Archive Magazine CD 1995/Archive Magazine CD 1995.iso/text/magazine/volume_08/issue_01

Text File | 1995-06-25 | 278.2 KB | 6,112 lines

Making Archive (and NCS) better
8.1
We have lots of good articles again. Many thanks to all our keen
contributors. Also, the response to the questionnaire has been wonderful
again − lots of good ideas for making Archive (and NCS) better. I have
only managed to work my way through the first few hundred responses but,
from them, I have written up five pages of ideas, comments, questions,
challenges, etc (see page 51). We have even implemented some of the
suggestions in this issue of Archive!
8.1
Re-vamped Price List
8.1
We have also revamped the Price List which has just grown and grown,
over the years. We hope you find it easier now to find the items you
need. If you can think of ways of making that better, please let us
know.
8.1
Archive BBS on line
8.1
Thanks to some hard work by Andrew Garrard during his summer vacation,
the Archive BBS is back on line. For more details, see the article on
page 24. Why not give the BBS a ring on 0603-766585?
8.1
Archive/NCS Open Day postponed
8.1
Unfortunately, we found that the date of our Open Day (12th November)
clashed with three other events around the country. This meant that
about half the exhibitors that came to our last Open Day would not be
able to come. So we decided to postpone it and try to find a better date
in the new year.
8.1
Risc PC supplies?
8.1
How are the supplies of Risc PCs going? Not too well, I’m afraid. We
still haven’t supplied all the ACB45s that were ordered in the first
month after launch. Come on, Acorn − this is getting silly!!! We have
ACB25s in stock and can probably get ACB15s but the top end machines are
like the proverbial hen’s teeth.
8.1
What about the PC cards?
8.1
We are waiting with eager anticipation to see whether the latest
iteration of the ASIC chip for the PC second processor card is going to
work properly. If it does, there will be some to sell at Acorn World 94
but if not, there will be some very disgruntled Risc PC owners.
8.1
Cold Turkey
8.1
I’ve done it! I’ve gone cold turkey! I haven’t time to report on my
findings but will do so next month. Done what? Oh, sorry, changed to
Publisher − This is the first issue of Archive to be produced on
Publisher.
8.1
More and more people were sending me Style and Publisher files and I was
getting fed up loading Publisher, scraping out the text, saving it and
loading it back into Impression 2.19. I knew that once I made the move
there was no going back because of the lack of backwards file
compatibility. The difference in key short-cuts − which are so important
to someone spending all day, every day, using a package − is driving me
slightly bonkers. If I hit <ctrl-A> one more time and have to re-paste
all the text in a story, I’ll scream!
8.1
And finally...
8.1
As most of you will have gathered by now, I really enjoy producing
Archive month by month. The feedback we get from yourselves is so
satisfying. OK, the questionnaires contained some brickbats. There were
bits of Archive that you would rather be without but when you get more
than a few comments like, “It’s the best of all the Acorn magazines. I
pounce on it and devour it as soon as it drops through the door.” I
begin to think that maybe we’ve got some things right!
8.1
Happy reading!
8.1
Products Available
8.1
•  200Mb Syquest removables − Syquest have released a new 200Mb 5¼“
removable hard disc. The new drive can read and write the old 44Mb and
88Mb format cartridges as well as its own 200Mb format, and offers a
speed and size advantage over the older drive types while maintaining
backward compatibility. The drive comes with one free cartridge and, as
with all removable drives, it has an effectively infinite storage
capacity by simply replacing the cartridge. The external SCSI version
which can be used on any Acorn machine with a SCSI interface costs £570
through Archive, the internal version (which is only really of interest
to Risc PC owners) is £490. Each comes with one cartridge and extra
cartridges cost £90 through Archive.
8.1
•  Acorn Enthusiasts’ Scheme − We stated in Archive last month that
Acorn were going to allow “Enthusiasts”, who are not actually ordering a
Risc PC to register as such. However, they have decided that this scheme
will be launched properly at Acorn World 94.
8.1
• Alpha Tracks − Silicon Vision have released a new Electronics Teaching
Course based on the ArcPCB design software, combined with the Unilab/
Testbed Alpha System modules. Designed by teachers, the system allows
students to explore electronics prototyping and computer aided design of
the PCB on any RISC OS machine. The design can be output to Artwork for
PCB production or directly onto copper clad boards with a plotter using
spirit-based pens for direct etching in Ferric Chloride solution. The
course has been designed for use with students or teacher training from
Key Stage 3 (age 13+), and includes notes and assignment sheets intended
to minimise teacher participation. The price is £75 +VAT from Silicon
Vision.
8.1
•  Archiboard − Supreme Software have officially launched Archiboard, a
‘network Email and conferencing system’. The system has been developed
over the last four years and is aimed at educational users. By means of
client software (provided), users can log on to the central server, and
there leave mail messages for each other, contribute to conferences and
use the server as a means of transferring files. The system is quick to
set up in its default state, and is highly configurable by means of text
files and a script language − plug-in modules can be used to add to
functionality. Working across Ethernet and Econet (without the need of a
file server), Archiboard also provides for connection to FidoNet™ and
Internet to extend Email facilities world wide. The Network version of
Archiboard is available from Supreme Software fo £89 (£79 to educational
establishments) + £2 U.K. postage. Supreme Software Ltd. can be
contacted at [phone].
8.1
•  ArcPCB range expands − Silicon Vision have expanded their range of
electronic design automation tools. ArcPCB version 1.9, for digital PCB
layout, is now priced at £99.95. ArcPCB professional version 3.3 at £195
is aimed at both analogue and video PCB layout. ArcPCB Schematics
version 5.2, at £275, is for combined Schematic and PCB layout.
PowerRouter v1.6 at £59.95 provides full 100% rip-up retry routing.
GerberPLOT v2.1 for Photoplotting and ExcellonDRILL v2.1 for NC
drilling, both at £39.95, are also available from Silicon Vision. All
these prices exclude VAT.
8.1
•  “Autumn windfall on A3020s” − Acorn are doing a special promotion on
A3020s during September and October. For every A3020 that schools buy
from Authorised Education Dealers, Acorn will give the school (or
college) a £50 cash-back. Buy the computer(s), fill in the form(s), send
them to Acorn before 30th November and, within 28 days, Acorn will send
you your £50 cash-back(s).
8.1
•  CD-Net − Cumana have taken over the CD-Net software from PEP
Associates, reviewed in the June issue of Archive. The system provides
fast access to a number of CDs across an AUN or SJ Nexus network, using
a two-stage cache (utilising both RAM and hard disc) to allow multiple
users access to a number of CD-ROMs, often faster than if the drive were
local to the machine. CD-Net is now priced at £150 +VAT & delivery from
Cumana.
8.1
•  CD-ROM networking − To complement their CD-Net software, Cumana have
launched a tower of six Panasonic SCSI CD-drives. Multi-session, double
speed and PhotoCD compatible, the tower is priced at £1499 +VAT. Cumana
feels that single drive units with automatic disc changing are not
suitable for large network use where several users may wish to access
different CD-ROMs, and this tower is their solution.
8.1
•  CD-ROMs − From our survey of “who is selling what for RISC OS
computers?”, the following CD-ROM titles have come to light: “Art in the
National Curriculum (KS 1 & 2)” (AVP) − resources related to topics and
artists in the N.C., aimed to contain a number of images not readily
available in the home or classroom environment. “The Horizon Report”
(Hampshire Microtechnology Centre) − resources from the combined efforts
of over forty Hampshire schools and colleges investigating the uses of
multimedia for sharing and presenting information, covering topics such
as ‘IT in the high street’, ‘Rainforests’ and ‘Hitler’. With the
“Karaoke Macbeth” (Animated Pixels Publishing Ltd − available from
Cumana) you can choose your favourite part or parts from the Scottish
play and read them yourself or with your friends, with the other parts
read for you; other plays will follow. “Kingfisher Children’s
Micropedia” (ESM) − reference resource for Primary children, containing
1,300 entries accessed alphabetically or by topic, and the package comes
with curriculum activity ideas. “Land and Air: Environmental Series”
(Interactive Learning Productions and Academy Television) − an analysis
of environmental issues using data from governmental sources.
“Picturebase − Victorian Britain” (AVP) − materials relating to
Victorian times and their relation to the present day. “Semerc Treasure
Chest” (NW Semerc) − huge library of resources for key stages 1, 2 and
3. “Oxford Reading Tree” and “Sherston Naughty Stories” (Sherston) −
both popular RISC OS talking books are available on CD-ROM. “Woodland
Birds” (APA Multimedia Ltd) is a subset of the Woodland CD, and contains
details of approx. 50 birds and their calls.
8.1
•  Colour printing bonanza − For those who want high quality colour
printing, there are two new ink jet printers on the market. Integrex,
who have provided colour printers to the Acorn market for years, have
released the Colourjet 600, capable of 300×600dpi and of emulating the
HP Deskjet 500C. The printer comes with suitable RISC OS 3.1 printer
drivers and costs £239 +VAT from Integrex. The second new printer is an
offering by Epson − the new Stylus Color (sic). This printer is capable
of 720×720dpi on suitable coated paper, offering a substantially
improved picture when compared to most ink-jet printers which have only
half the resolution. It can also produce 360dpi on normal paper.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing there is no RISC OS printer driver
for it which can produce more than 360dpi, although one is being worked
on. The Stylus Color has an r.r.p. of £639 +VAT and is available through
Archive for £590 inclusive.
8.1
•  DiskCat update − Oregan Developments have released a new version of
their automated disc cataloguing system. The new version has many
enhanced features and is compatible with the Risc PC. The package is now
£19.95 inc VAT from Oregan. Existing users can upgrade for £5 with the
return of their original discs to Oregan.
8.1
•  Duplex − Mijas Software have produced a shareware application
designed to enable full duplex printing of a wide range of DTP documents
on a Hewlett Packard (or equivalent PCL emulation) Laserjet printer that
has a full duplex option. The program is on the monthly program disc but
for a registered copy plus manual, send £10 (cheque or PO) to Mijas
Software.
8.1
•  Earth Warp − This is a program from Longman Logotron based on the
BBC’s Look and Read, Earth Warp series for 7-9 year olds. It costs £24
(+VAT +p&p) from Longman Logotron or £27 through Archive.
8.1
•  EPROM programming and emulation − Octopus Systems of Ipswich have
launched new control software to enable the Dataman Softy S3 and S4
EPROM programmers to be controlled from the RISC OS desktop via the
serial port. Files can be programmed into an EPROM or the system can be
used as an emulator with a flying header plugged into an EPROM socket.
This aids software development as it enables new software to be
downloaded and used immediately, without programming a new EPROM every
time. The control software and lead costs £39 +VAT from Octopus Systems
who also offer a fast EPROM programming service from Acorn format discs.
8.1
•  Game On! − The ARM Club have released a new application for the Risc
PC to help all those users whose games do not work on the new machine.
Game On! allows games such as Chuck Rock, Saloon Cars Deluxe, Chocks
Away, Gods, Lemmings and SWIV to work on the new machine, together with
applications such as FasterPC, Tracker, Coconizer and Digital Symphony.
A database is included showing which products have been tested for
compatibility with and without Game On! The price is just £10 fully
inclusive from The ARM Club.
8.1
•  Idek Iiyama have a new 21“ monitor which will be in full production
by the end of September. The MT-9121 uses a Diatron tube (Trinitron
look-alike) with a 0.30mm dot pitch and handles line rates of between
23.5 and 92kHz, with frame rates between 50 and 160Hz. The monitor can
support a 200MHz dot clock, allowing displays of up to 1600×1200 at 72Hz
or 1280×1024 at 80Hz with better convergence, distortion and contrast
than the other Idek Iiyama 21” monitors. The controls are available from
an on-screen menu using a remote control! The idea is that you sit back
in your usual operator position when making adjustments rather than
being forced to be within arm’s reach of the front of the monitor. The
MT-9121 has the usual range of controls, and also features auto power
down and a motorised tilt-and-turn stand. It is priced at £1649 +VAT
from Idek or £1884 through Archive.
8.1
• Idek Vision Master17 − We have been able to improve the price of the
Idek Iiyama 17“ monitor. It is now available through Archive at £694 inc
VAT and carriage or £400 extra if bought on the Acorn Enthusiasts’
Scheme with a Risc PC.
8.1
•  Letraset fonts − The Datafile have announced a reduction in the price
of their packs of Letraset and URW fonts. Their Pick ‘n’ Mix service now
charges £5 for the first weight and all others £3 each plus £1.50 p&p
inc VAT, with a minimum order of £20. This offer does not apply to their
ITC fonts (which are still £7.50 for the first weight and £5 for others
+VAT). The Datafile aim to release a new font pack each month now that
they have access to more fonts from other companies.
8.1
•  Longman Logotron CD-ROMs − Longman Logotron are now distributors of
software by the American multimedia company 7th Level and sole
distributors of the UK-based Software Toolworks. New packages include
Photobase Decades, which contains around 2,500 images per CD-ROM, each
illustrating historical events and everyday life of one decade from 1920
to 1960; the discs can be bought separately or as a set in Acorn and PC
formats. The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia is now available on a
single CD-ROM capturing all 21 volumes, and containing 33,000 articles.
The Multimedia World Atlas, designed for both home and school, features
350 maps and 1000 high resolution colour photographs, including video
and audio clips for selected countries and 300 topics of information for
every country. Prehistoria spans 500 million years of dinosaurs and
other prehistoric animals. Finally, TuneLand is an ‘interactive musical
cartoon’ for children of 3 years and up, enabling the children to direct
the action in eight screens and with 60 animated cartoon characters and
objects; the CD-ROM can also be used as a normal audio CD, with 43 well-
known nursery rhymes and tunes. Educational users ordering from
Longman’s catalogue before Christmas are offered a free CD-ROM worth
£49.
8.1
•  Look! Hear! − Sherston Software have recently announced their first
series of talking topics aimed at infants. The series uses digitised
human speech and animations to bring the information to life, and the
first volume covers Land Transport, Dinosaurs, The Seaside, Pets, Homes
and The Body. Each pack includes two discs, a guide for parent or
teachers and worksheets for use at home and at school. Each pack is
£11.95 +VAT from Sherston Software, or all of Volume One (six packs) may
be purchased at £59.75 +VAT. The six pack is available through Archive
for £65.
8.1
• Morph − A new morphing packing is now available for Acorn machines.
Mycroft Software have released Morph which can work in single or multi-
tasking mode, handles from 16 greys up to 24-bit colour images, supports
OLE, allows colour and movement control during morphing, has manual or
automatic mesh creation and allows output of single frames or groups of
frames. Morph costs £15 all-inclusive from Mycroft Software.
8.1
•  OakPCB II − Oak Solutions have updated their design processor
package. New features include improvement of the user interface, options
to align tracks at 45 degree intervals, and improved facilities for
attaching tracks to pads. PCBDrill, a utility which allows automatic
creation of circuit boards on Roland CAMM2 and CAMM3 and on Boxford
milling machines, is included. The user interface is still based on Draw
for ease of use. The package can handle boards of up to four layers, and
comes with extendible libraries for PCB and schematic work. OakPCB II
costs £70 +VAT from Oak Solutions (or £76 inc VAT through Archive), and
upgrades cost £35 +VAT inc p&p from Oak Solutions only.
8.1
•  Paper Saver − is a new product from PTW Software for network use. The
package works with any network shared printer driver, allocating page
quotas to individuals, groups or classes and limiting the amount of
printing which they can do. Transparent in operation, the software will
help reduce the problem of individuals printing unauthorised output
which may make running costs for the printer excessive. The package
costs £17.95 inclusive from PTW Software.
8.1
•  Pocket Book II − If the Pocket Book was a cut-down Psion Series 3,
the Pocket Book II is a Psion 3a plus some!!! The details are on page 11
but basically, there are two versions: 256Kb for £269.95 and 512Kb for
£329.95 inc VAT. (£270 and £330 through Archive including carriage!)
8.1
•  Product UNavailable − Basic WIMP Programming by Dabs Press which had
such a good review last month is sadly now out of print! Has anyone got
a copy they DON’T want that they would be prepared to send us for the
charity sales? (You could put it in the Small Ads if you can’t afford to
give it away − the second hand value has probably risen!)
8.1
•  Professional colour scanning − Computer Concepts have a new
‘Professional Colour Scanner Pack’ consisting of a Canon colour flatbed
scanner with drivers and PhotoDesk by Spacetech, which CC considers to
be the application best matched to the scanner. The scanner itself, the
IX-4015, is an A4 24-bit device capable of 800dpi, or 1200dpi in
monochrome, and is noted by CC as being particularly fast, and can be
connected to all fully Acorn compatible SCSI cards. The drivers are
specially customised for it and include full Twain support. The package,
including SCSI cable, is available from Computer Concepts for £749 + £10
p&p + VAT.
8.1
•  Risc Developments Ltd − The publisher of Risc User, Acorn Action and
Beebug magazine (which ceased publication in April this year) and
developers of Acorn hardware and software, ceased trading on 8th August
1994 and went into voluntary liquidation. The reason for the liquidation
was stated to be “losses associated with the production of our Beebug
magazine”. Adrian Calcraft, director of Risc Developments said, “We are
very sorry to have to take this action which has been brought about by
the high costs of finishing the Beebug magazine.”
8.1
The Acorn dealership company, Beebug Ltd, under its directors Sheridan
Williams and Adrian Calcraft is continuing to trade. Adrian Calcraft
added, “Beebug Ltd are not greatly affected by the closure and will take
over the products from Risc Developments, including the Risc User
magazine. Customers will be supplied and supported as previously” Risc
Developments’ press release also stated that, “Beebug will be at the
Acorn World exhibition in force and will be demonstrating some new
products and enhancements to existing software.”
8.1
We have not yet been able to find out whether Acorn Action is to
continue but Beebug said they were going to honour the £100,000+ worth
of pre-paid Risc User subscriptions, so existing Risc User subscribers
should not lose out.
8.1
•  Sibelius 6 and 7 − Sibelius Software now have site licence prices
available. The basic single-user prices are Sibelius 6 at £159 +VAT
(£175 through Archive), Sibelius 7 (for amateurs, schools, etc) £499
+VAT (£545 through Archive), and Sibelius 7 (for professional users)
£795 +VAT (£865 through Archive). If you need a site licence, there is
one for Sibelius 6 at £636 +VAT (£691 through Archive) with a special
price for primary schools of £318 +VAT (£345 through Archive). There is
also a site licence on Sibelius 6 which includes a single copy of
Sibelius 7 (good thinking!!). This costs £999 +VAT or £1085 through
Archive.
8.1
•  Tabby graphics tablet − The Tabby graphics tablet (previously only
available on PC and Atari machines) has now been made available for RISC
OS 3 Acorn machines, and plugs into the serial port. The price is £68.08
+VAT +delivery from First Computer Centre, with special prices available
to Schools and Colleges.
8.1
•  Teletext adapters − Octopus Systems, the new Acorn dealer in Ipswich,
is selling Ground Control adapters with enhanced control software. These
external adapters can be used with any Acorn desktop computer including
the A3010, A3020 and A4000, but not the A4. The new software supports
page cacheing and automatic keyword searching of pages, as they are
received. Only a few of these adapters are available, and the adapter
with software costs £130 +VAT from Octopus Systems.
8.1
•  The Times Table − Hazelnut Specialist Educational Software have
produced some multimedia software aimed at providing a fun way to learn
your tables − from ×2 to ×12. Six discs and an explanatory leaflet will
cost you £30 + £2.50 p&p (no VAT) from Hazelnut Software.
8.1
•  Trellis − a new adventure interpreter from Soft Rock Software, using
the TScript adventure description language designed for text-based
adventures and intended to provide an easy way for people to write their
own adventure games. Trellis costs £7.99 inclusive from Soft Rock
Software.
8.1
•  Windows 3.1 − If you need Windows 3.1, we can supply it for £110 inc
VAT or, if you don’t mind an OEM version, we have one for £70.
8.1
Review software received...
8.1
We have received review copies of the following: •Beethoven Browser
Egmont (e), •ImageFS (u), •LjDuplex (u), •Landmarks Britain since the
’30s (e), •Lots More Fun & Games (age 5-9) (e), •Morph (u), •MouseTrap
(u), •Nstore v4.0 (e), •The Times Tables (e).
8.1
e=Education, b=Business, bk=Book, g=Game, h=Hardware, l=Language,
u=Utility, a=Art.  A
8.1
Paul Beverley
8.1
Fact-File
8.1
(The numbers in italic are fax numbers)
8.1
4Mation    14 Castle Park Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32
8PA.
8.1
  (0271-25353) (0271-22974)
8.1
Abacus Training    29 Okus Grove, Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wilts, SN2
6QA.
8.1
Academy Television   104 Kirkstall Road, Leeds, LS3 1JS. (0532-461528)
(0532-429522)
8.1
Acorn Computers Ltd    Acorn House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB4
4AE. (0223-254254) (0223-254262)
8.1
APA Multimedia   Unit 8, Henley Business Park, Trident Close, Medway
City Estate, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4ER. (0634-295222) (0634-
710193)
8.1
APDL    39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London, SE26 5RN.
8.1
Apricote Studios (p19)   2 Purls Bridge Farm, Manea, Cambridgeshire,
PE15 0ND. (0354-680432)
8.1
AVP   School Hill Centre, Chepstow, Gwent, NP6 5PH. (02912-5439)
8.1
Colton Software (p20)   2 Signet Court, Swanns Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LA.
(0223-311881)
8.1
  (0223-312010)
8.1
Computer Concepts (pp14/23)   Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Herts,
HP2 6EX. (0442-63933)
8.1
  (0442-231632)
8.1
Cumana Ltd   Pines Trading Estate, Broad Street, Guilford, GU3 3BH.
(0483-503121) (0483-503326)
8.1
Datafile   71 Anson Road, Locking, Weston-super-Mare, Avon, BS24 7DQ.
8.1
  (0934-823005)
8.1
Design IT    15 Woodlands Road, Wombourne, South Staffs, WV5 0JZ. (0902-
894775) (0902-894775)
8.1
ESM   Duke Street, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 2AE. (0945-63441)
8.1
First Computer Centre   Unit 3 Armley Park Court, Stanningley Road,
Leeds, LS12 2AE.
8.1
  (0532-319444) (0532-319191)
8.1
GamesWare   Unit 26, The Bartletts, Hamble, Hants., SO35 5RP.
(0703−456523)
8.1
  (or 0243-531194) (0703−456523)
8.1
Hampshire Microtechnology Centre,   Connaught Lane, Paulsgrove,
Portsmouth, Hants, PO6 4SJ.
8.1
  (0705-378266) (0705-379443)
8.1
Hazelnut Software   197 Blackshots Lane, Grays, Essex, RM16 2LL. (0375-
375514)
8.1
Hodge Electronic Services    16 Mold Road, Mynydd Isa, Clwyd, CH7 6TD.
(0244-550803)
8.1
Integrex Systems Ltd   Church Gresley, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11
9PT. (0283-550880)
8.1
  (0283-552028)
8.1
Kudlian Soft (’til 8.12)  8 Barrow Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire,
CV8 1EH. (0926-851147)
8.1
Longman Logotron   124 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge
CB4 4ZS.
8.1
  (0223-425558) (0223-425349)
8.1
Mijas Software (p8)   Winchester Road, Micheldever, Winchester, SO21
3DJ. (0962-774352)
8.1
Mycroft Software   53 Cottonmill Lane, St Albans, AL1 2ER.
8.1
Northwest SEMERC   Fitton Hill CDC, Rosary Road, Oldham, OL8 2QE. (061-
627-4469)
8.1
Oak Solutions (p10)   Dial House, 12 Chapel Street, Halton, Leeds, LS15
7RN (0532-326992) (0532-326993)
8.1
Octopus Systems   9 Randwell Close, Ipswich, IP4 5ES. (0473-728943)
(0473-270643)
8.1
Oregan Developments   36 Grosvenor Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield,
B74 3PE.
8.1
PTW Software   72 Frosthole Crescent, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6BG.
(0329-281930)
8.1
Quantum Software (p13)  35 Pinewood Park, Deans, Livingston, EH54 8NN.
(0506-411162 after 6)
8.1
S&S Solutions   8 Anchor Close, Hathern, Leicestershire, LE12 5HP.
(0509-842670)
8.1
  (0509-842670)
8.1
Sherston Software   Angel House, Sherston, Malmesbury, Wilts. SN16 0LH.
(0666-840433) (0666-840048)
8.1
Sibelius Software   4 Bailey Mews, Auckland Road, Cambridge, CB5 8DR.
(0223-302765)
8.1
  (0223-351947)
8.1
Silicon Vision Ltd   Signal House, Lyon Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1
2AG. (081-422-3556) (081-427-5169)
8.1
Software 42   109 Ferry Road, Hullbridge, Essex, SS5 6EL.
8.1
Soft Rock Software   FREEPOST (BS7978), Westbury-on-Trim, Bristol, BS10
7BR.
8.1
Supreme Software Ltd.   21 Courtenay Close, Chapel Break, Bowthorpe,
Norwich, NR5 9LB.
8.1
The ARM Club   Freepost ND6573, London, N12 0BR. (0171-624-9918) (0181-
446-3020)
8.1
W. C. Smith & Associates (p22)  40 Royal Oak, Alnwick, Northumberland,
NE66 2DA., (0665-510682)
8.1
  (0665-510692)
8.1
Archive Monthly Program Disc Contents
8.1
•  Program from Paul Hobbs’ article on advanced Basic programming − page
21.
8.1
•  Programs from James Riden’s article on assembly language programming
− page 35.
8.1
•  Programs from Cain Hunt’s article on programming for DTP applications
− page 29.
8.1
•  Factfile − latest version of the full list of Acorn-related companies
on the Archive database.
8.1
•  Programs from Matthew Hunter’s article on graphics − page 75.
8.1
•  Hard drive speed test programs from Dave Holden’s article on page 63.
8.1
•  Capslock disabling module − see H & T page 15.
8.1
•  IDE drive power-down utility − see H & T page 15.
8.1
•  LjDuplex − full duplex printing on an HP Laserjet printer − shareware
from Mijas Software − see page 77.
8.1
•  Files from Gerald Fitton’s PipeLineZ article − page 69.
8.1
•  Makemodes utility for Risc PC from Acorn − see Andrew Garrard’s
article on page 41.
8.1
•  Files from Paul Hooper’s Multimedia article − page 73.
8.1
•  Risc PC compatibility list from Keith Hodge − page 39.
8.1
•  Risc PC keys − If you don’t like having a PC compatible keyboard on
your Risc PC, Nick Craig-Wood’s patch will restore your sanity.
8.1
New Archive Special Offers
8.1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8.1
Archive Back Issue Sets
8.1
The first special offer is on back issues of Archive. There is a huge
amount of information in these magazines and so, if you have only
recently joined, you could be missing out. We need space urgently in our
warehouse facility (for a reason which I hope to be able to announce
next month) and we want our magazine stocks depleted rapidly − hence
these very special, almost give-away, prices...
8.1
Volumes 4, 5 and 6 (36 magazines) − £9 (or £4 if collected from NCS)
8.1
(Yes, that really is £9 for 36 magazines, not £9 per volume!)
8.1
Volumes 4, 5, 6 and 7 (48 magazines) − £14 (or £9 if collected from NCS)
8.1
N.B. This offer is STRICTLY only for two months. It will cease on the
day of publication of the December issue of Archive − cuurently
scheduled for 15th November.
8.1
WorldPort 14,400 Sportster FaxModem
8.1
The second special offer is a free copy of ArcFax with every Sportster
modem. This is not the old Class 1 modem but the new specification Class
2.0 version. The price of the higher specification modem is still £230
through Archive, but we have worked a deal with the modem company so
that, for two months only, we can offer a FREE copy of ArcFax 1.1 (worth
£35) with every Sportster modem.
8.1
Last Acorn Mice at £18
8.1
This is a sort-of-new offer. We have had a supply of Acorn mice at £20
and so, as a final stage of the offer, to clear the last mice, we are
reducing the price to £18 − no time limit, just “while stocks last”.
8.1
Taxan 1095 20“
8.1
We have one Taxan 1095LR 20“ monitor that has been used very briefly for
demonstration purposes. The normal price is £1995 but this is available
for £1690 (or £1440 if bought with a Risc PC). This is a Trinitron
monitor especially suitable for use with the Risc PC on which it can
display 1600×1200 (with 2M VRAM). It comes with full 12 month warranty.
8.1
Continuing Archive Special Offers
8.1
Keystroke
8.1
For one more month only, Keystroke is on special offer for Archive
subscribers. The normal price is £29.95 but he is prepared to offer it
at £19 through Archive. (See page 5 last month for more details.)
8.1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8.1
Personal Accounts
8.1
For one more month only, Personal Accounts is on special offer for
Archive subscribers. The full price is £49.95 and the special Archive
price is £35. (See page 5 last month for more details.)
8.1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8.1
Archive Subscriptions
8.1
• Free Archive Mousemat (worth £5) − If you renew your subscription
before 30th September 1994 you will receive one of our new high-
specification mousemats. This offer is available to anyone, regardless
of when your renewal date is.
8.1
• Renew early and save £3 − We’ve held the price of the magazine at £19
for the last two years and will continue to do so until the end of 1994.
So this is advance warning that, from issue 8.4 onwards, the new Archive
price will be £22 a year. If you would like to beat the price increase
and renew in advance, regardless of when your subscription expires, you
should send in your renewal before the end of the year. Renewals
received after 1st January 1995 will be at the new price of £22.
8.1
• £10 voucher for any Archive member who gets a friend or colleague to
subscribe to Archive. See the special order form on the back of this
month’s Price List for details.
8.1
Government Health Warning − Reading this could seriously affect your
spiritual health.
8.1
Why do they do it? Why do athletes take drugs or cricketers tamper with
the ball or rugby players indulge in foul play in the scrum? In order to
win, of course − silly question really.
8.1
“Winning is all-important.” No-one loves a loser.
8.1
Why did she do it? A girl in our local secondary school hanged herself
last month when her exam results came through. Why? I don’t know why −
but I think I could make a shrewd guess.
8.1
“Success is all-important.” No-one loves a failure.
8.1
How do they sell it? “Use Brute aftershave* − all the girls will fall in
love with you.” (*or drive a particular car, or eat a particular brand
of margarine, or smoke a particular cigar, or ...) Why do we use
physical attractiveness to advertise any and every item of consumer
goods?
8.1
“Physical attractiveness is all-important.” No-one loves an ugly person.
8.1
What standards does society have to offer to our young people? Nothing!
Well, not unless we can show them what is really important in life −
relationships. If I’m ugly and a failure and yet someone really loves me
then life can be worth living.
8.1
As I have mentioned in the last couple of issues, a growing number of
people around the country are discovering for the first time that there
really is a very big Someone who does love them, no matter much (or how
little) they’ve messed up their lives.
