WELCOME
                           -------

                True BASIC just may be the last 
          programming language you ever need to learn.


This document contains a first session with the True BASIC 
programming environment.  Due to the Amiga's multitasking 
abilities you can perform all of the actions described within 
this document without closing its text window.  Simply select the 
Front/Back gadget at the top right corner of this window and it 
will be pushed to the back, revealing the window of the True 
BASIC disk.  Select the same Front/Back gadget again and this 
text window will flip back to the front.  Use this proceedure to 
perform the actions described below, returning each time to read 
more of the text.

You are reading this document with the help of AmigaDOS' More utility.
Refer to your AmigaDOS documentation if you are not familiar with its
operation, or press the [h] key for help.  All document files on the
True BASIC product use this AmigaDOS More utility.


1 - Double-click the True BASIC icon (within the window of the 
    True BASIC disk).  Two windows will appear.  The upper window 
    is the editor, where you will enter your BASIC programs.  The 
    lower window is the COMMAND window, where you will enter 
    various operations that you want the programming environment 
    to perform for you, like executing programs and saving files.


2 - Click the mouse anywhere in True BASIC's editor (upper) 
    window.  A cursor will appear in the top left hand corner.


3 - Carefully enter the following program (exactly as it 
    appears):


        SET MODE "LOW16"
     
        FOR I = 1 TO 500
           SET COLOR RND*16  
           BOX AREA RND, RND, RND, RND   
        NEXT I
    
        
        END



4 - Click the mouse on the last line of the COMMAND window.  The 
    cursor will appear after the word OK.  Enter the word RUN and 
    press the RETURN key.  The program will execute causing a 
    series of colored boxes to appear on the screen.  When they 
    stop, click the mouse anywhere on the screen, or press the 
    RETURN key.  You will be returned to the COMMAND window.


5 - Enter the COMMAND: 


      SAVE MYFIRST.TRU


   ... and press RETURN.


6 - Enter the COMMAND:


      BYE


   ... and press RETURN.


7 - Congratulations!  You have successfully entered, executed, 
    and saved your first True BASIC program.  


The above activities are what you will be doing most often when 
you use True BASIC.  Naturally there are many other features of 
the language and its environment that you will want to take 
advantage of, but in principle you will be entering, saving, and 
executing programs.


If you wish to find out if True BASIC will meet your programming 
needs without first commiting yourself to actually learning it, 
refer to the lengthy article in the drawer "Choosing_a_Language".


To learn more about the True BASIC editor, refer to Editor.DOC on 
disk.


To learn more about the True BASIC COMMAND window, refer to the 
COMMAND.DOC on disk.


To learn the fundamentals of computer programming in True BASIC, 
refer your "Student Manual".


To learn how to use the Amiga's disk based fonts from within your 
True BASIC programs, refer to Fonts.DOC.


To learn how to control your printer, as well as the SERIAL and 
PARALLEL ports, refer to PRINTER_PORTS.DOC


If you want get a quick start to using True BASIC as an 
engineering or scientific modeling tool, refer the the drawer 
"Engineering"


To learn about creating LIBRARIES that extend the True BASIC 
language, refer to LIBRARY.DOC.


If you wish to develop professional LIBRARIES or language 
extensions to True BASIC in C or Assembly language, refer to the 
drawer called "C_Subroutines" and "Assy_Subroutines".