Hiall, You all know the super EasyPTR suit of programs and utilities from Albin Hessler? In response to my query, Albin writes that he would be happy to supply the source code to a person or persons willing to update and upgrade them! Most of this code is written in assembler with comments in German. I dont know what arrangement is envisioned, as this is still a commecial program (available from JMS). If you are interested, please get in touch with Albin yourself (If you dont already have his email address you can mail me privately for it, or to pass on a message). I really hope that there is someone with the time, inclination and ability to take on this task. I myself would be willing to do something for the (English) manual, if wanted.
If the "QL" is to survive we need a steady supply of new programs. To realise that, we need good tools! EasyPTR is such a tool. We cannot afford to let it become obsolete! If you already know what EasyPTR is and the issues involved, please skip to my sig right now ;) EasyPTR is a suit of tools to help build Pointer Environment-enabled (PE) programs. EasyMenu lets you interactively create the program screens, with pop-up and pull-down menus, buttons, sprites and other components. The alternative is to write Window Definitions in assembler, or more clumsily but a wee bit more simply, with the Qptr toolkit by TT. The objects thus created can be manipulated from S*Basic, C and assembler, thanks to libraries of functions for these languages. Run-time libraries are available for inclusion in your programs - free for free programs, and for a miniscule unit fee for commercial ones. EasySprite allows the easy creation of sprites, blobs and patterns, while other programs and toolkits help with managing the various objects and components in various ways. In other words: EasyPTR is an essential utility for producing PE programs for the QL accross all platforms! However, EasyPTR is getting a bit long in the tooth. There are a few bugs that need sorting out and, although the output is compatible with all current Qdos/Smsq versions there are issues with some EasyPtr components on later versions of Smsq/E. Finally, when PE has been upgraded to handle the new colour modes, EasyPTR will require and extensive revamp to cope with them too. This could be a major undertaking. No self-respecting Tinkerer should be without EasyPTR! Per
