January 1994 - November 1997 Dear Word Game Player, This is finally version 5.30 of the WORDY package. I programmed the first crude version of the WORDY game some 6 years ago using the old Mix C (tm) compiler. That version worked only with a monochrome monitor, had very limited features, and was buggy. This version is written in Borland C++ (tm) ver. 3.1 and TASM (tm), ver 3.0. None of the specific C++ language features are used with the exception of the double backslash remarks. [As of 08/96, all development work is being done with GCC on the Linux platform, with port to DOS.] WORDY 5.30 will work with either color or monochrome monitors (use the file WORDYM.EXE for mono systems). The word validity checking is enormously improved, using a binary search algorithm to check entered words against a 172,000+ word dictionary that is upwardly compatible with the 3rd edition of the OSPD (tm). This makes WORDY ideal for practicing the word construction and pattern recognition skills used in the Scrabble (tm) game. Note: it is now necessary to acquire the word list from the ENABLE10.ZIP archive, which may be downloaded from http://personal.riverusers.com/~thegrendel/software.html The user interface and the display, although still confined to ANSI graphics, are much improved. The game is easier and more fun to play and most all of the bugs from the first version have been eliminated. ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ|ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ WORDY is no longer just a game. It is now a complete practice system for serious Scrabble (tm) and similar word game competitors. WORDY is very pos- sibly the best tool available for tournament players to hone their "edge" prior to competitive play. Word list generation for study is no longer a lengthy and tedious pencil-and-paper operation. Included in this package is a standalone SEARCH utility that permits the user to check whether any particular word is in the game dictionary. See the SEARCH.DOC file for usage instructions. Also included is an ANAGRAM utility. This permits entering a letter com- bination and finding all valid words contained in it ("wild cards" or "blank tiles" are permitted). An INSET utility lets the user generate word lists with exact in-order letter patterns. Some new inclusions after version 2.6 are an XFIND word pattern matching utility to help crossword puzzle solvers find the missing letters in words they are seeking and an UNSCRAMBLE utility to help solve jumbled-word or "Scramblegram" puzzles such as those found in newspapers and magazines. Also an XTRACT utility to help Scrabble (tm) players generate lists of words with specified letter patterns has been added. Version 2.9 added a utility to reformat the output of the other utilities for ease in hard copy printouts. Version 3.0 was finally "compatible" with the 2nd Edition of the OSPD (tm). Version 3.10 added "wild cards" or "blank tiles" as an option to the ANAGRAM utility, and there was now even a BINGO utility. Version 3.11 had some minor bug fixes and a modification in the BINGO utility. Version 3.12 added "intelligence" to the RF reformat utility. Version 3.13 features a 20% speedup on the utilities (they now execute in under four seconds on a 486DX66). Version 3.15 gives the WORDY game a "new look". Versions 3.60 and up have a corrected master word list and enhanced functionality of some utilities. Version 4.42 updated the master word list to be compatible with the *third* edition of the OSPD (tm), added a new utility, and improves the WORDY game. Version 4.50 added the HPR utility for generating "high probability" word lists. The updated version 5.14 increased the master word list to over 172,000 words and added the HOOKTO utility and the JUDGE program for adjudicating word challenges. Version 5.30 added a multi-word anagram/unscramble utility. The included dictionary is the most authoritative one available from any source. WORDY has grown into a complete word game study system, complete with its own built in word game to practice on. The tournament Scrabble (tm) player will find no better resource to sharpen his/her playing skills with, and in a com- petitive situation that can mean extra money in the pocket. Even neighborhood Scrabble (tm) tournaments often have prizes running up to $100 or more, not a bad windfall for the practiced player. [My stepson and I once "looted" a local tourney in Baltimore, taking home $35 cash, a book and some nice cups.] Newly added to the WORDY system are details of and support for the bold new Scrabble (tm) variant, 1DIF. See the file 1DIF.TXT for a description of the rules and play of 1DIF. 1DIF.EXE is a list generating utility specially made for 1DIFfers. This game is Cheapware. I am asking for a voluntary contribution of a very modest $2. If you don't feel that the results of my many hours of labor merit $2, or if you truly cannot afford it (hard to believe), well, I can't prevent you from using and enjoying the system all the same. If you use WORDY and fail to send me a contribution, I will not put a curse upon you, nor will I even feel particularly bad about it, much less hold a grudge. Feel free to send me suggestions for improvement, criticism, advice, encouragement, brickbats (but no proposals of marriage, please), even if you have not enclosed