ЭНЦИКОЛОПЕДИЯ ТЕРМИНОВ,
относящихся к домашнему компьютеру TI-99/4A
относящихся к домашнему компьютеру TI-99/4A
М
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M*A*S*H: Полевой
госпиталь - картридж PHM 3158 - выпущен во 2-м квартале 1983 года по рекомендованной производителем розничной цене $39.95 -- Великая игра для компьютера TI-99/4A! Мне не известно, имеется ли эта игра
для других компьютеров, как она была сделана для TI-99/4A, однако программисты Пол Манси (Paul Munsey) и Флора Нь (Flora Ng) превзошли сами себя, когда оживили эту игру. Эффект трёхмерности поля боя просто
превосходен, графика весьма детализирована, звуки лучше, чем на любом другом картридже для TI-99/4A, движения персонажей достаточно быстры и реакция на движения джойстика вполне удовлетворительна. Хотя
графика хирургических операций уступает графике поля боя, мне не захочется видеть хирургические подробности. И хотя многие считают Parsec лучшей игрой из когда-либо написанных для TI-99/4A, которая использует все аппаратные возможности, я буду голосовать за M*A*S*H. Коллекционер должен знать: это изделие компании "Fox Video" следовало сразу за игрой "Munchman" и почти осталось незамеченным. Были заметки и
футболки и реклама на двухстраничном развороте крупных журналов. Казалось бы, мощный заход! Однако реклама практически не сработала потому, что компания "Fox Video" и не рассчитывала на коммерческий успех игры "M*A*S*H". Без сомнения, не состоявшийся "звёздный" результат этой игры повлиял на решение корпорации "Texas Instruments" уйти с рынка домашних компьютеров. Подробности можно найти на стр.2 июльского за 1983 год письма президента группы пользователей "International 99/4 Users-Group" по случаю представления игры "M*A*S*H" на летнем Шоу потребительской электроники в Лас-Вегасе, штат Невада.
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M.E.C.C. SOFTWARE: см. статью MECC
Software
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MACCHIARULO, JOE: Маччяруло Джо - Партнёр г-на Муна (Mr. Moon) в компании "Moonbeam Software" из г.Нортгемтона, штат Массачусетс, и автор игр "Astro-Mania", "Cavern Quest", "Garbage Belly" и
"Zero Zone".
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MANCALA: Манкала - игра
№2002 по каталогу компании "Triton", выпущенная в третьем квартале 1989 года по рекомендованой изготовителем розничной цене $19.95 -- Эта программа написана по-моему германским программистом Aldebаran -
наверное, самая странная игра из тех, что мне попадались. В ней требуется переместить комплект камней из одного yабора шести ящиков в другой rомплект из шести ящиков. Хотя экранные подсказки отсутствуют, подразумевается, что задачу нужно выполнить за минимальное количество ходов, что требует исключительной смекалки. После запуска игра сама делает ходы и вам остаётся нажимать пробел, чтобы камень упал, причем невозможно управлять скоростью движения ящика, в который камень должен попасть. Если разобраться во всех правилах игры, она покажется весьма неплохой. Однако без инструкции к игре она настолько трудна, что ничего сделать почти невозможно. Эта программа существует только на картридже от фирмы "DataBioTics".
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MARTIN, HEINER: Хайнер
Мартин - замечательный журналист, дизайнер и программист для домашнего компьютера TI99/4A в 1980-х годах. Хайнер Мартин родился в Западном Берлине в 1950 году. Когда ему было 14 лет, родители переехали в город Ульм в земле Баден-Вюртемберг. В 1978 году он перешел от увлечения радоуправляемыми моделями автомобилей к профессиональному спорту и стал работать в журнале "RC-Car". Спустя два года он уже стал главным редактором этого издания. В этом качестве Хайнер написал программу на языке "Extended Basic" для управления своей работой. Многие пользователи домашнего компьютера TI-99/4A в Европе читали его статьи в журналах. В 1985 году Хайнер написал на немецком языке книгу "TI99/4A Intern". Эта книга переведена на английский язык с подзаголовком: "Комментарии к листингам встроенной памяти операционной системы ROM и графической памяти GROM компьютера TI-99/4A с указаниями к графическому языку GPL". Эта книга - настоящая Библия для каждого, желающего понять принципы работы компьютера TI-99/4A. Автор так изложил причины для написания этой книги: "Компьютер TI-99/4A - это домашний компьютер, о котором мало что известно прежде всего потому, что производитель компьютера дал совсем мало информации о его устройстве. Корпорация "Texas Instruments" ничего не сообщает и об операционной системе компьютера, называемой "Монитор" и о языке графическоого программирования GPL (Graphic Programming Language), используемом для компьютера TI99/4A. Пришлось детально проанализировать операционную систему компьютера TI99/4A и работу памяти (ROM and GROM), результатом рабооты стала эта книга". Книга - важнейший источник сведений для разработчиков устройств и программ для компьютера TI-99/4A, а причём она была использована для создания компьютера Myarc Geneve. Версия этой книги на английском языке сейчас доступна бесплатно для пользователей домашнего компьютера и до сих пор пользуется популярностью. Хайнер был одаренным программистом на Ассеблере и разработчиком устройств для TI-99/4A, хотя основным его увлечением и занятием были радиоуправляемые модели автомобилей. В 1982 году он приобрел компютер TI-99/4A с картриджем "Extended Basic" для содействия своему хобби. Годом позже он укомплектовал систему ящиком расширения с платой P-code, картриджами Speech и Editor/Assembler. Интенсивное изучение языка TI Ассемблера в итоге привелом его к написанию книги "TI99/4A Intern" и большого количества статей в немецких журналах пользователей компьютера TI-99/4A. В 1983 году он начал вести колонку в австрийском (Вена) журнале "TI99 Journal". С 1985 по 1987 год он был редактором журнала на немецком языке "TI-Revue", издавашемся в Лоххоф в Мюнхене. Он также написал несколько статей для этого журнала, включая серию из девяти статей "Assembler leicht gemacht für den TI 99/4A" про язык Ассемблера компьютера TI99/4A. Хайнер Мартин принимал участие в реализации нескольких проектов для этого компьютера. Самые важные из них: набор утилит для карты EPROM-99 для работы с диском, которую создала и распространяла компания "Mechatronic" из города Зиндельфинген в Германии; создание 80-знакового редактора управления памятью; разработка модуля расширения, описанного в журнале "TI-Revue"; разработка схемы и программирование платы GRAM управления графической памятью, которую продавала компания "Mechatronic"; программирование дополнительных возможностей для модуля "Extended Basic II+" от компании "Mechatronic"; разработка 80-разрядного контроллера диска, распространявшегося компанией "Atronic" из Гамбурга; разработка аппаратурного и программного обеспечения карты памяти объемом 256 Кб, которую распространяла та же "Mechatronic". В последние годы он писал статьи для различных журналов по тематике радиоуправлямого автобильного моделирования. Он также писал руководства для различных компьютерных программ и вновь занялся программированием для ПК. Хайнер имел степень бакалавра. Скоропостижно скончался в марте 2016 года в возрасте 65 лет в университетской клинике в Ульме.