8.1
If you are happy and contented and feel life is wonderful and none of
the above problems worries you in the slightest then you are very
fortunate... err, well at least, I think you are.
8.1
If, however, you are prepared to face up to some of these difficult
questions rather than burying your head in the sand, why not try to find
out if God really does exist and really does love you?
8.1
This is exactly what the Alpha course is designed to help you think
through. Why not find out if there is one happening near you? It won’t
cost you anything and I’m sure you’re not the kind of person to be
easily brainwashed (or you wouldn’t be reading Archive magazine). Why
not give it a go? You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose and, I believe,
you have absolutely everything to gain. If you have the courage to face
up to the most important question in life, ring 071-581-8255 and find
out if there’s an Alpha course near you − trust me, you won’t regret it!
8.1
P.B.
8.1
Mijas
8.1
From 7.12 page 20
8.1
The Composer & his Computer
8.1
Oak Solutions
8.1
From 7.12 page 31
8.1
Pocket Book II
8.1
Matthew Hunter, NCS
8.1
Most Archive readers will be aware of the Acorn Pocket Book which Acorn
launched nearly two years ago. Aimed at the education market, it offered
a full range of applications (wordprocessor, database and spreadsheet),
in a very convenient size. It was based on the Psion Series 3 but, due
to the ROM space restriction, some of the Series 3 software was dropped
to make room for the spreadsheet. Last year, Psion released the Series
3a, which had some major improvements, including a larger, higher
resolution LCD display and a faster processor.
8.1
Now Acorn have announced the Pocket Book II which, as anticipated, is
based on the Series 3a. However, but unlike the Pocket Book, it has not
had any software removed. Indeed, it has had extra software added − a
spell-checker and thesaurus and a graph-plotting application.
8.1
One of the ideas behind the Pocket Book range is to bring the ideal of
“one per child” within the reach of cash-limited schools, ensuring each
school child has access to a personal computer. Many schools use them on
a class basis, handing them out at the start of a lesson, and retrieving
them afterwards, ready for the next class. The Pocket Book is ideal for
recording data on field trips, or in the class (how much easier my
physics practicals would have been...), and is increasingly used by
teachers to record pupil progress and achievement, plan lessons and
timetables and so on. Its compact and strong design makes it resilient
for everyday use and it can be carried in a bag or blazer pocket from
lesson to lesson, or school and home. Another advantage is the quality
and ease of use of the software, which is menu driven, and has many
features. The word processor, for example, has effects for underline/
bold/etc and you can also set up styles for combinations and repeated
use.
8.1
The Pocket Book can be connected to a desktop computer − an Acorn RISC
machine via the A-Link or other links are available for PCs and Apple
computers. PocketFS, the software for the RISC OS end, gives either
direct copying of files or file translation for files on the Pocket Book
to ease the transference of files between applications. More information
on PocketFS II was given in Archive 7.5, page 71.
8.1
Pocket Book II − The Specification
8.1
Size:  165mm × 85mm × 22mm
8.1
Weight:  275g including batteries
8.1
Screen:  480 x 160 graphics screen, up to 80 characters by 25 lines
8.1
Internal ROM memory:  2Mb containing multitasking, windowing operating
system and software applications
8.1
Internal RAM memory:  256Kb or 512Kb
8.1
External expansion:  Two Solid State Discs (SSDs) 63mm × 43mm × 6mm
8.1
  Flash SSDs require no battery backup; capacity up to 2Mb
8.1
  RAM SSDs have their own lithium battery; capacity up to 1Mb
8.1
Processor:  16 bit NEC V30H (80C86 compatible), 7.68 MHz
8.1
Sound:  Loudspeaker, with DTMF auto-dialling and digital sound playback
Microphone for digital sound recording
8.1
Power:  Two AA size alkaline batteries, giving approximately 80 hours of
use (without expansions), or 2 to 4 months of typical usage. Standard
lithium backup battery protects RAM while main batteries are changed.
8.1
  Optional external AC Mains adapter (AHA35)
8.1
Keyboard:  58 key, QWERTY layout, computer-style keyboard
8.1
  8 touch-sensitive buttons for application selection
8.1
Operating temperature:  0-50 degrees Centigrade
8.1
Communications options:  Fast serial interface (1.536 Mbits/sec)
accepts:
8.1
  Desktop links to allow communication and provide direct file access
with Acorn, PC & Mac computers
8.1
  Printer lead (AHA31) to allow direct printing to most parallel
printers
8.1
Manual:  Comprehensive, easy to use user guide. Optional programmer’s
(OPL) guide
8.1
Built-in applications:  Cards − flat form database for storing addresses
and other data
8.1
(* New with Pocket Book II)   Write − fully featured word processor with
outlining, variable font sizes, page layout support, and partial WYSIWYG
8.1
  * Schedule − a personal organiser to manage appointments, diary &
anniversaries
8.1
  Time − gives local time & date
8.1
  * World − world times, atlas, dialling codes, distances, etc
8.1
  Calc − a scientific calculator
8.1
  Abacus − a fully featured spreadsheet with graphing facilities,
compatible with Lotus 123
8.1
  Spell − a spell-checker, dictionary, and thesaurus* (also accessible
from within Write)
8.1
  * Record − a sound and voice recorder
8.1
  * Plotter − to plot and trace mathematical equations (cartesian,
polar, parametric, etc)
8.1
  * OPL edit − to edit and run OPL programs. OPL is a Basic-like
language built into Pocket Book II
8.1
  * JP150 printer driver
8.1
  All the Psion Series 3a software will work on the Pocket Book II and
so there is also a considerable amount of software available in areas
such as: personal organisation, timing (& billing), telephone call
costing, games & leisure, business, finance, languages translators,
health & nutrition, paint & graphics.  A
8.1
Matthew very nobly, and rapidly, put this information together from
Acorn’s press releases on the day Archive was due to go to the printers.
Unfortunately, the press releases didn’t get sent to us when they were
supposed to − we read about it first in Archimedes World and Acorn User.
I was not amused! All being well, we’ll get hold of one of these little
beasties before too long and give you some first-hand views rather than
second-hand information. Ed.
8.1
Quantum
8.1
From 7.12 page 7
8.1
CC
8.1
From 7.12 page 36
8.1
Hints and Tips
8.1
•  Disabling capslock − It has been pointed out that the capslock key is
not used very often, and usually only causes confusion when you hit it
accidentally. (This is a polite way of saying that there had been
another emission of blue smoke from the Editor’s desk as I HAD JUST HIT
<CAPSLOCK> ACCIDENTALLY AGAIN!!! Ed.)
8.1
To solve this problem, a short module was written to disable the
capslock key. When the module is loaded, the key will act as a Caps key,
but will not lock, i.e. it acts like a shift key but only affects
letters − the numbers and symbols are unchanged. If you need to re-
enable the capslock function, press <f12> and type *rmkill disablecaps.
8.1
The module, which works on all Archimedes and Risc PC machines, is on
the monthly program disc.  Matthew Hunter, NCS.
8.1
Peace has now been restored in the Editor’s office! As far as I’m
concerned, this module is the best thing since sliced bread. Thanks,
Matthew!!  Ed.
8.1
•  Risc PC hard disc power-saving – Since the advent of RISC OS 3, there
has been an option in the IDEDiscs section of Configure for setting the
spin down delay on the hard drive − similar to the screen blanker. This
is almost always greyed out, preventing it from being used, the
exceptions being the A4 portable and some A3020s. (Some third party
interfaces also support the option, but this hint does not apply to
them.) This makes sense since, with portables, the battery life needs to
be preserved. This is less important on a desktop machine and, also,
there is some question as to the long term effects of spinning the drive
up and down more than necessary.
8.1
It is possible, however, to control the drive in this way even if you
have a different machine, providing that the drive supports the
powersave IDE commands. On the monthly program disc is a command line
program “powersave”. Double click on “!SetDir” which will make sure you
are in the correct directory, press <f12> and type “powersave 4”
<return>. This will give you the list of options and the current spin
status for drive 4 (which will be meaningless if you are not using ADFS
to control the drive). There are three control options detailed below.
8.1
“powersave spindown <drivenumber>” will spin down drive <drivenumber> (4
or 5) immediately. If the drive is not spinning and you try to access
it, there will be a pause while the drive is spun up before the access
takes place (occasionally you can open a directory without spinning up
the drive since it is cached in memory and the drive is never accessed).
8.1
“powersave spinup <drivenumber>” will spin up drive <drivenumber> (4 or
5) immediately.
8.1
“powersave delay <drivenumber> <delay>” will set the power-saving delay
for drive <drive number> to <delay> seconds − note that it is rounded
down to 5-second accuracy but the timing is not particularly accurate
anyway. This will not be configured, so if you want to use this feature,
you will need to run powersave during the boot sequence. It is worth
making the delay longer rather than shorter since continually spinning
your drive up and down could reduce your drive’s life expectancy – you
do this at your own risk.
8.1
One area where this does have a major impact is on the Risc PC − most of
the noise comes not from the fan but from the hard drive, so if you spin
down the drive, you can hardly hear the machine at all.  Matthew Hunter,
NCS.
8.1
•  Splitting Impression documents over several floppy discs − Over the
past six months, I have spent a lot of time working with Tony Tolver of
T-J Reproductions and one thing that always amazed me was the number of
methods used by people to split an Impression document over two or more
discs − after all, how do you get a quart (or 10Mb) into a pint pot (or
800Kb/1.6Mb)?
8.1
The methods I have seen include: PacDir, ArcFS, CFS, Squash and breaking
down the document and moving the contents of Chapter2 onto further discs
and then compressing them all.
8.1
All of these are relatively time-consuming, particularly the last one. I
was sure there ought to be a better way and then I found it by accident
after upgrading to Hard Disc Companion v2.50 from Risc Developments. I
read the manual and found that it was easy to back up just one file or
directory, so here is an easy way for you and for the recipient of your
file to split Impression documents.
8.1
1  Install Hard Disc Companion on your iconbar in the usual way.
8.1
2  Single click on the icon which opens a window.
8.1
3  Click <menu> and choose Destination, Floppy0 and 800K or 1.6M as
appropriate.
8.1
4  Under Preferences, you can select how you wish to make the backup,
i.e. Very Quickly but with no compression or relatively slowly but with
maximum compression. The choice is yours.
8.1
5  Under Files, choose Backup and a window opens onto which you drag
your Impression document.
8.1
6  Finally, click on Start on the main window and simply follow the on-
screen prompts.
8.1
7  Send your file to the destination address.
8.1
Upon receipt, all that needs to be done is to insert the last disc (so
it helps if you label them, 1,2. . . etc) and open the window. Two files
are seen: !Restore and Data. Double click on !Restore to install it on
the iconbar and drag Data over the icon. Click again on Restore and a
new window opens. Simply drag the icon to a new directory or the root
and follow the on-screen prompts. The document will be fully rebuilt on
the recipient’s computer.
8.1
It may interest you to know that I created a dummy Impression document
to test this. It was 20Mb long and I used Hard Disc Companion v2.50 to
split onto six 800Kb floppies at maximum compression − it worked
faultlessly.
8.1
Hard Disc Companion v2.50 costs £45 +p&p +VAT from Risc Developments or
£52 from NCS.  Keith Parker, Southall.  A
8.1
With Risc Developments going into liquidation, we aren’t sure about the
availability of Hard Disc Companion but, presumably, Beebug Ltd will be
taking it over.  Ed.
8.1
Small Ads
8.1
(Small ads for Acorn computers and related products are free for
subscribers but we reserve the right to publish all, part or none of the
material you send, as we think fit. i.e. some people don’t know what
‘small’ means and there are certain things, as you can imagine, that we
would not be prepared to advertise as a matter of principle. Sending
small ads (especially long ones!) on disc is helpful but not essential.
Ed)
8.1
•  A3000, 2Mb RAM, 20Mb HD, RISC OS 2, colour monitor, boxes, manuals,
dust cover, games £350 o.n.o. Phone Liam on 0457-766498 evenings.
8.1
•  A3000, 2Mb, RISC OS 3.1, AKF12 monitor + plinth £310 o.n.o. HCCS
100Mb SCSI hard drive £170 o.n.o., PipeDream 3 £25, PC Emulator £20.
Whole lot £510. Call Philip on 0945-772085.
8.1
•  A3000, 4Mb RAM, ARM3, FPA, RISC OS 3.1, 200Mb SCSI drive, colour
monitor, stand, ext. 5¼“ and 3½” drives, loads of software £700 o.v.n.o.
Eureka, Wordz, S-Base, etc also for sale. Phone [phone] for details.
8.1
•  A3000 LC, 4Mb RAM, ARM3, RISC OS 3.1,  5¼“ disc drive in PRES housing
with PSU and provision for HD, ICS IDE interface, BBC B compatible with
PRES disc buffer and DFS filer, good software inc. PC Emulator v1.8 + DR
DOS 6, manuals and boxes, £575 o.n.o. Brand new Conner 213Mb HD £175.
Colour Card Gold iss. 2 for A3000/5000, £150. PRES double podule
expansion for A3000, £50. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  A3000 power supply, new £22.50, A310 twin floppy drive upgrade with
front panel £50 o.n.o., Acorn AKF11 colour monitor £75, two Logitech
Archimedes mice, new £15 each, Epson FX80 9-pin printer v.g.c boxed with
manual and two spare ribbons £65 o.n.o. PC Emulator v1.34 with DR DOS
3.41 & PC DOS 3.30 £15 o.n.o. All plus p&p. Phone Neil Walker on 0953-
604255.
8.1
•  A310, Taxan 770 multisync, 4Mb RAM, ARM 3, 44Mb IDE hard drive, RISC
OS 3.1, Memc1a, Vision Digitiser, 4-layer backplane, lots of software
and manuals.  £495 o.n.o. Phone Vincent on 0508-493517 eves or 0603-
223309 day.
8.1
•  A310 with ARM 3, RISC OS 3.1, 4MB RAM, NEC II 14“ multisync, £750
including: Oak SCSI interface and Quantum 105MB SCSI hard drive,
Atomwide VIDC Enhancer v1.61, CC battery-backed ROM/RAM board, Watford
2-slot backplane, 5¼” floppy drive interface and external drive, PC
Emulator v1.82,  and software. A further £225 will get you: Canon BJ200
and Turbo Driver. Phone Rob on 0895-423179 or 0705-631747.
8.1
•  A310 with monitor, 4Mb RAM, ARM3, 42Mb SCSI hard disc, 4 slot IFEL
backplane, RISC OS 3.1. £600 or sensible offer. Also FaxPack with
manual, £200. Phone Christine Shield on 0661-843259 daytime, fax 0661-
844413.
8.1
•  A310 with RISC OS 3.10, RGB colour monitor, keyboard, ARM3, 4Mb RAM,
100Mb SCSI hard drive £700. Morley CD-ROM drive £200. Scanlight Plus
£40. Irlam JX 100 scanner + I-Mage driver £200. Artworks £100,
Impression Publisher £100. Star LC10 colour printer + cartridges £80.
Phone Jonathan on 081-451-0471.
8.1
•  A4 for sale, 4Mb, 60Mb HD with original carrying case, manuals etc.
£900. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  A4 portable , 4Mb RAM, 60Mb HD, PC Em., Genie Trackerball, original
packing and manuals, £1100. Phone Derby 0309-641386.
8.1
•  A410/1, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.10, 105Mb internal HD, SCSI interface,
colour monitor, top condition, PRM’s, enhanced desktop, 30 font
families, PC Emulator v1.82, plus lots more software. Boxed as new. All
manuals. Shipping + insurance included. £800 o.n.o. Contact Philip any
time of day on ([phone] (Ireland).
8.1
•  A410/1, 8Mb RAM, 30MHz ARM3, RISC OS 3.10, 20Mb hard disc, excellent
condition, £500. State Machine G16 graphics accelerator, £160.
Intelligent Interfaces dual serial port, 38400 baud, £60. Phone Thomas
in Denmark on ([phone], evenings.
8.1
•  A410/1 4Mb, 50Mb HD, ARM3, RISC OS 3.1, AKF11 monitor, PC Emulator
v1.86, external 5¼“ disc interface and some software. £550 o.n.o. Phone
0926-492334 evenings.
8.1
•  A410/1, RISC OS 3.1, 4Mb, 35MHz ARM3, 228Mb SCSI HD, 60 & 50Mb ST506
HD, State Machine G16 graphics card, HCCS 16-bit SCSI card, HiFi audio,
Multipod Professional audio/video digitiser, EMR Midi 4 interface, PC
Emulator, multisync colour monitor, loads of Arc and PC software. £750
o.n.o. Phone [phone] eves.
8.1
•  A420, 2Mb RAM, 20Mb hard drive, RISC OS 3.1, PC Emulator, colour
monitor, £499. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  A440, 35MHz ARM3, RISC OS 3.1, two 20Mb HDs, Taxan 775 multisync,
VIDC enhancer, external FD interface, £700 o.n.o. Phone [phone]
eves.
8.1
•  A440/1, 4Mb RAM, 30MHz ARM3, 57Mb HD, Colour Card Gold, Mode
designer, Acorn I/O podule with Midi, keyboard extension cable,
Armadillo sound sampler, Black Angel, Chopper Force, Gods, Lemmings,
Chocks Away Compendium, £830 o.n.o. (may split). Phone Mark after 6pm on
0905-754277.
8.1
•  A440/1, 8Mb RAM, 40Mb HD, ARM3, RISC OS 3.1, 14“ colour monitor,
manuals and welcome discs, boxed £850. Archimedes A310, 1Mb RAM, 4-slot
backplane, 5¼” floppy drive, RISC OS 2, PRMs, boxed £200. Phone John on
0707-320723 after 8pm.
8.1
•  A5000 210MB disc, 4MB RAM, RISC OS 3.1, £725. Phone Paul on 0473-
728943.
8.1
•  A5000, 4Mb, 40Mb HD, Eizo multiscan, RISC OS 3.11, Learning Curve
software. All manuals. Ex cond. £900. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  A5000, 4Mb RAM, 40Mb hard disc, AKF18 multisync, RISC OS 3.1 only
£950 o.n.o. Cumana CD-ROM drive with SCSI card with CDFS 2.21,
PhotoView, PC Emulator 1.83, Hutchinson’s Encyclopedia and Replay CD’s
only £200 o.n.o.  Quick sale wanted, all boxed good condition.  All for
£1050 o.n.o.  Telephone [phone] after 4pm.
8.1
•  A5000, 4Mb, RISC OS 3.11, 40Mb and 160Mb IDE hard discs, multisync
monitor, 1stWord+, PC Emulator, Genesis Plus, assorted PD software, all
manuals, v.g.c. £900. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  ARCticulate £10, Enter the Realm £10, Diggers £15, magazine binders
“Micro User” and “Acorn Computing” £2 each. All +p&p. Contact Jon
Aylwin, 4 St Margarets Close, Hemyock, Devon, EX15 3XJ.
8.1
•  Armadillo A616 sound sampler, best suited for A300/400 series with
ADFS. £100 (originally >£1000). Phone Germany ([phone] evenings.
8.1
•  Cased 5¼“ disc drive, with interface for Archimedes, power pack and
manual, £50. CC ROM/RAM board with 32Kb RAM and manual, £25. Phone 0727-
861835.
8.1
•  CC Colour Card Gold with documentation and support discs £120. Look
Systems Font Directory £15. Phone Geoff on 0925-811420.
8.1
•  Conner 125Mb SCSI hard drive in external case with PSU, £140.
Pineapple RGB to PAL encoder £50. All include p&p. Phone Mark after 6pm
on 0905-754277.
8.1
•  Eizo 550i multisync colour monitor. As new. Offers. Phone 0603-
484577.
8.1
•  Hewlett Packard 500C colour printer as new, two new cartridges (1
black, 1 colour). Offers. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  Hybrid Music System 5000, keyboard 4000 (4 octave, full size) with
sustain pedal, Ample programmers manual, £95 + carriage. Phone Jim Brook
on 07683-51300.
8.1
•  Impression Publisher £130, Scanlight 256 £140. Turbo Driver (Stylus
800) £35. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  Interdictor 2 £10, Fun School 2 under 6’s £5, Arcade Soccer £5, !Help
Companion £3, Freddy Teddy £5, Apocalypse £10, Superior Golf £5, ArcScan
III £5, Droom £10, Detour £5, Personal Accounts £5, Talking Pendown £30,
First Impression £10. All originals with manuals. Phone Dave on 0983-
864337.
8.1
•  OPL and User Manual for the Series 3, (useful for the Psion emulator
or Pocket Book) £7 the pair. Phone Mark after 6pm on 0905-754277.
8.1
•  Psion 3a with original packaging and manuals and a protective case −
3 months old. A-link with latest version of PocketFS 2 months old. £280
o.n.o. Phone [phone].
8.1
•  Scanlight Professional 256 grey-scale flatbed scanner £350 incl.
Morley SCSI card. Phone [phone] after 6pm.
8.1
•  State Machine ColourBurst graphics card for A5000, £225. EMR Micro
Studio £40, EMR Story Book with Set 1 Stories £25, (Both packages
unregistered.) All complete with packaging and manuals. Phone G Rhodes
on 0302-722781 eves.
8.1
•  Various hard drives from 80 to 400Mb 5¼/3½“ all HH, SCSI, good
condition. 5½” SCSI 20Mb removable with five discs (not as good as
SyQuest but cheaper). Marconi tracker ball. State Machine Colourburst
card. Enter the Realm, Herewith the Clues, Atelier, Beebug 5¼“ drive
interface & buffer, 1Mb serial printer buffer. A5000 LC with 4Mb memory,
A5000 second floppy disc drive, Two 40Mb IDE hard disc drives. Details
from D G Carton, 14 Handcross Grove, Green Lane, Coventry, CV3 6DZ.
8.1
Charity Sales
8.1
The following items are available for sale in aid of charity. PLEASE do
not just send money − ring us on 0603-766592 to check if the items are
still available. Thank you.
8.1
Software: First Word Plus £5, Leading Edge Midi Tracker £9, Bubble Fair
£2, Spellmaster (disc) £5, Blaston £2, Pysanki £2, Blowpipe £2, Rotor
£2, Apocalypse £3, DrawBender, Fontasy and Placard £5, Turbo Driver for
HP Deskjet £18, Datavision database £10.
8.1
Hardware: Floppy discs as new £15 per 50, A3000 1Mb RAM £20, Pace modem:
ring Jim on 07683-51300 and suggest donation.
8.1
(If you have unwanted software or hardware for Archimedes computers that
you could donate in aid of charity, please send it to the Archive
office. If you have larger items where post would be expensive, just
send us details of the item(s) and how the purchaser can get hold of
them.)  A
8.1
Apricote
8.1
From 7.12 page 11
8.1
Colton
8.1
From 7.12 page 24
8.1
Advanced Basic Programming − OLE
8.1
Paul Hobbs
8.1
An interesting − and extremely useful − aspect of Impression Style and
Publisher is the OLE system whereby a drawfile (for example) can be
effectively edited ‘in place’ without dragging a file icon to Draw and
back again. OLE, by the way, stands for ‘Object Linking and Embedding’
which is a typical piece of PC jargon which seems designed to make
things sound more complicated than they really are.
8.1
Impression includes a module (OLESupport) to make things easier but,
unfortunately, an enquiry to Computer Concepts as to how it might be
used by other programs brought the response that the module is for
internal use by Computer Concepts programs only and may not be
distributed separately − understandable really.
8.1
However, it is possible to deduce how OLE can be implemented in Basic,
which would potentially be very useful. For example, a database type
program could include free-form text in the records which could be
edited using Edit, DeskEdit etc, instead of writing special editing
routines. The Shareware database application PowerBase already uses a
similar scheme, and it has the considerable advantage that the amount of
coding is reduced, and that no new commands need to be learned by the
user. Apart from this, it is a rather satisfyingly elegant solution to
the problem.
8.1
The proper (in Acorn terms) place for temporary files is within a
directory with the same name as the application (but without the ‘!’
character) inside !Scrap. Expressed in pseudo-code the steps are as
follows:
8.1
On application startup
8.1
IF Wimp$Scrap is not defined THEN
8.1
  complain bitterly
8.1
ENDIF
8.1
IF temporary directory exists THEN
8.1
  delete any existing files
8.1
ENDIF
8.1
On starting OLE operation
8.1
IF temporary directory doesn’t exist THEN
8.1
 create temporary directory
8.1
save data to temporary file (check name is
8.1
 unique)
8.1
set filetype appropriately
8.1
read and store datestamp of file
8.1
send dataload message to force file to be
8.1
 loaded by editor
8.1
WHILE OLE transfer is active
8.1
  IF datestamp changes THEN
8.1
    reload file, display, process etc
8.1
  ENDIF
8.1
ENDWHILE
8.1
On application closedown
8.1
IF files are still being edited THEN
8.1
  notify user (otherwise edited data could
8.1
 be lost)
8.1
ELSE
8.1
  Delete temporary directory and all
8.1
 temporary files
8.1
ENDIF
8.1
There is no reason why more than one file could not be externally edited
at any one time, although your application would need to keep a record
of filenames that have been exported for editing and perform the
appropriate actions when an edited file has been saved.
8.1
The monthly program disc contains a smallish WIMP program to demonstrate
how a text buffer (actually in this case the text of an icon to keep
things simple) can be edited externally by a text editor. Before you all
get too excited though, the simple OLE scheme used here has some
drawbacks. For instance, there is no way of knowing when the OLE edit
has finished, so the program has to continually check the datestamp of
the file being edited. In order to minimise the impact on the rest of
the desktop, this is only done every two seconds using the Wimp_PollIdle
call instead of Wimp_Poll. The code to do this is as follows:
8.1
REM before the main poll loop..
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadMonotonicTime” TO earliest_time%
8.1
increment% = 200 :REM time between null event calls in centi-seconds
8.1
earliest_time% += increment%
8.1
:
8.1
REM main poll loop..
8.1
WHILE NOT quit%
8.1
  SYS “Wimp_PollIdle”,0,bk%,earliest_time% TO reason%
8.1
  CASE reason% OF
8.1
   WHEN  0   :PROCbackgroundtask
8.1
   WHEN  2   :SYS “Wimp_OpenWindow”,,bk%
8.1
   REM other action codes here....
8.1
  ENDCASE
8.1
ENDWHILE
8.1
DEF PROCbackgroundtask
8.1
LOCAL newtime%
8.1
REM perform whatever background task needs
8.1
 doing..
8.1
REM get time of next null event..
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadMonotonicTime” TO newtime%
8.1
WHILE (newtime% − earliest_time%) > 0
8.1
  earliest_time% += increment%
8.1
ENDWHILE
8.1
ENDPROC
8.1
This technique is useful where you need to respond to null event codes,
but not necessarily every single one. A clock, for example, only needs
to update its display every second (or even every minute).
8.1
Another snag is that only 77 files can be edited at one time (as only 77
files can appear in each directory) but I don’t think this is going to
be much of a problem. In practice, I would allocate one word of memory
to use as 32 flag bits and disallow attempts to edit more files.
8.1
Solving the problem of how to implement OLE (in a rather crude form!)
has proved quite entertaining, but I can’t help thinking that it should
be included in RISC OS. We don’t need a whole new set of OS ROMs, we
only need a new Acorn supported module along the line of the drawfile
module described by Hugh Eagle in the last issue. I can understand that
Computer Concepts wishing to keep their OLE code to themselves as it
gives Impression an advantage over other DTP systems but if I can make
it work in Basic, I am sure that Risc Developments can easily add it to
Ovation.
8.1
And finally
8.1
Having just finished the OLE demo program and patted myself on the back
that it actually worked, (I wrote the column first and then the demo
program!) I was rather disconcerted to discover in the excellent
DataFile PD catalogue an OLE module (disc UT156 by ‘Mike’) which seems
to go a bit further than my version. Rats! I’ve ordered it and, if it’s
any good, I’ll rewrite the demo program to use it.
8.1
If you have any suggestions for topics that could be covered in future
issues, I would be pleased to hear from you. My address is Paul Hobbs,
Rheinpfalzstrasse 2, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany.  A
8.1
CC
8.1
From 7.12 page 32
8.1
The Archive Bulletin Board
8.1
Andrew Garrard, NCS
8.1
Archive has, over the years, had a bulletin board system working on and
off several times. This summer, I was brought in as a temporary system
operator (sysop) to get Archive BBS up and running in its latest
incarnation. So here’s what happened, what Archive BBS is, and a bit
about Archiboard − the package on which Archive BBS is now based.
8.1
What is a bulletin board?
8.1
A bulletin board is a system consisting of a computer, a modem which
links the computer to the telephone network, and some suitable software.
People can ring up the bulletin board (the modem answers the call) and
connect their own computers to the bulletin board by means of their own
modems. While connected, the user can send messages to other users of
the bulletin board (which they will get when they next log on), read and
contribute to discussions which have been taking place on the board, and
transfer files to and from the board, allowing people to share software.
8.1
There has been a lot of media interest in the internet − the network of
computer networks which spans the world and can allow these kind of
facilities on a global scale. Bulletin boards came first; they offered
these facilities but instead of having thousands of simultaneous users
world-wide, bulletin boards tended to be run by individuals who simply
provided a service by letting people ring up their computer, and they
can only handle a few people at a time.
8.1
The Archive bulletin board is very much a small-scale venture, although
there may, in the future, be the opportunity for users to connect to
Fidonet™ and the internet in order to share discussion groups with a
world wide audience. However, since it is often simpler for people to
connect to a bulletin board than to access the whole internet − only a
modem, a computer and a bit of software is needed − bulletin boards are
still very much a useful way of transferring information between
computer users.
8.1
The Archive board allows for the standard conference, file transfer and
electronic mail facilities as found on many bulletin boards. It also has
a facility for ordering from Norwich Computer Services, and some
recreational facilities − well, we all have to have some fun, don’t we?
8.1
How it started
8.1
When I began work at Norwich Computer Services, I was given instructions
to look at any other bulletin boards I could find, and to choose between
the two bulletin board packages which could be used to implement the new
board.
8.1
Having given a number of bulletin boards a trial run, I found quite a
variety of approaches used. Although most offered the facilities which I
have mentioned and a few offered games (including quite impressive
versions of Tetris and a blocks-style game), one point of variability
between boards was the user interface: how friendly they were.
8.1
One board went to great lengths, having the system set up as a slightly
contrived ‘virtual world’ with animations between facilities and a
narrator. Although user-‘friendly’, I felt this may have impeded the
speed with which the board could be used. At the other end of the
spectrum were the plain text boards, often using garish colours, which
looked anything but friendly.
8.1
Most board systems are based around a menu structure. Choosing options
from menus seems to have been obscured in the interests of a gaudy
display in some cases; often it takes more than a quick glance to
determine how to choose a given option. With exceptions, there also
seemed to be a noticeable lack of help available on most boards.
8.1
Having established these points, I decided that the Archive board would
be:
8.1
i)  Friendly − it would include pictures with each menu and be neatly
laid out rather than being plain lines of text. Recreation of some kind
is nice to have too.
