Possibilities - Letter From Phil 9/90

Contact:   eSoft, Inc. (Makers of TBBS)
           15200 E. Girard Ave., Suite 3000
           Aurora, CO  80014
           (303) 699-6565      Voice
           (303) 699-6872      Fax
           (303) 699-8222      BBS
           support@esoft.com   E-Mail

LETTER FROM PHIL 9/90
---------------------

*** From September 1990 Possibilities Newsletter ***
*** Copyright 1990 by eSoft, Inc.  All Rights Reserved ***

Letter from Phil
by Phil Becker

For me Labor Day marks "the end of summer".  It is a time for reflection on 
how the year has gone so far, so I can make any mid-course corrections to get 
my year to come out as I intended back in January (and some corrections are 
always required). 

This year has been a big one for eSoft, but with the growth come new 
considerations.  As the customer base for TBBS, TDBS, and TIMS widens, I find 
that the software has new needs to fill.  Also, it becomes more important than 
ever for me to make it possible for everyone to learn how to use this software 
more easily.  That was the original reason for starting this newsletter. 

What I hope to do here is to make information on how this software is being 
used to solve real world problems available to all TBBS customers.  Along with 
explaining the benefits of the new products we are developing, I hope to show 
you how to better use the software you already have.  By seeing what others 
are doing, it is my hope that you will see how TBBS and its expansion modules 
can be used to solve the problems you are facing. 

While listening to you, the TBBS customer, I have received one message loud 
and clear.  The most difficult problem you face in using TBBS is getting 
started.  In many ways this is the same as for any major change we face in 
life.  Starting is the moment of commitment, and we can't be wrong until then. 

Many of you ask how the TBBS menus you see -- with pretty colors and 
structures etc. -- are made.  In all cases the answer is that they are made 
using the SDL menu compiler.  This sounds scary, and I'll admit that the 
manual doesn't help a lot when it comes to using SDL.  However, it really is 
very easy.  If you stay with MEDIT and don't learn about SDL then you will be 
very limited in your TBBS menu presentations. 

In response to this I have commissioned a series for this newsletter on using 
SDL.  It will tell you how to get started, and build up step by step until you 
are able to use macros effectively and build exactly the menu structures you 
want.  I expect it to be ready in time for the next issue or at the latest the 
November issue. 

In the meantime let me tell you that SDL is simply a way to build TBBS menus 
with a text editor of your choosing.  It lets you use the block move, cut and 
paste, and other features of your favorite text editor while building menus.  
It also lets you import text you generate in other ways so you can have the 
look you wish for your menus.  In addition its macro capability eases the 
repetitive tasks found in menu building. 

You can easily experiment with SDL. All you have to do to create an SDL source 
file of your current menus is to log into your TBBS menu directory and type 
the following command at the DOS prompt: 

SDLDC menus

This will create an ASCII text file named MENUS.SDL with the source of your 
current menus.  You can then look at it with any text editor to see what SDL 
is all about.  You will find it structurally very similar to MEDIT.  Once you 
have made any changes to the source for new menus, you then rebuild your TBBS 
menus by entering the DOS command: 

SDL menus

This will build all of your MENU????.CTL files from the SDL source file.  Now 
you don't need to use MEDIT again to change or build menus. 

You will immediately find that SDL makes the task of building menu templates 
much easier, even if you don't use any of it's advanced features.  And once 
you are comfortable with SDL you will find that it has many things which make 
life building menus much simpler. 

I also want to hear what you want this newsletter to do for you.  If you think 
it should be providing information it isn't I want to know.  It exists only to 
help you use TBBS better, and your input shapes it. 

- END -
PS0990-1
Rev. 9/90

Copyright (C) 1994 eSoft, Inc., All Rights Reserved.  Permission granted
to distribute this file in its entirety, without modification, to any
interested party.  Any other use requires the written permission of
eSoft, Inc.

IMPORTANT:  The information herein is subject to change without notice.
Please call or write to confirm factual information of importance to you
or your organization.