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MASTER 99 SERIES: см. статью
IUG MASTERSERIES.
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MASTER DISK FILE:
программа компании "Extended Software", выпущенная в 1982 по рекомендованной изготовителем розничной цене $15.00. Эта программа создает файл с содержанием ваших дисков.
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| MASTER, THE: Мастер - это псевдоним, использованный гуру программирования на языке Ассемблера Барри Буном (Barry Boone). Вот цитита из его письма ко мне: "это мой старый со времен юоншества BBS-логин :) |
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MATH PACK: Математический пакет - программы на компакт-кассеты и дискетах. Как я понял, это или неизданные прикладные программы или куски программ, которые иначе могут быть названы "Библиотека математических вычислений" (Math Routines Library) на дискете PHD 5006 и на кассете PHT6006. Изображение этой компакт-кассеты можно встретить в брошюре CL 527A "Прикладные программы для домашнего компьютера (Application Programs for the Texas Instruments Home Computer)", на фотографии ее можно видеть слева. Внимательное рассмотрение позволяет определить названия четырех программ на одной кассете и на двух дискетах, а именно слева направо: "Math Pack", "Personal Finance" (на кассете), "Personal Finance" (на дискете) и "Programming Aids I". Из этих названий только "Programming Aids I" была издана под своим именем. Программа "Personal Finance" возможно была переименована в "Personal Financial Aids" на дискете PHD 5003 и на компакт-кассете PHT6003.
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MATH PRACTICE: Математический практикум - дискета PHD 5084, выпуск которой по рекомендованной производителем розничной цене $29.95 был объявлен на 4 квартал 1982 г., но отменён во втором квартале 1983 года. Это одна из двенадцати математических и научных программ, разработанных консорциумом "Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium" (MECC) для учащихся с 1 по 8 класс. Это обычная школьная учебная программа. Для работы её требуется дискета, дисковод с контроллером, а также картридж "Extended BASIC". Дискета появилась в каталоге "1982-83 Elek-TEK" по цене $24.95. Хотя эта и десять других программ, разработанных компанией "Minnesota Educational Computing Company" был указаны в буклете корпорации "Texas Instruments" за июнь-декабрь 1982 года "U.S. Consumer Products Suggested Retail Price List", ни одна из них некогда не была издана. Представители "Texas Instruments" объясняли это тем, что подукция консорциума МЕСС дублирует ранее изданные образовательные программы для компьютера TI-99/4A. Вот список учебных математических программ:
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MATHEMATICS COURSEWARE
SERIES AD: Реклама на полный разворот в журнале 1981 года от компании "Scott, Foresman" по поводу выхода в свет серий из 36 модулей, разработанных компанией "Scott, Foresman and Company". На черно-белой реколаме три ученика сидят перед компьютером "TI-99/4" с установленным в него цветным картриджем производства "Scott, Foresman".
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MAXIBASE: - СУБД, написанная Фрэнком В.Волыньски (Frank V. Wolynski) и изданная в 1984 году по рекомендованной производителем розничной цене $39.95. Эта использующая дисковод СУБД для компьютера "TI-99/4A" рекламировалась в каталоге пользовательской группы IUG под названием "Catalog of Owner Written and Translated Software. СУБД с использованием дисковода. Создаватей структуры базы данных на экране! Размер, не более: 60 полей по 255 знаков на одну запись! Количество записей ограничено только ёмкостью дискеты. В примерной базе данных можно создать до 1300 записей. Прилагается также СУБД адресов. Эта СУБД оснащена системой поиска множественных логических запросов, отчёт выводится на экран или на принтер. Одним нажатием можно запустить команды Ввод, Пополнить, Удалить, Поиск, Печать и Просмтор файлов. Для работы этой СУБД требуется картридж "Extended BASIC" и дисковод с контроллером. Наличие принтера не обязательно.
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MBX: это система распознавания речи, которая, будучи подключенной к компьютеру "TI-99/4A", позволяет распознавать речь в некоторых играх производства "Milton Bradley" и в образоовательных картриджах. Пользователь произносит в микрофон команды, компьютер "Ti-99/4A" распознает произносимые слова и исполняет соответствующие команды. Согласно доктору Чарльзу Гуду (Dr. Charles Good) в его статье, опубликованной в альманахе пользовательской группы "OH TI Users Group", около 300 систем расширения "Milton Bradley Expansion Systems" было изготовлено прежде, чем эта компания свернула его производство. Впервые система была представлена на январской 1983 году ярмарке потребительской электроники. В последнем списке устройств для компьютера "TI-99/4A", опубликованном в июне 1983 года, продавалась за $129.95. Состояла система из микрофона, клавиатуры и джойстика в комплекте с картриджем.
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McCUE, MIKE: Майк МакКью - автор игры "Night Mission" (Ночной полёт), которую продавала компания MG.
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McGRAW, BRUCE: Брюс МакГроу
Помощник менеджера группы компьютерного обучения для отделов компьютеров корпораций "Texas Instruments" и "Control
Data Corporation", образованного по соглашению, передавашего корпорации "Texas Instruments" права на 108 из более чем 400 наименований программ платоформы "PLATO". (по сообщению на стр.29 альманаха "Enthusiast 99" за июль 1983 г.)
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MECC SOFTWARE: комплект образовательных программ на дискете для компьютера "TI-99/4A" для Консорциума "Компьютерное образование Миннесоты" (MECC), о создании которого было объявлено в 1982 году, но который так и не материализовался. Комплект должен был состоять из 11 пакетов, каждый по рекомендованной производителем розничной цене $29.95. Все они требовали, чтобы у полльзователя был картридж "Extended BASIC" и дисковод. Не было указания необходимость наличия модуля расширенной памяти 32K.
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MECHATRONIC GMBH EXTENDED
BASIC II PLUS: картридж по каталогу "Tenex" №41488 выпущен в 4-м квартале 1985 года по рекомендованой производителем розничной цене $98.00. Это версия картриджа "TI Extended BASIC" на немецком языке, полностью совместимая с оригинальным оборудованием, однако оснащена графикой "Apesoft Graphics", которая обеспечивает 40 дополнительных команд управления графикой высокого разрешения. Картридж также сопровождается 96-страничным руководством пользователя, в котором описываются только новые команды и предполагается, что у пользователя имеется в наличии оригшинальное руководство пользователя "TI Extended BASIC". Данное руководство написано человеком, который владеет английским языком не как вторым, а даже и не как третьим, да и не стремится быть понятым. Тем не менее, текст внятный и понятный, хотя и на корявом английском.
