we also realize that you're less inclined to type in those programs". As the cost of cassette tapes and floppy disks declined, and as the sophistication of commercial programs and the technical capabilities of the computers they ran on steadily increased, the importance of the type-in declined. In Europe, magazine covermount disks became common, and type-ins became virtually non-existent. Validation software To prevent errors when typing in listings, most publications provided short programs to verify that code was entered correctly. These were specific to a magazine or family of magazines, and different validation programs were usually used for BASIC source and binary data. Compute! and Compute!'s Gazette printed a short listing in each issue for The Automatic Proofreader to check BASIC programs, while ANALOG Computing used D:CHECK (for disk) and C:CHECK (for cassette tape). For binary listings, Compute! offered MLX, which was an interactive program for entering data. ANALOG Computing presented machine code programs as BASIC DATA statements, then prepended a short program to compute checksums. Running the program output a list of values to be checked against those printed in the magazine. Upon successful validation, the program was saved as a binary file and the BASIC code no longer needed. The MIKBUG machine code monitor for the Motorola 6800 of the late 1970s incorporated a checksum into its hexadecimal program listings. See also Cauzin Softstrip Notes References External links Full text of classic type in program books Classic Computer Magazine Archive THE TYPE FANTASTIC (TTFn): The Sinclair magazine type-in programs archive – By Jim Grimwood; original archive by Michael Bruhn List of Commodore 64 Type-In Games Books First encounter: COMPUTE! magazine and its glorious, tedious type-in code - by Nate Anderson; Ars Technica Home computer software Type-in program History of software