ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA NEWSLETTER JUNE 1990 ^^^^^^^^^^^^ LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Charles, Yes, I am enthusiastic about Harry Wilhelm's The Missing Link (a.k.a. TML). I'm not sure exactly what I said on the phone, but I think it was something like this: "Of all the Extended BASIC extensions I've reviewed in Computer Shopper and elsewhere - and I think I've reviewed all of the most important ones - I think The Missing Link offers the most striking possibilities." I believe the TML demo program itself is proof of that. If I said that TML was "the best" of the lot without qualification, I may have said more than I intended, because I tend to be rather cautious when it comes to declaring on product "THE best." Which enhanced Extended BASIC is best depends upon your purpose. For example, Myarc Extended BASIC II offers a speed increase not found in other enhancements. For another example, if you want to do direct sector disk access, you may need something like Michael Riccio's STAR or "my" XXB. For yet another example, if you want to do database-type activities, you may prefer Jim Hollender's SXB or Richard Mitchell's String Master. I could go on to mention the strengths of other packages as well (such as Curtis Provance's EDP), but Ill close with just one more example: if you want to use an enhanced Extended BASIC to simplify writing standard Extended BASIC programs, i like Triton's SEB (which is probably the one I use more than any other). But, again, to me The Missing Link opens up exciting possibilities for the Extended BASIC programmer who wants to do some neat things with bit-mapped mode in graphics. With TML, you can put a TI-Artist picture on the screen, and add windows, music, sprites with automotion, etc., doing it all at the same time. Harry Wilhelm's TML is an outstanding accomplishment, and I'm proud to have been involved in at least a small way with the beta-testing before Harry decided what software company to market TML with. Incidentally, I do have perhaps a minor complaint about the way Texaments is doing the marketing: in a full-page ad in MICROpendium (March 1990, page 5), Steve Lamberti claims (in large type in the center of the page), "Through Extended BASIC, The Missing Link allows anyone to access all of the incredible graphics and text capabilities found in the TI-99/4a. This was something people said could never be done... we did it." Well, Steve didn't do it: Harry Wilhelm did it, before Steve Lamberti ever saw the program, and it's disappointing to see a full-page ad for TML in which the President of the software company seems to take the credit and doesn't even mention the author by name! But I hipe that won't stop people from buying the program. (All they have to do is send $24.95 plus $3.00 shipping to Texaments, 53 Center Street, Patchogue NY 11772.) A quick comment or two about XXB. XXB has its own distinctive strengths. (1) XXB itself is free. (It's okay to pass around all the material on that 360 sector XXB/1-5 disk!) (2) XXB is not just an XB extension, but a growing library of "modules" of routines (written not only by me, but also by J. Peter hoddie, Curtis Provance, Andy Becker, and others) that you can, if you wish, embed in your XB programs. Source code for almost all of the routines is also available in the genial TRAVelER (which, however, is NOT free! ). in short, XXB is perhaps best for those who want to try their own hand at putting together whatever routines they like for themselves, whereas The Missing Link is an easy-to-use integrated package for the XB programmer of exciting routines that at this time you can find nowhere else. By the way, i intend to include material in GT for the benefit of those who own TML. I've already written several things, including a program that allows you to use Wayne Stith's KWICKFONT with TML, and another program that simplifies putting TI-Artist Instances on the screen with TML, and I hope to do more as well. Barry A. Traver 835 Green Valley Drive Philadelphia PA 19128 (phone 215/483/1379) .PL 1