These are some programs that I wrote for my own use but which may be useful to others.
In case you are interested, the Windows PDA/Windows Mobile programs were written in Basic4PPC, whilst most of the Windows programs are written using Lazarus/Free Pascal, but due to lock down boredom, two projects became FNX Basic, which look better and are smaller so became preferred. As FNX supports far fewer components etc., I won't be able to convert the other projects.
One useful tip I learnt from implementing these apps is that the Lazarus implementation of the TStringGrid knocks spots off the Delphi version! But there are swings and roundabouts more generally.
If you need to know the rules of my card games then go to Card Games. The site covers pretty much any game you can think of!
To obtain a download, click on a link in the tables below.
| Title | Versn | IDE | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Useful stuff | |||
| PL/0 IDE | V2.1 | L | PL/0 is a very sparse and simple programming language for teaching programming. It was first published by Niklaus Wirth in 1976. As there is still educational interest in the language, it seemed appropriate to provide it with a modern Windows IDE so that students are being taught in an environment with which they are familliar. A major educational innovation of the IDE is a fully annotated at run-time, visual implementation of the PL/0 virtual machine, hence the code execution and stack operation are easily followed and understood. This is done by providing 3 modes of runnimg your programs :- 1) run to completion; 2) run the next virtual instruction; 3) run to the next PL/0 statement. |
| FNX Forms Port | V1.1 | L | A gadget with a simple interface to allow FNX Basic users to design their forms using C++ Builder, Delphi or Lazarus form designers. Having designed a form, the .dfm or .lfm can then be processed by this gadget to produce the equivalent FNX Basic Object declarations. The gadget can also produce an initial program stub referencing the Object declarations and providing stub SUBs for any Event Handlers that have been specified. |
| Train Tickets Prices | V2.1 | L | A comprehensive tool for setting the prices of train tickets on heritage railways. |
| Train Tickets Suite | V2.1 | L | A suite of tools for setting prices, recording sales and till contents and end of day balancing. The main target users are out and back or circular lines or two station lines. Bigger railways can still usefully use the prices setup facility and the till contents. |
| Simple IF | V1.3 | L | A program for the creation of Interactive Fiction (text adventures). It is GUI based and is aimed at beginners and others who find other platforms overly complex. The underlying paradigm is minimalism. See the Simple IF page for more details. |
| Simple IF Runner | V1.6.1 | L | The program used to play games generated by Simple IF. It also conforms to a minimalist style for the benefit of beginners and those who get put off by such as the "hunt the verb" problem of more traditional platforms. See the Simple IF page for more games. |
| Microwave | V1.1 | L | A simple gadget to recalculate microwave cooking times for different power settings. |
| Roman Numbers Calculator | V1.2 | L | A four function calculator, but this one works with Roman Numerals. It even handles Roman style fractions (which are news to many people)! It handles the classical subtractive format of Roman numbers. Usefully, it prevents you from entering incorrectly formatted numbers. Please read the small Help text using the ? button before your first use. |
| Medicine Reminders | V1.11 | L | Tells you when to pop the pills via a simple interface. The basic functionallity is as a daily scheduler. Now with day of week selection for those meds that are not daily. |
| Force Favicon | V1.4 | L | Some html editors are pretty basic and only allow constructs that they understand. One problem I had was forcing the HTML to reference my Favicon (that's the site's icon, for the less geeky of you). So I wrote this gadget to scan all .htm files in a given directory and add the appropriate line of HTML. Naturally, it is the last thing you do after editting and before publishing. |
| Sound Effects Player | V2.0 | L | Something I got bored with was wanting to check out a load of sound files (for game design for example) and constantly having to go through File, then Open, then the file dialog, then having to play it. So this gadget permanently displays a file picker dialog and shows mp3 and/or wav files. Not all mp3s play, but I'm just using a standard encapsulation of Media Player, so there is nothing I can do about that. |
| Base Minus 2 | V1.1.1 | L | A simple demonstrator to prove negative number bases exist and work. See the Base Minus 2 page. V1.0 implemented just addition as proof of concept, V1.1 adds subtraction for completeness as all other arithmetic operations then become possible. V1.1.1, Just made the code more readable and flexible. |
| WinBetting | V2.3 | L | This is a set of 5 (mainly) useful gadgets. A couple are specifically targeted at the dogs. There is a daily balance sheet which can be exported to a spreadsheet via a .csv file, an over round calculator, a race time/distance adjuster, a Dutching calculator and an each way terms reminder. |
| Games | |||
| Tic Tac Toe | V1.0 | L | A human v human visual version of the game. Why? See the Tic Tac Toe page. |
| Nickel Odeon | V1.5 | L | There were some on-line casino games which were, or are rarities. I wanted a fun only implementation of these. The games are Trente-et-Quarante, UK Blackjack (pre-2007 rules) and Pontoon (closer to back street rules than casinos offer!). I also invented (lord help us) Casino 7 Card Brag, a sort of cross between 7 Card and Pai Gow Poker. I found the rules for UK BJ to be not entirely clear on some points, so feed back would be welcome. |
