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Re: GSoft BASIC Ramble
On Jun 5, 10:33 am, Michael Kent <n.k...@webtv.remove.this.com> wrote:
> Complete Pascal is one of the first languages after GSoft BASIC I'll
> check out when I take up GS programming. My only experience with Pascal,
> though, was Apple Pascal back my the days of the Apple II+. I hated it.
> It was way too structured compared to the free-wheeling Applesoft spag-
> hetti code I was used to writing.
Don't worry, you can still write plenty of spaghetti in Pascal - its
just slightly more structured spaghetti. ;-)
> Writing in a toolbox environment, though, where you don't have complete
> control of the machine is different. Programs are more complex, and they
> have to play nice with any other programs that might be running, so a
> more structured environment is called for. At least it seems so to me.
> So I'll probably revisit Pascal if I get the urge to take up toolbox
> programming.
Many things can be accomplished without getting stuck neck-deep in
Toolbox calls. And I would certainly recommend getting a feel for
programming before diving into the Toolbox. If you check out Thye
Chean's code examples on:
http://virtualgs.larwe.com/Virtual_GS/Fun_and_Games.html
you will notice that he uses graphics and events without getting too
bogged down with the Toolbox. Complete Pascal has "graphical textbook"
applications which hide a lot of the toolbox stuff by doing it for you
behind the scenes. This IMHO is an excellent way of starting out
programming on the IIgs.
<snip>
>
> This "you" stuff is assuming skills not in evidence. :) I'm several
> years behind Lim Ding Weng when it comes to Apple II programming. But
> thanks for the vote of confidence. It is something I'd like to get back
> into at some point in the near future.
Well in that case, if you are interested and want to learn, then I
would suggest typing in some of Thye Chean's example code into
Complete Pascal or GSoft Basic and "get a feel" for the environment.
Then try and understand what each program is doing and how it is doing
it - e.g. setting the graphics mode, drawing lines, printing text,
handling events, etc.
Don't forget to grab a copy of the TML Pascal II manual that I
translated last year if you plan on using Complete Pascal. TML Pascal
II is an earlier version of Complete Pascal, but there really isn't
all that many differences (apart from the inbuilt resource editor).
The manual can be obtained on my website:
http://apple2.sytes.net/TML_Pascal/index.html
There is some Pascal code on my website too, but if you're starting
out, you're probably better off at Thye Chean's source code site. His
programs are nice and compact and perform good learning activities. My
source code tends to span multiple files, use Toolbox routines willy-
nilly, and wasn't written with education in mind. :-)
Also, there are a number of good websites dedicated to teaching the
Pascal language. For example:
* http://www.taoyue.com/tutorials/pascal/contents.html
* http://pascalprogramming.byethost15.com/
* http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/3230/pas/pasles00.html
Even if you look at some code on Thye Chean's site and don't
understand what it is doing, you can either ask Thye Chean personally
(I'm pretty sure he won't mind), or post on c.s.a2.programmer and one
of us "programming types" should be able to answer any of your
questions. :-)
Good luck with it - it would be nice to see some more IIgs programmers
joining the somewhat slim ranks.
Cheers,
Mike