the MODEST (hint, hint) contribution. A slightly larger $3.50 contribution will get you the next major update sent to you at no extra charge. A huge $5.00 contribution gets you all the source code, compilable in Turbo C and TASM, for you to modify to your heart's content, the next update, and registration and a copy of all my other soft- ware. At some point in the future, I intend to release WORDY as "freeware" under the GPL (General Public License) as defined by the Free Software Foundation. This would mean that WORDY could be freely distributed, copied, and used but that the distributors could not restrict anyone else's distribution and use rights. At this time, I still need to ask for "contributions" from WORDY users. It costs me approximately $1.00 in materials and postage to send out an update to a user, not to mention the 15 minutes of my time. The total cost would come to about $6.00, if I wished to charge that much, which I do not. As is, I am about breaking even - the shareware "fee" / user contrib- utions just about pay for the costs of my programming "hobby". If, in the future, I can afford to subsidize WORDY, I will be happy to do so and will make it totally "free" under the GPL. This is "open architecture" software. In the spirit of the pioneer micro- computer hobbyists of the 1970's, the source code of all the utilities is included for tinkering with and "improving". I ask only that you do not distribute a modified version of any of my code without permission. Let us go back to the Ethic of an earlier time, a more Moral time, when no one made the arrogant assumption that writing a line of code gave the author absolute ownership and mastery of it forever. Does anyone remember a time when PC's were the gateway of liberation and empowerment (Ted Nelson, COMPUTER LIB!), rather than a "productivity tool" and yuppie toy? ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Now for a commercial for myself. If you are at all impressed with the pro- gramming effort, not to mention style poured into this software, and if you know of any career opportunities for an intermediate-level C programmer, please let me know. I have been unhappily slaving at a non-computer related trade for eons and would welcome the chance to career-change to programming or any other computer-related profession (I proudly mention that I have NO professional credentials... I'm self-taught). You would earn my undying gratitude, not to mention a lifetime exemption from paying for this and any previous and future programming efforts of mine. Also, I pledge, once I am able to make a living programming computers, to release WORDY as free soft- ware under the GPL (see above). ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Oh, yes. I formally disclaim responsibility for any damage, direct, indirect, or incidental that the use of the program may cause. The program will not, to the best of my knowledge, cause any harm to the computer it is run on, but it can be addictive to the user, resulting in damage to the person's career and/or relationships. Warning: it is a fun game, but is no substitute for Real Life (this may not hold true for the next version, though). Yours sincerely and thoughtfully, M\Cooper PO Box 237 St. David, AZ 85630-0237 ----------------------------------------------- E-mail: thegrendel@theriver.com Web: http://personal.riverusers.com/~thegrendel/ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ WORDY is dedicated to my wife and lover, Anita, without whose steadfast sup- port and encouragement I would have stumbled and fallen. ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ My stepson, Mike Dumler, deserves much credit for his many helpful suggest- ions and for beta-testing the game. A portion of all contributions received will be set aside for his college education (he is at present a sophomore at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin). ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ Scrabble and the OSPD are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. Turbo C++ and TASM are trademarks of Borland International. Mix C is a trademark of Mix Software. GCC is a product of the Free Software Foundation and is not trademarked. WORDY is not a trademark. The Free Software Foundation releases superior quality "free" software under the General Public License. The address is: 59 Temple Pl., Suite 330, Boston, MA, 02111-1307. It is worth while supporting this alternative to corrupt commercial software "factories". WORDY has not been trademarked, and the name WORDY is therefore placed in the Public Domain. I feel that the entire concept of trademarking a name has an element of the absurd. I wonder if anyone has trademarked ABSURD yet. 1DIF has been (pd)-marked, that is, placed in the Public Domain for free and unrestricted use. Please give the author credit, though. The master word list used in WORDY, WORD.LST, is in the Public Domain for unrestricted use and distribution. It must be acquired from the ENABLE10.ZIP archive, which may be downloaded from: http://personal.riverusers.com/~thegrendel/software.html This list has already been adopted by a number of on-line Scrabble (tm) servers and by Ross Beresford for his excellent TEA word list generating / analysis software (for more info about TEA, see http://www.bryson.demon.