8.1
ii)  Clear − choosing menu options should be a simple task, given that
it has to be done so often.
8.1
iii)  Efficient − it should be possible for experienced users to
manipulate the board as they wish as quickly as possible.
8.1
iv)  Tasteful − the use of colour (on ANSI terminals) makes the board
look more friendly, but if used excessively it can look awful. The board
should have a consistent colour scheme, and save further colours for the
graphics.
8.1
v)  Helpful − wherever possible, the board should provide a facility for
someone working out what to do next.
8.1
Whether I succeeded or not in these aims is a matter of opinion, but I
tried.
8.1
The two packages I was offered were ArcBBS (The Serial Port), which had
been used by a number of the boards I saw and seems to be a popular
choice, and Archiboard (Supreme Software Systems Limited). The old
version of the bulletin board was written on ArcBBS, but since there had
been problems with that, it did not seem that resurrecting the old board
was worth the effort.
8.1
ArcBBS is the better known package and has a wider user base; countering
that was the fact that Archiboard offers considerable assistance from
the author, who lives locally in Norwich. Although both systems provided
a default set-up which could be installed quickly and easily, I felt
that ArcBBS was more restricted in what could easily be done with it,
especially compared to the additional facilities in the script language
in Archiboard. Since I am, at heart, a programmer, and since I wanted to
have a good play at customising the board, I picked Archiboard; ArcBBS
may have been better for someone else, but from what I saw of the two
packages and from what I produced with Archiboard, I am happy with my
decision.
8.1
Archiboard
8.1
The original version of Archiboard which was available came with
somewhat rough and ready packaging and documentation; since then, I
received a number of updates (including better documentation) which
makes up for some of the deficiencies in that area. Even now, my copy of
the manual has pencil corrections all over it − although, to be fair,
quite a few of those are due to amendments which have been provided
since the manual was produced. A new version of the manual will be
coming soon, but it wasn’t available in time for this article.
Fortunately, soon after starting to use the package, the author of the
software came to the rescue and answered most of my questions. Even more
helpfully, Archiboard Central (the author’s own bulletin board) has been
a convenient place to contact him and obtain updates without the need
for the transfer of discs.
8.1
Although the software was found lacking in a few facilities and a little
temperamental in a few others, this was more than made up for by the
support which was received − which was often able to correct any faults
soon after they were reported. I don’t think that there have been any
problems with the board since it started running − the software is so
intelligent that it can make running repairs to its database, so I don’t
expect there to be much trouble. However, getting the system set up
exactly as wanted is not something to be done in a hurry.
8.1
I’m extremely grateful to the author for implementing features which I
wanted and fixing the bugs which were found so quickly. Having said
that, Archive BBS is a very different system to Archiboard Central, and
because of the large amount of non-mutual ground, it is probably
forgivable that features which are my idea of what should be in a system
may be missing, simply due to them never being needed before.
8.1
Archiboard stores the graphics for all its menus in text files; in this
way it can implement dumb, vt52, vt100 and ANSI terminal types easily by
having separate files for each type, each with their own suitable
control codes. It is also handy that the system can connect not only to
a modem, but also to another computer via the serial ports or an AUN
style network − a fact which Supreme Software Systems is very keen to
promote. This allowed for considerable testing to be carried out; in
fact, it wasn’t until very recently that the board was tested via a
modem (especially since I didn’t know how to set up our modem, being no
expert at comms; fortunately, the author again came to the rescue).
8.1
The menu options and other system functions are implemented via script
files. The script language bears some resemblance to C, with a few
anomalies to catch out the unwary programmer. Since it doesn’t have
user-definable functions or arrays (both being worked on and available
soon), and works only with string and integer data, programming it is an
experience; there is an implementation of the game ‘minesweeper’ on the
board, which was quite a challenge to produce. On the other hand, since
the system is so programmable, I suppose I am a perfectionist to miss
some of the facilities which a proper programming language would
provide.
8.1
Anybody who has used both Archiboard Central (or another board based on
Archiboard) and the Archive bulletin board will notice that the systems
have a great deal in common, but also some major differences. The
conference, file and electronic mail systems are almost identical, since
these facilities are more or less standard to the system, and are based
on a standard arrangement. In contrast to this, the user interface −
although still based on a menu structure − is radically different and
hopefully more friendly.
8.1
Archiboard’s facilities for customisation came in extremely useful −
different sysops will want to provide facilities in different ways − but
the backbone of pre-defined functions means that not too much work is
needed to achieve this customisation. That the board can be installed in
a default working form (with suitable default facilities) is a great
help, since this means that sysops do not have to work from scratch, and
can customise individual parts of the board as they see fit. Archiboard
is now even more flexible since I first used it, with requests for ways
to customise facilities being satisfied impressively quickly by the
author; I wish more companies were able to provide this level of
customer support.
8.1
Although the system is not terribly user-friendly to the prospective
system operator, it could have been much worse, and I am glad that
functionality has been the first concern. In my opinion it is usually
better for a package to be capable of as much as possible than for it to
be easy to use, especially in the realms of something like this, where
the system needs to be as flexible as possible in order to meet the
requirements of the sysop. Many sysops will be quite computer literate
anyway, and are likely to be able to cope with the way the system works;
especially once improvements to the manual have been made.
8.1
I can definitely recommend Archiboard to anybody wishing to set up a
bulletin board, so long as they are warned that it is not a task for
someone new to computers and that it is likely to take quite some time
to get the system set up as required.
8.1
Welcome to Archive BBS
8.1
So how do you use the Archive bulletin board?
8.1
You will need a computer − this is unlikely to be a problem for most
readers of Archive. You will need a phone line − again, this shouldn’t
be a problem for most people. You will need some communication software
− I mostly used ArcTerm 7, but any of the relevant packages in the comms
packages section of the Archive price list ought to work successfully.
The board works independently of what kind of machine it is running on,
so if you wish to dial up from a PC, Mac or other system you should be
able to do so without trouble − so long as you have a suitable comms
package.
8.1
Finally, you will need a modem, and to spend a little while getting the
modem to work with your software; many popular types of modem are
supported by the software anyway. The faster the modem, the faster you
will be able to send and receive information − the Archive board can
support up to 9600 baud, which allows for a reasonable rate of transfer
between the bulletin board and your computer. Although you can log on to
the bulletin board at slower speeds, you will have to wait longer for
the menus to be displayed and for the screen to fill up with information
− and so you will be on the phone for longer. Since the decrease in
phone charges often pays for the difference in the cost of a faster
modem, slower modems can be a false economy.
8.1
Most software can handle several kinds of terminal. If you can, choose
the ANSI terminal type for the Archive board; this will allow the
display to use some graphical characters and colour. Failing that, try
to choose a vt100 or vt102 terminal type (which are effectively the
same). As a last resort, the board will work with a dumb terminal (i.e.
one without control codes) or a vt52 terminal. Most systems can do
better than this, but the options are there as a last resort.
8.1
When you have the modem working with your computer, you will get to the
important bit − you need to ring up our bulletin board. The number is:
8.1
0603 766585
8.1
Give the board a few seconds to respond. The system has to load parts of
itself from disc when you log on, and there may be a slight delay. Some
packages may not allow sufficient time before they decide that there is
no reply, and hang up. If this happens, try typing:
8.1
ATD0603766585<return>
8.1
On many modems, this will make the modem ring the bulletin board; it
should then not hang up until you tell it to.
8.1
You should be presented with a welcome screen, and be prompted to log
on. If this is your first visit, type:
8.1
NEW<return>
8.1
You should then be able to follow the prompts to create an account. One
point of note is that, if you are unsure of whether you need line feed
and carriage return (which you will be asked about), answer yes; a
display which is double-spaced is easier to read than one which is
wrapping strangely if you get it wrong. If you have any problems with
your display, you should be able to change your set-up once you have
logged on by choosing the Tools menu option and then Terminal options.
8.1
When you have finished creating your account, you will be again prompted
with the opportunity to log on. You should now be able to type your name
(or at least the pseudonym which you are told) and enter your password,
after which you will be in the board proper.
8.1
I won’t say much about the board, since that would take the fun out of
exploring it. To choose menu options, press the number or first letter
of the choice; there are a range of options at the bottom of each menu
which are constant for each menu option. Especially important amongst
these are <?>, <M>, <P> and <return>. Pressing <?> will give you help on
the current menu. <M> and <P> move you to the main menu and your
previous menu respectively − which is helpful if you get lost. <return>
will redisplay the screen, so if you cannot read the menu for some
reason, try pressing it.
8.1
There is a log off option on the main menu − when you have finished
using the board, choose this option and the bulletin board will hang up
for you.
8.1
If you get a chance to use the bulletin board, I hope you enjoy the
experience − especially if you are new to bulletin boards. If you have
any comments or suggestions, please send a message to the sysop, and we
will try to implement any changes as soon as possible. Although the
bulletin board is not the highest priority facility of Norwich Computer
Services, I hope it will prove to be a useful one.  A
8.1
Thanks Andrew for getting the BBS going again. We’ll do our best to keep
it up and running.  Ed.
8.1
Amstrad NC100 with Acorn Machines
8.1
Charles Woodbridge
8.1
I have been using the NC100 for over 18 months now and I feel able to
give a view on its value to education and to the individual.
8.1
Being an ardent Acorn fan, it went completely against the grain to buy a
different brand − especially Amstrad!
8.1
I currently have a Risc PC 610 with CD-ROM drive fitted and, prior to
that, I had an A5000 with a 120Mb hard disc and I have always been
delighted with Acorn machines − right back to the first A3000 I bought
second hand from a good friend. Also, in my previous job as Advisory
Teacher for IT within Kirklees LEA, I had access to all manner of Acorn
machines; A4000, A3020, A3000, A400, A310 series etc, as well as the
Acorn Pocket Book.
8.1
Let’s put the use of the Amstrad NC100 into context by describing the
use to which it will mainly be put. It has seemed to me, and probably
many others, that tying up the incredibly powerful Acorn processor, to
the mundane task of typing in text is not the best use of its time and
abilities − after all, most classrooms will only have one Acorn and if
we are really going to let children use the computer for ‘real’ word
processing, we simply need more fingers on the keyboards!
8.1
This is where a machine such as the Amstrad NC100 comes into its own. A
child or, preferably, group of children can work on the Amstrad together
to type in their text − and due to its portability this work can be done
anywhere. The finished work can be printed off using the built-in fonts
of the attached printer (and the Amstrad NC100 gives full control over
bold, italic, enlarged text, etc) or, more importantly, the text can be
transferred to the Acorn computers via the serial port using some
excellent software produced by S&S Solutions (Risc PC compatible!). The
software does, of course, allow data to be loaded from the Acorn to the
Amstrad as well. I have also been able to backup my address book, using
the data mode and Basic programs (written in BBC Basic 3.1).
8.1
The text can be transferred in a number of formats − straight ASCII,
Protext format (where it can be transferred with styles such as bold,
italic, etc), First Word Plus format, or plain data format. The software
also includes a Protext loader for Impression − this also works with
Style, etc.
8.1
The most important thing about this transfer software is that it is easy
to use and that it works every time without problems. I have tended to
use it in the plain text mode but I have used it in the Protext and data
modes and have had no problems at all. The accompanying manual is very
well written and even staff with little IT technical ability should be
able, by carefully following the manual, to make the software connect
first time.
8.1
I have not tried this yet but it is perfectly feasible that the Amstrad
NC100 could be used to enter data for a database/spreadsheet. The data
could be entered with commas to separate the fields. It can then be
transferred into one of the main databases on the Acorn (Pinpoint
Junior, Junior Database, or the new Advance database), after setting the
filetype to DFE(!), i.e. CSV file.
8.1
The software costs about £40 and includes a cable. You will also need a
machine with a serial chip in (like the newer machines from Acorn).
8.1
Some of the features of the Amstrad NC100:
8.1
•  Super twist LCD display: 80 characters by 8 lines
8.1
•  Mains adapter and four batteries (offering up to 40 hours of portable
power) with a lithium battery offering the necessary backup power.
8.1
•  Built-in full feature word processor − Protext
8.1
•  Spell checker − which is, to quote my colleague, ‘....very good at
picking up the sort of mistakes children make.....’
8.1
•  Simple name and address database − this allows for mail merging if
you wish.
8.1
•  Very large simple calculator with twelve large digits
8.1
•  Time zones
8.1
•  Simple diary function
8.1
•  Several alarms − repeating, or once only, etc.
8.1
•  BBC Basic (version 3.1) built in.
8.1
At the show in Harrogate 1993, I met up with someone who was in the
process of writing a program to allow the Amstrad and Acorn to connect.
He was planning to put this software into the public domain. I have not
heard from him yet but I am sure he will be near completing this
program.
8.1
I have also transferred text using ArcComm and HearSay II but had no
success with David Pilling’s older terminal programs − admittedly these
were very old.
8.1
The children in my class (Year 6) love using the A4000 system but are
equally keen to use the Amstrad for composing their work and then
transferring it to the A4000 or even printing it on the Canon BJ10sx
directly. Only once have we lost any data and that was because I use
rechargeable batteries in the Amstrad (or the mains adapter) which tend
to ‘die’ rather than ‘fade away’. The children kept switching the
Amstrad back on not realising what the problem was and it finally beeped
a warning that it had had enough! So be warned, care is needed if using
rechargeable batteries.
8.1
As Deputy Head, I have found it invaluable for working at school away
from the classroom and then transferring notes, letters, reports, etc.
It has a very useful facility − not unlike the abbreviations dictionary
in Style − which can save a great deal of unnecessary typing by allowing
you to set up ‘macros’ − sentences/words which can be retyped by the
computer at the touch of two keys.
8.1
I know that a lot of readers will be shouting − or at least thinking −
“What about the Pocket Book?” Well, the main problem for me is the size
of my fingers − I simply cannot type in any meaningful way on the Pocket
Book. The Amstrad supports a full-size keyboard.
8.1
Don’t get me wrong, I am convinced that the Pocket Book is an excellent
machine for many things − spreadsheet work, database work, even making
notes, but I don’t think it can be used seriously for word processing.
Well, not by anyone with medium (or larger) size fingers.
8.1
There is one other important consideration and that is the price of the
Amstrad NC100. At present, it is retailing at around £100 +VAT,
depending upon where you buy it. Tandy, for example, are selling it at
£117 inclusive.  A
8.1
Programming for Non-Programmer
8.1
Cain Hunt
8.1
Why bother programming?
8.1
Most people use ready-made applications (e.g. Impression) as tools which
allow them to do complicated jobs more easily. In DTP, for example, the
computer allows designs to be instantly revised and altered in a way
which would take many hours with glue and scissors. However, this misses
one of the key features of computers which is that they can follow
instructions in sequence to produce complex results. Simple programs
which don’t take long to write can often produce startling results.
8.1
Quick and dirty
8.1
Apologies to all the serious programmers who read this! Unless you are
writing programs for someone else to use, there is no point in writing
wonderful RISC-compliant programs. Get your commercial software to do
all the donkey work. Most of the programs that I write use the powerful
formatting and printing routines in Impression, Draw and PipeDream.
Write the program in the quickest way possible and don’t worry if your
solution is messy − as long as it works! However, I would commend the
use of structured programming (FOR... NEXT, REPEAT...UNTIL etc.) and
meaningful variable names so that you can still understand your work in
a couple of years time.
8.1
How to use CalMaker
8.1
I wanted a simple printed calendar with the minimum of effort so I wrote
CalMaker. If you have the monthly program disc, you can just double
click on the Obey file CSD=Here so that the output file is generated in
the correct place, double click on the Basic program CalMaker and type
in the year (e.g. 1994) and the day of the week on which 1st January
falls (e.g. 6 = Saturday). The program will run and generate a text file
called CalOutput. Open the Template Impression file Template and drag
the file CalOutput to the topmost frame (1) in the document. Hey Presto,
there’s your calendar!
8.1
You can use Acorn’s Alarm or Alex Hopkins’ Calendar to find out what day
the 1st of January is.
8.1
If you don’t get the program disc and therefore don’t have the template
file here is how you create your own:
8.1
Make a page with four columns and link them as in the diagram below.
8.1
Alter Normal style so that it is Homerton.Medium, 10pt with no space
above or below paragraphs but a 150% line spacing. Place seven “centre”
tabs so they are evenly spaced in the narrow columns (frames 2, 3 & 4).
8.1
Alter Main Heading style to Bold, 40pt, centred.
8.1
Alter Sub-Heading style to Bold, 16pt, centred.
8.1
These are really just suggestions: play around with the design to find
one that you like.
8.1
How it works
8.1
The program counts through the year from 1st January printing each date
under the right day of the week. At the beginning of each month it
leaves a space and prints the month name followed by the days of the
week as column headings.
8.1
Public Domain
8.1
This little program is yours to do with as you wish − no copyright etc.
It should be fairly easy to modify it for use with other DTP programs.
8.1
Calmaker program
8.1
REM >CalMaker
8.1
REM by Cain Hunt
8.1
REM USE AT YOUR OWN RISK - no guarantee that
8.1
 it will work!
8.1
DATA Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
8.1
 Friday, Saturday, Sunday
8.1
DATA January, 31
8.1
DATA February, 28
8.1
DATA March, 31
8.1
DATA April, 30
8.1
DATA May, 31
8.1
DATA June, 30
8.1
DATA July, 31
8.1
DATA August, 31
8.1
DATA September, 30
8.1
DATA October, 31
8.1
DATA November, 30
8.1
DATA December, 31
8.1
DIM day$(6), month$(11), len%(11)
8.1
FOR X% = 0 TO 6
8.1
  READ day$(X%)
8.1
NEXT X%
8.1
FOR X% = 0 TO 11
8.1
  READ month$(X%), len%(X%)
8.1
NEXT X%
8.1
PRINT “Calendar Maker”’
8.1
INPUT “What year”, year$
8.1
year% = VAL(year$)
8.1
IF (year% MOD 4 = 0) AND ((year% MOD 100 <>
8.1
 0) OR (year% MOD 400 = 0)) THEN len%(1) = 29: REM if leap year then
February has 29 days
8.1
PRINT
8.1
FOR X% = 0 TO 6
8.1
  PRINT ;X%+1; “. ”; day$(X%)
8.1
NEXT X%
8.1
PRINT ’“What day is 1st January ”; year$;
8.1
“ (0 to 6)”;
8.1
INPUT day%
8.1
day% -= 1
8.1
*SPOOL CalOutput
8.1
PRINT “{heading”“ }”; CHR$10; year$; “{heading”“ }
8.1
”;: REM all
8.1
 the text in  is Impression commands
8.1
FOR month% = 0 TO 11
8.1
  PRINT “{sub -Heading”“}”; month$(month%);
8.1
 CHR$10; “{sub -Heading”“}”;
8.1
  FOR X% = 0 TO 6
8.1
    PRINT CHR$9; LEFT$(day$(X%),3);
8.1
  NEXT X%
8.1
  PRINT CHR$10;
8.1
  REM A new line in Basic e.g. using PRINT
8.1
 generates CHR$10 and CHR$13 both of which cause a new line when
imported into
8.1
Impression and make the text double spaced, so PRINT CHR$10; is used.
8.1
  REM Tab along the first row to the correct
8.1
 day-of-week column
8.1
  IF day% > 0 THEN
8.1
    FOR X% = 1 TO day%
8.1
      PRINT CHR$9;
8.1
    NEXT X%
8.1
  ENDIF
8.1
  row_count% = 0
8.1
  FOR X% = 1 TO len%(month%)
8.1
    PRINT CHR$9; X%;
8.1
    day% += 1
8.1
    IF day% = 7 THEN day% = 0: PRINT
8.1
 CHR$10;: row_count% += 1: REM at the end of the row then print a new
line and increase the row count.
8.1
  NEXT X%
8.1
  REM Print extra new lines so that reach
8.1
 month occupies seven lines.
8.1
  FOR X% = 1 TO 7 - row_count%
8.1
    PRINT CHR$10;
8.1
  NEXT X%
8.1
  REM Jump to new column after April and
8.1
 August
8.1
  IF month% = 3 OR month% = 7 THEN PRINT
8.1
 “
8.1
”;
8.1
NEXT month%
8.1
*SPOOL
8.1
*SetType CalOutput text
8.1
Obey file “!CSD=Here”
8.1
This file just consists of the single command line:
8.1
*dir <obey$dir>  A
8.1
Comment Column
8.1
•  (Im)Perfect binding − I agree wholeheartedly with Dave Floyd (Archive
7.12 p69) that Perfect-bound manuals are a perfect nuisance. My solution
is to get an A5 three-ring binder, go along to my local wholesale
stationer (or local printer) and get him to drill three holes and
guillotine off the edge of the binding. (Anyone know where I can get A5
binders with slip-cases? My supplier can’t get them any more.)  Roger
King, Guernsey.
8.1
•  Impression Publisher − Is it stable? − I read with interest the
comment of Barry Humpidge of Sheffield. I have used Impression Publisher
since v0.20 (a beta test version) and I was surprised and delighted by
its stability and “bugfreeness” even then. (I remember working with an
early release version of QuarkXPress 3.3 on a Mac and that was
definitely not stable or bug free and that upgrade cost £125). Now I
have v4.0 and use it daily for all my DTP and WP needs and, in the three
months I have had it, it has crashed once − not bad for 90 days very
hard use!
8.1
So has the wait been worthwhile? An unreserved YES! Not just for the
major improvements like irregular shaped graphic frames and much better
colour control but the little things like the crop marks for small
frames (Border No. 11) or the compile font usage feature − vital for
bureaux and all our pockets!
8.1
I do have two moans (I suppose): (a) CC, will you please get us
irregular shaped text frames? (b) If you install a document and the
fonts are not available, you get the error box informing you that
Impression will substitute another font. CC, how about giving us the
option to abort and install the required font(s) − in some cases, it
could save me a lot of time! (What about Font Directory − that would
save you even more time! Ed.)
8.1
I know spot colours will be with us very soon and OPI is also near, so
once the two items above have been dealt with, Quark and PageMaker might
as well give up and move over for the British Rolls Royce (= Risc PC +
Impression Publisher).
8.1
Paul, don’t worry about using Publisher for producing Archive − Land
Mobile, a full colour magazine, is created in Publisher and they have
had very few problems.  Keith Parker, Southall.
8.1
I have to admit that this isn’t the story I have been getting from all
Publisher users, quite a few of whom are having lots of crashes... but
I’ll keep you posted. Ed.
8.1
(A later comment from Ed...) Hmmm, I’ve been using Publisher for a few
days now and get of the order of one crash every two hours − perhaps
it’s because I’m working on very old files created in the mists of
Impression time?! Watch this space... Ed.
8.1
•  Notebook PCs − Stuart Bell’s article in Archive 7.12 p21 about his
search for and use of a Notebook PC made good reading; doubly
interesting for me as I’d just completed a similar exercise, albeit for
rather more self-indulgent reasons − a wish to get outside and enjoy the
recent, gorgeous weather.
8.1
Generally speaking, my selection and rejection process followed Stuart’s
to the letter, the difference being that the piggy bank was extra-small.
As it turned out, it was a case of Hobson’s choice, the only offering
anywhere near my price bracket on the High Street or in my collection of
office-equipment catalogues was a Samsung ‘Magic Note’ notebook-size
word-processor, Model SQW-1100. The RRP is £300 +VAT but our local
branch of Office World was selling them for just under £200 including
mains adaptor and VAT − and including a rechargeable battery pack which,
in their catalogue and Samsung blurb, was rather confusingly described
as ‘optional’.
8.1
In use, the compressed keyboard layout inevitably takes a little
familiarisation, while the ‘feel’ of the keys is a little spongy and
needing rather more force than perhaps is normal. My main problem was
getting used to the space key which is quite small and slightly offset,
so my earlier documents were littered with ‘\’ characters where there
should have been spaces. Not to worry, Edit’s search and replace
function quickly took care of that (although I could have done it on the
Magic Note).
8.1
The 16-bit CPU and 8Kb SRAM display operate at a speed clearly well
below that of a notebook PC; sub-ARM1 would about sum it up. By this, I
mean you can always punch in the characters at speeds within your
personal typing capabilities but, the faster you go, the longer it takes
the screen display to catch up. Initially, this is rather off-putting
but you soon get used to it. For the same reason, although the unit has
the full set of word-processor functions − block cut-and-paste, search
and replace, delete and so on − and, in theory, it would be possible to
use it as a stand-alone WP − it would be far more productive just to
enter the text and edit it later using your ‘proper’ PC, Acorn or
whatever. In this regard, it fully meets Stuart’s very apt description
as a ‘text acquisition’ machine.
8.1
Despite these limitations, the Magic Note is a very well-designed unit
which, for me, has proved to be a major boon and excellent value. It has
64Kb RAM and the battery is advertised to last for up to 4 hours but, in
practice, I haven’t come up against either of these limits. The case and
keyboard seem extremely robust, the 80 character × 14 line display is
nicely controllable and surprisingly clear, even in direct sunlight, and
there are some well thought out features such as the hot keys being
printed on the case below the display.
8.1
I’ve mentioned only word-processing but, for your money, you also get a
basic spreadsheet, appointment and address managers, loads of utilities
and parallel/serial ports for printers, fax/modem packs, and so on.
Small wonder that, on seeing me using the Magic Note whilst multi-
tasking with some serious topless sunbathing, there have been coarse
wolf-whistles and cries of “Yuppy” from my neighbour and his wife − and
not necessarily in that order...
8.1
The all-important problem of data-storage and transfer is simply
resolved by the internal floppy disc drive which is a standard 720Kb MS-
DOS unit; true portability with no need for expensive A-links, RemoteFS
or whatever. With a bit of jiggling and thanks to Edit, I’ve managed to
massage the output text format to be 100% readable by Ovation and
Impression Publisher. Indeed, thanks to ‘A.N.Other’ utility, this
process is now fully automated. I’m purposely not giving details in this
note because the subject of imported text manipulation goes well outside
this particular application. Ed tells me a number of readers asked for
further advice in the recent Archive survey, so I intend to prepare a
full article for later publication.
8.1
In the meantime, if anyone would like further details of the Magic Note,
please drop me a note with a self-addressed A4/A5 envelope (or sticky
label) and a 25p stamp and you shall have them by return. Incidentally,
although Office World prices are some of the lowest I’ve seen for
general office supplies, they are not box-shifters, they offer a good
crop of money-back guarantees and I can recommend their services. They
have 24 branches in England (York and below) and will deliver next day
(delivery free on orders of £50 or more +VAT). Contact them by ’phone on
0345 444700 or fax on 556688.
8.1
One final safety note, based on personal experience. If you go in for
the multi-tasking bit, do practice safe sunbathing and take precautions
− especially if, like me, you are severely follicly challenged. I didn’t
and the pilots at our local gliding club report that the top of Jim’s
head was the best homing-beacon they’d ever seen. You have been
warned...
8.1
Jim Nottingham, 16 Westfield Close, Pocklington, York, YO4 2EY.
8.1
•  Operating systems, monopolies and markets − When I started work at
Kingshurst CTC in 1988, there was some debate about which computer
system to install. The arguments will be familiar to most people −
“Wordperfect is the leading wordprocessor, so let’s prepare the children
for a future in work” etc.
8.1
When RISC OS 2 was launched, it caused considerable interest in the
Acorn enthusiasts’ camp but was dismissed as a quirky non-standard
desktop by the “industry standard” lobby. I argued that it was
impossible to tell what the interface standard would be like in seven
years when the initial year 7 left the school but the reply was that
whatever it was it wouldn’t be RISC OS.
8.1
Although it’s only unofficial, I have a reasonably good idea of what
Windows 4 will look like when Microsoft launch it in 1995. Pop up menus,
iconbar (a bit more flexible in use than the current RISC OS one) and a
range of features familiar to RISC OS users. Since the majority of year
7 pupils from 1988 are still at school, it would be a fair to say that
RISC OS was a far better training environment for Windows 4 than even
Windows 3 and, in 1989, Windows 3 was not even a product on sale.
8.1
I am still of the view that teaching with industry standard software,
for its own sake, is not a sound argument. Let’s educate children for
change and leave the specific technical training to either specialist
training organisations or employers close to the time of specialisation.
8.1
Don’t get me wrong, I am in favour of broad vocational education even as
young as eleven. It is essential that students leaving school understand
how businesses work and in which areas future careers might be pursued
but it is really naive to concentrate too much on detailed specifics in
areas of rapid development. In a changing world, we need to educate for
change not for maintaining the status quo.
8.1
I can just envisage the launch of Windows 4. Windows 3 will be
proclaimed to be unfriendly and with poor file-handling capabilities by
the same people who wax lyrical about its virtues at the moment. The “we
invented the idea” will be assumed and poor little innovators such as
Apple and Acorn will have no chance of taking Microsoft to court over
copyright infringement much less gain any recognition for their
pioneering work. The PC magazines will carry reviews and articles
extolling the innovative virtue of Microsoft. Enough to make you throw
up isn’t it?
8.1
Incidentally, what is to stop Microsoft from programming undocumented
features into the operating system to make sure that all their software
runs well and that everything else runs like a snail? While everyone was
caught up with open hardware systems and PC clones, it seems that the
really important element, the operating system has been left to a single
privately-owned monopoly.
8.1
You might have heard of Windows NT. This is another operating system
from Microsoft but it is primarily targeted at the Unix market. Windows
NT is, in a way, a better philosophy in that it is portable across
machines with different processors and so makes it far easier for
software vendors to write for the plethora of workstations from Sun,
Dec, Silicon Graphics, etc. This portability is not something which
Microsoft have built in because of their sense of fair play but as an
expedient in attacking the Unix workstation market. Unix is a common
denominator for workstations but there are still significant overheads
involved in moving applications between machines. Windows NT is
Microsoft’s attempt to spread its market share and corner the
workstation market. Acorn could write a software layer so that NT would
run on ARM processors but machines would need a minimum of 16Mb of RAM
to work sensibly and a lot more for most applications.
8.1
An area where Microsoft are not dominant in the operating system stakes
is in networking. Novell is the market leader here but it is another
area in which Microsoft are interested in improving their market share.
What is the effect of this dominance of the market by one or two
companies in what is effectively a technological monopoly? Well, one is
high prices. Admittedly, some of the products I am about to mention are
more sophisticated and heavily feature-laden than their Acorn
counterparts but certainly not to the extent the price differential
would suggest, particularly when economies of scale are taken into
account.
8.1
−  100 users for Microsoft Office Professional − £9,999 (Compare this
to, say, Fireworks and then add some extras such as site licences for
Impression Publisher, Artworks, DataPower and ArcTerm7 and you will
still be only at about 25% of the cost and without a user-limit on a
single site.) You also need a 33MHz 486 with 8Mb RAM and a minimum of
100Mb of free hard disc space to think about running Office Professional
seriously.
