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From: aegroup@tekigm.UUCP (Dennis Ward)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari
Subject: Re: Action! Programming
Message-ID: <633@tekigm.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Nov-85 11:29:41 EST
Article-I.D.: tekigm.633
Posted: Wed Nov 20 11:29:41 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Nov-85 03:11:56 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 33

> In the November 1985 issue of A.N.A.L.O.G. magazine, on pp 33-37/60-62, there 
> is a program for a game called "Sneak Attack" which apparently is programmed
> in "Action!" language.  I have heard of Action! before, but do not know too
> much about it.  My questions are:  does this require an "Action! cartridge
> in the Atari or does it utilize BASIC?  If you use BASIC, how do you enter it
> in the computer without line numbers?  If it requires an "Action!" language
> cartridge, who makes same?  Is the funny spacing required, and if so do you
> have to follow exactly the indentations or merely indent the proper lines
> appropriately?  Maybe this is rather basic, but basically, I only have used
> BASIC.  Thanks in advance,
> 	--Bill--

By judicious reading of the advertisements in Antic and A.N.A.L.O.G. magazines,
I was able to partially answer my own questions.  Action! is a cartridge
available from O.S.S. and presumeably is another distinct computer language.
However, I am still griped that the original article did not make this clear
and I am still uncertain as to why the odd spacing of the lines.  The
indentation number of spaces does not seem to follow a logical pattern.  (I
thought that each succeeding indentation was another 2 spaces, but then I found
some at 4 spaces, etc.)  

(Flame on)
What is the advantage of Action! over BASIC, Pascal or C?  Does it fit in one
of these "families" of languages or is it a new one?  Why we have such a
proliferation of languages anyway?  I'm still trying to learn AB,MBII and 
BXE/BXL, familiarizing myself with C, let along trying to learn Pascal and
Action!
(Flame off)

                                   Thanks,
                                   --Bill--
 
     ***Just an "over-the-hill apprentice hacker" (in the legal sense)***