The TI-99 Home Computer Encyclopedia
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Timeline 99 -- 1991

JAN 1991: Talk of a full C language compiler for the Geneve and Myarc's completion of a Pascal Runtime module for the Geneve are discussed in MICROpendium. While Al Beard's C compiler is a reality, Myarc's promise of a finished Pascal Runtime module turns out to be smoke and mirrors.
  • Barry Traver begins part 1 in a 4 part series on GRAPHICOMP, a program he wrote to compile Extended Basic's screen display statements into assembly language source code. Readers later prompt Traver to expand the program into a full-blown Extended Basic compiler, but he declines staing that he has neither the time nor the technical expertise to do so.
  • Version 1.30 of MDM5, the Myarc Disk Manager is released. It was reportedly recovered from the hard drive of the late John Birdwell, after his death. No new features have been added, but some bugs in 1.29 have apparently been corrected.
  • Ben Yates releases DeZip v.05 for the TI-99/4A on January 5th. The program allows the TI to extract /ZIP files created on the PC on your TI. On January 12th v.07 is released to fix a small bug in the extraction of a reduced file.
  • Jack Sughrue's releases NEW-AGE/99 #5, his newsletter that discusses what's going on the TI Community. In this issue he includes a review of Jim Peterson's TI Public Domain Software library, consisting of a collection of 400+ disks available at $1.50 each.
  • Master assembly language programmer Mike Maksimik begins talking about the creation of GDOS for the TI-99/4A, which is envisioned to be a GEOS-like graphics interface similar to what was created for the Commodore 64 by Berkley Software.
  • The Chicago TI Users Group releases the Encyclopedia of Graphics (E.O.G.) book. The enormous project was undertaken by Chicago 99er and Geneve owner Don Jones. It consists of printouts of all of the commercially distributed graphics available for the TI-99/4A and Geneve.
  • T.I.C.O.F.F. , the TI Computer Owners Fun Fest held in Roselle Park, New Jersey every year, changes its name to the Family Computer Exposition when PCs overtake the show.
  • Jeff Asenas of the TI Oxnard, California User Group is killed in a traffic accident.

FEB 1991: MICROpendium celebrates its eighth birthday.

  • Ron Wolcott releases TIPS v1.8 (TI Print Shop), which now includes spooling for printing multiple times, print command files, vertical menus with hot keys, and ability to mirror image.
  • Asgard announces plans to begin shipping the 80-Column Extended Graphics Interface (EGI) card by Mechatronics GmbH. The EGI is a 'sidecar' type device that expands the graphic capabilities of even a console-only 99/4A to a level comparable with the IBM VGA standard, and it expands video memory from 16K to 192K. The package comes with several disks full of 80-column software. MSRP is $249.95 with a $15.00 S/H charge.
  • Asgard Software announces the release of  Screen Preview by Joe Delekto.
  • Howard Uman re-releases Artist Enlarger which was originally released as Freeware, then commercially distributed by Asgard Software, now distributed by Uman himself.
  • MICROpendium offers readers Personalized Memo Pads complete with TI-99 line art. Four pads of 50 sheets each are offered for $12. The product apparently does not catch on and is dropped after two months.
  • Eunice Spooner of Waterville, Maine releases a TI LOGO video tutorial for $10. The video tape may be obtained by writing to Spooner at RFD #1, Box 3720, Webb Road, Waterville, Maine 04901.
  • Fest West '91 takes place on February 16th and 17th at the Ramada Main Gate hotel right across the street from Disneyland. It is sponsored by the Users Group of Orange County in association with the Pomona Valley Users Group of California.

MAR 1991: Bill Gaskill annouces the release of THE TI-BASE USER (newsletter for TI-Base owners), TIMELINE 99 (a 120-page "must have" history book for serious TI'er), and MEMBERSHIP MANAGER/NEWSLETTER EXCHANGE (two separate TI-Base applications for the price of one, tremendously useful to officers of TI User Groups).

  • The TI-BBS in Whittier, California, formerly operated by Roger Davis, moves to Covina, California with Larry Hoffman as sysop.
  • On March 15th, Jeff Guide, owner of Disk Only software, announces that he has purchase all rights to Tony Lewis' Interface Standard and Design Guide for the TI-99/4A, and that Disk Only Software will become the exclusive distributor for this document.
  • Steve Hoshield releases CSGD Label Maker v1.1. The program contains complete documentation and a fully functional assembly language program that can use Dave Rose's CSGD style graphics for inclusion in customer label making. The program also features a graphic editor to design your own graphics to use with custom labels. Up to 127 CSGD graphics can be stored.
  • Asgard Software releases a Page Pro 99 productivity chart showing how Page Pro products relate to each other, to let you create a wide variety of different things on your 99/4A - from banners to signs to greeting cards to labels to anything else you can think of.
  • Jim Miller releases the Shareware program Stock Tracker for the TI-99/4A. The program allows tracking of stocks or comodities and it will track buy, sell, input values, stock splits etc.
  • Jim Peterson releases version #5 of his TI Public Domain Sofftware catalog, containing listings for over 500 disks, available at $1.50 each. This release sports a new 80 column layout for easy printing.

