Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 06:15:50 -0400
From: GFA <GFASOFT@compuserve.com>
Subject: GFA-BASIC Atari
Sender: GFA <GFASOFT@compuserve.com>
To: Lonny Pursell <atari@bright.net>
Message-ID: <199808250616_MC2-5749-5EF1@compuserve.com>
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Dear Mr. Pursell,

Thank you for your request.

We, the firm GFA Systemtechnik GmbH, stopped the development of the
GFA-BASIC for the Atari in 1991.  (Since 1990 we are developing
GFA-BASIC on the PC under MS-DOS and Windows, actual one for Windows
95/98/NT).  The statement is: GFA-BASIC 3.5 for the Atari ST and Mega
ST, the verion 3.6 for the Atari Mega STE and Atari TT, both are
avialbale.  To order an upgrade, we need your serial number and the
version number of your registrated GFA-BASIC Atari version.

Upgrade prices:
                3.0     ->      3.5     DM 30
                3.0     ->      3.6     DM 50
                3.5     ->      3.6     DM 40
plus postage: in Europe DM 20,  world wide DM 30.

In 1993 a firm, named Richter Distributor, tried to developed a
version 4.0 since the following 2 and a half year, based on the
sourcecode of the GFA-BASIC for Atari.  They start with four
programmers and after they couldn't work with our assembler code (not
enough documented inside), they transfered it all to C.  but at last
they get a very slow language, not useful or sellabel.  Then they
tried to optimized all nesessary back into assembler (with help from
many developers), but at last, they stopped all.

The only useful thing I saw was a new editor, nice and usefull, but
never offered.

The only good thing, a sample of patches was created meanwhile and
this are offered in special Atari areas, like the maus.net, free for
download.

The problem for a further development is still the missing of
documentation inside the sourcecode and it will take a very exellent
assembler programmer, to work with.

Also, since today, we are not allowed to give the sourcecode free,
because many special know how was implemented, which will be like a
key of GFA-BASIC.  And by given it free, all, who want, are be able to
get place in concurrent with us.


Regards

Dieter Schmitz
(Support)
Germany

.