Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!necntc!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!cae780!tektronix!gvgpsa!gvgspd!mrk
From: mrk@gvgspd.UUCP (Michael R. Kesti)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PC software for children
Message-ID: <365@gvgspd.UUCP>
Date: 9 Dec 87 17:08:08 GMT
References: <437@xios.XIOS.UUCP> <9750@shemp.UCLA.EDU> <780@parcvax.Xerox.COM>
Reply-To: mrk@gvgspd.UUCP (Michael R. Kesti)
Distribution: na
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
Lines: 84

In article <780@parcvax.Xerox.COM> burton@parcvax.xerox.com.UUCP (Philip M. Burton) writes:
>My kids are 8 and almost 5.  They have been using my PC for years, to play
>games and just to doodle around with the keyboard and screen.

Mine are about the same age, and they too like to play computer.  They're
just beginning to learn about the value of a text editor.  Sure is fun to
watch them learn and discover new things!

>Although not strictly for kids, my daughter is beginning to discover
>paint programs, and I'll soon have to get one.

Right!  PC Paint (or "the drawing game") is great fun, especially if the
child already enjoys drawing.

>Public domain/shareware software for kids is a vast area, mostly not
>worth the trouble.  Lots of p/d stuff is puerile, violent, or just plain
>boring to kids.  Much of it is also poorly designed, using only the 
>CGA and with built-in timing loops.  (Runs too fast on my AT).

If it runs too fast on my AT&T 6300 (w/V30) I use a thing called slowdown.
It's a TSR that attaches itself to the timer tick interrupt, and executes
a null loop whose duration is proportional to the number supplied on the
command line.  For example, with a thing called Round42, I first execute

	slowdown 12000

from a batch file called r42.bat that then invokes Round42.  Sucessive
invocations accumulate, and remain in effect until the next boot.  To
create, cut out the following script and execute

	symdeb < slowdown.cmd

I imagine that debug would work just as well.

------------------------ cut here for slowdown.cmd -------------------
N SLOWDOWN.COM
A
JMP	0118
DW	0,0
DW	1
PUSHF
CS:
CALL	FAR [0102]
PUSH	CX
CS:
MOV	CX,[0106]
LOOP	0114
POP	CX
IRET
SUB	AX,AX
MOV	SI,005D
MOV	CX,000A
SUB	BH,BH
MOV	BL,[SI]
INC	SI
CMP	BL,20
JZ	0133
MUL	CX
SUB	BL,30
ADD	AX,BX
JMP	0122
ADD	[0106],AX
MOV	AX,3508
INT	21
MOV	[0102],BX
MOV	[0104],ES
MOV	DX,0108
MOV	AX,2508
INT	21
MOV	DX,0118
INT	27

R CX
51
W
Q

------------------------ cut here for slowdown.cmd -------------------

-- 
============================================================================
Michael Kesti  Grass Valley Group, Inc. | "Like one and one don't make two,
P.O. Box 1114  Grass Valley, CA  95945  |  one and one make one."
UUCP:	...!tektronix!gvgpsa!gvgspd!mrk |  - The Who, Love Ain't For Keeping