| Nap | V1.7 | L | Nobody else seems to have done it, so here is the traditional English card game of Nap. |
| GAW | V1.3 | L | Games at Work solves what to do when you are bored at work. You want something trivial so you can break off at a moments notice. Casino card games will do that, but the visuals are a bit obvious to the boss. Unless you use GAW which presents the games as geeky looking dialogs such as might be part of your job! The games are UK Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let it Ride, Red Dog and Punto Banco 2000. |
| Autofruit | V1.1 | L | An emulation of a vinatge UK penny arcade game. There are videos of the actual machines and similar in action on Youtube, just serach for Autofruit. There are also plenty of general web references you can search for. (Fairer payouts than the original!) |
| ElecMech | V1.2 | L | A simulation of an early UK style, electro-mechanical fruit machine of the sort to be found in penny arcades and chip shops in the late 60s or early 70s. It has Hold, Nudge Up, Nudge Down features but none of the over complictions of later micro computer driven machines that have turned many away from such machines. To get a display of the reels' layouts you'll need to read the Help because it is not obvious! |
| ElecMech II | V1.2 | L | A simulation of an early UK style, electro-mechanical fruit machine of the sort to be found in penny arcades and chip shops in the late 60s or early 70s, but with an 80s style displayed method of awarding nudges! It has Hold, Nudge Up, Nudge Down features but none of the over complictions of later micro computer driven machines that have turned many away from such machines. To get a display of the reels' layouts you'll need to read the Help because it is not obvious! |
| Gadgets for games and amusements | |||
| Clue Share Generator | V1.7 | L | Generates an HTML/Javascript gadget to make it easy to share your favourite crossword clues and such like. See Cryptic Crosswords |
| Futoshiki Pad | V1.2 | L | A simple app to give an easier way of solving Futoshiki puzzles as found in newspapers and magazines. Once you have copied the puzzle from the paper into the app you can then solve it in the app without all that rubbing out and such that you have to do with a pencil. The most common 5x5 and 7x7 grids are supported. |
| Game Scores | V1.0 | L | A scratchpad for scoring games you play with your friends. It is aimed at games that have rounds of scoring which accumulate points. Handled games can be winner is highest or lowest and may or may not have a target score. If the game has a dealer it will remind you of whose turn it is to be dealer. To get you started there is a short list of settings for popular games, but you are totally free to add, delete or modify the list. You don't even have to keep re-entering the names of the players. |
| Blackjack Switch Calculator | V1.4 | L | BJ Switch is a variant of BJ you find at some on-line casinos. You are allowed to switch a card between the 2 hands you play. But should you? This gadget tells you. |
| Pai Gow Strategy | V1.5 | F | A simple gadget to help you play this popular casino game. It is based on the "Pai Gow Simple Strategy" by the Wizard of Odds |
| Pai Gow Strategy Intermediate | V1.2 | F | A somewhat more comprehensive gadget to help you play this popular casino game. It is based on the "Pai Gow Intermediate Strategy" by the Wizard of Odds |
| Starting Hands | V1.0 | L | A Windows version of the Texas Holde'em Starting Hands Values gadget (see below). |
| Fivewins Analyser | V1.2 | L | Remember those old slot machines that were a sort of vertical bagatelle? Allwins they were called. A common design was called a Fivewin. Ever wondered about what the payout percentage of these machines is? Or how good a player you are? Well sit in front of a Fivewin with this gadget and play away and it will tell you! (What makes you think I've got one!) |
| Win & Place Analyser | V1.2 | L | Similar to the Fivewin Analyser, this one handles Win & Place style Allwins. |
| Elevenses Analyser | V1.1 | L | Similar to the Fivewin Analyser, this one handles Elevenses Allwins. |
| Title | Versn | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Useful stuff | ||
| Medicine Reminders | V1.8 |
Are you like me and have to take lots of pills etc? Well here
is an easy way of remembering when to take them. It handles daily repeated doses. Note: It hasn't proved possible to get some devices to wake up from standby. I've tried. Any tips welcome. |
| Microwave | V1.0 | A port of the Windows gadget for microwave timings for differing powers. |
| Betting | V1.9 | This is a set of 6 (mainly) useful gadgets. A couple are specifically targeted at the dogs. There is a daily balance sheet which can be exported to a spreadsheet via a .csv file, an over round calculator, a race time/dostance adjuster, a Dutching calculator, an each way terms reminder and an average SP calculator. |
| Games | ||
| Elevens | V1.0 |
Yes, the kiddies solitaire. Why? Because I got bored with the
fiddly little cards in other solitaires! If anyone has ideas
for other games which can use cards this size then please get
in touch. |
| Thirteens | V1.3 |
Another big cards solitaire, but trickier! Also known as Five
Piles and Baroness. Includes known variations that make it a)
playable; b) more of an intellectual challenge! |
| Red Dog | V1.3 |
A just for fun cards gambling game not often available on
mobiles. |
| Punto 2000 | V1.0 |
Also known as Super 6, this is a variety of MiniBaccarat/Punto
Banco that is not often found online |
| Gadgets for games | ||
| Starting Hands | V1.0 | Texas Hold'em : So you know that AA has an 85.3% chance of winning? But did you know that first to speak on a 10 player table it is only 31.1%? No? Then you need this handy gadget! |
| Pai Gow Strategy | V1.0 | This is the same as the Windows version of the Simple Pai Gow Strategy app but with the user interface totally reworked for the small screen. |