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From: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Tetris2.1 update for HP48
Keywords: tetris, tetris2, update
Message-ID: <959@sousa.enet.dec.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 14:51:15 GMT
References: <27dffd78:2431comp.sys.handhelds@hpcvbbs.UUCP>
Sender: newsa@sousa.enet.dec.com
Reply-To: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 105

Andrey,

Thank you for the work you have done on TETRIS.  This game is one of the
truely fun games for the HP48SX.

Also, I think your idea regarding using the DLIST for selecting the type
of
screen dissolves was a good one.

However, I must respond to your recent TETRIS2.1 UPDATE post in C.S.H.

Basically, I think the code in your post is good, and the right thing to
do, but I think the format you chose to distribute this code (using an
update procedure in which the user has to follow several steps) is prone
to
user-error, and will probably lead to more user "download" confusion
and
problems in general.
 
To be honest, the first time I read through your post, I had no idea
what I
was supposed to do.  It wasn't until the third reading that it started
to
make sense.  For example:

>  1)  Download the following to your computer.
>  2)  Now do either the a or the b steps, with a being easeir (for me)

Requiring the user to choose between multiple sets of instructions is
dangerous, especially when they will be deleting sections of code.  


>  3a) Paste the files from the following into your previous TETRIS2
> posting.  Only copy the actual programs from the following directory, 
> and put them between any of the other files.
>  4a) Erase the programs which have the same names as the ones that 
> you just pasted into TETRIS2, the old ones that is.

This requires entirely too much work on the part of the casual user in
my
opinion.  The opportunities for errors here are intense.   Also, once
you
require the user to edit the source listing, you have lost control over
the
code.  Anything is possible at this point.  


>  3b) Erase the two files PIC1 and PIC2 from your previous posting of
>Tetris2.
>  4b) Download both postings of Tetris2, this one and the one you just
>edited.
>  5b) Replace the corresponding programs from the old postings with the
>ones from the new one and also put the completely new programs into
>the
>Tetris2 directory.  Press SETUP and voila.

This also requires the user to edit the sources, and in my mind is also
a
poor solution.


>BTW, call the file TETRIS2, and refer to this version as Tetris2.1.

When you say "call the file TETRIS2", do you mean the filename on my PC,
or
on the HP48?  If you mean the filename on the HP48, then I'm confused
since
you are only supplying a few of the routines in this posting.  What am
I
supposed to name "TETRIS2" ??    

When you say "refer to this version as Tetris2.1", I'm not sure what you
mean.  The whole reason for appending a version number to a program's
filename, like TETRIS2, is so you can identify the version.  If you
distribute the update, and tell people to still store it as TETRIS2, but
then tell them that the version is actually TETRIS2.1, they are going to
be
very confused.  I'm confused already. 
 

Please do not misunderstand.  I appreciate you're effort, but it pains
me
to think of how many users will never get version 2.1 of tetris running
because of the difficulty of doing this update procedure.  

In my opinion, when you change the code, the "best" thing to do is to
simply post the new version.  I still do not understand why you do not
simply post the ASC version of the whole program.  Is there some reason
why
this is not possible?  

There has been a tremendous amount of confusion in this conference
regarding which version of TETRIS is the most recent, and how to get 
this version.  I believe that your update post is only going to add to 
that confusion.  I pity latecomers to this conference who will be 
trying to get the latest version of TETRIS in the coming weeks.  

Please put an end to this confusion by reposting version 2.1 in ASC
format, and please clearly label the post as being the official post of
version 2.1 of TETRIS.  


Humbly yours,

>>>Joe Ervin