read -- admittedly after a little tuition, which is what this guide is all
about -- by humans.
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: IBM PC
+ pair: NotePad; text editor
+
How do you create that source file? Using a third software program: an
:term:`editor`. However, unlike the compiler and interpreter, this program
isn't dedicated to the Inform system -- or even to IF. An editor is an
because it's a binary file not meaningful to human eyes, neatly
discourages players from cheating).
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: IF Archive
+
All of those, apart from the editor, can be downloaded for free from the IF
Archive. One approach is to fetch them individually, following the
guidance on Graham's page: visit http://www.inform-fiction.org/ and look
.. rubric:: Getting a better editor
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ pair: NotePad; text editor
+
Although NotePad is adequate when you're getting started, you'll find life
much easier if you obtain a more powerful editor program. We recommend
TextPad, available as shareware from http://www.textpad.com/; in addition,
.. rubric:: Setting file associations
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: Infocom
+
The business of first starting the interpreter, and then locating the story
file that you want to play, is clumsy and inconvenient. Fortunately, when
the system first "sees" the Zoom interpreter (which is a nice Aqua
.. rubric:: More about the interpreter
+.. Generated by autoindex
+.. index::
+ single: Infocom
+
One of the big advantages of the way Inform works is that a compiled game
-- the Z-code story file -- is portable between different computers.
That's not just from one PC to another: exactly the same story file will