HP-41 ADVANCED PROGRAMMING TIPS


                   
Authors: Alan McCornack and Keith Jarett.

Publisher: Synthetix. ISBN 0-9612174-6-4

Price: $20.95.

INTRODUCTION

    This is a book which covers a wide range of topics and importantly the
first to give applications for the CCD and ZENROM modules.  Applications for
the PPC ROM are also included along with some M-Code.

CONTENTS

    Chapter 1:

    The first chapter goes through the basics of the 41, covering material
    necessary before embarking on synthetic and M-Code programming.

    Chapter 2 and 3: 

    Chapter 2 covers structured programming and provides an example based on
    triangle solutions.  It is well done but I found it out of place in this
    book as there is so much material on this topic that I question its value.  
    Chapter 3 is a very useful summary of methods of optimizing programs and
    covers byte and execution time reduction.  By the end of this chapter you 
    are approximately a third of the way through the book.
    
    Chapter 4:
    
    At last, advanced synthetic programming.  A wide range of techniques are
    presented with variations on old techniques and some recent developments.
    The parts that I liked very much were a very good description of the END
    and .END. bytes and how to privatise them (These bytes are in the public
    sector!)  Catalog 1 recovery is described very well indeed and may save a
    lot of us from much anguish.

    Chapter 5:

    This section supplements the ZENROM manual and includes a number of M-Code
    routines.  The applications are well written but I would like to have seen
    a more comprehensive section on pre-compiling.
    
    Chapter 6:
    
    A wide range of ZENROM versions of the programs from Synthetic Programming
    Made Easy and Extended Function Made Easy are included.  The possession of
    these books are not a pre-requisite.  Versions of some PPC ROM routines
    using the  ZENROM are also included.

    Remainder:

    An appendix covers crash recovery with an interesting use of an AM radio to 
    monitor the 41 for its health.  Some analysis of earlier synthetic programs 
    is made which is useful for some of the more complex techniques.  Barcode
    is supplied produced using Ken Emery's new Bar Code ROM on to a laser
    printer.  Finally four comprehensive indexes complete the book.

CONCLUSION

    At this stage of the 41's life if I had been writing a book on advanced
programming I would have looked at areas that have been neglected and they are,
HPIL, PANAME and ZENROM modules.  This book has tackled one of these and 
included a great deal of previously published material.  The book has strong
points and for a newcomer to the 41 and ZENROM without previous references to
hand this should be useful buy.

John Bruce
164N