APR 1991: Members of the VAST User Group in Phoenix, Arizona vote to host Fest-West '92.

  • The Ottawa TI-99/4 Users Group hosts the 1991 Ottawa TI Fair on April 27th.
  • Bill Gaskill releases a free COMPUTE! MAGAZINE "infodex" for 1983-1986, and a free 99ER HOME COMPUTER "infodex"! A application designed specifically to access the Infodex data is provided. The program auto-loads from Extended BASIC, with the ability to press H for Help at the opening screen.
  • Son of the Disk of Dinosaurs is released by Ken Gilliland dba Notung Software out of Tujunga, California. The new product contains 16 all new Dinosaurs in TI-Artist format.
  • Richard Lynn Gilbertson of Portland, Oregon releases a GRAM version of RICH GKXB, which is an enhanced version of TI's original Extended Basic.
  • McCann Software of Omaha, Nebraska releases HQ_STACKS for the Myarc Geneve computer.
  • Bill Gaskill of Grand Junction, Colorado announces that his company PRK DataBasics has changed names and its product focus. The new company name will be Junction Softworks and it will emphasize TI-Base products.
  • Notung Software Tujunga, Californai announces updates to Filmlib, TI Casino and the Star Trek: Next Generation Calendar.
  • Asgard Software releases Page Pro Banner Maker.
  • Tony Lewis sells the right to his Interface Standard and Design Guide for TI-99/4A Peripherals book to Jeff Guide of Disk Only Software.
  • MICROpendium announces the release of MICROpendium INDEX II, a set of disks more comprehensive and easier to use than the regular MICROpendium index disks done in TI Basic. The MP II index set has been compiled by Bill Gaskill.
  • David Lynch of 99 Computer Repair, 2101 West Crescent Avenue Unit A, Anaheim, California 92801, telephone 714-539-4834 announces repair services for all warranty and out of warranty CorComp products.
  • Asgard announces that the delay in the release of the 80-Column Extended Graphics Interface (EGI) card by Mechatronics GmbH is over and they are ready to be shipped. Owner Chris Bobbitt puts out 'feelers' to the TI Community first, asking if there is still interest in the 'sidecar' peripheral.

MAY 1991: The Lima, Ohio Multi User Group Conference, better known as the Lima TI Fair, is held in Reed Hall at the Lima Campus of Ohio State University on May 18th.

  • TI United Kindom users hold their annual meeting at The Music Hall in Shrewsbury, England.
  • TM Direct Marketing releases its first catalog to the TI Community since buying out the Triton Products inventory in October 1990. Owner Terry Miller says that over 25,000 copies of the catlaog were mailed out.
  • Bruce Harrison begins an assembly language programming tutorial in MICROpendium. He is now the third person in MICROpendium's history to become the magazine's on-board assembly columnist. The first was Mack McCormick, an Army officer who ultimately dropped out because of military obligations. The second was John Birdwell who died of liver cancer in December 1990.
  • Mike Sealy and Mickey Schmitt, doing business as MS Express release Adventure Hints-Series II, Sliding Block Puzzles-Series II and Sliding Block Puzzle Solutions-Series II.
  • Mike Maksimik announces the formation of Crystal Software, a company he formed to sell the MIDI MASTER 99 system initially planned for Asgard Software distribution.
  • Bruce Harrison of Harrison Software announces that he will be resuming production of TI-99/4A software products and annnounces the release of the Il Pastor Fido (The Faithful Shepherd) music disk.
  • Keith Bergman of KB Computer Concepts in Toledo, Ohio 's announces the bundling of Spinner, Memory Motel and YALP in one $14 package.
  • The Chicago International TI Faire committee elects to move the 1991 Faire site to the Holiday Inn in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, from the Holiday Inn at Rolling Meadows, Illinois where it had been held the last few years.

JUN 1991: Texaments releases TI Artist Plus! Pak, a collection of five programs including Guidelines, Display Master, Artoons, Designer Labels, and the Artist Companion of your choice from Artist #2-13, bundled with TI Artist Plus!. Cost is $49.95.

