Texas Instruments TI-99/4A - Software Acquisition and Costs

SOURCES OF SOFTWARE
Don't overlook the various sources of software
for your computer. Dealers that carry the Texas
Instruments line are a primary source of soft
ware, but other sources exist as well. Indepen
dent companies produce software for your
computer in the fields of entertainment, educa
tion, home, and business. Many of the indepen
dent software makers advertise in computer
magazines. Users' groups should also be consid
ered as a valuable source of software. Users'
groups are groups of people who share a par
ticular interest in computers. Many cities have
one or more TI-99/4A users' groups that meet
on a regular basis to share ideas, solve problems,
and offer suggestions. Users' groups also often
exchange software written by members of the
group. (For more information concerning users'
groups, see Chapter 6, "Your Computer's Net
work.")
If you prefer to create your own programs,
books are available with sample programs for
the TI-99/4A. These programs may be typed into
the computerand saved on cassette tape or
floppy disk. Should you decide to use this source
of software, make sure that the book that you
purchase is written specifically for the Texas
Instruments TI-99/4A. There are a number of
books on the market that contain BASIC pro
grams written to run on most computers. But
each computer's version of the BASIC pro
gramming language has subtle differences.
These differences can cause incorrect operation
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