8.1
−  10 users AutoCad − £3,200 (compare this to Cadet Pro or Apollonius
PDT)
8.1
−  LanDesk virus protect    − £650 (compare this to Pineapple at £28 per
year)
8.1
−  250 users Novell   − £3,300
8.1
−  LanDesk Manager − £950 (AUN £399 plus, say, £80 for improved
management software)
8.1
(All prices are ex VAT.)
8.1
You will also find that commercial organisations supplying and
installing these might charge say £800 for installation of the software
alone.
8.1
Think of the hundreds of thousands of Novell installations around the
world and then try to square the cost of Netware against that of Acorn’s
AUN which must have a very small fraction of the size of market. The
very fact that Acorn is still in business and Acorn software vendors
survive is an indication of the profiteering in the mega-monopolies of
the commercial IT world.
8.1
On the face of it, most PC clones are very much less expensive than
Risc PCs but if we cost support and software the balance changes
significantly. The fundamental price of the machine is, however, a
marketing “Achilles heel” for Acorn because it is the starting point for
many people buying a computer whether for home, school or business. If I
can buy a 486 with all the bits and pieces for £1,000 incVAT and it
costs £1,500 for a similarly-equipped Risc PC with a 486 card and enough
memory to run Windows, I have to ask the question as to whether the
extra £500 is justified. If all I want is basic wordprocessing/DTP,
either machine will do and if I go for lesser names than Microsoft,
software is not too different in price. PCs are currently less easy to
manage, but this could change with Windows 4 and so Acorn need to
develop RISC OS 4 which is even better and/or reduce the price of
machines. Risc PC might even help currently loyal Acorn Users over the
transitional difficulties and onto the PC side of the fence so that
their next purchase is a PC!
8.1
All in all, I believe that the continuation of the Microsoft monopoly
through the demise of RISC OS and Apple would be a great shame and
possibly a step towards a more serious situation where the whole of
World Information and Communications is in the grip of a single company.
Personally, I think I will continue to use RISC OS for as long as
possible because I do not like large bureaucratic monopolies dictating
prices to customers because the customer happens to be technologically
illiterate and is scared of change or discontinuity.
8.1
This fear of change helps Acorn in the education market but there is
enormous pressure on education which is often seen as a poor relation to
industry which is not present in the industrial sector.
8.1
Those working in the Microsoft world also have a vested interest in
keeping things that bit mystical − ask any of the main suppliers and
they will tell you that they make their money on cabling, software and
support services and not on selling machines. This is another area of
advantage to the company that owns the operating system but does not
have responsibility for hardware development. I have even seen quotes
from companies which include fine tuning of network software after
installation. In other words, when we install your software and it
doesn’t work we will charge you £500 per day to come and put the
problems right! Would you accept this from your local Ford dealer?
8.1
This leads us full circle. If we do not produce a technologically
educated society, the giants of the IT world could become more powerful
than elected governments and customers, either consumers or corporate
will be “ripped off” because they do not know any better and have all
their information eggs in one company’s corporate basket.  Ian Lynch,
Tamworth.
8.1
•  Pentium second processor − In a couple of official-looking magazines
recently I have seen references to a Pentium second processor for the
Risc PC, both saying authoritatively that you “will be able to put one
in your Risc PC”.
8.1
First of all, to put a foreign processor on the Risc PC requires a good
deal of design work − you can’t just buy a processor, make a PCB and
stick it in the machine! This means that whether any given second
processor appears, be it Pentium or Mac or 486, depends on a company
deciding that it will be worth their while investing in the development
work. I gather that the sale of Pentium-based computers isn’t going as
well as Intel had hoped because so much re-programming of applications
is needed before they will run on the new platforms.
8.1
Secondly, the Pentium processor is extremely power-hungry. This means
you need a pretty hefty power supply and an elaborate cooling system. We
all know how expandable the Risc PC is but the current Risc PCs are just
not designed to cope with the kind of load that a Pentium would place on
the power supply and cooling system.
8.1
So, will it be worth someone’s while doing all the necessary software,
hardware and case re-design? Well, given the limited number of people
who (a) have a Risc PC and (b) also want a Pentium, I think not.
Certainly, Aleph One say they currently have no plans to do a Pentium
second processor.  Ed.
8.1
We asked Peter Bondar, Acorn’s Risc PC Product Manager, about this and
he explained what had happened. Apparently, the Risc PC was designed
with sufficient power supply capability and cooling to handle the P24T
32-bit Pentium 486-replacement chip whose full specification they had
obtained from Intel. Unfortunately, it now looks as if, for various
reasons, this chip may never see the light of day. The other
alternative, to use a full 64-bit Pentium chip is more difficult because
whilst the P24T would have been able to use the same ASIC as the 486,
the double width data bus would mean designing a new ASIC and you would
have to have substantially more on-card cache. Power supply and
dissipation is becoming less of a problem as the newer Pentiums are
slightly lower power but it still doesn’t look too optimistic that we
will have a Pentium second processor in the foreseeable future.  A
8.1
ARM Programming − Part 4
8.1
James Riden
8.1
This month we are going to look at arithmetic in assembly language. If
you have a commercial assembler, you will be able to use floating point
instructions but otherwise you are limited to integers only. The
technique usually used to overcome this is known as fixed point
arithmetic. This basically means dealing with a register as if it had a
binary point somewhere in it. A machine code square root finder is
included on this month’s disc and we will use this as an example.
8.1
The method used to find the root is successive approximation. We want to
find the root of a known number. The computer will guess what the root
is and then square it to find out how close the real answer is to our
guess. Then our guess is altered to make it nearer the answer. The
arithmetic steps for finding the root of number are:
8.1
direction = 1
8.1
guess = 100*1024
8.1
step = 100*1024
8.1
repeat
8.1
  square = guess * guess
8.1
  if square > number and direction = up
8.1
 then step = step/2 : direction = -1
8.1
  if square < number and direction = down
8.1
 then step = step/2 : direction = 1
8.1
  guess = guess + step * direction
8.1
until square = number
8.1
The major advantage of this routine is that it has relatively simple
components but it still requires decimal numbers unless number is a
perfect square. Now consider a register Rx representing an integer of
size Rx / 1024 (i.e. Rx = number *1024). If we pass a value to this
routine multiplied by 1024, the answer should come back multiplied by
1024. Then (in Basic) we can divide it by 1024 to get a decimal answer.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple because if integer I is such
that I^2=Rx*1024 then I = SQR(Rx)*SQR(1024) = SQR(Rx)*32 so it in fact
needs do be divided by 32 to get the root. So in Basic we can write:
8.1
root = guess/32
8.1
This can cause another problem. Since each ARM register is 32 bits wide
and we have used 5 for the decimal part, we only have 27 bits left, of
which one is used to represent negative numbers. This reduces the
magnitude of the maximum value possible, which is not a problem in this
case but it can be in other applications. If we need a bigger answer, we
will have to sacrifice accuracy by reducing the left shifting of the
registers.
8.1
When this routine is written in assembler, you need to remember the left
shifts or, in other words, where the binary point is for each register.
Accordingly, when adding two numbers make sure the binary points are in
the same place and when multiplying don’t let any information ‘fall off’
the top.
8.1
Fixed point arithmetic is used where speed is the priority with accuracy
not particularly necessary, mainly in demos and games, for instance
bouncing balls and 3D graphics. Accuracy will be retained until the data
is written to the screen when it will be lost, since POINT 0,4.83 and
POINT 0,4.9 will both put the pixel in the same place. If you require
good accuracy as well as speed, you need an assembler which works with
floating point instructions.  A
8.1
REM >Root
8.1
DIM code 1024
8.1
PRINT “Calculates the root of a 32 bit number in machine code”
8.1
acc%=19
8.1
REM this many bits for decimal part (leaves 31-acc% for integer part)
8.1
FOR pass=0 TO 2 STEP 2
8.1
link=14
8.1
sp=13
8.1
step=9
8.1
dir=8
8.1
root=7
8.1
count=6   :REM in case we get stuck
8.1
work=5
8.1
temp=4
8.1
val=1
8.1
power=0
8.1
P%=code
8.1
[OPT pass
8.1
;calling parameters are...
8.1
;r1 - the number to work out the square root of (positive only please!)
8.1
;on exit r0 is the square root (shifted left 5 times)
8.1
.getroot
8.1
MOV      dir,     #1       ;going up
8.1
MOV      step,    #1024    ;initial step of half the number
8.1
MOV      root,    #0
8.1
MOV      count,   #1000    ; 500 tries and then give up
8.1
.rootloop
8.1
MUL      work,    dir,     step
8.1
ADD      root,    root,    work
8.1
MUL      work,    root,    root     ;work out square of guessed root
8.1
CMP      work,    val      ;are we too high ..
8.1
CMPGE    dir,     #0       ;AND is dir > 0 (=1) ?
8.1
MVNGE    dir,     #0       ;yes, set dir to -1 (-1 = NOT 0)
8.1
MOVGE    step,    step,    ASR#1    ;and halve our step
8.1
CMP      work,    val      ;are we too low ..
8.1
CMPLT    dir,     #0       ;AND is dir < 0 (=-1) ?
8.1
MOVLT    dir,     #1       ;yes, set dir to 1
8.1
MOVLT    step,    step,    ASR#1    ;and halve our step
8.1
SUBS     count,   count,   #1
8.1
CMP      step,    #0       ;is step > 0
8.1
CMPGT    count,   #0       ; and is count > 0 ?
8.1
BGT      rootloop          ;if both then loop...
8.1
STR      root,    result   ; for BASIC testing
8.1
MOV      PC,      link     ;terminate routine
8.1
.result  EQUD     0
8.1
;note the use of double CMPs as ANDs & fixed point arithmatic.
8.1
]NEXTpass
8.1
PRINT “(Timed using a Basic loop)...”
8.1
PRINT “Time taken”,;
8.1
TIME=0
8.1
FOR Z%=1 TO 5000:num=RND(2^21):A%=2:B%=num:CALL getroot:NEXT Z%
8.1
PRINT INT((TIME/Z%)*10*1000);“µs per root”
8.1
num=RND(2^29)  :REM we’re using acc% bits for the fractional part
8.1
A%=2 :REM square root
8.1
B%=num :REM value to root
8.1
CALL getroot
8.1
PRINT “Originial number  ”;num/(2^acc%)
8.1
PRINT “MC root           ”;(!result)/(2^(acc%/2))
8.1
PRINT “BASICs value      ”;SQR(num/(2^acc%))
8.1
REM >Mandelbrot
8.1
MODE13
8.1
DIM code 4096
8.1
PROCassemble
8.1
A%=(-2.5)*(2^acc%)    :REM X is -2.25 shifted
8.1
B%=(-1.5)*(2^acc%)    :REM Y is -1.5 shifted
8.1
size=3                :REM size = 3
8.1
C%=(size/256)*(2^acc%):REM so calulate step
8.1
D%=127                :REM with this many
8.1
 iterations
8.1
CALL code
8.1
END
8.1
:
8.1
DEFPROCassemble
8.1
acc%=13 :REM number of places to shift left
8.1
x=0:y=1:s=2:nx=3:ny=4:i=5:l=6
8.1
px=7:py=8:ox=9:oy=10:p=11:q=14:oi=13
8.1
scr=12:sp=13:link=14
8.1
FOR pass=0 TO 2 STEP 2
8.1
P%=code
8.1
[OPT pass
8.1
.input  EQUD 149
8.1
        EQUD -1
8.1
.output EQUD 0
8.1
        EQUD 0
8.1
.plotit
8.1
STMFD (sp)!,{link }
8.1
STR sp,stackholder
8.1
MOV ox,R0 ;input parameters
8.1
MOV oy,R1
8.1
MOV oi,R3
8.1
MOV l,#1<<28
8.1
ADR R0,input
8.1
ADR R1,output
8.1
SWI “OS_ReadVduVariables”
8.1
LDR scr,output
8.1
ADD scr,scr,#81920
8.1
MOV py,#256
8.1
.yloop
8.1
MOV px,#320
8.1
MUL ny,s,py:ADD y,oy,ny
8.1
.xloop
8.1
MUL nx,s,px:ADD x,ox,nx
8.1
MOV i,oi
8.1
MOV p,#0:MOV q,#0
8.1
.iloop
8.1
MUL nx,p,p
8.1
MOV nx,nx,ASR#acc%
8.1
MUL ny,q,q
8.1
SUB nx,nx,ny,ASR#acc%
8.1
ADD nx,nx,x
8.1
; s=p^2-q^2+x  and compensate for squaring
8.1
 a shifted number.
8.1
BVS exitiloop
8.1
MUL ny,p,q
8.1
MOV ny,ny,ASR#(acc%-1)
8.1
ADD q,ny,y     ;q=2pq+y
8.1
BVS exitiloop
8.1
MOV p,nx ;p=s
8.1
MUL ny,p,p:MUL nx,q,q:ADD nx,nx,ny:CMP nx,l:BGE exitiloop
8.1
; is x^2+y^2 > r^2 ?
8.1
SUBS i,i,#1
8.1
BGT iloop         ;do again unless black or
8.1
 out of range
8.1
.exitiloop
8.1
STRB i,[scr],#-1   ;plot the pixel
8.1
SUBS px,px,#1     ;have we finished the row?
8.1
BGT xloop
8.1
SWI “OS_ReadEscapeState”
8.1
BCS finish
8.1
SUBS py,py,#1     ;have we finished the
8.1
 picture ?
8.1
BGT yloop
8.1
.finish
8.1
LDR sp,stackholder
8.1
LDMFD (sp)!,{pc }
8.1
.stackholder EQUD 0
8.1
]NEXTpass
8.1
ENDPROC  A
8.1
Help!!!!
8.1
•  C book, please − I have been using Easy C and DeskLib alongside an
old edition of Mark Burgess’ Dabhand Guide on C. I would like to buy a
book on C of a more reference style. Have you any suggestions? (I am one
of those strange people who can sit down and read the PRM from cover to
cover and enjoy it!) Robert Lytton, Leeds 0532-755276.
8.1
•  Colour printers − Can anyone tell us how resistant to fading are the
printouts from colour printers?  Alan Angus, Blyth.
8.1
•  Second ST506 on an A420? − I would like to increase my hard disc
storage facility on the cheap. I gather that it is possible to control
two ST506 drives. Can anyone tell me what connections need to be made
and what is the largest size of ST506 an A420 can handle? Robert Lytton,
Leeds 0532-755276.
8.1
•  Subgrams, please − “Does anyone know of a program, PD or retail, that
can find all the possible words or combination of words that can be made
of a subset of the letters of another word?”  Jeff Moon, Low Fell.
8.1
I think it’s called a ‘subgram’ and I’d be interested, too. If there’s a
PD one, perhaps someone would send a copy into the NCS office?  Ed.
8.1
•  Zelanites − Does anyone know how to get this RISC OS 2 game working
on RISC OS 3, please? Andrew Crompton, 0704-537604.
8.1
Help Offered
8.1
•  Key Stage information − I have the complete Key Stage 1&2 Compendium
of Draft Proposals on disc (with very few typographic errors!). If you
find these documents fascinating or are convinced that little will
change and would like a copy, please send either £1 or a disc and self-
addressed envelope to R Lytton, 7 Helmsley Drive, West Park, Leeds LS16
5HY. The SCAA are happy for it to be distributed as PD. I wonder if
David Holden is interested?
8.1
When the final (ha! ha!) orders come out at the beginning of next year,
I will be happy to distribute them too!  Robert Lytton.  A
8.1
Risc PC Column
8.1
Keith Hodge
8.1
Monitors
8.1
A number of correspondents have written to me about matters relating to
screen modes, and have mentioned that flicker can just be perceived in
the highest resolution modes. In fact, 1280×1024 in 256 colours has a
slight flicker on my Acorn AKF85, this with 2Mb of VRAM.
8.1
Flicker can also be affected by a property of the cathode ray tube
called phosphor persistence. It is the deliberate control of this
property which allows older Acorn monitors, (and also your domestic
television) to display the old 50Hz frame rate screen modes with only a
small amount of flicker. The longer the persistence, the less the
flicker but if it is too long, moving objects have ‘comet tails’ as you
see on the very long persistence CRTs of radar displays. The choice of
phosphor persistence is always a compromise.
8.1
Most modern multisync monitors have, in my experience, relatively short
persistence phosphors which can exacerbate flicker produced by low
screen refresh rates. Hence, you can arrive at the situation where one
person is quite happy using a particular screen mode, because his
long(ish) persistence CRT is making the flicker less noticeable than for
someone using a monitor with a shorter persistence CRT.
8.1
Monitor definition file
8.1
Andrew Clover has sent in a monitor definition file for the Acorn AKF60.
This new definition file allows the letter box modes to be displayed at
full height, and adds a 1280×1024 display. I have sent a copy to Paul
for the monthly disc.
8.1
(Experience has shown that it’s not quite as easy as one person
producing a monitor definition file and then distributing it around to
everyone else. Tuning a given monitor to a given computer takes a bit of
time and a bit of skill − see Andrew Garrard’s article on page 41.
Never-the-less, I have put it on the disc and you can try it and see −
it may work OK on your system.  Ed.)
8.1
Software compatibility
8.1
By the time you read this, all the software which Computer Concepts are
converting to the Risc PC should be available. When I spoke to them at
the end of July, all products were available except the Turbo Drivers
which were going to be available in two weeks time. They also stated
that Artworks is now stable at V1.54.
8.1
A number of people have reported that FireWorkz does not display 24-bit
graphics, and I can confirm this. No doubt Colton Software will be
correcting this in the next release. (For the solution, see PipeLineZ on
page 69.  Ed.)
8.1
If Brian Brunswick, the author of Memphis (the automatically expanding/
contracting RAM disc), reads this column, could he please let me know if
he has an upgraded version which runs on the Risc PC? I have had more
wails of anguish about this, than any other program! (People obviously
value it highly! Ed)
8.1
One thing which has been reported by a number of people, is the
importance of changing to a 16 or 256 colour, old style mode (12, 35
etc) when a program refuses to work in the new screen displays. Quite a
large percentage will then work OK, although some programs then produce
rather unusual colours.
8.1
Arthur Brend has found a problem with Knowledge Organiser 2, which I
find quite worrying. He reports that a file of some 1300 small text
items, which took 20 seconds to sort on his A5000, now takes 55 seconds
on the Risc PC! Also, PipeDream now takes 7 seconds to load, against 5
seconds from a slow hard disc on an A5000. Has anybody else found
similar problems?
8.1
He also reports difficulty in getting PipeDream to install automatically
on the iconbar from switch on and further reading of his letter has
reinforced my feelings that we urgently need someone to produce an
article for the column, explaining in simple terms, how to go about
doing the things which seemed so simple with our old !Boot files on the
Archimedes.
8.1
For all those who are having the same problems, my solution is to place
PipeDream in the Apps directory. RISC OS, as part of its boot up
sequence, initializes all applications inside this directory. This
causes the applications’ file aliases to be set up, thus informing the
filer to start up PipeDream when one of its files is double-clicked.
This is possibly not in accord with Acorn guidelines, but there again,
are there any?
8.1
If you require PipeDream on the iconbar at start up, drop the file
“$.!Boot.Choices.Boot.Tasks .!Boot” onto Edit, and scan down the file
until you find the line “RMEnsure VProtect 0 RMRun
System:Modules.VProtect”. Add a new line below this which reads “Run
ADFS::HardDisc.$.Apps .!PipeDream”, then save the file. Now reboot the
machine and there is PipeDream on your iconbar. Please note that I am
making the assumption that your hard disc is still named “HardDisc”, but
if not, amend the wording as required in your new line.
8.1
One final point on this topic. Every application seen by the filer has
its sprites placed in memory, and any aliases set up are stored by the
OS. All of these take up memory, so if you place every piece of software
you possess in the Apps directory, do not be surprised if you end up
with half your memory tied up in the wimp sprite pool!
8.1
Lastly, watch out for PD and other applications which use the old
MemAlloc module to change machine parameters when they are launched.
This can lead to all sorts of problems, ranging from interminably long
screen redraws because the font cache size has been set to zero, through
to no boot action taking place when the machine is next used or, worse
still, minor adjustments to your carefully set up configuration which
undo all the fine tuning you have done since the machine arrived. Oh,
but of course, you have saved your preferred CMOS settings using
!Configure, haven’t you?
8.1
Hardware news
8.1
It was very pleasing to hear, in a letter from Martin Grossel, that the
standard of product support offered by Acorn dealers remains very high.
Martin had a requirement to connect a SCSI drive to his Risc PC to
transfer all his existing software to his new machine. He possessed an
old 8-bit Lingenuity Card but this was not recognised by the machine.
Lindis were good enough to send him a number of versions of the software
and he reports that version 2.54 works fine on the Risc PC.
8.1
I have also had excellent support from HCCS. I rang them asking for a
firmware upgrade for my Ultimate Micro Podule SCSI interface (as I am
adding a CD-ROM drive), and it arrived the next day FOC. Included on the
support disc was a file ‘UG_TEXT’, which detailed the SWI’s provided and
the method of using them. Well done, HCCS, for setting an example for
other suppliers to follow.
8.1
However, firms can only keep up this very helpful attitude if they make
a reasonable profit, so please bear this in mind when comparing prices
with the IBM PC world, and please, when you get a firmware update, send
the old EPROM and any support disc back in the next post.
8.1
I have discovered a very interesting fact about high density Apple Mac
discs on the Risc PC. With the aid of Look Systems !DiscEd (part of the
Disc Rescue package), it is possible to read, and recover the disc
contents. Is this because of the Risc PC hardware, or does it work on
the Archimedes as well? (I believe the Apple ‘Super Drives’ as they are
called, are the same as our standard 1.6Mb drives. It’s just the way the
files and directories are laid on the disc that are different. So, using
MacFS, on any Acorn machine with 1.6Mb drives, you can read Mac discs.
Ed.)
8.1
Floppy drives
8.1
I’m afraid that there is no news of any expansion cards to cure the
problem of lack of multiple floppy drives. I have had to resort to
modifying my twin drive BBC Master which has a DOS co-processor, so that
it has one of each size disc drive, thus enabling me to copy from 5¼“ to
3½” discs!
8.1
Readers’ comments
8.1
Philip Draper, in a very detailed letter, has commented on how effective
the PC Emulator is. He finds that the reported CPU speed is about 8MHz.
Subjectively though, it seems faster than that, possibly because screen
update and file handling from the hard disc are both so fast. Very
interesting, is the fact that even under DOS 3.2 (which does not support
high density discs) 1.44 Mb floppy discs can be read from and written
to. However, copying from a floppy disc to the hard disc is reported to
be best done under RISC OS because, otherwise, it is a rather slow
process. Please note that you require !PCEm V1.81 or later, and it must
be upgraded using the patch supplied with the machine.
8.1
Requests for help
8.1
Can anybody with access to the RISC OS 3.5 provisional documentation,
provide details of any new or updated SWI’s that have been provided to
read the available VRAM and main DRAM?
8.1
Question of the month
8.1
Did you know that you can speed up a Risc PC? Well, I am teasing you all
a little bit, but J. Ross has pointed out that it still helps to
RMFaster the SharedCLibrary, ColourTrans and FPEmulator. It does,
however, use up some memory which has to be born in mind.
8.1
Tailpiece
8.1
After three months of ownership, I still think it is a very impressive
machine. Possibly it is still waiting, as the Archimedes was for some
time after its release, for some really useful, high quality hardware
and software to do justice to the “hidden potential” of the machine. I
must also report that I managed to run out of memory one day, and this
with 8Mb! However, a quick look at the iconbar revealed how easy it is
to go on loading up applications, seemingly without limit, because I had
forgotten during the last few months, all about that old bogey, shortage
of memory. Is it possible to get enough memory? Lastly, due to a very
full postbag on return from holiday, I have had to hold over a number of
comments until next month.
8.1
As usual, I can be contacted by letter at the HES address on the back
page, by telephone after 7p.m. or by Packet Radio from anywhere in the
world, as GW4NEI@GB7OAR.#16.GBR.EU.  A
8.1
Creating Monitor Definition Files
8.1
Andrew Garrard, NCS
8.1
The Archimedes range of computers has always had a highly flexible video
chip. RISC OS allowed new modes to be defined in the form of suitable
modules. A number of public domain utilities exist to help define new
modes on the older machines, and several companies have produced modules
which expand the normal range of screen modes (notably Computer
Concepts).
8.1
With the advent of the Risc PC and the even more powerful VIDC20 to
drive its graphics, Acorn have gone one step further and allowed the
user to define their own modes to allow for the best display possible
out of their monitor. Each make of monitor has slightly different
limitations, and even individual monitors often differ slightly at the
limits of their performance. For this reason, monitor definition files
which come with the machine contain information on the screen modes
which the monitor currently connected to the Risc PC can display, and
the computer chooses from these whenever the user selects a mode. This
means that whatever your monitor and screen mode combination, the Risc
PC will try its best to match a screen mode rather than simply output a
signal which the monitor cannot display.
8.1
Why make changes?
8.1
There are two main reasons to create a new monitor definition file. The
first is to get a correct definition file for your monitor. There are a
number of Risc PC users who already have a perfectly good monitor and,
reasonably enough, don’t want to use one of Acorn’s standard ones. When
I first got my Risc PC, I was (for reasons of space) sharing my A5000’s
AKF18 monitor. The Risc PC didn’t come with an AKF18 definition file,
but the AKF60 definition file (by trial and error) produced a usable
picture. The Idek Iiyama works quite well with the AKF85 definition
file, but does not like one or two of the 75Hz modes.
8.1
However, the picture was far from perfect; apart from anything else it
was hopelessly off-centre, with about a third of the picture off the
side of the screen. By modifying the definition file, I was able to get
all the modes I wanted to use properly centred and sized on the display.
There is now an official driver for the AKF18, but there are a huge
number of monitor/Risc PC combinations, so it’s quite possible that
other people will need to do the same for their monitors.
8.1
The second reason for making changes is simply to get the best out of
your monitor and computer. The default definition files have to be
designed for the worse case scenario so that they will be sure to work
in all cases − you can, therefore, often get better out of your system
than the defaults. Please bear in mind, though, that outputting a signal
which is beyond the limitations of your hardware can damage it; when
making changes, keep a finger near the monitor’s off switch.
8.1
How the computer sees the display
8.1
There is more to what the computer sends to the monitor than simply the
intensity signals which make up the pixels of the display. Both the
computer and the monitor need to know about timing − how often the
screen is updated and how frequently to begin a new line.
8.1
The old medium resolution monitors shipped with the early Archimedes
range needed the screen to be updated − i.e. all the information about
the display is sent to the monitor − 50 times per second (50 Hz), the
same as the British TV standard. However, this meant that the display
tended to flicker slightly, since most people can just about see a
flicker at 50Hz. For this reason, many other display standards update at
72 or 75Hz, which is beyond the threshold of detection of any flicker
for almost everyone.
8.1
In order to keep the screen update rate constant but change the number
of lines in the display (to get more vertical resolution), you obviously
have to display each line more quickly, since each line has less time in
which to be displayed.
8.1
Any given monitor will have limitations on how frequently it can update
the whole display (frame rate), and on the frequency at which lines can
be sent to it (line rate). For example, an AKF60 needs a frame rate in
the range 40-90Hz, and a line rate between 30 and 50kHz.
8.1
Horizontal resolution is simply a matter of how quickly the computer
sends colour information to the monitor. On the old VIDC1 video
controller, there were only a few different frequencies at which
information could be sent, by means of dividing various clocks in the
system. By this means, it was possible to have a mode 13 with pixels
twice the width (and being sent to the monitor half as frequently) as a
mode 15. The VIDC20 is far more flexible, and can use a far greater
range of different frequencies. It does this by taking a basic 24MHz
clock, multiplying this frequency by a 6-bit number, and then dividing
it down by another 6-bit number; all of this is transparent through RISC
OS which simply requires a desired pixel clock which the VIDC20 will
match as best it can.
8.1
A matter of timing
8.1
In order to know when to start displaying the screen, the monitor needs
a couple of signals. The vertical sync (or vsync) signal is sent each
time the screen is refreshed. The horizontal sync (hsync) signal is sent
once with each line of the display.
8.1
You may also be interested to know that the border around the visible
screen (which is most noticeable in the screen modes for medium
resolution monitors, such as 17 and below) does not go all the way to
the edge of the display. On many monitors, you can see the edges of the
border on the screen by adjusting the position and size of the display.
The gap between the top of the display and the start of the border is
called the vertical back porch; the gap at the bottom is the vertical
front porch. Similarly, the gap between the start of the display on the
left is the horizontal back porch and the gap on the right is the
horizontal front porch.
8.1
These porches do need to be there for the monitor to correctly lock onto
the picture, although they do not usually need to be quite as large as
in the default modes. After the porches are ‘displayed’, you get the
border, and then the display itself. There is actually no reason to have
a border − the entire screen can be taken up with the display, or by
increasing the horizontal and vertical porches the border can be simply
removed; this is why the borders are invisible in mode 31. However,
there may be other limitations on the size of the display (screen
memory, for example) and so some border is often useful. The diagram
opposite shows how the signals sent to the monitor correspond to the
parts of the display traced out by the monitor.
8.1
The monitor definition files
8.1
All this may sound complicated but, in practice, changing a monitor
definition file to suit your purposes is relatively simple. Starting
from scratch is not recommended, but it will often be possible to find a
definition file with at least some screen modes which will work on any
given monitor. Generally, the AKF60 monitor definition file is a good
place to start, since most high quality monitors can reproduce some of
the AKF60’s display range. For this reason, I will use the AKF60
definition file as an example. Owners of 17“ monitors may do better
starting with Acorn’s AKF85 definition file; indeed, this file works on
our Idek Iiyama Vision Master monitors, except that the Vision Master
cannot handle some of the 75Hz refresh modes.
8.1
You can find the monitor definition files in the
!Boot.Resources.Configure.Monitors directory on the standard Risc PC
hard disc; if you load the file into !Edit you will be able to make
changes. Note: the monitor definition files are, as default, locked
against changes. Therefore you will either have to change the access of
the file or, better still, save a new file under a different title. So
long as the file is in this directory, or a subdirectory of it, the
computer will be able to find it; more on that later.
8.1
# Monitor description file for Acorn AKF60 monitor
8.1
# Line rate: 30 − 50 kHz
8.1
# Version history
8.1
Any line beginning with a # character is ignored by the computer, so the
first few lines are only there to help the reader.
8.1
file_format:1
8.1
This line is there only to tell the computer what kind of definition
file it is reading (to allow for future expansion); this should be left
as it is.
8.1
monitor_title:Acorn AKF60
8.1
This line tells the computer what the monitor title is (!) − this is the
line that is displayed at the top of the mode change window. It must be
19 characters or less in length.
8.1
DPMS_state:1
8.1
DPMS stands for Display Power Management Signalling; basically, it’s the
signal the computer sends to the monitor when it is screensaving. This
is the facility which allows the AKF60 to auto power-down.
