FUNLIB

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FUNLIB was a games application package for IBM minicomputers of the 1970s and 1980s, specifically, the IBM System/34 and the IBM System/36. This application contained "ASCII art" (although technically the coding system was EBCDIC) as well as demonstration programs, card games, "space" games, other games, biorhythm charts, calendars, and poster-making tools.

FUNLIB followed the convention of shareware programming in that every S/3X shop seemed to have it, but it was not consistently updated. Some shops clearly had older "versions," and some had clearly integrated their own materials, which may or may not have been fun.

Programs in FUNLIB included:

 Grand Prix auto racing
 Horse racing
 STAR TREK (from the 101 Basic Games book)
 Star Trek-Romulans
 Lunar Lander (again, 101 Basic Games)
 Coffee (guessing a number,hi/lo)
 Backgammon
 Craps
 Jigsaw Puzzle
 Word Scramble
 Battleship
 Sector Search (subs)
 Mastermind (numbers)
 Mastermind (numbers and colors)
 Tic-Tac-Toe
 Computer Psychiatrist
 Football
 Golf
 Dial-A-Sentence
 Hangman
 LIFE (again, 101 Basic Games)
 Simon Says
 Othello
 Hamurabi
 Bomb (5-4-3-2-1 countdown then BOOM display)
 Concentration *
 Yahtzee *
 Math quiz *
 Word Find *

Demonstration programs you could run included:

 STDEMO (Status Demonstration; display active programs)
 Demonstration program showing the "System/34" ship sounding horn
 Current time display (LCD)
 Current time display (5250)
 Rule of 78 Amortization
 Calculator
 Unit Conversion (English-Metric)
 Honey (rated R)
 See The LDA (Local Data Area)
 Fake Sign-On
 Random Number/Character Generation *
 Bulletin Board *
 Chat Room *
 Trivia Game *
 Bar Graph Generator *

Reports you could print included:

 Print A Maze
 Print A One-Page Calendar
 Print A Monthly Calendar
 Print A Biorhythm Chart


FUNLIB was distributed on two 2-D 8" diskettes, which included a 500-block library and a fileset labelled TONUF which contained pictures.

There were a lot of pictures included with FUNLIB (sometimes these were distributed in a second diskette set called PICTURES.)

Posters you could print included:

 Love Is
 Mona Lisa
 Albert Einstein
 Martin Luther King
 Playboy Bunny Logo
 Playboy Bunny "Pinups" - Bunny, Bridget, Carol
 Edith (R-rated)
 Star Trek's Mr. Spock (hi-res)
 John Dean, Erlichman, and Halderman (hi-res)
 Santa Claus and Reindeer
 Christmas Train
 Abraham Lincoln
 Roadrunner
 Batman
 Peace Sign
 Peanuts Gang
 Snoopy "Curse You Red Baron!"
 Snoopy "Hang On Snoopy"
 Snoopy "Hug A Warm Puppy"
 Snoopy Christmas
 Merry Christmas (festive)
 Christmas Bells
 I "Heart" You
 Noel

With FUNLIB, you could print a fill-in sign or poster that printed your short message in ASCII-art style letters.

 Small (5x5, 5x7) Letter Fill-In Sign (1-page)
 Medium (9x9, 10x10) Letter Fill-In Sign (1-page)*
 Large (9x14) Letter Fill-In Poster (1 or 2 pages)
 Banner (20x75) (up to 120 characters - 3 characters per page)


  • - these programs or materials came later, specifically 1987-1996