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from Morris krok
mailto:essence@xxxxxxxxessence@xxxxxxxx For the curious, I live in Westville, ten
miles inland from the eastern coastal city of Durban, South Africa, sub-tropical
and from the climate point of view subject to the Indian Ocean currents.
Incidentally, I purchased my second copy of XyWrite Revealed in Durban where I
saw it on the book sale table. The first copy I purchased in Santa Cruz,
California. I have never been able to obtain another copy either from second
hand bookshops or on the internet.
However, I did live in California for two
years and travel regularly to this state where a number of my children
reside.
The copy of XyWrite 3 that I possess was
purchased from a discount store in California. Before leaving the USA, I
purchased a wonderful computer shorthand and macro TSR program PRD+. It has a
beautiful interface that monitors the keys pressed in XyWrite to expand
shortforms. It also enables the combining of XyWrite programs and functions to
produce an endless variety of editing macros. However, once one learns the key
elements of the XPL language, macros become redundant because simple programs
can be written that will edit a file from the top to the bottom with a single
keypress, unlike a macro which will only do a line or a few lines at a
time.
For those interested in PRD+, they are in New
York phone 212-818-1144, fax 212-818-1197, e-mail
mailto:sales@xxxxxxxxsales@xxxxxxxx. Its shorthand
facilities are more advanced than those of XyWrite and unless your writing needs
are extensive, XyWrite spl files are adequate in this regard. It is easy to
create your own shortforms for words and also for creating programming codes as
XyWrite enables you to do so as a plain text file. I have brought up the subject
of Prd+, from Productivity Software International, because its main screen
interface and program works so efficiently without ever having a major upgrade
since its inception in 1988.
Before being introduced to XyWrite and Prd I
learnt a little of the Forth Progamming language, and these quotations from L
Brodie's book, Thinking Forth, can surely apply to XPL as well.
THINKING FORTH
L Brodie "Programming
computers can be crazy-making. Other professions give you the luxury of seeing
tangible proof of your efforts. A watchmaker can watch the cogs and wheels; a
seamstress can watch the seams come together with each stitch. But programmers
design, build and repair the stuff of imagination, ghostly mechanisms that
escape the senses. Our work takes the place not in RAM, not in an editor, but
within our own minds." L Brodie.
"Forth is like Tao: it is a Way, and is
realized when followed. Its fragility is its strength; its simplicity is its
direction." Michael Ham.
"More fundamentally, Forth has reaffirmed my
faith in simplicity. Most people go out and attack problems with complicated
tools. But simpler tools are available and more useful.
"I try to simplify all aspects of my life.
There is a quote I like from Tao Te Ching by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu:
"To attain knowledge, add things every day; to obtain wisdom, remove things
every day." Jerry Bouttelle.
I also purchased from Tim Baer the XPL
programs he wrote, and I presume are still available. Originally I learnt of
them through a seller of public domain and shareware programs.
Now as regards the reprinting of XyWrite
Revealed, I had no intention to produce any copies without first obtaining
permission; for one thing it is a large book of over 400 pages. As yet Herbert
Tyson has not replied to my latest e-mail, and when he replied to the first
e-mail I sent him, he did not mention anything about the copyright issue. I must
thank Paul D for clarifying the copywrite laws but I was only thinking out aloud
when I made those remarks about the unlikelihood of prosecution. My copies of
XyWrite show that it was last published in 1990, ten years ago by Windcrest. I
am first waiting for a reply from Tyson before writing to this publishing
house.
Alternative to reprinting Tyson's book, is
for programming tips to be given by those who have had some experience so that
the programs do not end up in an infinite loop, or for including the key aspects
of XPL in a book of not more than 100 pages. This is providing that there are
many in this group who desire such
information.
With regards, Morris Krok
PS. At the age of 69, perhaps I should not worry my
head about all this, but rather use my head in possibly a more productive and
practical way by standing on it as Yoga teaches us to do.
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