  • Richard Lynn Gilbertson and Gary Bowser reach an agreement to have Bowser's Oasis Pensive Abacutors (OPA) produce the cartridge version of RICH GKXB.
  • Bill Gaskill announces the end of the TI-BASE USER newsletter after attracting only 33 subscribers to the data base programming publication.
  • The Hunter Valley 99ers User Group of Kotara, New South Wales in Australia disbands on June 25th due to lack of newsletter contributions, lack of members willing to serve on committees and a lack of programs available locally for the TI. This group was one of the leaders in the Australian TI Community who produced one of the best newsletters in the world in the mid 1980's.
  • Burns-Koloen Communications creates the NATIONAL USED SOFTWARE and HARDWARE CLUB to assist computer owners of all brands, makes and models in selling unwanted hardware and software.

JUL 1991: Harry Brashear leaves MICROpendium as a regular columnist after agreeing to join Asgard Software. Brashear asserts that a conflict of interest would have developed between his MICROreviews and the fact that fully 50% of the products he reviewed were from Asgard Software.

  • Ken Gilliland releases SNF files of the Irving Berlin songs; "Always", "Remember" and "What'll I do?" for use with Mike Maksimik's MIDI Master 99 program.
  • Texaments releases Fonts, Frames & Fun, a 3-disk pack of fonts, border and instances for TI Artist. Also released is The Missing Link Pak, which consists of 29 display fonts for use with The Missing Link by Harry Wilhelm. The new releases are priced at $12.95 and $7.95 respectively.
  • Rumors of a Funnelweb v4.4 begin to surface, which is supposed to include a total rewrite of the editor and a revision of the Disk Review module that will allow GIF pictures to be viewed.
  • Don O'Neil announces the impending release of TI Accelerator, a hardware modification which allows the TI-99/4A console to run at 12mhz clock speed. As of December 1992, the product has yet to actually materialize.
  • Mike Maksimik releases SNF files of the songs "Dust in the Wind" and "God of Our Fathers for use with his Midi Master 99 program.
  • Bill Gaskill releases a program designed to track and record assets and liabilities, with the capability to calculate personal net worth from that data.

AUG 1991: Asgard Software releases Tris-9640, Typrewriter-9640, Page Pro Sideways Picture Printer, and Thumbnails for the Myarc Geneve 9640 computer.

  • Bill Gaskill releases Events Calendar for TI-Base. It is a public domain application, written in the TI-Base Command File programming language.
  • Pierre Delfort of Bagnols, France announces the availability of a newsletter on disk for any TI-99/4A owners wishing to subscribe.
  • Ben Hatheway of Santa Clara, CA releases a version of Stu Olsen's Mass Transfer that will work with the Myarc HFDC (Hard and Floppy Disk Controller Card). It is a 40-column display version of Mass Transfer 4.3 that allows the user to use hard drive paths when uploading or downloading using Xmodem or Mass Transfer "Ymodem". The program will run on either TI or 9640. This release is 40 columns only. Fairware. An 80-column version modified by Randy Moore for Myarc Geneve 9640 users is also announced.
  • Bill Gaskill releases a free Names Data Base for users of TI-Base 3.02 or higher. The file contains over 1350 names and addresses of 99ers and TI-99 supporters.

SEP 1991: Tony McGovern releases Funnelweb v4.4 in the United States.

  • The Berlin, Germany TI Faire is held on September 13th and 14th. Noteworthy items appearing were a Pascal P-System that could be run without the p-code card, a device which allows the Speech Syhthesizer to be installed in the Peripheral Expansion Box, but that also includes the ROMs from the Terminal Emulator II cartridge, thereby allowing text-to-speech capabilities in all programming environments, and a completed version of Extended Basic 3 which is a complete re-write of the TI Extended Basic code, with additional CALLs.
  • The Seattle/Tacoma TI Fair 1991 takes place at the Tacoma Mall on September 21st.
  • Ken Gilliland releases SNF files of Richard Wagner's "Evening Star" for use with Mike Maksimik's MIDI Master 99 program.
  • Rich Gilbert releases RICH GKXB v2.37.
  • Hall and Margaret Shanafield release SNF files of "Chariots of Fire" for use with Mike Maksimik's MIDI Master 99 program.
  • Asgard Software releases Gofer by Dan Gazy, a collection of Page Pro 99 utilities.
  • Bruce Harrison releases Smart Connect, product designed to allow text file transfers between the TI-99/4A and MS-DOS based computers.
  • Mike Maksimik releases SNF files of the song "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze and Stacy Widelitz, for use with his MIDI Master 99 program, along with SNF files for "Earthen Vessels".

