Why we really buy creative computing. Fred Gunther.
Why We Really Buy Creative Computing
Isn't it about time that we let the editors and managers know why we really buy Creative Computing? The editors think that we put our money down on the counter because of the exciting layouts and the stimulating editorials. The feature writers think that we subscribe because we don't want to miss an installment on how "My Personal Computer Lets Me Dig Ditches for Fun and Profit.' The advertising staff and the advertisers think that we rob the kids' piggy banks each month to learn what the new hardware and software might be.
While there are elements of truth in all these theories, the real reason we buy and read this magazine is to find programming challenges. Has someone published a new game; after I type it in, what can I do to make it work "better'?
Has someone published a program in a language different than the one(s) my computer uses; how can I make the translation? Has someone advertised a new gizmo or widget; how can I produce a super-gizmo, or a widget simulator?
Let's take a case in point. We have all seen the Squiral advertisement for hi-res drawing on the Apple II. The Logo people have used it to prove how easy it is to produce graphic designs.
What can be done in one language can be done in another. The challenge is to actually do it. My answer to the Squiral challenge is a program I call Basic Squiral (Listing 1). Written in Applesoft Basic, it will produce many different figures.
Like the Logo version, angle values of 59, 60, 61, or 89, 90, 91, or 118, 120, 123, etc. will produce interesting designs (Figures 1-4). It is even possible to add a little more code, so that the designs are plotted in color, on a color background (Figures 5 and 6).
Table: Listing 1. Applesoft Basic Squiral.
Table: Listing 2. TRS-80 Color Basic Squiral.
Table: Listing 3. Atari Basic Squiral.
Photo: Figure 1.
Photo: Figure 2.
Photo: Figure 3.
Photo: Figure 4.
Photo: Figure 5.
Photo: Figure 6.
Photo: Sample run for Applesoft Squiral.