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MELFI, DOMINIC J.: Доменик Мелфи Младший программист игр на языке Ассемблера, который в 1982 году создал игру Sub Oceanic, которую корпорация официально TI никогда не представила в формате картриджа, хотя на экране присутствует соответствующий знак копирайта, и игру на языке Ассемблера Kippy's Nightmare, которая никогда на картридж не попадала, однако она вероятно продавалсь на дисе компанией Data Force. (По сведениям Брайана Раполло (Bryan Roppolo)
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MELTON, HENRY: Мелтон Генри - житель города Остин в штате Техас, который написал статью "A Map of the TMS-9900 Instruction Space" (Карта пространства инструкций процессора TMS-9900), опубликованную в мартовском за 1979 год выпуске журнала "BYTE" c началом на стр.14.
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MERETZSKY, STEVE:
Стив Мерецки - автор
приключенческой игры "Planetfall"
от компании "Infocom".
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MERRYMAN, LES: Лес Мерриман - дистрибьютор продукции "Myarc" на Западном побережье США.
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METEOR BELT: Пояс астероидов - номер картриджа PHM 3152
- Выпущена 4-м квартале 1983 года по рекомендованной производителем розничной цене $49,95. Это игра из серии "Arcade Plus" на картриджах, которые выпускала для компьютера "TI-99/4A" компания "Milton Bradley". Игра поддерживала синезатор речи или использовала систему расширнаия от этой же компании MBX (Milton Bradley Expansion). Для ускорения работы, в игре "Meteor Belt" можно было нажимать цифровые кнопки без необходимости нажатия кнопки "Fctn" для вызова команд REDO (перезапуск) и BACK (возврат). Как указано в документации (номер по каталогу 1053590-1052), "Пояс астероиод отделяет наши станции от вражеских. На каждой станции имеется флот из 8 оборонительных космических кораблей. Корабли стреляют друг в друга из-за защитных щитов и заслонов. Корабли могут атаковать белыми лазерными лучами, фиолетовыми защитными лучами и атакующими дронами. Нужно уничтожить вражеской оборонительный щит и защитные заслоны и набрать побольше очков". Программист не указан.
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METEOR MULTIPLICATION: Умножение метеоров модуль PHM 3119 выпущен в 4-м квартале 1983 года по рекомендованной изгшотовителем мелкоооптовой цене $39.95. Это учебный программный комплекс (Developmental Learning Materials) в формате аркадной игры для изучения умножения чисел от 0 до 9. Учебный комплекс написан сотрудником корпорации Texas Instruments Сьюзен Лю Пауэлл (Susan K. Powell). В начале обучающей игры восемь разноцветных метеоров отображаются вдоль границ экрана. Эти метеоры поочередно приближаются к космической станции в центре экрана. Цель игры - "выровнять" эти метеоры прежде, чем они достигнут космической станции и уничтожат её. Для этого нужно вращать космическую станцию так, чтобы ее орудие нацелилось на метеорит, для чего нужно ответить на вопрос, показанный на космической станции, после чего раздаётся выстрел. Если ответ правильный, метеор будет уничтожен. Когда будут уничтожены все восемь метеоров, экран будет очищен и появится новый набор вопросов. Игра имеет номер 16679 по каталогу "Tenex" и номер AABB по каталогу "Triton Products". Существовала версия для компьютера "Commodore 64" на дискете по цене $34.00.
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METRIC AND COUNTING: программа на дискете PHD 5078 выпуск анонсирован в 4-м квартале 1982, выпуск отменён во 2-м квартале 1983 г. по рекомендованой производителем мелкооптовой цене $29.95. Это одна из одиннадцати научно-математических программ, разработанных "Компьютерным образовательным консорциумом Миннесоты" (MECC) для 1-8 классов. Программа создана в полном соответствии с школьной программой по информатике. Для работы программы требуется дискета, привод CD и контроллер дисковода, а также управляющий картридж "Extended BASIC Command Module". Программа упомянута в каталоге "1982-83 Elek-TEK" по цене $24.95. Хотя эта программа и другие 10 наименований консорциума МЕСС были упомянуты в прайс-листе "Товары для потребительского рынка США" корпорации Texas Instruments за июнь-декабрь 1982 год, ни одна из них не была издана. Корпорация TI объяснила это тем, что продукция консорциума МЕСС дублировала образовательные изделия, ранее появившиеся в числе программ для компьютера "TUI-99/4A".
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MEYERS, STEVE: Стив Майерс - автор игры "Ring Destroyer" совместно с Паулем Кюглером (Paul Kugler) для компании "Republic Software" в 1982. Подробности - в альманахе "99er" за ноябрь 1982 н стр.29.
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MG: Когда-то существовавшая компания "Millers Graphics" из города Сан-Димас в Калифорнии, основнная Крейгом и Сьюзан Миллер для производства изделий для компьютера "TI-99/4A". Среди множества профессиональных изделий выпущенных компанией, были такие:
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MICRO PINBALL: Микро Пинболл - номер #BADE по каталогу "Triton"; выпуск 1987 года по рекомендованной производителем мелкооптовой цене $19.95. Это настоящий классический пинболл. Внимательно прочитав инструкцию к этой игре, можно узнать, что эта программа на картридже была портирована с оригинальной версии Глена Грувза (Glen Groves) на диске. Причина в том, что в инструкции рассказывается про загрузку программы с дисковых контроллеров TI Disk Controller, Myarc Disk Controller или с CorComp Disk Controller. Хотя имея игру на картридже, можно не беспокоиться о наличии в системе контроллера дисковода. Различие между исходной программой 1984 года на дискете и версией на картридже не сводится к различиям в тексте инструкции. Если вставить картридж в слот, на экране появится название "Micro Pinball II", тогда как версия на дискете показывает название "Micro Pinball". Тем не менее игры на картридже и на дискете совешенно одинаковые. Хотя здесь и нет праздничных огней и цвета лишь слегка меняются, звуки вполне достойные, и нажатия кнопок 1 и = (вместо джойстиков) или любых других кнопок стало отличным решением для портированной игры. В заключение ... это отличная игра! В своей коллекции я хотел бы иметь ориганальную игру на дискете. Номер 80161 по каталогу Tenex.
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MICROCOMPUTERS
CORPORATION: корпорация "Микрокомпьютеры компания по адресу 34 Maple Ave Armonk, NY 10504 (914-273-6480), принадлежавшая Джеральду Гринбургу (Jerald Greenburg). Вот содержание ее продукции для компьютера "TI-99/4A" из каталога за 1982 год:
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MICROPAL EXTENDED BASIC:
Licensed from Texas Instruments by Roger Dooley, dba
Tenex Computer Express, with MicroPal being a wholly
owned subsidiary of Tenex. . It is the same language
that TI sold as PHM 3026, simply packaged differently.