OCT 1991: Asgard Software releases Lineditor by Edwin Hall and the Mouse Developers Package.

  • OPA begins marketing Don O'Neil's DIGI-PORT sound software.
  • Barry Boone releases Sound F/X through Texaments in Patchogue, New York.
  • Jerry Coffey begins shipping Gen-Tri v1.02 for the Geneve. It is a Geneve version of Wayne Stith's Triad program for the 99/4A.
  • MICROpendium reports that the Pascal Runtime program for the Geneve, which editor John Koloen had once reported as being nearly complete, will not be completed.
  • George William von Seth, president of the Guilford, North Carolina 99ers dies on October 28th.
  • Commodore Electronics announces a joint effort with Mitsui & Co. of Japan to form CDTV Consortium Japan, which is designed to promote and develop Commodore CDTV players and software in Japan.
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts- based Spinnaker Software agrees to supply PFS:Windoworks to Lotus Development for resale to Packard Bell under the name Lotusworks.

NOV 1991: Asgard Publishing's Reflections magazine resurfaces after a 1 1/2 year delay between Volume 2 Number 3 and Volume 2 Number 4.

  • Jerry Coffey of Vienna, Virginia becomes the authorized distributor of JP Software products, with the re-release of GEN-TRI for the Geneve being the first product available. Coffey hopes to eventually assume distributorship for the entire JP Software line in an effort to assauge the angry members of the TI and Geneve Community who have paid for products that J. Peter Hoddie never delivered.
  • Asgard Software reports that they will become an authorized dealer for selected products from Comprodine, Notung and Infocom, including the release of six previously unreleased Infocom adventure titles.
  • Gary Bowser, owner of OPA in Toronto, Ontario reports that he has become the authorized repair center for TI-99/4A products in Canada after having obtained the rights to TI Canada's inventory and servicing business there.
  • MICROpendium's November 1991 issue is published with an October 1991 date.
  • Texaments releases several new games for the Geneve 9640 that are ports from the Tomy Tutor. The new games are Cave Explorer, Islander and Car Race, Jungle Terror, Sea Terror, Space Champions, Submarine Revenge, Time Guardian, Traffic Frenzy and Train Twister. (MICROpendium Nov91, p.26).
  • Harrison Software releases Code Breakers and announces the release of an update to their best selling Smart Connect product. The update is being mailed to current owners free.
  • Gary Bowser, dba OPA (Oasis Pensive Abacutors) announces Pop-Cart, a device containing a set of user-selected TI-99 modules/programs all in one cartridge that plugs into the module port. The user selects the cartridges that he wants and it is all burned into one cartridge. (MICROpendium Nov91, p.26)
  • Jerry Coffey announces that Triad, the Wayne Stith authored Terminal Emulator, Text Editor and Disk Manager in one, written specifically for the TI-99/4A, is now available. This is a re-release of a former JP Software product.
  • Beery Miller's 9640 News company begins handling Mike Dodd programs formerly distributed by JP Software.
  • Al Beard of LGMA releases Genbench Shell, a program for the Geneve which shelters the user from MDOS. It is available for $20.
  • Barry A. Traver receives the John Birdwell Memorial Award at the Chicago TI Faire.
  • Beery Miller compleetes the GEME windows product for the Geneve 9640 and receives Myarc's permission to distribute it.
  • Ken Gilland dba Notung Software releases Gilliland's Disk of Horrors, a 3-disk set of programs that cleverly provide a look at the 1930's Horro Pulp World with the aid of 30 TI_Artist pictures and Instances. MSRP is $12 for the package. (MICROpendium Nov91, p.8)
  • Barry Boone releases Star Wars VOC files for use with his Sound F/X program

DEC 1991: Dennis Rebello of Swansea, Massachusetts releases Casino Games v1.5, an update to the popular program Las Vegas games program. The new version is said to include more assembly language routines and other changes designed to make the casino action simulate the real game more closely.

  • KBCC, Keith Bergman Computer Concepts, relocates to 1625 1/2 Roosevelt in Toledo, Ohio 43607-1462.
  • Harrison Software releases an audio tape of the company's MIDI music for those who wish to enjoy the music without having to invest in a MIDI device.
  • Patrick Powell PO Box 496 Ocean Park, ME 04063-0496 releases TIPS Manipulator, an application for categorizing and organizing the images that are available for Ron Wolcott's TI Print Shop program.
  • Bill Gaskill releases Check+ v1.1, an update to Check+ that fixes an error in the Chart of Accts file editor.
  • Barry Boone releases VOC files of the 3 Stooges, Dorothy from Wizard od Oz, Gomer Pyle and David Letterman for his Sound F/X program

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