Xchange

Xchange was a total business solution package, written by Psion and combining their four existing packages, Quill, Archive, Easel and Abacus.

As well as improving the ability to run multiple instances of each program and being easily able to switch between them from a simple front end menu, Xchange offered its own TCL programming language which allowed you to write macros which could be run entering commands and data into the various programs.

Xchange was initially released for the DOS based IBM PC, Graduate, Apricot and Sirius computers, as well as the Sinclair QL based ICL One Per Desk and Merlin Tonto computers. It was then also re-packaged for release with the THOR XVI Sinclair QL compatible.

The THOR XVI version of Xchange was then adapted to run on standard QL home computers with a minimum of 640K memory.

There is also a faster version of Xchange, called "Turbo-XChange", which was produced and patched by Martin Berndt (very early after the Thor launch of the program) for personal use with a modified screen driver and other modifications, so that this program runs faster but just on a QL with at least 640k memory. Martin also produced an mdv-based version of Turbo-XChange, using two mdvs and a loader program, which combines the two parts in memory, then executes Turbo-XChange.

Due to a change in the Thor 'watermark' test in this program, although Turbo-Xchange would run on standard QLs, it would no longer run on a Thor XVI.

Title: Xchange
Language: C (for non-QL machines) and 68000 Machine Code (QL based machines)
Author: Unknown
Publisher: Psion
Year of Publication: 1984
Platforms Suitable for: All Sinclair QLs and emulators with 640K RAM
Commercial Status: Public Domain
Price in October 1984: Unknown
Reviewed: Unknown
Sources Available from: n/a
Latest Version available from: Sinclair QL Homepage