8.1
The number at the end of the line should be in the range 0-3. The
meanings are as follows:
8.1
0 − DPMS disabled; the screen simply goes black
8.1
1 − Screen blank enters ‘Stand-by’ mode
8.1
2 − Screen blank enters ‘Suspend’ mode
8.1
3 − Screen blank enters ‘Off’ mode
8.1
Generally, this number can be left as it was, but you may wish to
experiment to get your monitor to produce the desired effect.
8.1
Screen mode definitions
8.1
After these general settings come the definitions for the different
screen modes. Each definition normally begins with two commented lines,
describing the mode’s resolution, frequency and other relevant
information, and (in terms of low, medium and high) its bandwidth
requirements.
8.1
# 800 x 600 (60Hz)
8.1
# Mid band
8.1
Since these lines are merely comments, they can be ignored, although if
you define a new mode you may wish to leave a suitable comment at the
start of it.
8.1
The first line proper of the mode definition is:
8.1
startmode
8.1
which simply tells the computer that a new mode definition is to follow.
The next line is
8.1
mode_name:800 x 600
8.1
(or whatever this mode is). This is the mode title which appears in the
menu of resolutions in the mode change window. If several modes have the
same title, the Risc PC will display the one with the highest refresh
rate it can unless told otherwise; more on that later.
8.1
The following two lines tell the computer the resolution (in pixels) of
the screen mode:
8.1
x_res:800
8.1
y_res:600
8.1
If no EX and EY values are specified when the mode is selected (as they
are not if you simply choose the mode from the menu) then the defaults
are EX 1 EY 1 if the y resolution is more than half the x resolution,
and EX 1 EY 2 if the y resolution is less than half the x resolution.
You can try this with the default screen modes to see the effect. EX and
EY values are explained in Matthew Hunter’s article, More Graphics on
the Acorn on page 75.
8.1
The next line,
8.1
pixel_rate:40000
8.1
selects the pixel clock (in kHz); i.e. this is the number of thousands
of pixels per second that the VIDC outputs.
8.1
h_timings:112,64,40,800,40,0
8.1
The numbers here are the timings which were discussed above. Measured in
pixels (and therefore determined by the pixel clock), they tell the Risc
PC how long each of the parts which make up a single line of the display
last (as shown in the diagram on page 42). The numbers are, in order:
8.1
  hsync width
8.1
  horizontal back porch
8.1
  left border
8.1
  width of the actual display
8.1
  right border
8.1
  horizontal front porch
8.1
The VIDC requires that each of these values is a multiple of two and the
total a multiple of four.
8.1
So, in the above example, the horizontal sync signal takes up 112
pixels, the back porch (the left hand part of the display before the
border) is 64 pixels wide, the left border is 40 pixels, the main
display is 800 pixels (being an 800×600 mode), the right border is 40
pixels and the horizontal sync signal starts again immediately after the
end of the border (no front porch).
8.1
You can calculate the line frequency from these figures: the total of
all these values is the number of ‘pixels’ (or pixel-duration signals)
output by the VIDC every scan line, so if you divide this total by the
pixel rate, you get the frequency of lines. For example, in the example
112+64+40+800+40+0= 1056 ‘pixel durations’ per line. Since there are
forty million (40,000 thousand) ‘pixel durations’ per second, each line
takes 1056 ÷ 400000000 seconds, or the scan line frequency is 40000000 ÷
1056 = about 37.9 kHz.
8.1
The next line is normally commented out, but shows the equivalent values
for each of the figures for this mode for the VESA standard mode
timings:
8.1
#    VESA:128,88,0,800,0,40
8.1
The next line tells the computer about the vertical signal what the
h_timings line told it about the horizontal signal.
8.1
v_timings:4,23,0,600,0,1
8.1
The figures indicate, in order:
8.1
  vsync width
8.1
  vertical back porch
8.1
  top border
8.1
  height of actual display
8.1
  bottom border
8.1
  vertical front porch
8.1
These values are measured in terms of scan lines so, in the example, the
vsync signal lasts for 4 scan lines, the display itself is 600 scan
lines, there are no visible borders, the space at the top of the screen
from the start of the signal to the start of the display is 23 scan
lines, and there is one scan line at the bottom of the display before
the vsync signal is sent again. Again, see the diagram for an
explanation of when each of these signals is sent during the display.
8.1
From this information, you may wish to work out the frame rate of your
display (i.e. the number of times it is updated each second). You
already have the line rate (above), so the frame rate is simply the line
rate divided by the number of lines in the display; since the number of
lines in each frame is the sum of all the values on the v_timings line,
this is the total we want. In the example, the display consists of
4+23+0+600+0+1 = 628 lines, the frame rate is 37.9kHz ÷ 628 = approx.
60Hz.
8.1
There are only two more lines in the mode definition:
8.1
sync_pol:0
8.1
endmode
8.1
Sync pol indicates the kind of sync signals required, and is a number
between 0 and 3:
8.1
0 − hsync normal, vsync inverted
8.1
1 − hsync inverted, vsync normal
8.1
2 − hsync normal, vsync inverted
8.1
3 − hsync inverted, vsync inverted
8.1
Normally, if you have a successful display of some sort, you would not
need to change these values.
8.1
The endmode line simply tells the computer that you have finished
defining this particular mode.
8.1
Will my mode work?
8.1
There are limits on what can be displayed. The first and most obvious
point is whether the monitor is capable of the display, in terms of
whether the line rate and frame rate of the mode are within the
abilities of the monitor. The maximum pixel rate of the monitor is also
a consideration, although in practice this may not do much harm in many
cases.
8.1
More mathematical are the limits of what the Risc PC is capable of
displaying. There are two basic limitations − bandwidth and memory. The
former is basically whether the VIDC can get information from the memory
quickly enough to produce the display, and the latter is whether there
is enough memory in the machine to hold the image to be displayed.
8.1
The limits on bandwidth (i.e. the most that the memory can provide to
the video) on no-VRAM, 1Mb VRAM and 2Mb VRAM machines respectively are
40Mb/second, 80Mb/second and 160Mb/second. The BandLimit file in
!Boot.Utils (as default) sets the maximum bandwidth to 38, 76 and 152Mb/
second in order to provide a safety margin. To calculate the bandwidth
which a mode requires, multiply the pixel rate of the mode by the number
of bytes per pixel, or the number of bits per pixel ÷ 8. The number of
bytes per pixel for different colour options are as follows:
8.1
2 colours (monochrome):  1/8 bytes/pixel
8.1
4 colours (greys):  ¼ bytes/pixel
8.1
16 colours (or greys):  ½ bytes/pixel
8.1
256 colours (or greys):  1 bytes/pixel
8.1
32 thousand colours:  2 bytes/pixel
8.1
16 million colours:  4 bytes/pixel
8.1
If the bandwidth for the mode exceeds that which your system can
display, the computer will do its best to match the mode you want,
preferably by changing the frequency (it will pick the highest frequency
mode to minimise flicker if possible) and, failing that, by cutting down
on resolution or number of colours.
8.1
The mode defined here required a bandwidth of 40Mb/second (40000
thousand pixels/s × 1 byte per pixel) in a 256 colour mode, or 80Mb/
second (2 bytes per pixel) in a 32 thousand colour mode.
8.1
In terms of memory, the amount that a mode takes up is the number of
bytes per pixel multiplied by the number of pixels on screen − that is,
the horizontal resolution (of the screen proper) multiplied by its
vertical resolution. So, for example, the mode defined here would take
800×600×1=480000 bytes, or about 469Kb; the 32 thousand colour mode
would take double that. The same mode in 16 million colours takes up
1875Kb, and so cannot be displayed without 2Mb VRAM even if the
bandwidth were available. Again, if the computer cannot display a mode
which you request because it doesn’t have the memory, it will provide
the best match it can.
8.1
Because the computer can work out these two factors for itself, it is
not necessary to specify the number of colours in a mode definition; it
is only the timing and the resolution that a mode definition specifies.
8.1
There are a couple of other limitations. If the sync widths are not
large enough (the number is too small), the monitor may not be able to
latch on to the display. In addition, if the hsync and horizontal back
porch are, in total, too small, the display will become corrupt; this is
because the VIDC20 uses this time to fetch information about the mouse
pointer, and if there is insufficient time, it will not be able to go
back to reading the display before it is expected to produce it.
8.1
Changes to make
8.1
As I have said, it is far easier to change the definitions from a
standard mode definition file than to start from scratch.
8.1
The simplest change to make is to reposition the display on the screen.
The easiest way to do this is to change the size of the four porch and
border values. For example, to move the display to the right, you could
increase the horizontal back porch. Remember, however, that if the line
rate is to stay the same, you will need to reduce the opposite value (in
the case of the example, reduce the horizontal front porch or the right
border).
8.1
This only provides for limited changes; if there is no horizontal front
porch and no right border, you cannot move the screen to the right in
this way. You are then faced with two solutions; you can increase the
number of ‘pixel-times’ on a line, which will reduce the line rate, or
you can change the pixel rate. In both cases, it is advisable to make
only small changes at any one time, to make sure that the monitor can
cope with what you are trying to display and that your changes are
having the desired effect.
8.1
If you wish to change the resolution of the display − to create a mode
with a different number of pixels − you are faced with a similar
situation. You can make small changes by altering the borders and
porches to compensate for the altered resolution. For example, to add 64
pixels to the width of the display, you could increase the ‘display
width’ by 64 and, to keep the display centred, reduce either the
horizontal front and back porches or the left and right borders by 32
each. By keeping the pixel and line rates constant, the width of each
pixel on the display remains unchanged, there are simply a different
number of them.
8.1
More radically, you could change the pixel rate and compensate by
changing the other values. To halve the resolution horizontally, you
could halve the pixel rate and, to compensate, halve each of the values
on the h_timings line. This would leave the line rate unchanged, so the
vertical resolution and position would be unaltered.
8.1
You can make similar changes to the vertical position and resolution by
altering the line rate.
8.1
A word of warning
8.1
Generally, the higher the frame rate the better, within the limits of
what you can display. You may be tempted to push the resolution to its
maximum in order to get the best resolution possible out of your
display.
8.1
On machines with no VRAM, the higher the bandwidth of the mode, the
slower the computer gets − all the information going to the VIDC stops
the processor from accessing the RAM. If you have a VRAM-less machine,
try using 800×600 in 256 colours and compare its speed to the same
resolution in 16 colours. High refresh rates can make matters worse, so
it is a bad idea to push your system to its limits for that reason.
8.1
Pushing resolution at the cost of refresh rates is also often a bad
idea. I produced a 1024×640, 16 colour display out of my A5000 once, but
the flicker from that mode was so bad, because of the low refresh rate,
that friends started refusing to come near my machine. Flicker can be
annoying and provoke headaches − you have been warned.
8.1
Much more important, immediately at least, is the problem of taking your
system right to its limit. If you define a mode which works okay, but
only just, you may find that the same mode doesn’t work when you come
back to it. Alternatively, some modes stop working after the machine has
been in use for a while. Effectively, the system changes slightly in
‘warming up’, so you should remember to allow a margin of error in your
mode definitions.
8.1
Related to this is the problem with some ‘intelligent’ monitors − the
programmable kind, especially. Once these monitors have locked onto a
display, be careful about making slight changes to it. If the mode you
define is sufficiently similar to the previous one, the monitor may
think it is the same mode, and not readjust itself. This may mean either
that changing a mode definition has no apparent effect on the display,
or that an apparently working mode definition may not work if the
monitor sees that mode when ‘starting fresh’.
8.1
The monitor definition file which you make, when saved on your hard disc
in directory !Boot.Resources.Configure.Monitors, does not take immediate
effect. To use a definition file, you should double-click on !Boot,
which will provide you with the configuration options. Click on screen
to get the display options and you will find the monitor type option
presented to you. Your definition file should be in the menu presented
to you when you click on the icon to the right of the name of the
current monitor definition file.
8.1
When you have selected your monitor definition file, make sure that you
have selected a resolution and colour combination which you know works
to be the default; preferably one from whichever monitor definition file
you modified. That means that at least you will have a display when you
boot the machine. Click on Set to confirm your options.
8.1
Always choose your new mode definitions from the display manager icon,
rather than setting up a new mode as a default. This allows you a method
of escape back to a functional display (by resetting the machine) and
can help the aforementioned problem with intelligent monitors and small
changes to modes.
8.1
When you change your mode definition, after it has been installed in
this way, you will need to reinstall it to use it; alternatively, you
can reset the machine.
8.1
One highly recommended tactic is to press <f12> and type:
8.1
Key 1 WimpMode 27|M|M
8.1
followed by <return> twice. The ‘|’ symbol is the pipe character, i.e.
shift + ‘\’. Now, if you change to a mode definition which your monitor
does not display properly, you can press <f12> and then <f1>, and the
screen mode will change to 640×480 16 colours (VGA), which most monitors
can cope with. This should allow you to get out of trouble.
8.1
Finally, remember: you can damage some monitors by giving them a signal
which they cannot display properly, especially if they are left
displaying it. If your monitor loses the display while you are
experimenting, turn it off or change screen mode as quickly as possible.
NCS and Acorn can not be held responsible for any damage caused to
monitors by experimentation.
8.1
Acorn’s monitor definition files allow for considerable flexibility; I
hope this article allows you to tailor your system properly to your
needs.
8.1
Acorn have a utility to help automate some of the details of monitor
definition file creation. MakeModes is available from Archive on NCS
Utils Disc 1 and also on this month’s program disc.  A
8.1
An excellent article, thanks, Andrew. It has been good to have you
working with us at NCS during the summer vac. Good luck next year at
Cambridge!  Ed.
8.1
DOS is Different − Part 2
8.1
Mike Tomkinson
8.1
In this my second article on the different world of DOS, I intend to be
a little more controversial than in my original article (7.11 p49). I
intend to look at something I care about − books and, in particular,
computer books. Computers will never replace books nor will CD-ROMs −
but more about them in a later article.
8.1
You certainly do not have to agree with me and I welcome argument and
other viewpoints. Letters to me at my home address (given at the end of
this article) will all be read.
8.1
Acorn computers and associated programs have never been large generators
of books about them. This is unusual in computing. DOS and now Windows
and the programs associated with them have spawned a whole new arm of
the publishing world − the computer book. The fact that it is a very
profitable arm can be seen by the large number and range of books − many
covering exactly the same topics.
8.1
Those of you buying Risc PCs will undoubtedly venture into this area
eventually and at great peril to your bank balance. There is no such
thing as a cheap computer book in the DOS/Windows world.
8.1
If you consider that books are not subject to VAT you might wonder where
the ridiculous prices come from. These are almost exclusively paperbacks
we are considering − albeit thick paperbacks.
8.1
Unfortunately, books are subject to a device called The Net Book
Agreement. This handy little agreement means that books cannot be sold
at discounted prices by anyone. This means that a book in your local
Smiths will cost exactly the same as in your local specialist bookshop.
This may not appear too bad but what it really means is that publishers
can keep prices artificially high − especially when compared with the
price of books in US where there is no such agreement.
8.1
So, what are DOS/Windows books like, apart from expensive?! It is
difficult to generalise but they are generally good. They fall into two
main categories − those which are specific to the operating system or
graphical user interface and those which are specific to programs.
8.1
Operating system books
8.1
Windows is a very different environment from RISC OS. It is not
intuitive, nor is it a drag-and-drop environment, at least not to the
same degree as RISC OS. There are, therefore, many books around which
attempt to explain its use and complexities in a better manner than the
supplied manuals.
8.1
Similarly, much of the performance of DOS/Windows depends crucially on
the set up of the computer on which you are attempting to use it. There
is no simple hard or soft reset to take you back to factory defaults. If
your PC is not configured correctly, things do not happen as they
should.
8.1
Sometimes this depends on the software or firmware − the BIOS of the
computer − and at other times, it depends on the mount of RAM in the
computer or the size of the hard disc. On an Acorn machine, an 80 Mb
hard drive and 4 Mb RAM are perfectly adequate for almost all users.
Even on a Risc PC a 210 Mb/5Mb RAM setup looks almost generous.
8.1
Be warned that if you intend to use your new computer for Windows with
three or four Windows programs, it may be no more than adequate and you
will very rapidly fill the hard disc. It is no use saying that it will
not happen to you because, of course you will be using Windows,
otherwise why buy a Risc PC in the first place?
8.1
If you can afford it, buy the biggest hard disc/RAM configuration you
can. I have absolutely no financial interest in giving you that advice.
Bitter PC experience leads me to offer it to you. The programs are much
bigger than RISC OS programs − they are not always better but they are
always bigger. The operating system eats large chunks of your RAM before
you even load a program and if you attempt to multitask you will require
more than 4 Mb of RAM.
8.1
Books for programs
8.1
To return to books − the second major area of PC books is those dealing
with programs. It is not that the manuals supplied with PC programs are
worse than those supplied with RISC OS ones. They have often to deal, at
least in part, with the operating system/ideal PC configuration whereas
RISC OS ones rarely do.
8.1
Similarly, the programs are often not as intuitive and are often more
complex. The manuals will almost certainly contain large sections
dealing with how to import/export from and to other complex programs. No
nice simple CSV, TSV, Draw and Paint importing/exporting.
8.1
Windows programs also tend to have features not common on Acorn
programs. Thus Ami-Pro 3 has an outlining facility (allowing you to use
it as an ideas processor). No RISC OS word processor/DTP package has
such a feature (unless you know different?). This is not a criticism but
is simply a partial explanation for the proliferation of PC books.
8.1
You may have seen such books − they are usually very large paperbacks
and often have titles like “***** for Dummies”, where “*****” is either
the operating system number, for example, DOS 5 or 6 or 6.2, or a
program title like Excel or Lotus 1-2-3.
8.1
They tend to be copiously illustrated and filled with tutorial style
text and examples. Such books are, unfortunately, invaluable. I say
‘unfortunately’ owing to their generally high price. However, their
quality is usually high and they will probably document the program more
fully and with greater clarity than the manuals.
8.1
Most large W H Smiths and university bookshops hold good stocks of PC
books and there are a number of mail order suppliers who specialise in
such books although you must be prepared to add p&p to mail order books
thus adding even more to their price. Another good source are the PC
supermarkets which now seem to be increasing in number.
8.1
You can usually gain a good idea as to a book’s treatment of the subject
matter by their title. A book “for beginners” will be just that and will
obviously take a different standpoint from one entitled “An Advanced
Guide to *****”. Some books take a light hearted view while others are
more serious. The style you prefer depends on you. So you pays yer money
(lots of it) and you takes yer choice.  A
8.1
Games Column
8.1
Dave Floyd
8.1
S42 Developments
8.1
According to the press release in front of me, I’m not meant to mention
that S42 Developments used to be called Software 42, but they did. The
name change coincides with a deal they have signed with Vertical Twist/
Gamesware who will henceforth be selling their games on the Gamesware
label, allowing S42 to concentrate on developing new software. They have
updated their back catalogue to make them Risc PC compatible, have added
an extra game and released them all as a compilation entitled The S42
Collection. The games included are F.R.E.D. (Archive 7.1 page 24), Ixion
(7.5 p32), Cycloids (7.6 p5) and a new beat-em-up called Raw Power 2.
Games players who already own the older games and a Risc PC will also be
able to upgrade to compatible versions for a nominal fee. Pricing
information was unavailable at the time of writing but can be obtained
from Gamesware at Unit 26, The Bartletts, Hamble, Hants SO3 5RD.
8.1
Also coming soon from S42 is a Tetris derivative, Atomix, in which you
have to arrange atoms in the correct order to complete molecules against
the clock. There is a possibility that this will be packaged with
another new release and as soon as more information is available, I will
let you know.
8.1
S42 are also planning a major release this Christmas. Modestly described
by themselves as ‘the release of the year’ and ‘the ultimate platform
game’, Dreamzone is a native Archimedes game that involves fast action,
cute graphics and ‘more levels than you can wave a stick at’. Whether
the stick will be included was unclear but, if this game turns out to be
half as good as the claims made for it, it should certainly be an
essential purchase.
8.1
Soft Rock Software
8.1
As many of you will know, Soft Rock Software are one of the few budget
labels producing games for the Archimedes. Those owners of Soft Rock
games who are fortunate enough to have upgraded to a Risc PC will also
have noticed that they fail to work on the new platform. For a limited
period, Soft Rock are offering all of their previous releases on one
disc with the sound and music removed, thereby making them Risc PC
compatible. The cost of this disc is a refreshingly cheap £7.99
inclusive, which works out at well under £2 a game. Work is currently
being undertaken to completely upgrade all of the games with improved
sound and graphics as well as cross-platform compatibility. When this is
done, the prices of the Soft Rock catalogue will rise from their current
levels of £3.49 to (probably) £7.99 each and everybody who has bought
this cut-down release will be offered a discount on the upgraded
releases, possibly saving more than the actual cost, depending on how
many you choose to buy. For the record, the games are Escape from Exeria
(with Return to Exeria), Guardians of the Labyrinth, Drop Rock, Switch
and Floopy. To obtain copies of this disc or to receive more information
on Soft Rock’s products you should write to Soft Rock Software, FREEPOST
(BS7978), Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, Avon BS10 7BR.
8.1
A new release from Soft Rock is Trellis, an adventure game interpreter.
Priced at £7.99 inclusive, Trellis allows you to create your own
adventure games using Edit. For anybody interested in writing their own
adventure games, this could provide a very cost-effective method of
doing so and I hope to be able to bring you more information on Trellis
very soon.
8.1
Premier Manager (re-visited)
8.1
Following my last column in which I took a look at the first football
management game to be released on the Archimedes, I would like to thank
Thomas Nelson for his letter in which he pointed out an error I made. It
is possible to view all the league tables within the game by merely
pressing the relevant number key 1-6 when on the league table screen.
This also works for the top scorers and the results/fixtures printer.
This is mentioned in the manual and I therefore have no real excuse,
although in a game where everything else is controlled by the mouse, it
is by no means intuitive and I hope that this may be of use to others
who may also have missed this facet of the game.
8.1
More problems with the game have become noticeable since last month. The
first is illustrated in the file which I received from Robert Christmas.
Whenever his team play Colchester, the game hangs once a goal is scored.
I tried it on my machine and although I managed to take a two goal lead,
the whole machine froze leaving me with no option but to reboot. Robert
did write to Gremlin, but as yet has received no reply. I would suggest
that, before embarking on a game of Premier Manager, it would be wise to
save anything else you may be working on within the desktop. Although
this should be common practice before playing any game, it is very easy
to forget to do so with RISC OS compliant software.
8.1
I have also unearthed another couple of problems. On playing Ajax in the
European Cup, the program claims that Ajax play in the Scottish league
and have an average crowd of over fifty million inside a ground with a
capacity of 65,000! I bet the atmosphere at their home games is
tremendous, if a little cramped. My main problem is that regardless of
the outcome of the two-legged match, the program totally ignores the
second result and substitutes another result in its place. While losing
is an unfortunate fact of footballing life, it is a little hard to
swallow when you are knocked out of the European Cup, having just beaten
Ajax over two matches.
8.1
There is also a major bug in the game which may possibly be related to
both the above problems. When on the sell player screen, it is possible
to click on the blank space below your player list and sell players that
do not belong to you! At first this appears to be a licence to print
money but if you try this a couple of times (and it is easy to do so by
accident) the data in memory appears to become corrupted. This can
result in minor irritations, similar to the Ajax problem above, but it
all too often leads to a ‘Fatal error 5’ being reported and the game
totally crashing. Unlike Robert’s problem, this does not hang the
machine and seems to exit very cleanly but this does not make it any
less annoying.
8.1
One month on, and I have won almost everything there is to win in
Premier Manager and feel that, however much I love football management
games, the time is fast approaching when it will be consigned to my disc
box, never to be retrieved. If anyone else has any comments relating to
PM that they would like to share, then I will be happy to receive them.
Failing that, or the appearance of a drastically improved version, I
really have very little enthusiasm left for what should have been a most
welcome addition to anybody’s Archimedes games collection.
8.1
All being well, next month should see part one of the adventure game
special that I promised you a while back. Any comments relating to this
column, or any other games-related subject should please be sent to Dave
Floyd, c/o PO Box 2795, London, NW10 9AY.  A
8.1
Making Archive (and NCS) Better
8.1
Paul Beverley
8.1
In a very real sense, Archive is YOUR magazine because it is mainly
written by you, the readers. We at NCS do the editing, of course, and
write things like the Products Available section, but by far the
majority of articles are written by yourselves.
8.1
So, how can we make Archive better? Well, last month’s survey gave us a
lot of very useful feedback − many thanks to all those who filled it in.
I’m happy to say that the majority seem to really appreciate Archive −
which is most gratifying − and the increase in numbers of subscriptions
in the past few months has been most encouraging. Having said that, we
must not get complacent.
8.1
More articles, please
8.1
A number of requests were made for the kinds of articles or series that
people would like to read. I’m listing many of the requests here − if
yours isn’t among them then either I’ve already got someone writing such
an article or I felt it would be of interest to too few readers or, in
some cases, I just could not read it!
8.1
The purpose of listing these requests for articles is, of course, that
if they are to appear in the magazine, someone has to write them.  Any
offers then for any of the following? (The bits in italics are your
comments and requests.)
8.1
•  Acorn Access − Can we have some comments about Acorn’s easy-to-use
Ethernet networking? In particular, is it actually “easy-to-use”? Is
there anyone using Access who would be prepared to give us their initial
findings and/or hints and tips?
8.1
•  Amateur radio − This was mentioned by several people. Are Acorn
machines used in radio? If so, how? Can someone tell us their
experience?
8.1
•  Archive BBS − Where is it? Andrew Garrard has been working at NCS
during the summer and has managed to get it up and running for us − see
the article on page 24.
8.1
•  Business Column − Several readers asked for this and I notice that
most of the other magazines have started on this in the last few months.
Archive is the only magazine without a Business Column now! Any offers?
8.1
•  CD-ROMs − We have had a lot of people asking for more information on
drives, availability of material on CD-ROM, compatibility with PC CD-
ROMs, etc. Our trawl of Acorn-related companies (see below) my bring in
some information but it’s over to you really. What information and
experience do you have? We really need to have a CD Column. Is there
anyone who would be prepared to collate all the information we get sent?
8.1
•  Comparative reviews − These were asked for by a number of people and
are obviously very helpful and valuable to readers. However, to be
really effective, they require a lot of work to be done even before you
can start writing and they are the sort of article that invites flack
from aggrieved software/hardware producers and even sometimes from
ardent users of some particular product. Having warned off the unwary,
would anyone like to have a go at anything along those lines? WP/DTP
packages, art packages, spreadsheets, databases, etc are areas that
could be tackled. If you don’t have access to copies of the latest
versions of the relevant software, we can often persuade the company in
question to provide it.
8.1
•  DTP Column − What has happened to the DTP Column. You said it was
restarting but it stopped again. Yes, I’m sorry about that. We have one
or two DTP articles in the pipeline, in particular, Neil Whiteley-Bolton
is working on a comparative review of image manipulation / photo
retouching packages − PhotoDesk, Picture, PhotoTouch, etc. The main
problems are that no-one has sent in any questions or comments to pass
to the DTP editor and we don’t have an editor who can be dedicated to do
the job as both Neil and Richard Hallas, who offered to help, are
extremely busy with their own work.
8.1
If anyone would be interested to be the DTP Column editor, do let me
know. There were one or two people who offered in the past but people’s
circumstances change so I haven’t assumed they would still be willing to
help and also, I’m really looking for one person to be in overall charge
because it’s too difficult to try to coordinate a series of different
editors as we have done previously.
8.1
•  Image processing − We’ve had one or two requests for advice on image-
processing. Robert Chrismas’ review of Image Master (which I will try to
fit in next month) gives some clues but could someone fill us in on
things like monchrome processing, filters, gamma correction, etc?
8.1
•  Introducing Your Computer − This was, for me, the best series ever in
Archive. I constantly refer to it. Can we have more, please? The Norfolk
IT Team did an initial series of five but could do some more if there is
enough interest. So, if you want more along those lines, please write
and tell us what subjects you want covering.
8.1
•  Reviews of Colourcard Gold and Eagle M2 − There is an Eagle review in
this month but if anyone has a Colourcard and would like to send us some
comments, let me know.
8.1
•  Scientific computing − This might cover which spreadsheet is most
suitable for scientific applications, mathematical programs, shared
tricks, hardware of interest to scientists, etc. Brian Cowan has done
some things along these lines in the past as has Chris Johnson (on
spreadsheets) − both academics but both are very busy these days. Any
offers?
8.1
•  SCSI versus IDE − Take the article(s) from Archive 5.2 p15ff and
produce up-to-date speed figures and prices.
8.1
•  Short programs − I like typing things in from time to time as I
believe it helps develop a better understanding of programming. Could
you include some short but really useful or colourful things to type in
as in Risc User? Well, to produce something “short but really useful”
isn’t easy but if someone would like to take up the challenge, that
would be great.
8.1
•  Squirrel column − Digital Services say they have very many happy
customers. Could one of them act as editor of a column?
8.1
•  Text interchange − Can we have have information about text transfer?
ASCII, DOS text, RTF. Is there anyone who does a magazine and has to
take in text from all sorts of different sources who could give us the
benefit of their experience? Issues that could be covered are things
such as stripping out “funny” characters, how to deal with an excess of
(or lack of) linefeeds, how to translate the different types of
formatting codes that are sometimes used, etc. (I now gather that Jim
Nottingham is working on this one.)
8.1
•  “This is what I do with my Archimedes” − Can we have some more of
this type of article, please?
8.1
•  Using !Paint − This is the most under-used Acorn application, I think
− probably because it is so difficult to use. Could someone explain how
to use it, please? There was a single very helpful tutorial article
(Archive 3.5 p38) written by Karen Dunkley (now Mrs Alan Glover). If
anyone would like to take that one further, let me know and I’ll send
you a copy of that article if you don’t already have it.
8.1
•  Using various applications − I’d like some articles on how to use
applications like Translator. The instructions of many such programs
make assumptions that you already quite knowledgeable − which many of us
are not!
8.1
•  Video − I’d like some details on using Acorn machines for home videos
for titling, editing and special effects.
8.1
•  Wimp programming in C − This was another popular request because,
says one subscriber, there are no suitable books available. Any offers,
anyone?
8.1
Advice to authors
8.1
Again, from our survey last month, there are a number of things which
came up where people were saying, “Could authors please...”
8.1
−  more screen shots with reviews and more illustrations with general
articles, e.g. diagrams of how things work and how programs are
structured. (If any contributors want advice on how best to produce
screen shots for publication, please contact the NCS office.)
8.1
− in reviews, don’t say things like “I didn’t try printing because my
printer is being repaired”
8.1
− make sure that reviews give us all the essential information such as
review machine configuration, who the manufacturer is, cost, RISC OS
compliant or compatible (ask NCS if you don’t know the difference)
8.1
− don’t ramble off into telling us what you did on your holidays (I
sometimes edit such comments out and sometimes I leave them in − people
generally like the ‘light’ touch of Archive as it makes it more personal
but I have to try to steer a middle line on this one. Ed.)
