mead@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Alan David Mead) (11/26/90)
Here is a longish summary of the responses I have so far recieved and
my conclusions (but not in that order).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Inside TP:
is only aimed at TP users.
is aimed at novice to mildly experienced programmers.
is relatively expensive.
is as useful as c.l.pascal (and realistically I might not have
c.l.p forever).
--> So I'm ordering the free issues, but probably won't continue
paying for it.
TUG Lines:
is aimed at all Turbo programmers.
is aimed at a similarly experienced audience.
is as expensive as a good shareware package.
is similarly useful.
entitles you to cheap software.
--> So I think I'm going to drop them a note; I like the idea of
having a library of software to examine--I'm not so happy
about having to sift through Basic and Prolog stuff.
Also, I REALLY liked a (copied) article from Turbo Technix on
textmode mouse handling. The article itself--not just the code--was
well written and helpful.
I have had little luck getting old copies from the library and
Borland has no back issues (and a Borland rep refered to TT as
"ancient history").
I would really like to examine other TT pascal articles. Does anyone
have some old issues? Does anyone know of any official sources of
reprints?
Finally, no one mentioned any other sources, but I saw a reference
to PC Techniques elsewhere. Does anyone have any other
recommendations or comments? I'd like to compile a list of useful
books--feel free so send suggesions.
--------------------------------------------------------------
From rice@cray.com Fri Nov 16 09:10:52 1990
I found [Inside TP] to be aimed at the least sophisticated and least
experienced of programmers -- you can get better discussions and more
sample code fragments just by reading Comp.lang.pascal. It's also VERY
pricy.
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From granoff@vaxwrk.enet.dec.com Sat Nov 17 00:40:38 1990
I've subscribed to TUG Lines since issue 1. They publish bi-monthly; I
think U.S. subscriptions are around $22. At this point, the issues
include letters from readers (and answers), complete hunks of code, and
topics on all the popular Turbo language products (Pascal, C, C++).
They used to cover Prolog and Basic (maybe they still do, but I can't
remember seeing anything recently). I've received numerous offers for
"Inside Turbo Pascal" and "Inside Turbo C." I chucked them because I
already receive TUG Lines, and after all, how many such publications do
I need? I can't say if "Inside Turbo ..." are any good or not. I like
TUG Lines though.
Also, TUG has a huge (and getting bigger) library of software (public
domain) that they distribute for the cost of disks and shipping. Quite
a lot of good stuff. I've never bought any of it (never got around to
it), but there are things I'd like to get.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinions herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Digital.
-------
From: "CHAUDHURY, SHILADITYA" <chaudhury@physics.ucla.edu>
I was a TUG member for a year and found their newsletter interesting
reading and their disks full of nifty programs *IF* you have no access
to Internet groups and PD FTP sites. For BBS-limited programmers, it is
a good deal, but it is nothing you could not find elsewhere in
'ftp-land'.
[Similar comments about Inside Turbo Pascal]
------
From Dave_Wyble.wbst147@xerox.com Tue Nov 20 07:24:13 1990
[...] Cobb Group's "Inside Turbo Pascal". I was very pleased with
everything except the price. [...] Granted, it was very dense, and
they include lots of source code [...] Anyway, the choice of topics and
the level was right for me. (I am no rookie, but I can't say I have
been into the *far* depths of TP - yet!).
------------
From davidr@lsid.hp.com Tue Nov 20 21:07:58 1990
I LOVED Turbo Technix, and sorely wish it were still available.
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From stone@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu Wed Nov 21 19:53:15 1990
I got Inside Turbo pascal for a year and there were 3 or 4 articles in
that time that I found useful, but I kept them because I think some
others will be useful in the future.
-----
--
Alan Mead : mead@uxh.cso.uiuc.edudmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) (11/26/90)
In article <1990Nov25.214814.7728@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> mead@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Alan David Mead) writes: > >Finally, no one mentioned any other sources, but I saw a reference >to PC Techniques elsewhere. and he quoted: >From davidr@lsid.hp.com Tue Nov 20 21:07:58 1990 > >I LOVED Turbo Technix, and sorely wish it were still available. PC Techniques is more or less the same style as Turbo Technix (it has the same editor). The main difference is a really positive one: it's no longer tied to Borland, so the boosterism is gone. I hope it succeeds. Here's subscription information: PC Techniques 3202 E Greenway Suite 1307-302 Phoenix, Arizona 85032-9941 U.S.A. US Canada Elsewhere 1 year (6 issues): 21.95 29.95 39.95 2 years 37.95 53.95 73.95 All prices in U.S. dollars. Disclaimer: I'm a subscriber; I've got an interest in having the magazine keep publishing. Duncan Murdoch