While I fully support all people who develop software for the TI calculators, I think it is unfair to newcomers that old pros keep grabbing up the awards with updates of the same program(s) over and over again. We need to support aspiring authors so that the TI community will be perpetuated... let's face it, once you're out of school, chances are you won't be in the calc "scene" any more. We need to give the new guys support so the TI community won't die out. In light of this, I would like to propose what I call the "No Repeats Stipulation."

"No software which in any previous version, release, or incarnation has already won the 'TICalc Program of the Month Award' is eligable for re-nomination."

This way, new programs will be judged against new programs. Bug-fixes and minor updates to old favorites won't be detracting from the glory due to the new quality titles that are currently being overlooked. It will prevent the same program from getting the thing time after time just because the author fixed a couple bugs or added a new feature or two.

P.S.- {{{SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT}}} Visit my brand-new programming group (established as of today) at http://compustarr.tsx.org

> release, or incarnation has already won

You'd have to take into account specific situations. For example, say the same engine is used to create more than one game. Quest 3 is a good example. Say Quest 3 wins one month. Six months later, Macross releases a completely new RPG, with the same underlying code, but with completely new graphics, story, etc.

In many cases, creating the engine is the first step. Fleshing out the story, gameplay (partly determined by the engine), graphics, maps, etc., takes just as long was creating the engine.

At current, I have an engine that I could have released as a demo over a month or two ago, but will take another couple months at least before the final game is done. Making maps and sprites takes a darn long time :)

Hmm.. why isn't asapxcmd 1.2 there in the TI-86 section? In my opinion it's one of the best asm programs made. It's a great tool for making basic programs act like asm without having to type in about 100 lines to put a simple sprite on the screen, check if variables exist, etc. The only downside is that if you want to distribute your program you need to include an extra ~1200 bytes for asapxcmd, but when you're talking about basic programs that's not much anyways.

Hmm... not to be immature, but I find it rather disheartening that, after several months of inactivity on the project, I release a brand-new, totally rewritten version of SchoolSuite... to find that this is the ONE MONTH there's no category for BASIC! I honestly think I had a good chance of winning. Let's just hope the BASIC section is back before Triangle Man RPG comes out ;-)

[SIDE NOTE: I have to switch to Netscape every time I want to post a message on this board. Whenever I try with IE, I get an error telling me I left a required field blank... but they're all full! Does anyone else have this problem?]

Is Triangle Man the same guy that beats up Particle Man and Person Man in the fabulous song Particle Man by the most auspicious group they Might Be Giants?
PS I use IE all the time, and I have never had that problem, but I have IE5 and I had never posted anything when I used 4, I don't know if that would help anything, but IE4 had a lot of bugs in it

How do I get this award winning software, Virtual TI 2.0?

- Roberto

Go to http://vti.acz.org to get Virtual VTI. Keep in mind you need a ROM (downloadable from your calculator) to run it.

Hey! This Total program won every category!!! That hardly seems fair.

On a serious note, where's the BASIC?

About your first comment, hehehheh. You had me confused until I actually looked up again at the programs of the month.

About your question, I feel the same way as you. I think that programs written in BASIC and in assembly should not be seperated in the POTM competition.

If I am mistaken and this is the way things already happen, please tell me, but don't ^FLAME^ me.

Everyone, Shut Up!

As someone who is about to (hopefully) get a TI-89 calculator for my next birthday, it is somewhat disheartening to know that so many of the programmers(?) out there who write software for the TI calculators need to flame each other over different languages (ASM and BASIC). I don't think that either language is 'better' than the other, just that they have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, BASIC has a bit more intuitive design phase, making it easier to create complex algorithms on the calculator, whereas assembly programs tend to be much smaller and faster.

In addition, I wonder what motive someone would have for flaming Dan Eble and his request for comments. As far as I know, he created a useful utility, and should not be insulted by those who envy (or who-knows-what) him.

I know that comments like mind make message boards like these stray off-topic. Yet even if I hadn't posted this message, someone else may have posted something like it, and a whole new string of comments would be posted in response to it. But isn't that what message boards are meant for?

You're name aptly describes you. Does 'freedom of speech' ring a bell?

It's "Your", not "You're".

Impersonator! You were right, though...

bluecalx rules the world