8.1
 − educational programs should say at what age the programs are aimed.
8.1
Copy deadlines
8.1
Several contributors have asked when the copy deadline is for each
issue. Every article that comes in has to be edited and prepared for
publication so if I were to give a definite copy deadline, everyone
would work towards it and I would be inundated at the last minute. If I
did give a definite deadline, therefore, it would have to be about two
or three weeks before the effective deadline − and this might put people
off because they would think they had missed the deadline! All I will
say is that if you think in terms of getting articles to me within a
week or so of receiving the previous issue, it should just about be OK −
earlier would be even better. Deliberately vague − sorry!
8.1
Review policy
8.1
One person asked if we could have reviews of new products, especially
games, much sooner after they are released. “New games are reviewed in
the other magazines several months in advance of Archive.”
8.1
The editorial policy at Archive has always been that “Products
Available” and reviews should only refer to products that actually are
available. The news-stand magazines tend to have closer links with the
games software houses than we do and they get pre-release versions so
that even though their magazines take much longer to produce than
Archive, their reviews are more up-to-date than ours. I suppose we could
do the same but we prefer to review the actual production versions of
the software so that what we review is what you get if you buy it.
8.1
A number of people asked if Archive could have more about “forth-coming
products”. I have mixed feelings about this. I can see that it’s nice to
know what sort of things are in the offing but the negative side is that
it is not unknown for companies to say they are developing such-and-such
when all they are doing is trying to gauge whether there would be a
market for it. All they have done is some sort of feasability study to
see if it would be possible to write the code for this phantom product.
8.1
What we tend to do, therefore, is to trawl round the software and
hardware companies before a major show like Acorn World 94 and ask what
they are “intending to release” at the show. (Results in next month’s
issue.)
8.1
Other comments about Archive and NCS
8.1
There are some more issues that were covered in your comments. (Again,
the bits in italics are your comments.)
8.1
•  Advertising − Can we have more advertising, please, as I find it
helpful to see who is advertising what but on the other hand... I hope
financial considerations don’t force you to take up too much space with
adverts − it’s about right at the moment. Well, just so that you know, I
will explain our policy on advertising.
8.1
We don’t actively sell advertising. If a company is interested in
advertising and contact us, we will give them a rates card and let them
send in an advert if they so decide. We certainly don’t ring companies
up and ask them to advertise. So the amount of advertising is determined
purely by what the companies want to do. However, we have not increased
the rates (£150/page) for several years − perhaps we ought to do so when
we increase the magazine price in January. You will note that Colton,
Computer Concepts and Oak Solutions have advertised faithfully every
month since the year dot. We are extremely grateful to them for their
support in this way.
8.1
•  Bolder naming − In the Comment Column or Hints & Tips, I struggle to
see who the contributor is. Could you please put the name in bold? Good
idea! ’Tis done!
8.1
•  Contents page − Going to an alphabetic version seems to have been
well received generally but there are complaints when the title is
unhelpfully arranged, e.g. who would look for comments about the Risc PC
under “Second Impressions of the Risc PC”?! Someone suggested they
should be grouped under different areas, for example: “Regular Items”
such as H & T, Comment Column, Products Available, etc, “Specialist
Columns” such as PipeLineZ, Risc PC, Multimedia, etc and then “Reviews”
and “Technical articles”. I have mixed feelings about this one, so I’ll
leave it for now.
8.1
•  Credit cards − It’s great that you have decided to take credit cards
but please remove the 3% service charge. When we started credit card
facilities, Barclays Merchant Services said that, because we were a
mail-order computer sales company, they would have to charge us 5% on
each transaction because it is such a high risk area. So, if someone
buys a £2000 Risc PC on their card, we charge them £60 but we have to
pay Barclays £100! After some 6 months trading on the cards, we asked
them to reduce the charge but they refused, insisting that we are still
a high risk. What gets me is that it isn’t Barclays who take the risk!
If someone buys a computer on a stolen card it’s NCS that loses the
money, not Barclays!!! (The only concession we make on the charge is
that we have recently stopped making the surcharge on renewals.)
8.1
Stop Press: We are now able to take debit cards and since Barclays only
charge us 75p per transaction, we won’t be making any charge if you pay
with a debit card − apart from which it’s illegal to make a service
charge on a debit card!
8.1
•  Email connection − You ought to be on Email so that we can send
orders and technical queries. Good idea − ’Tis done! Well, I sent in my
application, anyway − two weeks ago. I haven’t heard from them yet − I
hope it hasn’t got lost in the post!!! I’ll put the Internet address on
the Price List if it come through in time.
8.1
•  Factfile − Several people asked if it would be possible to print the
whole of my Factfile (address list of Acorn companies) each month and
not just restrict it to those companies that are mentioned in the
current issue. The trouble is that it runs to over ten pages!
8.1
The other problem is that companies often don’t tell you when they
change their address (or go bust!) so a lot of the Factfile is probably
not up-to-date. I have therefore written to all the companies (345 of
them!) to enable me to update the Factfile. I have had some replies and
some “return to sender”, so as I update the Factfile, I will put the
full listing on the monthly program disc.
8.1
I have also done a trawl of companies on the address list of Acorn’s
Product Directory to see if there are products that haven’t yet been
mentioned in Products Available. Again, I have had some replies and I’ll
mention the products in the magazine as and when I find out about them.
8.1
•  God slot out! − We have had two out of the first few hundred
questionnaires that asked me to remove the God slot, both saying that
such things are “out of place” in a computer magazine. As those of you
who have been subscribing to Archive for a long time will know, I have
had a number of such complaints over the years. My answer has always
been that each of you has to judge the magazine on it merits and decide
whether it’s worth (a) paying £19 a year and (b) putting up with the
editor’s idiosyncrasies. I know of at least two people over the last
seven years who have decided that they cannot continue subscribing to
Archive because of the way I try to “ram religion down people’s
throats”. I thought I was being reasonably gentle!
8.1
•  Monthly program disc − Why not allow PD authors to put their latest
software on the disc so that they can get it tried out by a large number
of capable Archimedes users? Yes, good idea. If any PD author wants to
send a program in to us, we’ll fit them in a.s.a.p. If they include a
daytime phone number when they send the software in, we’ll tell them
when the magazine is just about to go out containing their software so
that they can have a chance to send us the very latest version − as long
as it isn’t much bigger than the earlier version − it might then be too
big to fit on the disc.
8.1
How do we decide what goes on the disc? What happens is that priority
goes to any files / programs / data etc that contributors send in that
go with their articles. Then, if there is space left, we see what else
we can fit onto it. The up-to-date glossary might fit on or the latest
updates of the Archive Arcscan files and, as mentioned above, I will
sometimes put on an updated Factfile. It’s all fairly last minute
although, as you will have seen, we now try to decide what will be on it
before the magazine goes to the printers so that we can list the
contents on page 2 with the Products Available.
8.1
•  Opening hours? − What are your opening hours and can I come to the
office to buy things? We are not set up as a shop but you are welcome to
come in and buy things. It might be better to ring up beforehand to see
if we’ve got things in stock. As regards opening hours, there is usually
someone here from 8.45a.m. to 5.15p.m. although our official opening
hours are 9 to 5. On Thursday mornings we often have a staff meeting for
the first hour or, occasionally, a bit longer but we put the answerphone
on during that time. This is only for Monday to Friday. If you want to
call in on a Saturday morning, we may well be able to arrange to have
someone here  − just give us a ring beforehand.
8.1
•  Packet Radio − Why not have an NCS ‘Bull’ on Packet Radio − similar
to ‘ARCHIM’ for Archimedes & Radio users and as Amiga / PC have? Well,
err, yes, sounds a great idea but the only thing I know about Packet
Radio is that Keith Hodge, in his Risc PC Column, says each month that I
can use it to contact him “from anywhere in the world, as
GW4NEI@GB7OAR.#16.GBR.EU”.
8.1
•  Program disc contents − A staggering number of people have asked us
if we would please include information about the contents of the monthly
program disc in the magazine − how else will they know if it is worth
buying? Funny you should mention that... we have been putting this
information at the foot of page 2 of the magazine for the last seven
months!
8.1
•  Risc PC orientation − Archive is becoming too Risc PC oriented when
you consider that the majority of readers are still using older
Archimedes computers. Yes, in one sense, we are devoting a lot of space
to what is, currently, a minority. Mind you, it’s not all that small a
minority. Almost 5% of Archive suscribers have so far purchased a
Risc PC directly from Norwich Computer Services. On to top of that, I
know that a lot of people have bought one from their local Acorn dealer
in order to get the local backup. (This is an attitude that I entirely
support, by the way − if you don’t support your local dealer and only
buy from mail order companies because you want the extra discount, you
may find you end up without a local Acorn dealer!)
8.1
When you consider that it’s only 5 months since the launch and that
Risc PCs are still in extremely short supply (we still haven’t fulfilled
all our back orders for ACB45s), there must be quite a sizeable
proportion of Archive subscribers who either have, or are anticipating
buying, a Risc PC. But don’t worry, we’re not abandoning the Archimedes!
There is still a lot to be said about it and we will be doing so for
many issues to come and, in any case, a lot of what is said in the
magazine applies to both generations of machine. (And I’m still
producing the magazine on my A540!)
8.1
•  Shorter PipeLineZ − The last two issues of PipeLineZ have both been
over six pages long. I don’t mind articles about applications that I
don’t use but this is getting a bit much. It is true that Gerald’s
articles have been longer than average of late but this month it’s back
to about three pages. Also, many people don’t realise that Gerald’s
writings are NOT just about Colton’s software − they often have much
wider application. The trouble is I don’t know what else to call the
column to encourage non-Coltonites to scan it each month to see if it
has something relevant to them. Any ideas?
8.1
•  Switch payment − You ought to allow payment by Switch as it’s
cheaper. ’Tis done! See under “Credit cards” above.
8.1
•  Technical content of Archive − (a) Can we have more in-depth
technical articles and less of the beginners stuff? (b) Can we have
fewer obscure technical articles and more articles for people who just
want to use the computer as a tool and aren’t interested in the finer
technical, please? Well, at present, I’m getting about equal numbers of
each of the above types of comment so I reckon I’m steering reasonably
close to the middle line although I have had a number of people saying
they won’t be re-subscribing as it’s all too technical for them.
8.1
More to come...
8.1
I have run out of time − the magazine deadline is upon me! I have so far
analysed less than half of the questionnaires received in the first
three weeks so this article is definitely...
8.1
...to be continued...  A
8.1
PD Column
8.1
David Holden
8.1
In my last column, I mentioned the possibility of CD-ROMs of PD
appearing for the Archimedes and said that I didn’t think it likely in
the immediate future. Within a few days of sending this article off to
NCS, I received an envelope with an Archive label containing the
Datafile PD CD-ROM. Knowing that our editor is not without a sense of
humour, I cannot quite rid myself of the suspicion that these two events
may be in some way linked. I therefore now find myself, foot firmly in
mouth, reporting on this event.
8.1
It is not really a contradiction to say that this confirms both my best
hopes and some of my worst fears. My best hopes because the price is
right, £30 from Datafile or £28 from NCS. However, the disc shows signs
of being put together in a hurry, possibly in an attempt to be ‘the
first’.
8.1
The contents were compiled before Dave McCartney, who runs the Datafile,
had obtained a Risc PC, and a considerable proportion of the programs
are not compatible. This is a problem because the Risc PC will probably
become the machine which is most likely to be fitted with a CD-ROM
drive. Some of these programs are ‘fixable’, but others are not. Some
cannot be run directly from Read Only media but this isn’t a problem if
you are aware of it, since you can just copy it to your hard disc.
8.1
There are a few ‘mistakes’. At least one program appears twice. A few
others have had some of their ‘internal’ filenames changed to suit the
ISO 9660 standard and this means that the applications can’t find their
resources. If the program is written in Basic, it is often possible to
copy it to your hard disc and either rename the resources or alter the
program, but this shouldn’t have been necessary. Some of the programs
are not the most up-to-date versions, but this is an inevitable
consequence of putting PD and Shareware onto ROM since the delay between
the conception and public release often means that later versions have
appeared.
8.1
I gather that there will be a review of the CD in Archive in due course,
so I shall not dwell at length upon what’s on it. However, I shall say
that there is a very wide selection of material, perhaps too wide. There
is no ‘theme’ and many people who have a collection of PD discs will
probably already have the majority of the items that would be of
interest to them. There is a good collection of clipart, a selection of
GIF and JPEG files, and some text files from Project Gutenberg. In case
you haven’t heard of it, this is the work of the Benedictine College of
Illinois whose intent is to put in machine-readable form most of the
world’s classic literature. This will doubtless be of interest to
schools but possibly not to others, and is probably out of place on a
disc which contains ‘demos’ and games.
8.1
Is it really worth the money? Well, if you don’t already have a
collection of PD but do possess a CD-ROM drive then, despite these
shortcomings, definitely ‘yes’. On a project of this nature, there are
bound to be problems with the first attempt and Dave McCartney must be
congratulated for breaking the ice.
8.1
The fact that this disc has appeared has lead me to take another look at
the idea myself. Since I last investigated, production costs have fallen
considerably and there are also signs of wider use of CD-ROM drives on
Acorn computers, the growth being much faster than I had expected. In
view of this, I have taken another look at this media and you can
anticipate that an APDL CD will be appearing in the not too distant
future. I don’t want to go into details but I can predict that it will
be rather different from the Datafile offering.
8.1
Special offer
8.1
With the introduction of the Risc PC, there’s suddenly a lot of interest
in 24-bit colour. This month’s special disc therefore has two superb
Shareware packages. The first in Image by Ian Palmer whose ‘Wordhound’
thesaurus was the subject of a previous offer. Image is a 24-bit
processing program. It can alter the colour range of a picture, filter
and image, resize (including cropping end extending), rotate, merge
pictures, touch up, etc.
8.1
The second is FineArt. This, as its name suggests, is an art program.
It’s as easy to use as !Paint but with all the advantages of subtle
colour control which isn’t possible with 8-bit colour. You can also use
it with normal 8-bit colour if you don’t have a Risc PC or a colour
card.
8.1
As usual, for a copy of these two programs send £1 or four 1st class
stamps to me at 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN.  A
8.1
Risc-DOS Column
8.1
Simon Coulthurst
8.1
As I write this introductory column, for what I hope will be a series of
articles, about using the Risc PC’s DOS co-processor, I feel a bit of a
fraud. I am sitting in front of a fairly powerful multi-tasking
computer, but it is not a Risc PC or even an Archimedes for that matter.
It is a ‘Windows’ machine. By that, I mean a DOS-compatible running the
kludge that is Microsoft Windows on top of Microsoft DOS. The computer
is a Dell 486DX2 running at 66MHz with 16Mb RAM, 256Kb RAM cache and an
S3 accelerated display on a 21“ colour monitor. A powerful ‘Windows’
computer by any reckoning.
8.1
Yet I am disappointed! Why? Is it because I’m a spoiled brat used to
getting the best of everything regardless of cost? Or is it because this
so called ‘power machine’ is somewhat lacking in some way? Well, if I’m
honest, it’s probably the first, but I will do my best to persuade you
that it is the second.
8.1
A brief personal history
8.1
I have some prior knowledge of Acorn computers, having previously owned
both a BBC ‘B’ and one of the first Archimedes computers. I am a self-
confessed sufferer of techno-lust and have been through the various
stages of this disease, i.e. Vic 20, Oric, Spectrum, BBC ‘B’,
Archimedes, Apple Mac, DOS PC’s and am currently suffering with the
above Windows-based PC. I have also been side-tracked at various times
down side avenues, such as Newton and Psion Series 3a. Like all techno-
lust sufferers, I am convinced that the latest fix − the Risc PC − is
all I need to cure me. My business uses a small five-user network that
runs a DOS-based accounting package over Novell 3.12. I installed the
computers and software myself some three years ago, and all the upgrades
since. By the way, if you think configuring the Risc PC boot options is
difficult, just try installing Netware on a file server!
8.1
Using a Windows PC allows me to connect to the network and extract
information from the accounts package, whilst also allowing me to design
and pre-publish my own advertisements, flyers, brochures, etc within
Windows. However, I have never been all that happy with Windows − I have
a 16Mb computer that still runs out of resources, long before running
short of memory, mainly because it still uses DOS, a system that was
only ever designed to use the first 1Mb of RAM. So imagine my delight
when reading about the new Risc PC. Here was a machine that would allow
me to run my DOS-based accounts package in a window, using the co-
processor, whilst allowing me to use the superior RISC OS interface for
the rest of my work. Nirvana!
8.1
Column aim
8.1
So, assuming my Risc PC (ACB45) ever arrives − it has been on order for
nearly three months now − I intend to install a PC card and then connect
to our existing Novell Network. We have certain other software packages,
that we are very dependent upon, that also only run under DOS and I will
be making sure I can get these to work with the co-processor. It is to
be hoped that, as I report on my progress, you will gain an insight that
may help with your own attempts to use the co-processor. I will also
indicate how the Risc PC fits into a mixed business computer environment
− how easy and convenient, or otherwise, is it to transfer files from
system to system and does the co-processor make it any easier? I am also
more than happy to try to answer any questions or problems you are
having. Please address any queries to Archive marked for my attention.
8.1
Paul has kindly offered to lend me a Risc PC until mine arrives. This
will give me an opportunity to gain experience with the computer and
Risc PC interface before attempting to make it behave like a DOS
computer when the co-processor arrives. Perverse or what?!
8.1
If the co-processor has arrived in time for the next issue, I will
report on that. If, as seems likely, it has not, I will give you a DOS
and Windows user’s first impressions of the Risc PC instead.  A
8.1
Pocket Book Column
8.1
Audrey Laski
8.1
The Pocket Book has been to the Aeolian Island of Lipari and back, and
has proved an excellent travelling companion and talking point. I can
particularly record that the “fiendish Solitaire” I mentioned last time
(as a game picked up from the “3-Lib” collection of shareware software
originally designed for the Psion-3) filled many boring moments in
trains etc. I would like to thank its maker, Dave (Florish? − he gives
no address and asks no licence fee) for hours of entertainment.
8.1
I also got the satisfaction I expected from another piece of software
from the “3-Lib” collection, John Whiting’s Outline, which cleverly
enables the user not only to make an ordered set of headings, but also
to write associated notes; to have this quite sophisticated thinking aid
in one’s pocket is immensely valuable. He has also applied some of the
Outline techniques to the structuring of joblists in a piece of software
called ToDo, much more complex than the facility in Schedule; this would
have saved me many mini-breakdowns in my working life, though it comes
too late for me now.
8.1
A hardware problem
8.1
We continued, as reported earlier, to have problems with intermittent
functioning of the printer (BJ-10SX) which we acquired to connect to the
PocketBook. Finally, we have made a mental link with another problem:
the fact that when the Pocket Book is theoretically connected to a power
supply to conserve batteries, the little green light which shows that
mains power is on keeps going out. Jiggling the lead at the Pocket Book
socket temporarily restores power, but unless this is done frequently,
particularly in a slightly unstable situation, the light soon goes out
again.
8.1
Since I frequently use the Pocket Book on my knee while sitting in bed −
my favourite place of work − such instability is something I need the
hardware to be able to cope with. Our suspicion is that the problem with
the printer is a similar one: that the lead which links Pocket Book to
printer does not sit securely at one or other end. This problem needs to
be addressed by the hardware manufacturers; meanwhile, any advice or
shared experience would be welcome.
8.1
Dunce’s corner
8.1
John of the far side of the bed wants to stand here this month. He
writes: “We keep an old Amstrad portable in the Aeolian Isles.
Accordingly, we wanted to be able to use the A-link to back-up files
between the Pocket Book and the Amstrad. A source close to Psion let us
have RFM, a program which has been written to enable Psion drives to be
addressed as MS-DOS drives from the host Amstrad. ‘Psion have not, and
may not release this program’, means Psion neither supports nor
maintains this program, and you will get a thick ear if you ask them
about it.
8.1
“So, I prepare to connect the A-Link to the Amstrad − but the A-link
plug is a 9-pin RS423 and the Amstrad socket is a 15-pin RS232 socket...
8.1
“We shall be getting a Risc PC by next column, so I can report on RFM as
soon as a DR-DOS comes, but if anyone within easy reach of Victoria
Station has experience with PCs and serial ports, I should like to try
out this useful little program.”
8.1
Endnote
8.1
Is it midsummer torpor, or the fact that I mentioned I was going to be
away? This month, the whole short column has been written by either my
partner or myself, because there have been no letters. Please start them
flowing again; there must be lots more Pocket Book problems and
pleasures out there to communicate.  A
8.1
Teletext Column
8.1
Paul Skirrow
8.1
This is a new column in Archive devoted to the use of teletext on the
Archimedes and the Risc PC, which I hope will run for several issues. I
will be looking at various aspects of computer-based teletext and will
also be reviewing the hardware that is currently available. This month,
I introduce the idea of teletext on a computer and review the Design IT
teletext system.
8.1
I have been using computer-based teletext for 10 years (initially on a
BBC model B computer) and I am a big fan of such systems. I should also
say at this point that I have recently started my own business called
Octopus Systems, based in Ipswich, selling Acorn computers, and that I
am selling the last few remaining Ground Control teletext adapters, now
that they have gone into liquidation.
8.1
What is teletext?
8.1
Teletext is a way of transmitting pages of text along with a TV signal.
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 all broadcast several hundred pages carrying
news, sport, weather, TV listings, features, share prices, air quality,
pollen counts, pop charts, music news, film releases and travel
information. Some satellite channels, including Sky and MTV, also
broadcast teletext information.
8.1
Each page has a 3-digit page number and may consist of several sub-
pages, each broadcast in turn. To see the Ceefax weather forecast, you
would normally select BBC1, choose page 401 and then wait for the page
to be received, which will typically take 10 or 20 seconds. This weather
page usually has two sub-pages, one for the day’s weather and one for
the evening’s, so you may have to wait for the right sub-page. The sub-
pages are broadcast in turn, so reading pages with 10 or even 20 sub-
pages is often quite slow. You may find that sub-page 8 is being
broadcast when you start reading it and you have to read the pages at
the rate they are broadcast, you can’t skip forwards or backwards
easily.
8.1
Why use teletext on a computer?
8.1
Teletext is traditionally accessed via a teletext television set − many
readers will already be familiar with this. However, most TV-based
teletext systems are slow to use and limited in their functionality,
which I believe prevents many users from realising the full potential of
the system.
8.1
By using a computer to access teletext, a whole new range of facilities
becomes available, making teletext much more convenient. Pages can be
stored on disc for future reference, either as plain text, teletext
(viewdata) files, or as sprites. All available teletext systems display
teletext in a window and work quite happily alongside other programs. It
should therefore be quite practical to leave a teletext window open all
the time, whilst still using the computer.
8.1
In theory it is possible to cache pages in the computer’s memory, thus
giving quick access to pages which the system has already received and
eliminate the tedium traditionally associated with reading teletext on a
television set. As a general rule, computer-based teletext systems do
not implement page cacheing, but since it only involves a software
change, I hope that we will see it introduced in the future.
8.1
Teletext reception
8.1
For teletext reception, you need a TV aerial and a good signal. Small
set-top aerials are unlikely to work, and a roof-top aerial is
recommended. If you are splitting your aerial feed to different sockets
in the house, the best solution is to use a distribution amplifier in
the loft, to minimise signal degradation. These are available from most
specialist TV shops for around £15. Alternatively, you can use passive
splitting connectors which contain terminating resistors and these are
available for around £4. In this case, you should avoid having any
unused outlets as they can cause signal reflections which degrade the
signal at the used outlets. (One solution is to plug in a dummy 75W load
which has the same effect as connecting a TV, and again these are
available from TV shops.) If you can obtain a good clear picture on your
TV set with no obvious interference and no ghosting (duplicate images
beside the main one) then you should be able to receive teletext
reliably.
8.1
Available adapters
8.1
The first teletext adapter was launched in 1984 as part of the BBC Micro
project and, in terms of hardware, this was one of the best, although
the lack of memory in the BBC computer severely limited its potential.
Morley and Ground Control both made external teletext adapters and the
latter could be used with any Acorn computer (except the A4). However,
Morley have now stopped producing them and Ground Control have sadly
gone into liquidation. Fortunately, two new companies have stepped in to
fill the gap: Design IT and XOB have both launched teletext receivers as
internal expansion cards.
8.1
Design IT Teleview card
8.1
This new Teleview card from Design IT plugs into an expansion card slot
on an A300, A400, A5000 or Risc PC and enables the computer to receive
teletext. It will also work on an A3000, using an external podule case
and 12V power supply, and will work with RISC OS 2 or 3. Although it
will not fit inside an A3010, A3020 or A4000, Design IT say they are
working on an external version which may be connected via the parallel
printer port. This is not ideal as it prevents the port being used for a
printer, but users of network and direct-drive laser printer should not
find this a problem.
8.1
The card is supplied with control software on disc, a Tuning and
Configuration Guide and a comprehensive (70 page) manual. Installation
is straightforward and the fitting instructions are very clear.
8.1
Before use, the system must be tuned using a tuning program which
automatically searches the frequency band. You must specify the channel
to be tuned (BBC1, BBC2, ITV or whatever) and then let the system search
for it. This is repeated for each channel and can mean searching the
frequency band several times. I would have preferred to be able to tune
all channels in one operation although this is a minor complaint, given
that you only ever tune the system once.
8.1
To access teletext, you simply run the TeleCFax application which
installs itself on the iconbar. Initially, the icon shows a blank
screen, and clicking on it will have no effect. After a few seconds,
when the first page has been received, the icon lights up. Clicking on
it will now open a large window showing the teletext page. This
behaviour is frustrating − if you are running the application, you
obviously want to look at teletext and it is irritating that you must
wait before you can open a teletext window − a blank window would have
been acceptable. It can also be a problem if no teletext is being
broadcast on the default channel as it prevents access to the other
channels. (The BBC channels often close down after midnight whereas ITV
usually broadcasts throughout the night.)
8.1
The teletext display is exactly as you would see it on a television,
with block graphics, colours and even flashing text. The header line at
the top of the teletext page is only updated when a new page is
displayed, but a menu allows the header to be displayed in a separate
small window, which shows the current channel, page being received and
the teletext time. There is also a facility for setting the computer’s
clock from the transmitted teletext time. The program can be configured
to beep when a page has been received, but I would have preferred a
clear visual indication that the system is waiting for a page (some
systems display a ‘Page searching’ message or flash the page number in
the header line).
8.1
Alongside the main teletext window is a control panel, rather like a TV
remote control. This has eight buttons for choosing a channel, a numeric
keypad for entering page numbers and some special buttons for next and
previous page, page index, page hold, page release and ‘Fast Text’. To
select a page, it is necessary to click on the relevant buttons on this
keypad. I found it a little awkward clicking on these small buttons and
would have preferred to be able to use the numeric keypad. Pages can
also be selected by clicking on the coloured keywords (FastText), at the
foot of the page, or on a page reference in the teletext window and this
is very convenient for jumping to a page from a contents or index page.
8.1
It usually takes several seconds after choosing a page before the page
is received and displayed and this is frustrating when you want to flick
quickly between an index page and the pages to which it refers because
you always have to wait. However, there is a menu entry to store the
current page in the computer’s memory, and stored pages may be retrieved
later using another menu. For example, if you are reading the BBC news
pages, you might store pages 110 and 160 as these contain indexes for UK
and World news respectively. You can then use the menu to instantly
return to one of these indexes, but selecting one of these pages
normally (by entering the page number) means that you still have to
wait, despite the page being available in memory. You can also make the
system automatically store the last 50 pages that you accessed, but
again they can only be retrieved by using the menu as shown above,
right.
8.1
Saving pages
8.1
The displayed page may be saved as a sprite, videotex, or plain text
file. Sprites show the page exactly as it is, including all of the
graphics and colours, and are therefore convenient for loading into
other applications, but they are fairly large (24Kb). Videotex files
contain the teletext information as it was transmitted and can be
handled by some other software. (The manual gives details of this
format.) They can be re-loaded into the TeleCFax software simply by
double-clicking.
8.1
Saved text files contain all of the text from the page but no graphics.
So, a weather map saved as text is less useful than one saved as a
sprite (although with a little thought it would still be possible to
extract temperatures for your region by scanning the right place in the
text file). There are two useful options on the Save Text dialogue.
Firstly, text may be saved ‘For DTP’, which means that new line
characters are stripped and the 40 column line limit removed. This means
that any wordprocessor using the text is free to re-format it to fit its
own page width. The second option is ‘With Styles’ which is for
Impression users. It applies a heading style to the first line on the
page and makes white text bold. The overall effect is very pleasing and
it is quite impressive to be able to save a typical teletext page onto
Impression and see it transformed into a newspaper-type heading.
8.1
Script files
8.1
Script files are simple text files containing a list of commands for the
TeleCFax software. Commands are available to grab and display pages,
save pages to disc (as text, sprites or videotex), display saved pages
from disc and repeat indefinitely. It is therefore possible to build you
own ‘carousel’ systems to display a selection of the day’s teletext
pages. Making a script file is quite straightforward and they would be
suitable for school pupils to write, especially as they can be regarded
as simple programming for national curriculum purposes.
8.1
One of the many examples provided shows how to save eight news pages
into a single text file (with styles) for loading into Impression. By
running the script and (after a few minutes pause) dragging the output
file to the provided Impression document, a mini-newspaper can be
created and this is sure to enthral school children. Other examples
include scripts to grab weather pages, road information and TV listings.
8.1
The system can also be configured to run a script file automatically at
start up, so it is possible to set the system up to save all of the
pages you want on disc for you to read later. It may take several
minutes, or even an hour to grab all of your pages, but they will then
be available as disc files which can be accessed instantly. Since
different pages can be saved in different ways, it is quite easy to save
the weather maps in a sprite file, and the news in a text file. While a
script is running, the teletext system displays the pages as they are
received and the computer continues to multi-task but the teletext
buttons are disabled until the script has finished.
8.1
Software control
8.1
Most teletext adapters provide commands or system calls for other
programs to use, and even the original BBC micro adapter had a very
comprehensive set of * commands and low-level system calls for grabbing
pages, changing channels, etc. This meant that a large library of
software was developed to perform clever tricks, such as plotting share
price graphs over time or searching pages for keywords.
8.1
Sadly, support for other programs is missing from the Design IT system,
but there are some simple calls available for converting videotex pages
into sprites. Although disappointing to programmers, the provision of
the less-sophisticated, but easier to use, script files makes up for it
in many ways. Design IT say they will consider putting in a SWI
interface and I am pushing for a standard interface so that all teletext
software will work on any adapter regardless of make − this probably
means trying to use the same interface as the existing Ground Control
adapters as there are a lot in use.
