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From: SimBoss@aol.com
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Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 03:04:03 -0400
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To: executor@nacm.com
Subject: Re: MACFORM.EXE, programming and other Qs
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In a message dated 95-05-10 10:39:44 EDT, you write:
>Hi SimBoss,
>
> I am on the Executor mailing list and I recieved a copy of your
>MACFORM program. I am impressed. I would like to know what language
>you
>coded it in.
I wrote it in Turbo C++ for DOS v3.0.
>I am relatively new to the PC world and would like to
>learn
>how to program again. (I used to do pretty well with BASIC and some
>C on
>my old Atari ST.) Do you have any suggestions for how I should
>start?
Well, you first need to learn the keywords and conventions used by C. You
can learn that easily with a DOS C compiler.
>I am used to using PD compilers and LIBs but most of what I've seen for
>the
>PC in PD is a little incomplete. Are there any good books that you
>would recommend?
"Learn C Now" and "Learn C in 21 Days" are pretty good. Learn C Now comes
with a compiler, but it can't make EXEs. I really don't know what are the
best books are because I learned C the exact opposite way. I learned Windows
C first simply by reading the source code and seeing what each line does.
>Where is a good site for source code that shouldn't need too
>much tweaking to compile? And finally, what programming language
>packages
>do you recommend. I would at least like to write some good DOS
>programs
>and really get familiar with that before I attempt to tackle anything
>that
>is GUI based.
I don't really know any FTP sites (I'm talking about FTP sites in general -
not programming ones) except for SimTel and ftp.cs.unm.edu:/pub/ardi. SimTel
has SOME source code for you to look at.
I recommend Borland's compilers. I use Turbo C++ for DOS and Turbo C++ for
Windows. Borland C++ 4.5 is also good. To me, Borland C++ is just Turbo C++
for DOS, Windows, Win32 and Windows/95 combined. It does have some extra
features that make programming easier, but you pay for it. Anything that you
can do (I mean program - I don't count Borland C++ visual application
designer) with Borland C++ (well, except Win32 and Windows/95) you can do
with Turbo C++ for Windows and Turbo C++ for DOS for more than a hundred
dollars cheaper.
>Well, that's it... Once again, thanks a million for MACFORM.
>
> Later,
> G II L
>
>--
>"Once in a while a girl comes along and opens your heart like a spam
>tin."
> -Thomas Dolby-
> Astronauts & Heretics
> Track 9- "Beauty of a Dream"
I will be releasing the source code for MacForm after I add some comment
lines. I want to release it so that a Linux programmer could port the code.
It uses INT 13 (hex) BIOS calls, so maybe it won't work. Other than that,