I own a MicroPal Extended BASIC housed in the
Atarisoft Y-shaped cartridge, but I am told they were
also sold in the standard TI GROM type cartridges
also. I would consider this a relatively rare
cartridge, simply because I've not seen many over the
years. I think TI Extended BASIC was a VERY popular
purchase during the life of the computer, which meant
many, many cartridges existed as 'used' fare when
owners got rid of their 99/4As. So not too many
Exceltec or MicroPal packaged Extended BASIC
cartridges were sold. I caution the reader that I have
no figures or other factual data to back this opinion
up. So take it with a grain of salt.
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MICROpendium: A
TI-99/4A publication started in February 1984 by John
Koloen and Laura Burns. Originally titled Home
Computer Compendium, the magazine's name was changed
to MICROpendium after three issues in order to avoid
consumers confusing it with Emerald Valley
Publishing's Home Computer Magazine. After Home
Computer Magazine went belly-up in 1986 and Enthusiast
'99 went belly-up in 1984, only Compute! Magazine and
MICROpendium remained as regularly published magazines
supporting the TI-99. MICROpendium was published from
February 1984 until June 1999 when it ceased
publication with Volume 16, Number 3.
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MICROSOFT MULTIPLAN:
PHM 3113 - Released 4Q/1982 - MSRP $99.95 -- The most
powerful spreadsheet ever created for the TI-99/4A.
The software may carry the Microsoft name, but it was
created totally within the Texas Instruments
organization, by TI GPL (Graphics Programming
Language) programmers. It also has the distinction of
being cartridge based software that also requires a
separate diskette, where TI failed to give the
diskette a PHD designation? Like other 3rd Party
applications such as the Scott Adams Adventure
programs, and Control Data Corporation's PLATO
programs, Texas Instruments alone decided that a
cartridge would be required to run the program. No
other home computer of the day had such a requirement.
This was the TI method of making their product unique
and more difficult to pirate. Microsoft Multiplan
offers 63 columns by 255 rows of space for the most
complex spreadsheet, and the program's design is
faithful to the Microsoft design for any other
computer. The problem with the TI-99/4A implementation
was the fct that it was written in GPL, which meant
that it was slow, slow, slow. Too bad, because it
could have been a real winner. Realistically, most
99ers were not willing to pay the price for an
application they couldn't figure out a home use
for...so my guess is that far fewer copies of
Microsoft Multiplan were sold than say TI-Writer.
Carried item #16025 in the Tenex Catalog, and item
#AEAH in the Triton Products Catalog.
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MICROSPHERE INC.:
Roger Dooley (Tenex) founded company, located at 14009
E. Jefferson Blvd. Mishawaka, IN 46545 (800) 348-2778.
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MICROSURGEON: PHM 3220
- Released 4Q/1983 - MSRP $39.95 -- Microsurgeon was
named one of the "50 Best Games" (on all systems) by
Electronic Fun Magazine in 1984. Listed as one of the
"99 Favorite Classics" by Digital Press in 1997.
Designed by Rick Levine. Unique theme where you pilot
a probe through arteries, veins and the lymphatic
system of the human body to eliminate deadly bacteria,
tumors, cholesterol, tape worms, tar deposits and
other nasty stuff as you go. Supports the Solid State
Speech Synthesizer and does a good job of it too. The
author is pretty proud of the "Paging Doctor LeVine"
snippet of code in the program, and rightfully so. He
did a great job of showing off the capabilities of the
TI-99/4A with this game. Supports Joysticks. For the
collector, this is another great Imagic translation to
the TI-99/4A, this one by Rick Levine, who was a
college student at the time he was hired by Imagic to
learn TMS9900 assembly language programming, and then
create this game. Voice used in the game is that of
Mary Joyce. Fairly easy cartridge to get your hands
on. A note for collectors; the instruction manual that
I own for my Microsurgeon cartridge has ALL slick,
glossy pages inside the cover. I know of no other
TI-99/4A cartridge manual that can make the same claim
to fame. Carried item #13320 in the Tenex Catalog and
item #BCCB in the Triton Products Catalog.
User Comments: This is one of
the better modules TI developed for the 99/4A. The
graphics are great. a player or players (two can play)
perform experimental surgery and treat a variety of
different patients. Players use a robot probe as a
surgical tool, diagnose the patient's condition and
direct the probe through the body toward threatening
conditions and eliminate them with medications from
the probe. With Mirosurgeon you can use joysticks,
enjoy multi-screen graphics and choose from three
levels of difficulty- student, intern, or surgeon.
Speech simulates the action of an operating room.
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MIDNITE MASON:
Software Specialties - Released 1983 - MSRP $29.95 --
One of the Glen Groves assembly language games written
while he was doing business as Software Specialties in
Evergreen, Colorado. Midnite Mason is very much a
clone of the then popular Lode Runner game released
for other computers, that never found its way to the
TI99/4A market. In the game, which was available on
both cartridge or disk, you are a forgetful mason who
has left his tools all over the building that you are
working in. You go back to collect the tools, but the
building is haunted and the clock has struck midnight.
The goal is to gather as many tools as you can before
becoming ghostly ghoulash. Other games of a similar
theme that were released for the TI-99/4A included
TI-Runner from EB Software (later released by Bill
Moseid's DaTaBioTics as Star Runner ) and Miner 2049er
from Tigervision in Mundelein, IL. See also: Home
Computer Magazine, V4N5, p.53 -- MICROpendium Mar85,
p.20 -- MICROpendium Sep85, p.36.
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MILDON, STEVE: Author
of Advanced Diagnostics and the CorComp
Disk Manager that was created through a contract
with Craig Miller dba Millers Graphics of San Dimas,
CA. Mildon was a student at California PolyTechnical
University during the time that he wrote most of the
assembly language gems for the TI-99/4A.
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MILTON BRADLEY CARTRIDGES:
Arcade Plus Series
Bright Beginnings Series
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MILTON BRADLEY EXPANSION
SYSTEM: see MBX
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MILTON BRADLEY GAMEVISION
CARTRIDGES: Milton Bradley Game Vision-1 Milton
Bradley Gamevision-2 The first commercial cartridges
to be announced for the TI-99/4, they appeared in
August 1979. The most likely reason for Milton
Bradley's show of support for the 99/4 is that Texas
Instruments had helped Milton Bradley to develop and
produce cartridges for their Microvision handheld game
machine. In fact, many of the Microvision cartridges
were actually manufactured in Dallas, TX at TI's
facility. See a thumbnail of the original four
Gamevision cartridges by clicking the link.
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MIND CHALLENGERS: PHM
3025 - 2Q/1981 - MSRP $24.95 - An entertainment
cartridge containing the games "Memory Match" and
"Mind Grid". According to the documentation
(1037109-25) " Two exciting and colorful games to
challenge your powers of memory and logic. Test the
limits of your musical memory with Memory Match, or
try to solve the mystery of the baffling Mind Grid."