8.1
Design IT say they may extend their script language to enable it to run
other programs . This will allow Basic programs (for example) to search
or process newly-saved teletext pages. It could be used to plot graphs
from share prices, build a database of recipe pages or even print a mini
‘newspaper’, completely automatically.
8.1
Computer television
8.1
The Teleview card also has composite video (BNC socket) and mono audio
(mini-jack) output on the back panel. This is suitable for connecting a
monitor, headphones or mini-loudspeakers and a separate TV Tuner program
is provided to enable the channel to be changed without running the full
teletext system. I am always dubious about the usefulness of such
facilities, although many teletext adapters provide them since they
already contain a TV tuner and have the signals available internally.
Using the system to display a television picture on an adjacent monitor
seems a bit extravagant (when a separate TV set is probably cheaper and
more convenient).
8.1
Where this system is more useful is when it is used with a real-time
video digitising card such as the Eagle M2 multimedia card. The
television video and audio output can then be routed into the Eagle card
to provide a TV picture in a window. Video, audio and static frames can
then be grabbed using the Eagle card, or the system could simply be used
to watch television in those idle moments when you are not working. For
the cost of an Eagle card and a Teleview card, you can buy quite a nice
25“ colour stereo television, but that isn’t really the point − if you
have an Eagle card already, you might as well connect it to the
television output when it isn’t otherwise being used, and get ‘computer
television’ for free. You can also open a small window to show teletext
sub-titles for TV programmes.
8.1
Conclusion
8.1
This adapter adds teletext to your computer. It is easy to fit and works
well, although the lack of automatic page storage (cacheing) makes it
slow to use. The manual is well-written, easy to read, and includes
descriptions of the various file formats used. The video and audio
outputs are welcome, although I am unsure of their usefulness. The
script facilities for automatically saving pages is excellent and means
that the system can automatically produce a mini-magazine from a
collection of teletext pages.
8.1
The card costs £159 plus £4 carriage, plus VAT from Design IT. Network
software, to enable teletext to be used on several machines at once,
will be ready in September for £150 +VAT. This will allow any network
station to access teletext either from the teletext adapter, or from a
database (thus allowing a school to set up their own viewdata
service).  A
8.1
SyQuest Removable Drives
8.1
David Holden
8.1
Most Archimedes users will have heard of SyQuest removable discs. They
are quite commonly found on the Apple Mac, but are also available for
the Archimedes from a number of companies in the Acorn marketplace
including, of course, NCS.
8.1
I have been following the development of SyQuest drives for some time
and, with the acquisition of a Risc PC and the need for more (and better
organised) hard disc space, I decided it was time to take the plunge.
This article was written to describe some of the reasons why I have
chosen to take this step. Although I have seen them reviewed and
advertised many times, no-one, to the best of my knowledge, has written
anything to help others determine whether the SyQuest option is right
for them. It is not a magic solution to all problems.
8.1
What are they?
8.1
SyQuest removable hard discs are a marriage of normal hard disc
technology with the ‘removability’ of a floppy disc drive although there
is, of course, much more to it than that. Unlike optical or WORM drives,
the basic technology of SyQuests is the same as used for fixed hard
drives. This means that, as advances have been made in their production,
reliability and pricing, this has been reflected in the SyQuest drives.
8.1
They are constructed along the lines of a conventional hard disc drive
except that, instead of the whole mechanism being placed in a sealed box
the ‘disc’ is contained in its own, removable, plastic case. This is
completely enclosed except for a ‘door’ along one side, and when it is
in the drive, this door is opened to allow the drive head to reach the
disc’s surface. In fact, it’s rather like a better constructed and much
more sophisticated version of a floppy disc.
8.1
Types available
8.1
The drives are available in two physical sizes, 5¼“ and 3½”. The disc
itself is slightly larger than the floppy equivalent, which is a pity
because it means you can’t use most conventional boxes for them. The 5¼“
disc is about 1 cm thick and the 3½” version is about 8mm. The thing
which strikes you when you pick one up for the first time is its weight,
especially the 5¼“ size. This is because the disc itself is a heavy
metal object and not at all like the flimsy metal oxide coated plastic
used in floppies.
8.1
Each physical size is available in different capacities. The 5¼“ comes
in 44 and 88Mb, and the 3½” in 105 and 270Mb. (There is now also a 200Mb
5¼“ drive − see Products Available. Ed.)
8.1
The first size to be introduced was the 5¼“ 44Mb. Then when hard disc
technology advanced to allow more data to be squeezed on to the same
area of a disc, this was doubled to 88Mb. The 44Mb drive cannot read or
write to 88Mb discs but most of the 88Mb drives can use either type
although the oldest 88Mb drives don’t.
8.1
With further advances, it became possible to reduce the disc size to 3½“
while simultaneously increasing the capacity to 105Mb. The most recent
step was to boost the capacity of the 3½” drive to 270Mb, and even
larger sizes will be available in the foreseeable future. Like the 5¼“
equivalents, the 270Mb drive can read and write 105Mb discs but the
105Mb drive can’t use 270Mb discs.
8.1
Uses for SyQuest drives
8.1
These drives were never intended as a substitute for a conventional hard
disc, although they have sometimes been used in this way. Their main
purpose was to allow large amounts of data – too big for a floppy disc –
to be transferred between computers. This was quickly seized upon by
publishing companies who realised that they could, for example, get the
DTP data for an entire book onto one 44Mb disc, thus facilitating
transfer from the computer to the Printer (using ‘Printer’ in the
context of ‘company that prints the book’ rather than the computer
peripheral). This flexibility meant that the current ‘book’ could easily
be passed around from one computer to another, even on different sites.
8.1
In order to see why they have been used primarily for this and not just
for bulk data storage it is necessary to investigate prices. The 5¼“
drive itself is quite expensive, but that is not the most important
point. The actual discs cost over £60, which means nearly £1.60 per Mb.
To store about 200Mb of data using a SyQuest drive and five discs
therefore costs much more than a conventional hard drive.
8.1
The introduction of the 88Mb size helped only slightly. The cost of an
88Mb disc is over £90, and although this gives a better price/capacity
ratio, it still doesn’t approach a conventional drive when the cost of
the SyQuest drive itself is taken into account. This economic
disadvantage has been increased as hard disc prices have fallen.
8.1
When the 105Mb size was introduced, things looked a bit better. A 3½“
105Mb disc costs less than the 88Mb version. This lower cost meant that,
at last, the price per Mb of a SyQuest disc was approaching that of a
conventional drive. Of course, the cost of the drive itself made the
overall picture somewhat different, but if you needed several hundred Mb
of storage, the SyQuest option was beginning to look more attractive.
8.1
With the introduction of the 270Mb size, SyQuest can give more Mb per £
than a conventional drive. In fact, it works out cheaper than floppy
discs! This is because the price of a 270Mb disc is about the same as a
44 or 105Mb and lower than an 88Mb. Even at a ‘one off’ price of around
£80 for a disc, you would be paying only about 30p per Mb.
8.1
Data security
8.1
The real advantages were, once again, not economic. For many people,
even more important than portability is security. If you have 1Gb of
data on a single hard disc then, if you are unfortunate enough to have a
hard disc failure, everything could be lost. Of course, all you have to
do (in theory) is to restore the data from your backup, but it simply
isn’t realistic to back up this amount of data to floppies, and a tape
streamer is not only time-consuming to use, it’s expensive. With a
SyQuest drive, if a disc fails, you have lost only part of your data. If
the drive fails, you just get a replacement – the data on your discs
isn’t affected, (unless the drive fails during a write operation − but
nothing is perfect!)
8.1
The SyQuest drive as a backup medium
8.1
Although not their primary purpose, this is an area in which they can be
extremely useful and more convenient than conventional methods.
8.1
Most people with large hard discs find that only a small part of the
data on them is irreplaceable. The majority will probably consist of
applications or material which may exist on other machines or on floppy
discs as well. Applications do not really need to be ‘backed up’ since,
in the event of hard disc failure, they can simply be re-installed.
8.1
Backing up and restoring is fast and convenient. There is no need for
any ‘special’ software − it’s exactly the same as copying to/from any
other hard disc, and just as fast. Instead of having to run through a
tape to find a particular file, you pick it from a normal filer window.
This means that a large SyQuest drive can be used as a backup medium for
a normal hard disc, dispensing with the need for a tape streamer, and
helping to weigh the economic balance in its favour.
8.1
I regard the ability of SyQuest drives to act as backup devices as a
major point in their favour. Although the First Law of Hard Disc Backup
is ‘The likelihood of hard disc failure is directly proportional to the
irreplaceability of the data’, the Second Law is ‘The frequency with
which a backup is taken is inversely proportional to the inconvenience
of doing so’. The simplicity and ease with which data can be duplicated
to a SyQuest drive helps ensure frequent backups.
8.1
Installation options
8.1
I shall describe briefly the options open to the Archimedes owner
considering the purchase of a SyQuest drive. All types are available
with either IDE or SCSI interface, although as the 5¼“ size was almost
universally used on Apple Macs, they are rarely seen with an IDE
interface. All types are available for either internal fitting, that is,
a ‘bare’ drive, or as an external unit complete with case and power
supply. As the only Acorn computer capable of taking a 5¼” drive
internally is the Risc PC, I shall assume that if you wish to install
the drive internally it will be a 3½“ unit. Obviously, if you intend to
purchase an ‘external’ unit there is no physical installation of the
drive.
8.1
Despite the fact that the actual disc is bigger than a 3½“ floppy, the
drive itself is exactly the same size so it can be fitted in the second
drive bay of an A310, A400, A540 or A5000. Of course, if you have
anything other than an A5000 or Risc PC, the SyQuest drive will need to
be fitted in the position occupied by another hard disc, so this will
have to be displaced. If you have only one or two podule slots in use,
it is possible to mount a 3½” hard disc in the space that two podules
would occupy, and I have done this in the past using two short strips of
angled plastic to support it.
8.1
With an A5000, the SyQuest drive can be mounted under the present floppy
drive. You will need four mounting screws with spacers the correct
length to position the drive correctly. Again this is a simple DIY job
or a kit can be purchased from NCS. (Dave’s idea, and mine, of a ‘simple
DIY job’ are somewhat different! Ed.)
8.1
The power required by a 3½“ SyQuest drive is extremely small and should
not cause any difficulty for the power supply fitted to any of these
models, even if you already have another hard drive fitted. You can
therefore obtain or make a ‘Y’ lead to split the power lead to the
normal hard drive. This should consist of a ‘male’ version of the
standard drive power plug and two ‘female’ plugs. These are available
from Maplin Electronics amongst others. Anyone who can wield a soldering
iron should have no difficulty with this. Just ensure that you don’t
‘cross over’ any of the wires as mistakes can be very expensive! Use
three different coloured wires (the middle two connectors are both
Earth, so it doesn’t matter if these are mixed up) and when you have
finished, fit each socket in turn to the plug and make sure the wires
match, colour to colour. (The connector is part of the NCS kit. Ed.)
8.1
Fitting in a Risc PC should be simple. The easiest way is to purchase a
drive frame intended to fit a 3½“ floppy in a 5¼” drive bay. These cost
only a few pounds from PC suppliers. As I use my Risc PC ‘on end’, I
decided to fit the SyQuest drive in the 3½“ bay above the floppy so that
it would be well above the desk. I thought this would be easy, but what
looked like a 3½” ‘knockout’ was just a decorative line, and I had to
cut the hole out of the (nearly ¼“ thick) plastic front panel. Once this
was done, the drive just clipped into place, but I would advise anyone
not skilled with a Stanley knife to use a 5¼” bay and an adaptor!
8.1
The interface
8.1
You will have to decide whether to choose a SCSI or IDE interface. Your
choice may be influenced by your existing hardware but SCSI drives are
sometimes more expensive than IDE. If you have an A540 or other model
with a SCSI card then that is the obvious choice, and you are unlikely
to encounter any difficulties. However, do ensure your interface will
work with a SyQuest drive. I am told there is no problem with Oak,
Morley, Technomatic or Acorn SCSI cards but I have no reports of others.
(There can be problems with the Acorn one but NCS Utils Disc 6 has a
patch for it. Ed.)
8.1
If you have an A5000, a Risc PC, or a machine with an IDE interface,
there are some problems you should be aware of.
8.1
SCSI interfaces are designed to operate with a variety of devices and
most can cope with removable media. IDE, on the other hand, was intended
only for use with fixed hard discs which are hardly likely to change
while the computer is switched on. If you change an IDE disc in a
machine fitted with an Acorn interface, it will simply refuse to accept
the new one. You will have to switch the computer off and on again
before you can use the new disc. This is true of almost all IDE systems.
Luckily a ‘patch’ is available for the Acorn interface fitted to the
A5000 and Risc PC, and this permits the disc to be changed. (NCS Utils
Disc 6. Ed.) I am not aware of fixes for other IDE interfaces. The
disadvantage with a patch is that it must, of course, be loaded before
the SyQuest drive is used, and so needs to be included in a ‘boot’
sequence. This means the SyQuest drive can’t be the primary drive on
such a machine, but this isn’t a good idea anyway and so is not really a
problem.
8.1
The latest versions of ICS’s IDE interface is specifically designed to
be used with removables. If you have an earlier ICS interface, a ROM
upgrade will only cost £10. You can fit the complete IDE interface card
to an A5000 or a Risc PC where it will work happily in tandem with the
‘on board’ Acorn interface. This is the method that I chose because this
allows me to have three IDE drives. The ICS ‘Whizzo’ ROM, which is
available as an alternative to the Acorn IDE filing system for the A5000
(and soon for the Risc PC), is also suitable for use with SyQuest drives
and costs about £30.
8.1
There are two other considerations which might affect your choice. An
IDE interface is likely to cost less than half the price of a SCSI card,
so if you are starting from scratch, IDE could be around £100 cheaper
than SCSI. On the other hand, if you intend to fit other devices such as
a scanner, which will need a SCSI bus, then you may as well opt for SCSI
from the start.
8.1
Unless you have a very old existing IDE drive, it is most unlikely that
there will be any difficulty in getting it to work as a ‘slave’ to your
present drive. During the past weeks, I have switched mine between four
Acorn machines and a PC without problems, sometimes using it as the
Master drive and at others as Slave. One link must be removed on the
SyQuest drive to convert it from Master to Slave and this is clearly
marked. However, whereas later Conner drives, such as those used on the
Risc PC and more recent A5000s, don’t need any links changed when a
Slave drive is added, many other makes (and earlier Conners) do. This
subject is far too complex to go into great detail here but many drives
actually have a diagram stuck onto them showing how to change the links
and, with other drives, the links are named.
8.1
The reason I have taken some trouble to mention these alternatives is
that, if you have an A5000 or a Risc PC, you could choose a bare IDE
drive as the cheapest method, using the ‘patch’ for the Acorn IDE
interface. You would then still have the option at a later date of
fitting the ICS ‘Whizzo’ ROM or an alternative IDE card if you require a
second conventional drive as well.
8.1
Risc PC considerations
8.1
During speed tests, I found that the IDE interface used on the Risc PC
is faster than that fitted to the A5000. It consistently performed 20-
40% faster using identical drives. The ICS interface card, when used on
the A5000, has a performance comparable with the ‘native’ interface and
there is no improvement when fitted to a Risc PC, so its performance
falls short of that delivered by the Risc PC’s own IDE interface.
8.1
The ‘Whizzo’ ROM for the Risc PC wasn’t ready when this article was
prepared so I don’t know how it will perform. However, I would expect it
to be equivalent to the Acorn software.
8.1
In all cases, the 270Mb IDE drive fitted to the Risc PC returned a
performance markedly better than a SCSI fixed drive of comparable size.
The SCSI tests were carried out using an Oak 16 bit card (admittedly not
the fastest, but one of the cheapest and most common) on both the Risc
PC and A5000. They confirm my previous experience that the ‘old’ SCSI-1
standard, as used on all currently available SCSI interfaces, is not
fast enough for modern high speed drives. I suspect that comparisons
made in the past were between small IDE drives on early A5000s and
larger SCSI drives and, generally speaking, the larger the drive, the
faster it will perform.
8.1
All SCSI interfaces, as available for Acorn machines at present, only
have an 8 bit data bus. The ‘16 bit’ description merely means that the
data is buffered on the card and supplied to the computer in 16 bit
chunks. However, the SyQuest drives are SCSI-2 compatible, so when the
faster cards appear for the Risc PC (it’s very doubtful whether they
will be available for any other models) the SCSI version of a SyQuest
drive will almost certainly out-perform the IDE version. If you have a
Risc PC, SCSI will probably be the best option, because you will have
the option of changing your SCSI card at a later date to increase
performance.
8.1
The drive in use
8.1
Although you can remove the discs from the drive, it isn’t quite as
simple as ejecting a floppy disc. On the 105Mb and 270Mb drives, the
eject button is actually an electrical switch and there is also a
locking lever. When you insert a disc, this lever is operated to lock it
into the drive and engage the mechanism which starts it rotating. As
with a normal hard drive, the disc rotates all the time at high speed,
taking about five seconds to get up to speed and be ready to use.
Because the disc is always rotating, it must be brought to a stop before
it can be removed, so the lever is electrically locked once the disc is
inserted. When the eject button is pressed the disc is stopped and, once
it is stationary, the locking lever is released and you can remove the
disc. Again this takes about five seconds.
8.1
The drive activity light is multi-purpose. With no disc in the drive it
is off, and during drive activity it is orange. When the disc is being
run up to speed or slowed before removal, it is green and flashes in
proportion to the disc speed. So, when you insert a disc, it flashes
slowly at first, and then faster until  the drive is up to speed.
8.1
Because the ejecting sequence is electrically operated, you cannot
remove a disc from the drive with the power switched off. (Actually, you
can. There’s a tiny hole near the button just big enough to be poked
with the end of an un-bent paper clip. This releases the cartridge,
power or no power. Ed.)
8.1
Portability
8.1
In theory, a SyQuest disc formatted on any Acorn computer should be able
to be read on any other machine, regardless of the filing system used.
In fact, I have been told that a disc formatted on a external SCSI drive
could not be used with an IDE drive, but if it were formatted on an IDE
drive or an internal SCSI, there would be no problems. This seems a bit
strange but, even if it does happen, it is not a serious problem. If you
regularly need to interchange data between two such drives, you would
just have to ensure that the disc had originally been formatted on the
IDE drive. (Which disc formatted on which machine and on which interface
is readable on which other configuration is, I fear, very much a black
art. The empirical approach is highly recommended here. Ed.)
8.1
It would be nice if it were possible to exchange discs between the
Archimedes and other platforms. There is no physical problem with this −
it would just require an appropriate filing system to recognise the disc
structure. The new ‘Mac’ filer, MacFS, from Computer Concepts will work
with SyQuest drives.
8.1
Out of curiosity, I tried the SyQuest on my PC and had no difficulty in
getting it to work. However, although RISC OS 3 can read and write to
DOS format floppy discs, there is no provision for reading a DOS hard
disc. Hopefully, some enterprising person will write a filing system
able to read a DOS formatted hard disc in the same way as DOS FS works
with floppies. This would make exchange of large amounts of data with a
PC much simpler than at present. Any offers, anyone?
8.1
There is no difficulty placing a DOS partition on a SyQuest drive. I
tried this both with Acorn’s PC Emulator and !FasterPC without problems.
This allows you to have a substantial DOS partition without giving up a
large part of your primary hard drive. By putting outwardly identical
DOS partitions on more than one SyQuest disc, you could have alternative
DOS ‘drives’ for different purposes without the need to reconfigure the
emulator. This could be very useful in future once PC cards become more
common.
8.1
Reliability
8.1
In the past I have had qualms about reliability, knowing the importance
manufacturers attach to keeping a hard disc hermetically sealed in its
box. However, as far as I am aware, there are no problems with SyQuest
discs, although I have heard reports of Bernouilli and Optical discs
becoming error prone after long service. The fact that SyQuest offer a
five year guarantee on their discs would seem to indicate their
confidence that they will last as long as, or longer than, a
conventional drive.
8.1
I would suggest that the only slight threat to data security is where
discs are frequently transported between locations. Sooner or later they
will be dropped on the floor, put in someone’s bag or pocket without
benefit of their outer case, or otherwise be abused. A friend ‘lost’ a
disc in transit and only discovered it, months later, underneath the
spare wheel in his car, dirty and with its packet crushed, but otherwise
undamaged. (I have thrown 5¼“ cartridges half way across the office to
prove their robustness. Ed.)
8.1
Speed
8.1
I have left this until last as I don’t think it is of major importance.
Experience with a variety of drives and interfaces leads me to the
conclusion that performance figures can be very misleading and often
reveal more about the test program than the hardware. I preferred to
carry out comparative tests using an A5000 and a Risc PC. I compared the
SyQuest 270Mb drive with a Quantum 540Mb, a Western Digital 250Mb and
the Conner 420Mb drive on the Risc PC. In each case, the drive was newly
formatted and largely empty to ensure that performance wasn’t degraded
by fragmentation. I don’t want to get too involved with speed
considerations but the test program I use is my own, and doesn’t return
artificially massaged ‘Mb per second’ specs. It uses standard filing
system commands, just like real programs, and is designed to give a good
indication of how the drive will perform in normal use.
8.1
Each machine was fitted with an ICS IDE card as well as the Acorn
interface so that I could try the alternative filing systems as well as
the drives. In most tests, the 270Mb SyQuest operated at a speed
comparable to the 420Mb Conner drive fitted to the Risc PC and almost a
fast as a 540Mb Quantum.
8.1
For all practical purposes, the 270Mb drive is as fast as any normal
hard disc. You have to do extensive objective tests to find the
differences and, subjectively, it certainly feels just as fast as the
420Mb Conner on the Risc PC. Statistics freaks can have hours of fun
testing but the simple answer is ‘fast enough’. For those who want to
know the details, I have passed the test program and a few test results
to Paul for the magazine disc.
8.1
One area where speed is of interest is comparing different SyQuest
drives. Nick Evans of the ARM Club gave me some results of comparisons
between 44, 88 and 270Mb drives which clearly indicate that the 88Mb
drive is about 50% faster than the 44Mb size and the 270Mb drive about
twice as fast. It also shows that the slowest speed is obtained with a
44Mb disc in an 88Mb drive, presumably because the drive has to ‘double
step’. I don’t have any data for the 105Mb size but I expect that this
will conform to the pattern set by the others.
8.1
Conclusions
8.1
The decision to buy a SyQuest drive cannot be made entirely on the basis
of cost or performance. When the price of the drive itself is taken into
account, the ‘cost per Mb’ is unlikely to be cheaper than a large
conventional drive. The main considerations remain security and
portability, which is why I have dwelt upon these two issues. In my own
case, I am more than satisfied. Although portability is not an important
consideration, it suits me to have several discs, each containing
material needed for different tasks. Instead of the large, sprawling,
mass I had on my A5000, which often made it difficult to remember where
I had put things, I can now insert the disc pertaining to the current
task and quickly find what I want.
8.1
If portability is a primary consideration, and you have more than one
machine, it might be worth looking at 44Mb drives. These have actually
been discontinued but are still widely available. As they are now
‘obsolete’, they can sometimes be found quite cheaply. Don’t worry about
the supply of 44Mb discs − there are so many drives in use that there is
unlikely ever to be a shortage.
8.1
As you have seen, it’s not just a matter of deciding that you’d like a
SyQuest drive. If you have a lot of data, the 270Mb size appears by far
the most economical choice, but this doesn’t necessarily follow,
particularly if you have several machines, since although the media gets
cheaper with larger sizes, the drives get more expensive.
8.1
Once you have decided upon size, the other considerations are the type
of interface and whether to have an internal or external drive. The
latter will probably be decided by physical factors. Whether to have
SCSI or IDE could also be decided by the hardware you already have.
Certainly, if you possess a SCSI card, that would probably be the best
choice but, if not, then IDE is cheaper, even if you have to buy an
interface. At present, I don’t consider that there is any significant
difference in speed between the two versions, but if, in the future,
SCSI-2 cards appear for the Risc PC, that will certainly be faster.  A
8.1
Current Archive Prices of SyQuest Drives
8.1
         Archive price of...  Drive  Media  Per Mb
8.1
44Mb external SCSI  £360  £70  £1.59
8.1
88Mb external SCSI  £500  £100  £1.14
8.1
105Mb external SCSI  £450  £70  67p
8.1
105Mb internal SCSI  £370  £70  67p
8.1
105Mb internal IDE  £340  £70  67p
8.1
200Mb external SCSI  £570  £90  45p
8.1
200Mb internal SCSI  £490  £90  45p
8.1
270Mb external SCSI  £550  £80  30p
8.1
270Mb internal SCSI  £490  £80  30p
8.1
270Mb internal IDE  £490  £80  30p
8.1
PipeLineZ
8.1
Gerald Fitton
8.1
In this month’s article, I shall tell you about the copy of Fireworkz
V 1.08 which I have − but first a couple of points arising from last
month’s article.
8.1
Unnumbered screen modes
8.1
If you have a Risc PC and use unnumbered screen modes, you may have
found that your sprites don’t appear in Fireworkz documents and don’t
print. The ‘answer’ is to install a TaskX module which will recognise
those sprites. The latest version of the RISC OS 3.5 TaskX module is
datestamped 25th August 1994. Do not install this latest version if you
have only RISC OS 3.1 or you will create problems for yourself. If you
want a copy of this module, send me a formatted disc, self addressed
label and (if possible) return postage. On the disc, please include a
file created in Fireworkz (Wordz or Resultz) containing your name and
address. This file will enable me to read information (from the hidden
parts of the Fireworkz file) about your version of Fireworkz and your
system, that are necessary for the records which I have to provide to
Colton Software.
8.1
Corrigenda
8.1
In last month’s PipeLineZ, my major topic was an “Unwanted Chain of
Interdependent Documents”. I have received about half a dozen letters
pointing out a mistake which I made. Near to the beginning, when I was
explaining how to insert a row, I said:
8.1
“In the form in which I’ve included it, the file [Acc_9301] contains
only three transactions, two credits and one debit but you can extend it
quite simply. Place the caret anywhere in the last row and press <f7> to
insert a new row, make your credit or debit entry and, finally,
replicate the formula in the “Balance” column through to the line you
have just created.”
8.1
What I should have said was that you must “replicate the formula in the
Balance column through the line you have just created and down through
one more line.” The reason for replicating the formula through to the
extra line is that the formula in the ‘extra line’ has been updated by
the process of creating the extra (blank) row so that it ‘skips’ the new
blank row!
8.1
I also received a couple of letters asking why the [Acc_9301] document
fails to work if one row is deleted. The quick answer is that the line
below the deleted line is corrupted by this process of deletion. There
is nothing which can be done about this corruption since what happens is
inherent in the nature of a spreadsheet. Let me explain by referring to
the [Acc_9301] sheet of last month’s article. The slot [Acc_9301]D7
contains the formula D6+B7-C7. If you delete the slot D6 (for example,
by deleting row 6) then the formula in D7 will be corrupted because
there is no simple way in which we can ‘tell’ the spreadsheet that we
want the D6 in the formula to be replaced by D5!
8.1
Chained documents in Fireworkz
8.1
Also in last month’s PipeLineZ, I gave three reasons why I wrote that
article using as my example files in PipeDream format. Two of the
reasons I gave were:
8.1
“. . . you can load PipeDream files into Fireworkz whereas the reverse
is not true.” and “. . . because of a few (known) bugs in Fireworkz,
some of the formulae . . . don’t work . . . particularly (using)
set_value(,) with Names”
8.1
Nevertheless, in your letters to me, I have been asked if I will go
through the creation of the document structure using Fireworkz and
explain why the set of chained documents doesn’t work. I have written
individually to all those who have written to me but I’m sure that for
everyone who has written there must be more who haven’t. My compromise
with those of you who haven’t written but still want to know (in detail)
how to use Fireworkz is this: I have included on the Archive monthly
disc a similar tutorial for Fireworkz users with a [ReadMe] file in
Fireworkz format. Alternatively, send me the usual formatted disc, self
addressed sticky label and, if you can (I know you can’t if you live
overseas), return postage and I’ll copy the tutorial to your disc.
8.1
The following is quoted from that tutorial:
8.1
A bug
8.1
“Although the process of using set_value(,) with Names works well in
PipeDream, it doesn’t seem to ‘work’ properly in Fireworkz. I don’t know
exactly what effect you will find but, with my machine, I found that the
recalculations got into an infinite loop with the ‘number of
calculations still to go’ increasing instead of decreasing as time went
by! As a result of this ‘bug’, I am unable to recommend this
set_value(,) with Names in Fireworkz even though, as I said before, it
is the preferred method − and it works well in PipeDream. Perhaps when
the next version of Fireworkz is released in October I’ll be able to
delete this paragraph but, in the meantime, be careful of set_value(,)
when using Names in Fireworkz.”
8.1
The workaround
8.1
I believe that Fireworkz sometimes loses track of what recalculations it
ought to make when a value is updated using Names with set_value(,). I
have other ‘anecdotal evidence’ that there are other circumstances −
particularly when a slot contains a formula which refers to a slot which
occurs ‘later’ (down or to the right) in the spreadsheet. The
‘workaround’ (but that’s probably the wrong way to describe the
procedure) is to use a series of cross-checks. Essentially, a cross-
check is a strategy of using the same data in two separate calculations;
the calculations are designed so that both have the same (identical)
answer − the answers are compared. An important part of the strategy is
that you must use different formulae and methods for the two
calculations. When this sort of thing was done manually in industry,
many Section Heads would even use different ‘Computors’ (people, not
machines) for the two sets of calculations! If you have a Fireworkz
spreadsheet and you have problems setting up your cross-checks then
write to me and I’ll see what I can do.
8.1
Perhaps Paul will allow me a small aside. He recently sent me a PD3
spreadsheet because it wouldn’t work on PD4. I was most impressed by the
inbuilt cross checks. Indeed, apart from my own work, I knew of only one
PD3 application writer who ‘instinctively’ included, in quantity and
quality, cross-checks of the type I found in Paul’s spreadsheet. Just as
those with musical or artistic talent can recognise the work of a
composer or artist, so, I believe is it possible to recognise the author
of a well-constructed spreadsheet. It had the mark of a mathematician
rather than a ‘computer person’. Paul confirmed my guess at the name of
the author! (Come back, Rob − The Acorn world needs mathematicians like
you!! Ed.)
8.1
Version 1.08
8.1
You’ve probably guessed that I don’t have an upgrade to the RISC OS
version of Fireworkz but Fireworkz for Microsoft Windows. You can buy it
now from Colton Software. You need a 386 compatible with 4Mb RAM and
Microsoft Windows 3.1 as a minimum hardware/software combination. The
contact name at Colton Software for more information about Fireworkz for
Windows is Jeremy Turner. It costs £99 +VAT but registered users of the
RISC OS version can buy it for just £50 + VAT.
