. Comp"mion will print page numbers centered at the top of the μage only. TI-Writer also allows the user to right-justify text, which Companion does not. TI-Writer also has <-1 line delete function which Companion does not. However, Companion has a very fast block delete, move and insert command. How much faster is it than the TI-Writer insert and delete commands? Well, such commands are executed virtually instantaneously in Companion and can take 30 seconds or more for lengthier blocks of text ·n TI-Writer. Although both programs off er software control of such printer functions as boldfacing and underlining. Companion is easier to use in this regard. TI-Writer does not offer true underlining, which Companion does via simple ASCII code commands. But the difference between the two programs is more fundamental than a feature-by-feature comparison might suggest. Essentially, Companion operates like a computerized typewriter while TI-Writer operates with a greater emphasis on formatting of finished text. In my view, TI-Writer is most useful for form letters, while Companion is designed for writing per se. It is this difference that makes Companion unique and it is on this basis that we shall proceed with the review. Performance: Companion is written in assembly language, which is why it operates so quickly. The execution of all commands is virtually immediate. Just like a typewriter, when you press a key something happens. The main menu consists of seven options: Load Edit Save Print Purge Directory Other. All text is created in the edit mode. This mode offers the standard editing functions, including insert, delete and search and replace. The user may also move and copy text. A feature not found on TI-Writer is the count function, which will report the number of times a word or phrase is used in the text. Editing commands are displayed in two rows at the top of the screen by pressing the Function BACK key. Also displayed at this time is the number of characters in the text. The text buffer can accomodate 18,000 characters, compared to about 23,000 characters for TI-Writer. Such formatting commands as paragraphing, line spacing, horizontal tabs, underlining and graphics are executed vi<;1 the use of Control keys. Control G followed by the ASCII number, for example, is used to print a graphics character. Control H will tab the text to a tab location that you set in the tab setup mode. Virtually' all such commands are easy to use since they are based on the first letter of the function they represent. I found no problem in using the Control key to_ initiate these functions. The purge command deletes the text that is in memory. The directory command will list ony those files created by Companion. There is a secondary menu in this program that appears by selecting "Other" on the main menu. This menu includes: Save before cursor Save from cursor Purge before cursor Purge from cursor Set tabs Print disk file Batch processing Other. The first four selections allow the user to save or purge data based on the location of the cursor. The print file command loads a file out of disk and immediately begins printing it. Batch processing is a feature not available on TI-Writer that emphasizes the essential difference between the two programs. Batch processing allows the user to enter the file names of numerous diskette files so that they will be printed out in sequence. As the Companion manual notes, this allows those involved in writing lengthy documents or books to print out chapter after chapter. The emphasis in TIWriter is on the repetitious printing of form letters in which the names, addresses and other items are changed via mail-merge files. The cursor plays an important role in any text processing program. The Companion cursor appears in several forms, depending on the function it is being used for. It appears as a simple underline when writing. Moving it back over a word or character transforms it into a solid white block. Entering the insert mode transforms it into a hollow block. The cursor can be moved to the beginning of the text by pressing the Function BEG IN key and to the end of the text by pressing the Function REDO key. The cursor will also move up and down 12 lines at a time by pressing the Function PROC'D or CLEAR keys. The cursor may also be moved by pressing the space bar. The longer you hold the space bar down, the faster the cursor moves. Inserting printer commands is easy with Companion. Simply press Control A (for ASCII) and then enter the number or numbers corresponding to the task you want performed. Control A27 Control A80, for example, puts the printer into the proportional mode. Unlike TI-Writer, which will not print boldface using the proportional character set, Companion will. Unlike TI-Writer, Companion operates fully in a wrap-around mode during the editing process. TI-Writer does not truncate words at the point at which one line ends and another begins. This is more a matter of taste than anything else. Although neither program offers the user the option of seeing what the document will look like on the screen, this option would be useless anyway since the screen width is limited to 40 characters in both programs. Companion also allows the user the option to customize the default values, such as the printer description, tabs, printout parameters (there are 11 of them) and such system defaults as which disk drive to write files to (it is set up to use one drive) as well as the ASCII default (which can be of benefit to someone who uses a lot of underling and boldfacing and other special functions.) Ease of Use: Considering its flexibility and power, Companion is relatively simple to use. Someone with only a passing interest in programming but an abiding interest in writing should be able to put this program to good use with a minimum of wasted effort. Those with an interest in both will appreciate the ease with which formatting can be done and the naturalness with which writing takes place. The first-time user can start writing with it from the start, even without reading the manual. Learning to use all of its capabilities will take considerably longer, but that's to be expected with any word processing software. Documentation: Companion comes with an excellent 142-page manual. It includes a very good table of contents. The manual seems to be somewhat wordy, considering how simple the program it describes is to understand. I think it addresses virtually any question the user may have regarding the program. Value: When I started to examine Companion I did not think it would be a serious contender against TI-Writer. The more I used it, however, the more it became apparent that I was mistaken. As a writer who also understands BASIC, I am more comfortable using this program and its ASCII commands than using TI-Writer and trying to "transliterate" the ASCII characters codes to suit my purpose. (Transliterate is Tl's term to describe the function of redefining characters so that they will represent something else, such as ASCII code.) If my intention in buying a word processing program is to handle form letters, I would choose TI-Writer. If I want to use it to write, whether term papers, short stories, books or correspondence, I'd choose Companion. I am impressed.
— JK