Memory Match requires that you play a series of notes
notes back to the computer. Each time you are
successful, the game gets more difficult. With Mind
Grid the computer hides shapes and colors throughout
the Mind Grid. You have to follow the clues and guess
the secret pattern. I don't know how popular this
cartridge is/was, but I have always liked it. Memory
Match to me is a computerized version of the Milton
Bradley electronic game called Simon, that my family
used to play back in the '70s. Mind Grid isn't like
something else already out there. It's just a game
that makes you think. While I wouldn't call this a
'rare' cartridge, it is not one that was readily
available from the TI Retailers of the 1980s, and it
is also not a frequent item for sale on eBay even
today. I would call it uncommon.
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MINER 2049er T-SHIRT: Tigervision
of Mundelein, IL, the electronic game manufacturer who
announced or released Changes, Espial, Miner 2049er ,
Polaris , River Patrol, Scraper Caper , Sky Lancer ,
Springer and Super Crush for the TI-99/4A, announced
the availability of a Miner 2049er T-Shirt for $7.95
each in January 1984, available from Tiger Supply PO
Box 150 Dept C-1 Vernon Hills, IL 60061. (Compute!,
Jan84, p.169)
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MINI EDITOR: Advanced
Software - Released 1982 - MSRP $25.00 -- A Mini
Memory based 'data processor' that requires a cassette
recorder and the Mini Memory cartridge to use.
Assembly language coded with features such as word
wrap, merging of text, centering, justification and
printer control. According to the manufacturer, it is
great for all word processing, inventories,
bookkeeping, catalogs, lists etc."
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MINIED: (Pronounced
Mini-Ed I think) The original name for the MiniWriter
word processor that Bill Moseid (dba Model Masters)
released for the Mini-Memory module. MINIED could
print text via RS232, Model Masters own Joyprint or
The Missing Link from Mid-West Engineering.
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MINI-MAG 99: A
three-issue TI-99/4A specific magazine that was
published in March, April and May 1985 by S.O.S.
Publishers 21777 Ventura Blvd #203 Woodland Hills, CA
91364. The magazine's staff consisted of Editor Leslyn
Tepper, Production Manager Iris Franklin, Advertising
Director Kimberly Guest, Contributing Editors Jim
Labriola and Stuart O. Adler, and Cartoonist Gregory
Franklin. As far as I can determine, these are the
only three issues that were published before the
venture folded. Annual subscription rate was $36.00.
The "Inaugural Issue", was
Volume 1, Number 1 with a publication date of March
1985. It consisted of 28-pages, with articles about
Tex-Comp's Great One-Day sale where over 1,000 new
TI-99/4A consoles were sold at $99.95 each; CorComp's
decision to remain in the TI-99/4A market; a tutorial
about Value Files and Form Letters in TI-Writer; a
mundane 'care and feeding of a diskette' article; a
1-page review of Touch Typing Tutor ; a look at
MiniWriter; and some very interesting information
about DaTaBioTics' plans for 1985-86. In this one
article I found out more about this (to me) mysterious
company, than in any other publication up to that
time. All three issues are 28-pages in length, not
counting the outside or inside of the front and back
covers. Volume 1 numbers 1 and 2 were produced using
high-quality, glossy paper. For whatever reason,
Volume 1, Number 3 is of a different, less glossy
grade.
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MINIWRITER: PHT 6103 -
Announced 3Q/1983 - MSRP $19.95 -- This is a Mini
Memory-assembly-language-coded word processor (as
opposed to an Editor/Assembler coded one, I suppose)
that never made it into and then out of production at
Texas Instruments. The program was designed and then
programmed by James A. Roberts and William R. Moseid,
dba Model Masters. Texas Instruments must have liked
the product, because it was announced to TI's team of
Product Support Representatives in July 1983 as a
future 'new product', then to TI retailers shortly
after that. The public then learned of it from the TI
produced Personal Computer Newsletter for Summer 1983.
Unfortunately, somewhere after all that fanfare, TI
changed their minds and it let the program (or
agreement) for production and release of TI-Miniwriter
die on the vine. The curious thing is that Texas
Instruments did the same thing with the Entrapment
Mini Memory-assembly-language arcade game they had
licensed from Tom Johnson at American Software Design
and Distribution at about the same time in '83. It was
as if Mini Memory based applications were suddenly
'out of favor'? Regardless, the program was ultimately
picked up in 1984 by Jerry Price dba Tex*Comp User's
Supply, so it didn't get lost forever. It simply
became Miniwriter instead of TI-Miniwriter . Although
Mr. Price no doubt made his decision to wrest the
Miniwriter agreement away from Texas Instruments based
upon good business practices, the TI Community owes
our thanks to him for making it available, and of
course to James A. Roberts and William R. Moseid for
creating it in the first place.
The Miniwriter word processor
is compatible with Joy Print, which is a low-cost,
Model Masters created, printer interface. The beauty
of it is that Joy Print prints out of the Wired Remote
Controllers (Joystick) port, so with Miniwriter and
Joyprint on the same system, you've got a low-cost
word processing package that works with nothing more
than a TI-99/4A console. When Tex*Comp released
Miniwriter in 1984, they did so as part of a word
processing package where Miniwriter was sold with a
Mini Memory cartridge, and an Axiom GP100TI
unidirectional printer, for under $250.00! It was the
best deal going, so I of course took them up on it. I
never regretted that decision. Many a paper for my
college classses got written on that minimal system,
with nothing more than a cassette tape recorder to
store the work on.
The program is capable of
storing about a page and a half of text (9500
characters), and has no command line or menu to work
from. Because memory is so tight, and all available
memory is released for use in holding text in RAM, the
program probably couldn't afford the overhead that a
screen menu display would require. Miniwriter sports
full screen text editing in a 24 X 40 character window
that is used to attain an 80 line for typing. It also
sports movable copy, upper and lower case letters,
text searches within the current document, a text
purge feature, line or character delete and insert,
the ability to load and save to any storage device,
and the ability to print to any compatible printer
(serial, parallel or thermal printer even?). Program
author James A. Roberts cleverly saved precious space
in the coding of Miniwriter when he set it up so
SAVING the file to a printer was used for the PRINT
function, as well as the SAVE function. (TI Product
Support Review Jul83, p.1 -- MICROpendium Apr84, p.19)
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MINUS MISSION: PHM
3118 - Released 1Q/1983 - MSRP $39.95 - This
educational cartridge is part of the DLM Arcademic tm
Skill Builder Series of mathematics 'arcade
games'...which is math taught through the use of an
arcade game format. It was created for the TI-99/4A by
Developmental Learning Materials of Richardson, Texas,
and coded by TI employee Susan Powell. According to
the documentation (1053590-1018) " An arcade game
format provides fun and challenge while increasing
math skills in subtraction of numbers from 0 to 9.
