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- .IF DSK1.C3
-
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^TEXTWARE, SOFTWARE, and
- ELSEWHERE
-
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^Articles and Reviews for TI
- Owners
-
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^by Jack Sughrue
-
-
-
-
-
-
- I really thought this review was going to
- be a snap. "So easy," I explained to Seumas
- (my poodle), "that we'll be out for our
- nightly walk in no time."
- (That was some time ago.)
-
- The problem is, I think, that I've talked
- about this book so often, and so many people
- have already bought it upon my very loud
- recommendation that I feel that there is very
- little NEW I can say about it. (Except,
- maybe, that all those people who have bought
- it have told me that they were very happy
- with it.)
- [Up to now you have probably noticed that
- I haven't mentioned the title of the book.
- As you already know I'm going to say the book
- is good, really good, so the suspense from
- this piece of writing is gone. I mean, why
- would you continue. It's like knowing the
- murderer on the first page of a Martha
- Grimes's mystery. So I won't mention the
- title until the end. I'll just tell you
- about the book and why it is a fine
- investment. I can tell the suspense is
- really mounting now, and you won't be able to
- keep your eyes from slipping to the end of
- this article to seek out the title. {-a
- little trick I learned in writing school-}
- But Restrain Yourself! Stay with it.]
- Patience is a virtue that never can
- hirtue.
- I will just mention that the book is
- published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood
- Cliffs, N.J., 07632, and cost me $14.95.
- No peeking, remember.
- And that it is written by Tony Fabbri (who
- also wrote other versions for other computers
- and entitled it similarly).
- (I should have been a mystery writer.)
-
- And now about the book itself.
- This book is just right. I wouldn't make
- any changes in it at all. It's extemely
- well-written. It is thoughtful, considerate,
- intelligent, is absolutely not overwhelming,
- is quite non-mathematical (that is,
- NON-MATHEMATICAL!) in its approach, is full
- of good humor, common sense, logic. It is
- the best book - bar none (and this includes
- the COMPUTE! and Datamost books I praise so
- highly) - for learning graphics. Everyone
- who has ever had the desire to program or to
- create on the computer, Tony Fabbri offers
- you the way.
- He takes you on a step-by-step tour of
- your computer through simple sample after
- simple sample after simple sample. You learn
- by doing and doing and doing.
-
- Every programmer or potential programmer
- should have reference guides and should have
- books of programs to emulate and should have
- some tutorial materials in text form. If
- this were the only text package of tutorial
- materials you owned, you wouldn't have to
- concern yourself. It IS a reference guide of
- sorts and a program book of sorts (over 100
- mini programs to type in), too. But the
- thrust of this book is tutorial. Fabbri's
- purpose is to give you a thorough under-
- standing of your Wonderful Little Machine.
- This he does remarkably well.
- He wastes very little space talking about
- interfaces and CPUs and bits and bytes and
- modems. His book says, "Look. Would you
- like to skip all this jargon crap and get
- down to the nitty-gritty fun of computing?
- Well, you have the right computer to do it,
- so let's get going!" And he does, and you
- do.
- I can't imagine anyone taking the Fabbri
- trip and not coming out on the other side of
- Page 247 a more satisfied human being.
- If Fabbri writes any more books for the TI
- buy them as fast as you can. Meanwhile, get
- this one if you can find it anywhere. Most
- bookstores will order it for you. Or write
- to the company.
- But don't forget to mention the title:
- ANIMATION, GAMES, AND SOUND FOR THE
- TI99/4A.
-
- (Did you peek?)
-
- [Jack Sughrue, Box 459, E.Douglas, MA
- 01516]
-
-
- ***********
-
- If any newsletter editor prints these
- articles, please put me on your mailing list.
- - Thanks - JS
-
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