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|A ^0Diskussion |A                    ^1 Blue Notes |A                     ^0Diskussion |A
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 --Taxes 1990--

        In 1989, I received a neat little program of yours, called FasTax,
   on the Big Blue Disk.

        Are you planning to have a 1990 version of FasTax?  Will it be on Big 
   Blue Disk; if so, what issue?  Can the FasTax 1990 be purchased directly
   from you?

        Please advise.
 
^RDonald P. Hammond
^RLongwood, Florida
 

 ^1>    A 1990 tax program will probably not be published on Big Blue Disk this
 ^1>year, but it will be available from our sister publication, PC BusinessDisk.
 ^1>You may obtain a copy by subscribing to PC BusinessDisk, or by ordering
 ^1>a copy of this issue after publication.  In either case, call our toll-free
 ^1>number:  1-800-831-2694.  This program will be published on PC BusinessDisk
 ^1>Issue #6, available in mid-January 1991.  It will not be named FasTax, but
 ^1>probably TaxCalc or something similar.
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 --Programming Languages--

        I am interested in programming computers, but I am having trouble 
   finding a suitable language.

        At first, I attempted to use assembly language, but I am having trouble 
   finding a book resource.  Every bookstore that I go to has very little on 
   the subject of assembly language, especially in the area of graphics and
   animation, which is the field I am especially interested in.

        I noticed, however, that they had dozens of books on C.  I would like
   to know more about it.  Does C have sufficient speed?  What is the best
   language to program high-speed animation and graphic/arcade-type games.
 
         Please include, in your reply, the best C-Language and also the
   difference between compiled C and interpreted C. 
 
^RDavid Starchman
^RPurcell, OK
 

 ^1>    The "best" language is very difficult to specify, simply because 
 ^1>there is so much personal-preference involved.  About all I can offer is
 ^1>the information that Softdisk's new arcade-games disk, newly renamed   
 ^1>Gamer's Edge, uses primarily C-Language with quite a few assembly language
 ^1>routines where that level of programming is required.
 ^1>
 ^1>    The difference between a "compiled" language and an "interpreted"
 ^1>language involves the actions taken by the computer when the program runs.
 ^1>With an interpreted language, each instruction is decoded and translated
 ^1>to machine-understandable code as it is executed.  A compiled language
 ^1>is compiled to machine-understandable code in an extra step before
 ^1>execution.  Obviously, it would be difficult for an interpreted C to
 ^1>match the speed of a compiled C at execution time.  An interpreted C is
 ^1>trying to do twice the work for each instruction.
 ^1>
 ^1>     Good luck with your programming projects!

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 --MuTorere--

        I can't load this program on Issue #49 because I have no color graphics
        card or monitor.                                           

^RIvan M. Eye
^RMachesney Park, IL
 

 ^1>    I understand some of our disks were set up in such a way that our
 ^1>subscribers received a "Graphics Adapter Required" message when trying to
 ^1>run MuTorere.  This was an erroneous message.  You may execute the puzzle-
 ^1>game by inserting your Big Blue Disk #2 in the A drive.  At the DOS prompt
 ^1>type:  A:MU.                        
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 --Res-UP----

        Res-UP is not on my BBD# 49?                                          

^RJack Ruch
^RSusanville, CA
 

 ^1>    Several readers noted Res-UP appeared on our Report Card for Issue
 ^1>#49, but not in the menu or Table of Contents.
 ^1>
 ^1>    Res-UP is simply the memory-resident or "TSR" version of the UltPrint
 ^1>utility published on BBD Issue #49.  It was intentionally NOT put on the 
 ^1>menu, because the UltPrint version of the program was the only one which  
 ^1>would actually "run" from the menu.  To find out about Res-UP, please read
 ^1>the READ-IT documentation for UltPrint.
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