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This episode features Scriptor originally released in 1983, and SpeedScript 3 released in 1985, both by Compute! Publishing.  Both were written by Charles Brannon.

 

Magazine and Supplement Scans

Scan of the front of the Compute! magazine featuring Scriptor (April 1983):

 

Scan of the cover of the Compute! magazine featuring SpeedScript 3 (May 1985):

 

Sample MLX listing from one page of the SpeedScript source:

 

Scriptor in Action

When running the program it loads the machine language parts of itself into memory in 2 phases.  Each phase the background color changes.  Text colors constantly rotate.  The third phase has a blank screen, during which it deletes the lines of code that contained all the machine language code:

 

Editor interface, loaded with Atari DOS 2.  Note free memory:

 

Editor interface, loaded with SpartaDOS.  Note free memory:

 

Error when it isn’t typed in correctly:

 

Editing

Main editing window demonstrating the basic formatting commands:

 

Define

This allows establishing lines to be block copied or deleted, note gutter on the delete and duplicate operations:

 

Help

Early in program help:

 

Printing

Invoking print raises a menu, for (C)ontinuous or (F)ast.  Fast turns off Antic, though the screen remains blue.

 

Printing with Continuous option:

 

Printing with Fast option:

 

Save / Recall

You must first choose to Save or Recall (load).  Recall will load the document at the cursor location in the current document:

 

Enter the filename and optional extension.  It only supports D: (drive 1):

 

While saving, not command bar color change:

 

Error while saving:

 

Mini DOS

Menu:

 

Directory, only D: is supported:

 

Lock file, only D: is supported:

 

Unlock file, only D: supported:

 

Rename:

 

Scratch (delete) file, as with the others, only D: is supported:

 

SpeedScript 3 in Action

No splash screens, straight into the program and job of editing:

 

Don’t like the colors, change them:

 

Edit

Editing, in insert mode.  Note title bar color change:

 

Find

Enter the search term:

 

Cursor is moved to the first letter of the search term:

 

To replace, enter new text:

 

Text is replaced and cursor is moved to first position after:

 

Free memory:

 

Save

Specify the filename to save:

 

Status is displayed in command bar after save:

 

Load

Enter the filename to load:

 

File is loaded and status is displayed in command bar:

 

Print

Choosing to print to the printer (P:), or enter a filename:

 

 

Killing some trees:

Mini DOS

Full suite of typical file management related DOS commands is available:

 

Example of Rename:

 

Printing

Sample document from SpeedScript:

https://inverseatascii.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/s3e01-prt-sc-sample.pdf

Instructions

Scripture cheat sheet:

 

SpeedScript 3 cheat sheet:

 

Show Links:

• Compute! April 1983: https://archive.org/details/1983-04-compute-magazine
• Compute! May 1985: https://archive.org/details/1985-05-compute-magazine
• SpeedScript Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpeedScript
• Compute! Publishing Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compute!
• Tom Halfhill web site: http://www.halfhill.com
• Antic Podcast Tom Halfhill interview: http://ataripodcast.libsyn.com/antic-interview-207-tom-halfhill-compute-magazine
• VCF (Vintage Computer Festival): http://www.vcfe.ch

 

Scriptor rating:

 

 

SpeedScript 3 rating:

 

Intro music is an excerpt from a chip tune by Wizwars named 8 Bit Raceway.  It is used under Creative Common license Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States.