.IF DSK1.C3 ^^^^^^^^^NEW/AGE SPECIAL ^^^^^^^^*by JACK SUGHRUE, Box 459, East Douglas, MA 01516* ^^^^^^^^GOOD, BETTER, BEST! There is only one program in the TI disk community that is (as my 5th-grade pupils would say) "totally wicked awesome rad to a gnarly degree." I agree with the sentiment, if not the mode of expression. Nothing else in our world computer community has equalled the impact of the FUNNELWEB environment created for us by Tony McGovern and his son, Will. These two Australian geniuses (and I do not use the word lightly) put together what all of us deemed impossible for the TI. FUNNELWEB just grew and grew. The original American release was a TI WRITER and EDITOR ASSEMBLER combo, more or less (actually more). Next version a few months later contained a bit more with lots of enhancements of what went on before. TIW, for example, does not contain a ruler or address recall or macro-key CAPS or LC. Tony put all these things in fairly early versions, all of which we take for granted in our word processing activities. The environment always loaded by either E/A or XB, thus making it ideal for supercarts (again from earlier versions) or RAMs or whatever device hardwarers could devise. Then things like Disk Manager 1000 and Diskpatch were added and modified. As were loaders for c99, FORTH, etc. Each time Tony (primarily) would unravel the complexities caused by these needs and create new and better solutions than dreamed possible. When he came up with the windowing effects for the CONFIG program, for example, which established aprofoundsystems configuration (still able to be porteden masseto any newer version, I felt he had reached his peak. Boy, was I ever wrong. FUNNELWEB is not a program. It is an environment which gives you, the user, some great computing tools in such a complete package that it becomes almost impossible to do without them after using them. Probably 80% or more of normal (non-programmer) use of computers - expecially the TI - is word processing. People need to communicate. FUNNELWEB turned TIW into a great word processor, adding so many features that should have been in the original cart/disk combo that when you go back to that combo you are apalled at its limitations. As I say, we have become spoiled by Tony and take for granted what is surely a remarkable achievement. Much as I  my TI, I know that if FUNNELWEB did not exist I would no longer be TIing. I couldn't. FWB's a structure equal to the best that any home computer has to offer its users at any price. Let's face it. It serves as a Master DOS. What does a Disk Operating System do? Well, it lets you load up other programs, primarily, or lets you handle some disk management tasks. FWB does all that as a sideline. With the new 4.31 FUNNELWEB the console 99 disk user has just leaped quantumly into an exciting era. The 40-column (standard) TI computer fan now has available to him or her a package heretofore only available to non-standard 80-col upgraders. Before I go on, I'd like to say: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^STOP! The bad news is this: Will went over to the Amiga a long while ago, and his father will be following shortly. This will mean that the greatest single piece of software for the TI will no longer grow; nor will we be seeing any other pieces come from Funnelweb Farm; nor will there be any more great tutorials (particularly those on exploring XB). This is not only BAD news, it is HORRIBLE news. Not that I can blame Tony. Although close to 100% of all TI disk users use FWB and its upgrades, an extremely small number has ever paid the author a penny - and a tinier number, still, has ever given a second contribution (though the original to present upgrade is similar to the difference between my salary and Donald Trump's). And a tinier number, still, have ever written to Tony to tell him how much they use and appreciate FUNNELWEB and all the other great things he has done for us. Remember, this is not commercialware. Fairware authors need and deserve our support. Fairware authors of the stature of Tony McGovern have earned massive support financially and socially. They just don't get it. I urge every user group to "charge" a minimum $10 copying fee to each member for this upgrade and send the entire collected sum to Tony. Send a group letter. Write him up in your newsletter. Let's let '91 be the Year of the McGovern. Even more, I urge every single reader to sit down at your first opportunity and write (probably using FUNNELWEB) a supporting letter, enclosing the largest cash (certified check, international coupon, money order) contribution you can really afford. It'll still be cheaper than anything you'd have to pay for that would be in the same league as FUNNELWEB (if such a thing exists). People couldn't wait, for example, to shell out $60 for PRESS (sight unseen) or $25 to $60 for data bases. Many of our game cartridges cost at least five times what some consider a "fair" price to pay for the finest piece of software ever for the TI. How about this for a rule of thumb? Take the most expensive piece of software you ever bought (and probably don't even use anymore) and double it. Send that as a donation. Remember what you paid in those pre-inflationary days for LOGO and MULTIPLAN and TI WRITER and DISK MANAGER II and E/A and whatever? Well, the new FUNNELWEB has so many new features that most of those expensive cartridges and upgrade disks can be chucked in the basket. What's your TI worth to you? What'll it be worth to you down the road with Tony McGovern gone? Decide soon about your commitment and make the investment today in your future. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So what are a few of these outstanding features? Well, for one, there is no more Disk Manager 1000 nor Disk Patch, because the new Disk Review performs all the functions of both (and then some) fromwithinthe FWB environment, including COPYING FILE BY FILE (to eliminate fractures) WHOLE DISKS TO MULTIPLE DRIVES! So stick a disk in Drive 1 and copy to Drives 2, 3, AND 4, while you go comb your wallaby. Disks can be FORMATted to Quad density, if you have the right controller. Any program can be RUN right out of DR, including the huge IV254s. The Quick Directory now lets you mark a file from WITHIN the FORMATter or ASSEMBLER. And the disk editing functions are plentiful and profound. The whole FUNNELWEB 4.31 environment is profound. You'll realize this immediately when you see BOTH central menus displayed on the screen simultaneously and you just have to move the cursor around to either RUN the program (or VIEW and/or PRINT the text file). This is amustfor eveyone! Get it from your user group today, being aware that everything worthwhile in life costs. [If you use NEW-AGE/99 please put me on your exchange list.] Հ