Suitable for children from Kindergarten through sixth
grade". Developmental Learning Materials created a
total of six math arcade games for the 99/4A:
User Comments (provided by
John E. Taylor and other members of the Shoals 99er
Uer Group in 1985): ALIEN ADDITION and MINUS MISSION
-- These two modules provide for practice in addition
and subtraction in an arcade style game environment.
Both games have "attackers" trying to destroy your
"defender". In Alien Addition the attackers are alien
ships and your defender is a laser cannon. In Minus
Mission the attackers are slime blobs and your
defender is a robot armed with a laser gun. In each
game the attackers are carrying a math problem (in
addition or subraction depending on the module) and
decend from the top of the screen toward your base.
The object is to neutralize the attackers and send
them to the top of the screen. You do this by arming
your defender with the correct answer to one of the
attackers' problems, moving your defender under the
correct attacker (using the arrow keys) and fire
(press the space bar). When an attacker is
neutralized, he returns to the top of the screen and
gets a new problem. If the answer you fire is
incorrect, then the attacker you fired at advances out
of turn toward the bottom of the screen, then your
fefender is destroyed. You start the game with three
defenders, and the game ends either when you lose all
of them, or when time runs out. The game time is
selectable from 1 to 5 minutes, as are the difficulty
level of the problems and the descending speed of the
attackers.
Each module also has
available a joystick version of the game which is
played slightly differently from the keyboard version.
In the joystick version your defender is automatically
armed with the correct answer to one of the attacker's
problems. It is then up to you to find the attacker
carrying a problem that is solved by that answer,
position the defender under the attacker, and fire.
The answer may be correct for more than one attacker,
so a bit of strategy is involved in selecting which
one to neutralize. You should get the one nearest to
bottom of the screen since the answer to that problem
may not appear soon enough to get another shot before
your defender is destroyed. These games make fairly
good use of color graphics and sound, and provide a
challenging and fun way for children to practice their
addition and subtraction. Although aimed at elementary
age children, the games can be fun for adults as well
when played at the highest difficulty and speed levels
in the joystick mode.
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MISHKOFF, HANK: Former
Texas Instruments programmer who coded several
TI-99/4A applications, as well as programs for Jody
Black's Tronics Corporation, the Mary Kay of Home
Computers.
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MISSION DESTRUCT:
Asgard Software #FE-11 (1989 catalog), #E03 (1990
catalog), #E9105 (1992 catalog) - Released 1989 - MSRP
$9.95 -- Evil robots have taken over the moon! You are
on a mission to destroy as many moon base reactors as
you can before the waves of Death Druids, Space Mines
and the evil Draks overtake your frail craft.
Thrilling sound effects and graphics-a good
old-fashioned "shoot 'em up that will keep you playing
for hours on end! By Glenn Schworak. Requires 32K,
disk, joystick. Extended BASIC or Editor/Assembler.
See MICROpendium Jan91, p.32 for a product review by
Stephen S. Bagstad. He summarizes the review by
stating, " Overall, Mission Destruct is full of
variety and challenge at a reasonable price. If you
try it on a Geneve, I recommend GPL speed 1, as the
other speeds are too darn fast. I have thoroughly
enjoyed it and think you might too ."
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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
ADVENTURE DATABASE: PHD 5047 / PHT 6047 -
Released 1Q/1982 - MSRP $29.95 -- Mission Impossible
starts with a tape recorder in a briefing room. Can
you find the mysterious person who just ran out of the
room as you try to save the world's first nuclear
reactor from destruction. Requires disk, disk drive
for PHD 5047 or cassette, cassette program recorder
and program recorder cable are required for PHT 6047.
Either software database requires the Adventure Module
PHM 3041 to run the Mission Impossible database.
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MITCHELL, RICHARD: Митчелл Ричард
Владелец и основатель компании "Bytemaster Computer Services" из города Сульфур в штате Луизиана, которая в 1984-86 годах выпускала ежемесячный альманах "Super 99" для сообщества пользователей компьютера "TI-99/4A"до его поглощения альманахом "Smart Programmer" Крэйга Миллера (Craig Miller). At the height of the Smart Programmer's
circulation, it boasted over 5700 subscribers. Super
99 Monthly consisted of Volume 1, numbers 1-12, and
Volume 2, Numbers 1-6 (18 issues in all). Dates of
publication were from September 1984 until February
1986 when a merger with The Smart Programmer was
announced. The Smart Programmer consisted of eight (8)
issues published by Craig Miller from February 1984
until September 1984, when it disappeared, leaving
subscribers hanging. Miller's solution to this problem
apparently was to sell the rights to his newsletter to
Richard Mitchell? Mitchell picked up The Smart
Programmer at Volume 2, Number 1 in June 1986. He
published the newsletter until February 1987, Volume
2, Number 9, when The Smart Programmer disappeared
again. It was never revived. Counting the issues
produced by Craig Miller and Richard Mitchell, there
were a total of 17 Smart Programmer newsletters
published.
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MOON MINE: PHM 3131 -
Released 2Q/1983 - MSRP $39.95 -- One of the better
and more popular game cartridges for the TI-99/4A that
was written at Texas Instruments. Moon Mine was
designed by Robert F. Hendren and actually created by
assembly language programming wizard John M. Phillips,
who also coded several other game cartridges while at
Texas Instruments. It features the voices of Aubree
Anderson, Jose Fernandez and Mary Margaret Shelkey.
According to the documentation (1053590-1031), " You
are the Captain of the U.S.S. Recovery and your
mission is to capture treasures stolen from Earth.
Battle against the mighty Zygonaut and his menacing
creatures to save the world's most valuable treasures.
" The program supports use of the Solid State Speech
Synthesizer (PHP 1500) and Wired Remote Controllers
(PHP 1100), what the rest of the world calls
joysticks, although both are optional.
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MOON, MISTER: Founder
and owner of Moonbeam Software 2 Bridge St.
Northampton, MA 01060 (415) 586-6290 from 1981 until
1984 when he closed the doors on the business.
Following is the text of two emails received from Mr.
Moon in 1999 explaining his TI experience. "This
morning, on a lark, I did a web search for 'Moonbeam
Software' and discovered your website. I was surprised
(and I must say quite pleased) to see that you have
images of most of the box fronts of the the Moonbeam
line of software. Due to a fire in 1990 which
destroyed everything I owned, I was left without any
of my TI99/4A software or equipment until a friend
gave me an original Moonbeam Software box, still
shrunk-wrapped, of 'Moonbeam Express'." "Although I
have not used a TI99/4A in a very, very long time, I
still have an enormous amount of respect for the
computer. It was, in fact, my first computer for which
I still have my original bill of sale: dated
11/05/1981 from 47th Street Photo for $369.95. A
reluctant purchase, it was inspired by my friend,
Richard Guenette (subsequent co-author of 'Easy
Programming With the Ti-99/4A'), who wanted to play
with a 'micro-computer' but couldn't afford one
himself."
