For the second time in the life of the QHJ, I have allowed a whole year to go between issues. When I started the QHJ 10 years ago, I knew something like this might happen, therefore I made the QHJ a free publication. This has kept any off any outside pressure to get the next issue out. I really only have to deal with my own pressure. I think we all have cycles of dedication to projects. Sometimes when we start a project we can’t put it down, other times we can’t pick it up. For the last year I really have not had the drive to do some programming. Other tasks have filled my time and interest. Even with some forced time off from work (yea, I’m one of the victims of the failed new economy), I have not really spent time doing programming work.
But, I have found the time to brush off an old issue that I’ve been working on for almost 9 months. I took the time to sit down and finish it.
This issue focuses on freeware release of TURBO, the SuperBasic compiler. I’ve been involved with the release by editing the manuals for both TURBO and the TURBO Toolkit.
I remembering hearing about the possible re-release of TURBO in QL Today back in early 2000. At the QL 2000 show in October 2000, I happened to run across George Gwilt. I asked him about TURBO and hinted that I’d like to get a copy, if possible. Soon I had TURBO and George’s Pointer Environment TURBO Kit, TurboPTR. Not being a previous TURBO user, I needed a manual to figure out how to use it. Simon Goodwin send me his original manuals, which I edited to reflect the new TURBO.
I plan to use TURBO for all my pogramming projects. I’m hoping that a totally freeware SuperBasic development package (TURBO, TURBO Toolkit, TURBO Config, and TurboPTR) will encourage a more QLer’s to start programming (kind of like what C68 did for C programming on the QL).
As of this issue, I plan to make the QHJ an electronic only publication and sent out a print copy. This pretty much only affects the US readers, as I sent very few issues outside the US. I believe that most readers have a way to access the QHJ via web or e-mail.