CompuServe Messages

AV Pro is much improved. I haven't used it a lot but while it looks the same outwardly it has extra bells and whistles and is generally more bulletproof. I can't recall all the improvements (not listed in the new manual). It came out before AGA and I don't think it supports that. Its external-device control is improved and so, I think, is AREXX. There's an accompanying tutorial and the manual is improved (no longer a ring binder). It requires 4 megs of RAM rather than 3. A key improvement: The runtime module is now free and included for you to distribute AV flows. Also, CDTV hooks for doing CD-ROM flows, CDXL anim videos files supported, In-between AV version from yours included 1.53 and 1.7, which made minor adjustments and bug fixes. But where are you going to get it? An alternative that looks super (I've just played with the demo) is Helm, a $90 commercial program with a built in paint package, which continues to be supported and has been upgraded regularly. It doesn't have the dBase functions of AV, and is not quite as straightforward as AV's flow-chart metaphor, but is quite powerful. Safe Harbor sells it, and there should be a demo on line. — Ron Legro / MILWAUKEE WI USA via AUTOPILOT ["Phun, phun, phun on the Infobahn…"]