About TCB

What is TCB?

TCB is a computer program that runs human-readable specifications that can be stored as text files or as data in a secure database. These specification files are TCB programs. A TCB program consists of object specifications, switches, flags, and command-strings. A TCB program must have at least 2 object specification lines one of which must be a window specification line or winspec= line.
Example: winspec=grafics\midnight2.jpg,white,turquoise,Tahoma, 1,-1,2080,1000,1000,2080,grafics\TCBlogo.ico

At least one line must be another object specification other than winspec=.

Example: butnspec=quit=|,Exit program,Quit,green,MS Sans Serif,10,-1,     255,100,100,915,quit=|,1

See the document TCBPrcs.htm for information about TCB specifications. See the document TCBfunctions.htm for information about TCB functions and command-strings.

Create your first program Here

Who is it For?

Anyone who has a need to create most common business or personal computer solutions or programs will find TCB useful. TCB docs stress that what is needed to create an application with TCB is someone who has expert knowledge about the application or business, and someone who is or can become familiar with navigating a computer system and is or can become familiar with using TCB.

Experienced programmers, systems analysts and other software solution providers or solution architects are probably the persons who can be most productive with TCB.

What is the Competition?

We claim that a TCB runtime is the most powerful computer program ever developed. Every program that I am aware of was written for a specific purpose. TCB was not. It can do virtually anything the TCB user wants. TCB is a new technology. Only two other companies ever seem to have seriously tried to create programs without coding.The document computer program referenced above also has a Competition section with a brief description of them.

What is it For?

Below is a graphic showing an XP screen with several open windows in it.
                                      click to enlarge

All of the open windows are individual TCB programs running. At the top of the screen is a top-mounted, stay-on-top task bar and beneath it are the windows of 3 other TCB programs. To use this system just click buttons and see what happens.

TCB is for most anything you can think of wanting to do with a computer. So maybe you want your address book to be able to dial a phone number or compose and send an email. Maybe you want to create some custom task bars, track your medications, track current files and folders. Whatever!!

Getting Started

Using TCB is simplicity itself. TCB distributions can be completely contained in a single folder. TCB is very portable and installation is simply the act of copying a TCB folder from the distribution media to a drive. The user then navigates to the folder and executes tcb.exe or xmenu.exe. For more information about the distribution this doc is part of check About This.

System Integrity

TCB accesses databases through SQLite with a command-line executable library that is completely standalone. The TCB runtime has no database code in it whatsoever. The database and the program code are completely separate from one another.

This means that the database is never really opened in TCB at all! Even a power interruption will not cause data corruption using this method of data access.

More Information

Along with the TCB run-times is a set of additional files and folders. Information about executables and other files in this distribution can be found here.

The best way to understand TCB and what it can do is to just start pressing buttons. Some buttons are obvious, many others look like graphics. Some are even invisible! Even a label object can be a button. The documentation for TCB is still a work in progress. The documents TCBfunctions.htm and TCBPrc.htm contain information critical to using TCB. A TCB process specification must contain a window specification and at least one object specification. The previously mentioned documents provide information about process specifications and the functions that can be used with the objects in the process.

Except for the development processes, most of the TCB programs included were not developed as part of anything in particular. They were developed to test the functioning of TCB and provide useful applications for myself. Except for cross-industry software such as a word processor, all of the software I now use to manage my personal data is with TCB. And that has been for about 4 years now and no problems and lots of satisfaction.


























Copyright © 1982-2016 Phoenix Information Systems/TM all rights reserved
Contact: Fred Pierce, makpiya@aol.com, makpiya@gmail.com, 831.240.9969


























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Create your first program

As we know from above, a TCB program requires at least 2 object specification lines. But first we need something to work from.

First, open a blank document in notepad [Windows key + r then enter 'notepad' and click OK]. We need a winspec= specification (spec) so copy the line below to the notepad document and press Enter.

 winspec=grafics\midnight2.jpg,white,turquoise,Tahoma, 1,-1,2080,1000,1000,2080,grafics\TCBlogo.ico

We need at least one other object specification other than winspec= spec so copy the line below to the notepad document and press Enter.

butnspec=quit=|,Exit program,Quit,green,MS Sans Serif,10,-1,     255,100,100,915,quit=|,1

Now save the document as test.mnu. That is it! You have just created a TCB program. To prove it the file 'test.mnu' should now exist in the TCB root folder. Using Windows Explorer, find the file test.mnu and drag and drop it on either xmenu.exe or TCB.exe. Alternately you could execute the command string, "xmenu.exe test.mnu," from the TCB folder.


























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TCB Avatar

An Avatar is a bootable flash drive, USB drive, CD or external hard drive containing TCB integrated with a complement of 2 - 4 gigabytes of the best OpenSource PortableApps software. It includes OpenOffice office suite, FireFox web browser, Thunderbird emailer, GIMP graphics, and from 100 to over 300 other music studios, video editors, graphics editors, media players and more.

An Avatar doesn't even need a hard drive installed in a system. Everything needed to access and run all your programs and data is "in the box." The target system only needs to be able to boot from an external drive and have a monitor, mouse and keyboard. Alternatively, copy two folders from the Avatar to a hard drive and the entire system will run from your hard drive with no changes.

Todays Avatars are free. Pay postage and handling, and the cost of the Avatar device ($12 - $$$) itself. Send us a device or we will purchase for you.


























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Competition

First, TCB is a new technology. Only two other companies ever seem to have seriously tried to create programs without coding. One is Microsoft with its Project Siena. It only runs on Win8 tablets. It was introduced in the last quarter of 2013. However, Siena is more of an idea than something that can create an information system or a really serious business accounting application.

The other is something called PWCT or Programming Without Coding Technology. The Technology part is just another complex programming language! It does create scripts that average 29k in size vs 7k for a TCB app. It has to be installed. The installer is 55mb. TCB's ZIP file is 3.4mb. PWCT uses 396mb installed. TCB resides in 7mb and doesn't have to be installed.

The minimum level of knowledge to use PWCT is at least a batchelor's degree in computer science!