"Even though I was not
interested in owning a computer, Richard convinced me
that I could use it to do my bookkeeping on, so I took
the plunge. In a couple of months I had taught myself
TI-BASIC and had written a bookeeping system using two
cassette recorders as the storage medium. For better
or worse, I had become 'hooked' and now, almost
eighteen years later, I am still sitting in front of a
computer screen more often than not..."
"Since I wrote to you I have
been 'down memory lane' cruising around the '99er
websites. I had no idea that there was still any
interest in the computer, or that there had been so
much activity with it since I shut down Moonbeam
Software 1984. I had not subscribed to MICROpendium
and had had little communication with anyone who was
using a TI99/4A. Having lost a small fortune of my own
(as well as other people's) money, I became
disheartened with the TI and put everything in the
closet where it stayed until it was all destroyed in a
fire in 1990. Regarding your comment that you own all
but one of my game programs in new, shrink-wrapped
condition...Fabulous! It was an era all unto itself
and seems like a million years ago. By today's
standards, of course, the games would be considered
pathetically lame examples of 'action' games. "Death
Drones", my first game, started out only as an
intellectual exercise to see what I could do in TI
BASIC. I soon teamed up with my partner, Joe
Macchiarulo (he wrote Garbage Belly, Astro-Mania,
Cavern Quest, Zero Zone) and formed Moonbeam
Software."
"My time and efforts using
the TI99/4A were not wasted, however. After I got my
first PC clone in 1986 I started programming in a
compiled basic language called ZBasic. The transition
to this new language from TI-Extended Basic was pretty
easy as many of the commands were similar, and some
were identical. I have written (and still do write)
many thousands (perhaps millions) of lines of code,
none of which would probably have happened had it not
been for the TI. Regarding my name…actually, people
started calling me Mr Moon as early as 1969 when I was
a young hippie pup. My last name really is Moon, by
the way, and, according to legend, dates back to
Viking ancestors who were guards of the King of
England..." MM
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MOONBEAM EXPRESS:
Moonbeam Software - Disk/Cassette - Released 1982 -
MSRP $##.## -- "Defend your cargo ship from hostile
enemy fighters on your supply mission to the outpost
located deep in Quadrant 9!" - so reads the blurb on
the package of this Extended BASIC, space strategy and
space shoot-'em-up game written by Mr. Moon, owner and
founder of Moonbeam Software. The back of the
professionally packaged product reads, "As captain of
the only vessel within range, you have been assigned
to defend the 9 Quadrants against the aggressive enemy
fighters from the neighboring galaxy. Will you be able
to eliminate the enemies from all 9 Quadrants? Using
your Command Control Computer, you can plan strategy
that will lead to a successful mission". Both joystick
and keyboard versions of the game are packaged in the
purchase, and Extended BASIC is required. The game
makes heavy use of sprites and is definitely not your
everyday, Asteriods-type, shoot-everything-in-sight
game. It is challenging and fun to play. The
documentation is adequate, but some strategy tips or
hints would be helpful. The only drawback to game play
is during the use of your Phasers. Because the program
is written in Extended BASIC, and multi-tasking is
going on big time during battle, you find that fire
button response lags. Still, you can learn to 'lead'
the target. Overall, a neat piece of software, that
appears to be well designed and nicely executed by an
accomplished programmer.
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MORNING STAR SOFTWARE:
располагавшаяся по адресу 4325 SW 109th Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005 (503) 646-4695
компания, которая производила карты с операционой системой CP/M для компьютера TI-99/4A в 1984. Владельцем компании был Скотт Коулман (Scott Coleman).
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MS EXPRESS SOFTWARE: A
TI-99 software firm founded in May 1991 by Mickey
Schmitt Cendrowski and Mike Sealy. The firm was
dissolved in May 1995 when the partners were unable to
overcome "irreconcilable differences". MS Express
offered innovative entertainment and productivity
software including such titles as:
Schmitt may best be known for
her series of popular newsletter articles regarding
"Getting The Most From Your Cassette System".
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MSX STANDARD: MSX is
an acronym of sorts for Microsoft Extended standard.
The 'standard' as listed in the specifications below,
was intended to provide a minimum platform on which to
build a home computer, with that standard being
supported by Microsoft and their BASIC programming
language. The first generation MSX Standard was to be
based on the following specifications:
Some of the companies to jump
on the MSX bandwagon were: Spectravideo, Yamaha,
Philips, Toshiba, Sanyo, Sony, Daewoo, Mitsubishi,
Pioneer, and Panasonic among others. Out of all the
MSX computers to become available internationally, the
only MSX computer to be sold in North America was the
Yamaha computer which had a MIDI-interface
incorporated in it. Yamaha North America though,
insisted on selling it as a musical device rather than
as a personal computer.
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MULLER, JAMES: Manager
of Texas Instruments Consumer Press Relations
Department in 1981, and founder of the Young People's
Logo Association headquartered at 1208 Hillside Av.
Richardson, TX 75081 (214) 783-7548.
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MULTICOLOR MODE: A
screen display mode accessible on the TI-99/4A via
assembly language routines only. It consists of 48
rows of 64 columns, with each block in this matrix
being 4 pixels by 4 pixels. Each block can be any one
of the 16 colors supported by the TI-99/4A's TMS9918A
Video Display Processor chip. Sprites are also
available in the Multicolor Mode. The screen mapping
is accomplished using a series of position numbers to
identify each block. For example, in the first four
rows, the columns are numbered 0 to 31. In the next
four rows the columns are numbered 32 to 63 and so on.
Accessing and invoking the Multicolor Mode is
accomplished with the statement >-LI R0,>01E8,
which is a write >E8 to VDP Write only register
number one. A more detailed explanation of the
Multicolor Mode, with a sample program, is available
in an article by Steve Peacock, appearing in the
November 1986 issue of the West JAX 99er News. To
obtain a downloadable copy of this newsletter visit
ftp.whtech.com.
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MULTILINGUAL EARLY
LEARNING FUN: Information provided by Bryan
Roppolo, who obtained it from former TI employee Nick
Hubert. "... Multilingual Early Learning Fun was a
released cartridge and was the same as the Early
Learning Fun cartridge just different languages. The
Early Learning Fun cartridge was designed for
preschool children and had simple exercises like
counting, colors, alphabet, etc. The only other
cartridge that may have been released was ET and I
don't believe Crossfire ever made it to cartridge.
That's about all I remember. Nick"
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MULTIPLICATION 1: PHM
3029 / SF 30207 -- Released 1Q/1981 - MSRP $39.95 /
$54.95 -- An 18K educational cartridge program for the
Home Computer market that was produced under license
from Scott, Foresman and Company, who also marketed
their own package of the exact same program, but for
the Education market. According to the documentation
(1037109-29) " The Multiplication 1 module provides
practice in the fundamentals of multiplication skills.
