CompuServe Messages

BASIC AmigaBasic, as you've heard, is best avoided. HiSoft Basic, which can compile programs, is much better, and is almost 100% compatible with AmigaBasic as well as IBMPC QuickBasic. The only problem you might have is getting programs into ASCII format if they were already saved in AmigaBasic's default file format. I'm quite happy with it, although I've never been able to compile programs so that they run without the library. The latest "AC's Guide" doesn't list this product–I hope it's not discontinued. It was distributed by MichTron. There is also True Basic, which was recently advertised at $15 (normally $99). The only problem with it is that it uses syntax which is different from Microsoft Basics found on most computers (and AmigaBasic among them). There is also a limit of one statement per line, which makes for a bit of work adapting most programs written for other Basics. The functionality of TrueBasic is very good, and it's definitely worth $15 if that offer's still good. I've just bought AMOS Professional, which is also a good Basic-like language. It's very good for the sounds and graphics needed for games, but it can do any kind of program. The various other versions of AMOS are also quite useable (and cheaper) that you may find are around. List price for Pro appears to be $110. SPEECH I had an opportunity to talk to the V.P. Engineering from Commodore at World of Commodore Amiga in Toronto. I asked if the speech was gone for good. He said it was. Not many people really used it, and it only really works in English whereas most Amiga sales are to non-English-speakers and I guess Commodore couldn't justify continuing to pay the royalty. Someone else asked, "What about handicapped people," and he said that Commodore could send users to deal with the company directly for the files. There's no special hardware for speech (which I was surprised at). It's purely a software matter and the old files still work in my A500 that's now [ MORE ]