The activities present the basic facts in an
interesting and challenging manner. With
Multiplication 1, Texas Instruments is continuing its
tradition of applying innovation Solid State SpeechTM
technology to educational activities. Thje optional
Solid State SpeechTM Synthesizer (sold separately)
adds the feature of computer speech to the colorful
graphics and musical sounds of your computer. Your
child can now hear, as well as see, the instructions
and problems in the module. " The activities in the
Multiplication 1 cartridge program include:
User Comments (provided by
John E. Taylor and other members of the Shoals 99er
Uer Group in 1985): The Multiplication module shows
your child the "magic of multiplication." It provides
a strong foundation not only in the basic facts, but
also in later work with larger numbers. Colorful
graphics and lively music transform the process of
learning factors and products into an exciting
experience.
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MUNCH MAN aka MUNCHMAN: PHM
3057 - Released 1Q/1982 - MSRP $39.95 -- While this
may be a take-off on the Pac-Man game theme that was
so popular on the Atari 2600 and other machines, it
(and John Phillips' Munchman II) are still my favorite
games for the TI-99/4A. I am NOT a game player by
'computer-nature', but find some games to my liking.
This is one of them. In this TI version of Pac-Man the
Munchman must link chains in a maze rather than eat
dots, and he is chased by Hoonos rather than ghosts.
While the Pac-Man ghosts had colorful names like Inky,
Blinky, Pinkey and Clyde, no such designation was ever
given to the Hoonos that I am aware of. Munchman was
still a very popular TI game cartridge, right up there
is sales with TI Invaders. Munchman was created by
former mathematics teacher James E. Dramis, who was a
Texas Instruments employee when Munchman was created.
Post October 28, 1983, Dramis, along with other former
TI employees Garth Dollhite and Paul Urbanus, would
form Sofmachine. Sofmachine produced several other
excellent cartridge games for the TI-99/4A including
some for Atarisoft under contract. It is worth noting
that the title of the game is Munch Man (two words),
but when Texas Instruments opted to provide a new
cover for the game's instruction manual in 1983, and
to update the cartridge casing and label, the name of
the program somehow became Munchman, all one two word,
despite the fact that the title screen of the game is
still two words, just as it always has been? See also:
99er Magazine Nov82, p.39 -- 99er Magazine Jan83, p.26
-- MICROpendium Mar84, p.21
User Comments: Four cunning
Hoonos are in hot pursuit of your Munch Man. Can he
make it to an energizer in time to change the attack
or will the Hoonos eat him? You must out-maneuver four
Hoonos, as you try to connect the passages with one
continuous chain, without being eaten. score points by
connecting the passages with a chain. score points by
capturing Hoonos while your Munch Man is energized.
And do all this while trying not to be eaten by the
Hoonos.
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MUSIC EDUCATOR: PHL
7004 - Released 1Q/1982 - MSRP $64.90 -- Whether you
come to understand the intricacies of chords or learn
to compose your own melody, Ti's Music Educator brings
you a bright new note in improving your musical
skills. By combining the Music Maker Command Module
and the Music Skills Trainer cassette-based program
into this handy binder, the Music Educator gives you
music basics at your fingertips and adds exciting
dimensions to this delightful pastime. The Music
Skills Trainer requires an audio cassette tape
recorder and the TI Cassette Interface Cable (sold
separately).
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MUSIC MAKER: PHM 3020
- Released 1Q/1981 - MSRP $39.95 - A cartridge program
which allows music to be composed (and played) using
the traditional method of placing notes on a staff, or
by use of what the program calls "'Sound Graphs' in
which you draw lines to represent musical tones.
According to the documentation (1037109-20) "Use the
computer to compose music! Simply enter your
composition and the computer plays it back to you".
Music compositions are savable to cassette tape or
floppy disk, and can be printed if the Solid State
Thermal Printer is attached to the Home Computer. Like
many of the early cartridges designed in the TI-99/4
era (pre 99/4A intro), the documentation for the Music
Maker cartridge was never updated to one of the
1053590 new generation covers that I am aware of. I
base this information on the fact that I do not own a
new instruction manual for Music Maker , I've not seen
one, and TI's 1983 Line Art (which I do own), and
which shows many of the old cartridges that got new
documentation, does not show Music Maker .
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MUSIC SHOP, THE: 59 E.
Tioga St Tunkhannock, PA 18657 (717)836-4522 TI
dealer. (Compute! magazine May83, p.221)
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MYARC EXTENDED BASIC:
A version of Extended BASIC designed specifically for
use with the Myarc 128K RAM card. It functioned the
same as TI Extended BASIC but up to 3 times faster
according to the manufacturer. Features included a
40-column display, mode, full support for integer
variables, windowing, and hi-resolution graphics
commands for draw, fill, circle, rectangle etc.
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MYARC HARD and FLOPPY DISK
CONTROLLER: A disk controller card produced for
the TI-99/4A and Myarc Geneve 9640 in 1987 by former
Texas Instruments employee Lou Phillips, dba Myarc
Inc. The device sold for just under $300 and could
support up to 3 hard drives at a time, with a total
storage capacity of 134 megabytes per drive. It would
also support up to 4 floppy drives that could be 40 or
80 track, 5.25" or 3.5" type, of any density.
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MYARC MPES/50 MINI
PERIPHERAL EXPANSION SYSTEM: Triton #YDAA --
Released 2Q/1984 -- MSRP $595.00 -- Similar in purpose
to the CorComp 99000 Micro Expansion System, this Lou
Phillips designed product from Myarc (ex TI employee
Phillips came up with the Myarc name by contracting
the phrase microcomputer architecture) provided 32K
RAM, an RS232 interface with 1 serial port and 1
parallel port as well as a disk controller that
supported double density. Unlike the 99000 disk
controller, the MPES controller also supported a
non-standard SS/DD format. The Unisource Catalog
number for the MPES product was MYA 100. (Unisource
Catalog, Fall'84, p.2)
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MYARC MSRP: The
following prices for Myarc products were the
manufacturer's suggested retail prices as of February
7, 1987.
HFDC (Hard/Floppy Disk Controller Card --
$265.00
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MYLSTAR: See Q*Bert
for additional detail. Mylstar also produceda symbolic
debugging program for the IBM PC..
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MYMENU2+: 1996 -- Jim
Uzzell -- DDI Software
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MYSTERY FUN HOUSE
ADVENTURE DATABASE: PHD 5051 / PHT 6051 -
Released 4Q/1981 - MSRP $29.95 -- Mystery Fun House
challenges you to figure out how to get inside the
house before the exploration begins. Once inside,
you'll see all the exciting fun house sights which are
concealing a valuable prize. Requires disk, disk drive
for PHD 5051 or cassette, cassette program recorder
and program recorder cable are required for PHT 6051.
Either software database requires the Adventure Module
PHM 3041 to run the Mystery Fun House database.
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