8.1
The documentation consists of three booklets called: “User Guide”,
“Fireworkz Spreadsheet Guide” and “Getting Started”. Although there is a
separate booklet devoted to the spreadsheet part of Fireworkz, this does
not imply that word processing is taking a back seat in V 1.08. I’m
pretty certain that the decision was made to keep all the spreadsheet
functions (and functionality) together rather than complicate the use of
the User Guide which covers all but the spreadsheet side.
8.1
The Windows version will import files in Rich Text Format (RTF), Lotus
WK1 and WKS format and (but not finally) Excel 2, 3 or 4 format.
Pictures can be in Windows BMP format; under the Acorn FileType
numbering system, you will find that Windows BMP format files are given
the number &69C and that Translator will convert Windows BMP files to
Acorn Sprite format.
8.1
Naturally, the Windows version of Fireworkz will accept sprites
(including 32-bit sprites) and Acorn drawfiles. In Windows, any
referenced drawfiles must have the DOS extension AFF; Acorn sprite files
must have the extension FF9.
8.1
From RISC OS to Windows
8.1
I have transferred many Fireworkz documents from RISC OS to Windows and
others in the reverse direction. It is a relatively straightforward
operation but you do need to know something about how it works if you
are going to do this routinely and want to develop a smooth, slick
operation.
8.1
In Windows, file names are limited to eight characters, and some
characters available in RISC OS are not allowed (or give strange
effects) under Windows. If you think that you’re going to be working in
both RISC OS and Windows regularly, now is the time to have a good think
through your strategy for file names. For example, don’t use fancy
characters (such as a hard space) in your RISC OS file names.
8.1
Fonts are ‘stored’ in a Fireworkz document under their PostScript name!
This is something else which you should think through. If you send me
files for use on both platforms then please limit your RISC OS fonts to
Trinity, Homerton and Corpus. These will be stored in your RISC OS
Fireworkz document as Times, Helvetica and Courier and translated to
Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New (or near equivalents) in Windows.
Similarly, if you use the Windows True Type fonts just mentioned and
then transfer your file to RISC OS, you’ll find that the RISC OS
document uses the Acorn fonts which you’d expect.
8.1
Also on the subject of fonts, in RISC OS you can have a font width
different from the height. You can’t do this in Windows so, if you want
to use both RISC OS and Windows, don’t use this feature.
8.1
When people send me RISC OS format Fireworkz files which contain
graphics, I ask them not to embed the graphics files. There are reasons
for this that I’ve explained elsewhere. One (minor) reason is that, now
and again, if you save a (RISC OS) Fireworkz file containing embedded
graphics then it fails to load! I have a way around the problem of
‘lost’ documents but it usually means that the embedded graphics files
are lost from the document! (So, here’s a warning for all of you
Fireworkz users, don’t delete the original graphics files when you embed
them.) However, for transferring Fireworkz files across platforms, it
does make it easier if you do embed the graphics files.
8.1
I have had a few minor problems using the alternative technique of
referencing the graphics files but the problems may have been of my own
making. If you must, then let me give you one tip for transferring
referenced graphics files − do make sure that they’re all in the same
RISC OS directory (and that the application still works under RISC OS)
before you start the transfer operation.
8.1
Windows Fireworkz
8.1
In general, the Windows version is (nearly) identical to the RISC OS
version in the way it works. If you can use one version, you’ll be able
to use the other (almost) immediately. It would not be true to say that
you won’t know whether you’re in Windows or the desktop but it is
‘nearly true’. As I’ve said elsewhere, most of my difficulties have
arisen because I forgot that desktop commands won’t work in Windows.
8.1
Bugs
8.1
Earlier in this article, I referred to a Fireworkz bug which manifests
itself in the [Acc_95xx] series of chained documents. Since starting to
write this month’s article, I’ve given this application a go in the
V 1.08 Windows version I have. The bad news is that the bug persists!
This leads me to say that we’ll probably have to wait for Fireworkz Pro
to be released before we can relax about the cross checks.
8.1
Recordz
8.1
The latest information I have is that at the Acorn World ’94, you’ll be
able to buy (or upgrade to) Fireworkz Pro. By the way, in case you don’t
know, Fireworkz Pro is the package which contains not only Wordz and
Resultz but also the database, Recordz.
8.1
Finally
8.1
Thanks for all your letters − we’ve been on holiday recently so my
apologies for the delay in replying to some of them. I think we’ve just
about caught up now!  A
8.1
JPEG Column
8.1
Stuart Bell
8.1
The low quantity of the correspondence which I’ve received about JPEG
and MPEG in the past three months has more than been compensated for by
its quality:
8.1
!FYEO2.01R
8.1
Regular readers of this column will need no introduction to this JPEG
utility from Frank Lyonnet. (Irregular readers are referred back to 7.9
p19.) Version 2.00 was the first true shareware version with many extra
features (registration fee £5.00), and now version 2.01R will allow Risc
PC users to save and display 16-bit and 32-bit sprites (and users of
other machines to save them, for use with the increasing number of
applications which can make use of images with 32K or 16M colours.)
Frank tells me that “registered users can, at any time, obtain the
latest registered version of FYEO2: Send me a blank disc and your
smallest bank note approximating to 5 francs to cover postage cost (e.g.
1 pound note for UK registered users).” Since the demise of the English
pound note, I guess that you could try the Scottish variety, but pound
coins will be of no use to him. If you want to register with Frank for
the first time, get the Archive Utilities disc 5 (see Archive 7.12 p.2)
for the non-registered version first, which contains full details. If
you’re still not “into” JPEG, then a re-reading of past JPEG columns and
a little playing around with the Archive Utilities discs 4 and 5 should
provide a good introduction.
8.1
!FYEO2 is the simplest and most flexible of the de-JPEGing utilities
I’ve used, and I recommend it. It also handles TIFF files from other
machines.
8.1
Shoemaker-Levy in motion!
8.1
After the NASA images which Philip Draper pulled off Internet for me
last time, he’s now sent me some more JPEG pictures, and also some MPEG
sequences. Much of the material relates to the collision of the
Shoemaker-Levy comet with Jupiter in July. A massive MPEG sequence
produced by NASA simulates flying over the surface of Venus. It runs to
1100Kb, so Philip split it using !Edit (I can’t read 1.6Mb discs), and
users will need to re-assemble the file. I’ve edited the material down
to three discs, (including the MPEG player and an unregistered version
of !FYEO2) and will happily send them to anyone who wants them. As
usual, please send three 800Kb blank formatted discs, in a jiffy bag,
with a return label and postage (ensuring that it’s enough for three
discs), to me at 23 Ryecroft Drive, Horsham, RH12 2AW. To avoid having
to provide an indefinite service, this offer will close a fortnight
after the publication of this issue of Archive.
8.1
Philip also reported most helpfully on his experiences with various JPEG
and MPEG programs on the Risc PC. Firstly, SlideShow, the incredibly
fast JPEG display program which is supplied with the 100+ JPEG images on
the Risc PC will not work at all on the Archimedes, reporting an
“unrecognised SWI” error. He couldn’t find any SWIs in the program that
aren’t documented in the Programmer’s Reference Manual. Could anyone
cast any light on the subject – or even adapt SlideShow to run under
RISC OS 3.1?
8.1
Secondly, he comments that the MPEG player runs much more smoothly and
quickly on a Risc PC, as long as you use modes with which it is happy.
This also causes a problem on an Archimedes equipped with a ColourCard,
as it won’t display MPEG sequences on modes such as 99.
8.1
Thirdly, as regards JPEG, Philip reports that versions 0.93 and 0.95 (as
supplied with RISC OS 3.5) of ChangeFSI seem to run at identical speeds
and that a Risc PC doesn’t seem any quicker than a ColourCard-equipped
Archimedes. This is, I think, much as one would expect, as the main
bottle-neck on most older machines is caused by the ARM3 and VIDC
devices competing for memory bandwidth. Both ColourCards and the Risc PC
have architectures which avoid this problem.
8.1
Graphics Loaders with Impression Publisher
8.1
It’s now clear how Impression in its latest incarnation will handle JPEG
files. (See Archives 7.4 p.55 and 7.6 p.26 for an introduction to this
question.) Users of Publisher can purchase a set of three “graphics
loaders” which will allow the import of, among others, JPEG files. I
must say that although I’m now using Impression Publisher (and agree
with Barry Humpidge – Archive 7.12 p.50 – that the bug-count seems to
have risen), I’ve not yet been persuaded of the benefit of paying £39
+VAT (or even £43 through Archive) to be able to load JPEG files
directly into Impression, when other much less expensive ways are
available. If any Archive readers have used the utility, I’d be very
grateful to receive your comments.
8.1
Free disc summary
8.1
The earliest JPEG discs that I offered are now available as NCS
Utilities Discs 4 and 5 direct from the Archive office – so please don’t
ask me for them in future. Likewise, the free MPEG disc of January 1994
has largely been supplanted by this month’s three-disc offer, and so
there’s little point in asking for that. As new material comes my way,
I’ll gladly offer it on the usual basis, but please don’t wait to
accumulate a large ‘order’ – I haven’t got the time or the patience to
run an alternative PD library service. My offers really are “once-only”
offers!
8.1
Please do let me know of your experiences with JPEG and MPEG, in time
for the next JPEG column, probably in two months’ time.  A
8.1
Multimedia Column
8.1
Paul Hooper
8.1
The last six months
8.1
Having been a dedicated Acorn user since the days of the BBC ‘A’ (who
remembers that?), I have got used to being out of the ‘main’ stream of
computing. Acorn went their own sweet way and I followed. Yet the last
few months has seen Acorn rejoin the rest of the computing world with
the launch of the Risc PC and, in the world of multimedia, Acorn is
again moving towards compatibility.
8.1
The last six months have seen important advances in multimedia. The
launch of Genesis Professional and Project, coupled with the cross-
platform capability, has given Acorn a big boost. The stunning graphics
that are now standard on the Risc PC, the Eagle multimedia card with its
ability to import video and sound, are just a few of the highlights.
8.1
The next six months
8.1
Yet the next six months are going to be even more exciting. At the
Interactive Learning Show, Acorn previewed their enhanced version of
Replay. This supports the MPEG standard which opens up the use of Video
CD. You will need to have a dedicated MPEG board to benefit from the
improved quality. Anglia TV are updating their CD-ROM titles to include
both MPEG and Replay versions and the selection of format will be
transparent to the user.
8.1
The MPEG board is being developed by Wild Vision with the software
coming from Computer Concepts. At the moment this will be a Risc PC only
product, but versions for the Archimedes are under development. The
board will be available in two versions. The first, which should be
released at the beginning of October, will allow you to connect a TV via
a SCART socket to your computer, then take a CDi disc, pop it into your
CD-ROM drive on your computer and away you go!
8.1
The second card will allow you to play CD video in a window on your
desktop. This won’t be the grainy digitised version that you get at the
moment but a TV quality picture. This board should be released a couple
of months later. No prices are available for these products at the
moment but I am assured by Wild Vision that they will be reasonably
priced.
8.1
So what does this mean for the Acorn user? Well, all those CDs that you
see in Dixons and Currys with a very expensive CDi player will be able
to be played on a Risc PC without further expense. Couple that with
Photo CD, Audio CD and CD made for the PC, and your Risc PC will be able
to run the lot all on your own desktop. I also wouldn’t be a bit
surprised to see the new Set Top Boxes become just another card you can
plug into your Risc PC with another icon on the left of your iconbar.
8.1
The future
8.1
Imagine the future: an Acorn household will have its Risc PC, whereas
those who have yet to see the light will have an Audio CD drive, a STB,
a PhotoCD player, CDi box and a PC − along with enough manuals to fill
an average size bookcase!
8.1
In the past, Acorn has been out on a limb in the computing world, but
now it has firmly positioned itself at the centre of the computer
market. What other machine can cope with all of the above? What other
machine can pass data on almost any format of disc? I knew the Risc PC
was good, but the full potential of the machine is only just being
explored and I am sure there is much more to come.
8.1
Hints and tips
8.1
A couple of readers have written to me in the past month on the subject
of using Replay files within multimedia programs. Even a small Replay
file takes up a huge amount of disc space at the moment but I will try
and explain how you can include Replay files within each of the
programs.
8.1
Magpie: You need at least version 1A.31 of Magpie to use Replay files.
Magpie also needs to have seen !ARMOVIE before you run the binder. The
movie is not stored as part of binder, instead a path name is set up to
point to the location of the Replay file. To set up a movie on a page,
drop the Replay icon direct onto the page and Magpie will set up the
default movie controls of stop, restart, play, pause and step. You have
no control over what controls are available.
8.1
Genesis Professional: Again !ARMOVIE needs to be seen before the
application is run. Create a frame and drop your Replay icon into it,
and the default controls are added to the frame. However, in Genesis,
you can customise the buttons. Use <menu> over the movie frame and
select style. This will present you with the movie-style icon and you
can use the radio icons to select the options that you require.
8.1
Genesis II: In the older form of Genesis, you need to set up each button
using the script language. This is not really a task to be undertaken
unless you have a good knowledge of script language.
8.1
As an example, on the monthly disc, there is a Magpie application called
Player. This makes use of the Acorn Replay CD, so you will require a
copy of this before you can run it. Just sit back and enjoy it.
8.1
The Swap Shop
8.1
Things have been quiet this month and I haven’t received any new
applications for nearly two months, so if there are any applications
that we can add to the Swap Shop, please do let me have a copy.
8.1
Further to last month’s article, we now have an agent in New Zealand who
is prepared to operate the Swap Shop on the same basis as here. That is,
you send him a blank formatted disc plus the return postage and he will
send you a copy of the latest Swap Shop catalogue. Then you can order as
many discs as you like, as long as you provide the discs and postage.
So, for Archive readers in Australia and New Zealand your local agent
is: Fred Roberts, 4 Gollan Road, Panmure, Auckland 6, New Zealand. I am
still looking for some one to run the Swap Shop in Germany. If you are
interested, drop me a line.
8.1
The end bit
8.1
If you have any hints and tips or questions on multimedia or if you
require a Swap Shop catalogue, please write to: Paul Hooper, 11,
Rochford Road, Martham, Great Yarmouth NR29 4RL.  A
8.1
More Graphics on the Acorn
8.1
Matthew Hunter, NCS
8.1
This article follows on from last month’s hint (7.12 p45) on “Setting
the mode on the Risc PC” but, where possible, I have tried to make sure
the programs will run on earlier machines as well.
8.1
Firstly, with regards to setting the mode on the Risc PC using a string,
there are three other parameters which were not discussed last time.
These are the eig values and the frame rate. The frame rate can be
requested using “Fh” in the string where h is the frame rate desired.
However, this can usually be ignored since, if it is not specified, the
computer will try to use the fastest frame rate available for that
resolution − the rate achieved will be dependent on the number of
colours. This may be of use if you have no VRAM and want to slow the
video system down so that it does not use all the system bus bandwidth.
I have not tried this, so cannot comment on how effective it would be.
8.1
In simple terms, the eig values (specified by “EXa EYb”) control the
scaling of the screen, i.e. the relationship between the Actual
resolution and the Logical resolution. Valid values for ‘a’ and ‘b’ are
0 to 3. These represent the number of places that a logical resolution
co-ordinate will be shifted right to calculate the Actual position on
the screen of the pixel changed. The easiest way to experiment with
these is to use the “Mode” menu item on the display manager which allows
you to edit the string. Try “X1600 Y600 C16 EX0 EY1” and click on OK.
This will be the same logical resolution as 800 by 600, but the image
will be clearer because the actual resolution is higher. For those with
good eyesight try “X1600 Y600 C16 EX2 EY3” with a large desktop area, or
even better “X1600 Y1200 C16 EX3 EY3” if your monitor definition file
supports it. Hint: clicking on the “change” icon on the display manager
window will take you to the previous mode since using the Mode menu item
does not affect the window settings. So, open the display manager and
make sure it is at the front − I won’t accept responsibility if you lose
your mouse pointer!
8.1
The only values that have to be passed in a mode definition string are X
and Y resolutions, and the number of colours. The other values are
optional and will be set to defaults if they are not included (EX1 EY1
for square pixel modes, EX1 EY2 for rectangular pixel modes − F will be
set as described above).
8.1
One query that came to light, from several directions, was the question
of how you find out about the mode that the machine has picked for you.
With limited modes, you used to be able to get the details from the mode
numbers (since they were constant). This is not practical with the new
modes. For example, the short program
8.1
MODE “X800 Y600 C32K”
8.1
PRINT MODE
8.1
yields the result 29376836 – not very user-friendly.
8.1
There is a more general way of finding details of a mode, which works
equally well on earlier computers. This requires use of a SWI call
“OS_ReadModeVariable” − using SYS from Basic. The SWI takes two values,
the mode in R0 (−1 for the current mode) and a variable number in R1.
Those most relevant are 3 (number of colours), 4 (x eig value), 5 (y eig
value), 11 (x resolution) and 12 (y resolution). Full details are given
on page 1-709 of the RISC OS 3 Programmer’s Reference Manual. The
procedure below uses this call to calculate several values and sets up a
number of variables to hold the details. It should be used whenever the
mode is changed, to make sure that the details are updated.
8.1
REM ModeInfo
8.1
REM returns details about the current mode
8.1
REM in the Mode_ variables. These are GLOBAL REM and can be used
anywhere in the calling
8.1
REM program. They should not be changed
8.1
REM outside of this procedure
8.1
REM i.e. treat them as read-only variables.
8.1
DEF PROCModeInfo
8.1
LOCAL xwl%,ywl%,xef%,yef%,nc%
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadModeVariable”,-1,3 TO ,,nc%
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadModeVariable”,-1,4 TO ,,xef%
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadModeVariable”,-1,5 TO ,,yef%
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadModeVariable”,-1,11 TO ,,xwl%
8.1
SYS “OS_ReadModeVariable”,-1,12 TO ,,ywl%
8.1
Mode_XPixels%=xwl%+1
8.1
Mode_YPixels%=ywl%+1
8.1
Mode_EX%=xef%
8.1
Mode_EY%=yef%
8.1
Mode_LogicalX%=Mode_XPixels%<<xef%
8.1
Mode_LogicalY%=Mode_YPixels%<<yef%
8.1
Mode_ColoursReturned%=nc%
8.1
CASE Mode_ColoursReturned% OF
8.1
  WHEN    -1 : Mode_ColourCode%=5
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=16777216
8.1
  WHEN     1 : Mode_ColourCode%=0
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=2
8.1
  WHEN     3 : Mode_ColourCode%=1
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=4
8.1
  WHEN    15 : Mode_ColourCode%=2
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=16
8.1
  WHEN    63 : Mode_ColourCode%=3
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=256
8.1
  WHEN   255 : Mode_ColourCode%=3
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=256
8.1
  WHEN 65535 : Mode_ColourCode%=4
8.1
               Mode_Colours%=32768
8.1
ENDCASE
8.1
ENDPROC
8.1
This passes back three values relating to the number of colours.
Mode_ColoursReturned% is the unmodified value passed back from the SWI.
Mode_ColourCode% is a short hand form which can be useful in some
instances – see later. Finally, Mode_Colours% is the actual number of
colours displayable. The reason either 63 or 255 can represent 256
colours is for backwards compatibility. On earlier machines, GCOL would
only allow 64 colours, each with four tints, rather than a fully
definable 256 colours. Therefore these machines will always return 63 as
the number of colours. The Risc PC will return 63 if a default palette
is being used but if a new palette has been defined, 255 will be
returned.
8.1
If you insert the following program fragment before the procedure above,
it will give you details about the current mode. I recommend saving the
procedure separately first as we will need it again later. This will
allow you to see the differences in Actual and Logical resolutions in
different modes (and with different EX and EY values on the Risc PC).
The program is on the monthly disc as “ModeInfo”.
8.1
PRINT “Reading details of current mode...”
8.1
PROCModeInfo
8.1
PRINT ‘“This mode has a pixel resolution of
8.1
 : (”;Mode_XPixels%;“,”;Mode_YPixels%;“)”
8.1
PRINT ‘“And a logical resolution of    :
8.1
(”;Mode_LogicalX%;“,”;Mode_LogicalY%;“)”
8.1
PRINT ‘“It supports ”;Mode_Colours%; “ col-
8.1
ours”
8.1
END
8.1
In many cases, it is not necessary to get this information – if you are
explicitly selecting a mode, you already know all you need to. However,
it is important for programs which run under the WIMP, since they may
operate in any mode. As an example, consider the welcome banners which
many applications display while they are loading. These are (almost)
always centred on the screen, so they need to examine how big the screen
is, and then place the banner appropriately.
8.1
If you add the following program fragment before the ModeInfo procedure,
you will have a program which places a drop shadow box on the screen,
centred horizontally, but a quarter of the way down the screen, whatever
the resolution. The program is “ModeDemo” on the disc. The size of the
box is scaled so that it is always 100 pixels square, and will therefore
appear tall in rectangular pixel modes.
8.1
PROCModeInfo
8.1
PROCdropbox(Mode_LogicalX%/2,(Mode_LogicalY%
8.1
*3)/4,100<<Mode_EX%,100<<Mode_EY%)
8.1
END
8.1
:
8.1
DEF PROCdropbox(x%,y%,w%,h%)
8.1
LOCAL nx%,ny%
8.1
nx%=x%-(w%>>1)
8.1
ny%=y%-(h%>>1)
8.1
PROCsetcolour(64,64,64,0)
8.1
RECTANGLE FILL nx%+8,ny%-8,w%,h%
8.1
PROCsetcolour(255,255,255,0)
8.1
RECTANGLE FILL nx%,ny%,w%,h%
8.1
PROCsetcolour(0,0,0,0)
8.1
RECTANGLE nx%,ny%,w%,h%
8.1
ENDPROC
8.1
:
8.1
REM PROCsetcolour
8.1
REM r%, g%, b% set the amounts of red green
8.1
REM and blue for the desired colour.
8.1
REM ColourTrans_SetGCOL = &40743
8.1
DEF PROCsetcolour(r%,g%,b%,effect%)
8.1
LOCAL colour%
8.1
colour%=(b%<<24)+(g%<<16)+(r%<<8)
8.1
SYS &40743,colour%,,,0,effect%
8.1
ENDPROC
8.1
Everything I have covered so far works equally well from assembler, or C
(you will need to #include “kernel.h” to get SWI access from C). The
only difference is in how you initially select a mode − up until now
this has been done via Basic. One possible solution is to use “OS_CLI”
to issue a *wimpmode command which can, of course, take a string
parameter to describe the desired mode. Alternatively, (for a Risc PC)
you can use a mode selector block, and the SWI “Wimp_SetMode” . The
format of the mode selector (which must be word aligned) is:
8.1
  offset  value
8.1
  0  1  This is the mode selector flag word.
8.1
  4  x-res  The x-resolution (in pixels)
8.1
  8  y-res  The y-resolution (in pixels)
8.1
  12  pixel-depth  (this is the same as returned by PROCModeInfo above)
8.1
      0=1 bpp, 1=2 bpp, 2=4 bpp, 3=8 bpp, 4=16 bpp, 5=32 bpp
8.1
  16  frame rate  (-1 for first match)
8.1
  20  -1  terminator
8.1
An example of this block can be seen in the !SlideShow application in
the images directory.
8.1
You then set mode with SWI “Wimp_SetMode”, with R0 as a pointer to the
mode selector block, or if you do not have a Risc PC then R0 is the mode
number to use.
8.1
Using “Wimp_SetMode” will, of course, affect the mode when you return to
the wimp (if you are not leaving the wimp, you should not be changing
the mode), but has the advantage that the palette will be set up
appropriately.  A
8.1
Printing the Dever
8.1
John Evans
8.1
The Dever Magazine has been published for about one hundred years. It is
the journal of a small group of anglican parishes in rural Hampshire and
serves the whole of the local community.
8.1
Three years ago, it lost its sole editor, printer and publisher (the
vicar’s wife) when our then vicar moved to another parish. Left behind
were a stencil cutter and rotary printer which had served well in their
time but were now almost beyond hope.
8.1
The circulation was just over 300 copies/month and the magazine normally
consisted of about twenty A5 editorial pages plus cover and
advertisements. It was priced at 20p.
8.1
Our vision was to make a dramatic improvement in the quality of
production, but our problem was a very limited budget. One of our
members had access to an A540, but we had no viable means of printing at
a quality which would make the magazine really attractive to a wide
group of people.
8.1
How should we print it?
8.1
We first considered three options:-
8.1
a) Producing a laser printer original and producing paper plates for
offset-litho printing,
8.1
b) Using a modern copy-printer.
8.1
c) Photo-copying.
8.1
A visit to the Christian Resources Exhibition soon revealed that offset
litho printing was well beyond our means, either buying a machine or
sub-contracting the printing. This was because the run of 300 copies was
too small for cost-effective professional printing and the equipment was
too expensive, bulky and complex for a DIY approach.
8.1
The conventional approach was clearly a modern copy printer at a list
price of some £6,000 but even if we could afford the capital cost, the
quality of reproduction left much to be desired.
8.1
Photo-copying was a possibility, the original equipment cost was modest
and the cost/per page could be kept down by careful choice of equipment.
8.1
It was as we were considering this last option that the final solution
emerged. A number of companies, including Hewlett Packard had begun to
offer laser printers with speeds of about 16 pages/minute and with a
cost per A4 side of about 2p, especially if we ‘shopped around’ for
toner cartridge supplies. They also had 1000 sheet input capability and
dual 300+ output trays. The running cost was comparable to a photo-
copier and the quality closely approached that of offset litho. We could
even use limited block colour by overprinting with a different colour
toner. (In the end we were limited to black and brown on our machine.)
But above all, the price tag was only about half that of the copy-
printer.
8.1
The catch was that using this approach we were immediately and totally
committed to an electronic original! There could be no last-minute
pasting-up of awkward copy!
8.1
Our first three years was produced on a hybrid DTP package based on the
PDP 11/VAX package ‘runoff’ and rewritten in ‘C’ by ourselves for the
A540. This accepted text from a wide range of Archimedes and IBM PC
packages and graphics from almost anywhere thanks to ChangeFSI. After
about 18 months, we invested in a ‘Duplex Option’ for the printer,
updated the software and said a thankful goodbye to turning the paper
over by hand. Along the road we bought a Computer Concepts hand-scanner
and a Pineapple Video Digitiser and added a wide range of line drawings,
photographs and video stills. We also bought David Pilling’s ‘CrossStar’
program and introduced a popular crossword.
8.1
The update...
8.1
Then came the Risc PC and, co-incidentally, the offer from Computer
Concepts to update our (neglected) copy of Impression II to Publisher.
8.1
Impression Publisher is a delight on the Risc PC and I doubt if we shall
ever go back to our old software. OK there were a few very minor snags
but the overall opinion was − superb.
8.1
There was just one major snag. Impression Publisher has no duplex
printing option for A5 booklets and we were not prepared to go back to
turning the paper over by hand. Calls to CC’s friendly help-line
revealed that we might expect full support of our IIISi laser printer at
the end of the year but even that might not include the duplex booklet
printing option.
8.1
Then the little grey cells − I must read too much Agatha Christie −
realised that our old software had, in its midst, some routines for
manipulating the printer output file. We had used this to incorporate
Ventura copy into our original program. Could we use this in some way to
achieve our duplex printing?
8.1
More head scratching and the solution emerged. Use the standard Acorn
Laserjet III drivers to output to file and then search through that file
using our PCL language manipulation routines so as to output the PCL
code required to print in duplex and also add a few extras to make life
easier.
8.1
The result some two weeks later was our first copy of the Dever printed
almost directly from Impression Publisher on our Duplex Laserprinter.
8.1
We were more than pleased with the result and would be happy to send a
copy to anyone interested who can fork out a £1 coin to cover printing
and postage.
8.1
Here comes the advertising bit! We hope that Paul will put our print
file manipulation program LjDuplex onto the program disc. It is
shareware − so you will be able to try-before-buy like the honest people
I know you all are.
8.1
I can almost hear someone thinking 300 pages, double-sided at 16 pages/
min makes 37½ minutes/A4 sheet. Multiply that by 7 and you have 4½ hours
printing! Yes − but it is almost completely automatic. We feed in more
paper every hour or so and take out the finished pages from alternate
output trays. Time to cut the lawn or read the paper with no worries
about paper jams or misfeeds! True!
8.1
Postscript
8.1
Today you can buy a 600dpi IVSi printer at the same price we paid for
the 300dpi IIISi model. This will give much better reproduction,
especially of photographs. Similarly, there are updated scanners and
video digitisers on the market.
8.1
The current magazine is about 28 editorial pages plus cover and the
running costings are about 1.2p/A5 page plus paper at say £1.70/ream of
500 sheets (all ex VAT). The cover price is now 45p and we include
advertisements pre-printed professionally once a year. This printing run
is 3,600 which is cost-effective for offset litho.
8.1
We think that direct laser printing is a good solution for print runs in
the low hundreds and plan to continue − that is unless someone out there
has a better idea?  A
8.1
Club News
8.1
As promised, I am starting a listing of clubs and club events. If you
have a local Archimedes/Acorn club, please send us details.
8.1
•  ARM Club Open Day − ARM Club are holding an Open Day on Saturday 19th
November 1994 at St Mary’s Activity Centre, Sedgley, Wolverhampton,
10a.m. to 4p.m. For full details, contact Ralph Sillett on 0785-714535
or 021-522-2000 daytime.
8.1
•  Big Ben Club Show − This well-established annual event takes place
this year on 1st October 10a.m. to 4p.m. at the Pieter Groen College,
Ketwijk aan Zee, Netherlands (10km north of The Hague) and claims to be
the biggest Acorn show on the Continent! For more information, contact
Big Ben Club (PR), PO Box 1189, 6801 BD Arnhem. BBS 31-20-663-18-149,
Fax [phone], Phone [phone] (Henk Hoornik).
8.1
•  Central Scotland Acorn User Group − This club could be of interest to
anyone who owns or is interested in Archimedes computers and who lives
in Stirling, Falkirk, Linlithgow or surrounding area. They meet monthly
in Stenhousemuir on Friday evenings between September and May. For
further information, contact Ian Anderson on 0324-714413.
8.1
•  Christian Acorn Users Group − Colin Randall mentioned in Archive 7.10
that he was hoping to set up a Christian Acorn User Group, for sharing
experiences, discoveries and ideas, perhaps via a simple newsletter.
This is now in operation and the first newsletter has been published.
For full details contact Rev. Colin Randall, The Rectory, Swan Lane,
Long Hanborough, Witney, Oxon. OX8 8BT (0993-881270).  A
8.1
Through the Dragon’s Eye
8.1
Dave Walsh
8.1
As some of you may already have guessed, “Through the Dragon’s Eye” is
the supporting software for the school’s TV broadcast of the same name.
Your quest is to help the four children, drawn into the dying fantasy
land of Pelamar, to rejuvenate its life force. Characters in Pelamar
include Gorwen the dragon and the four guardians of the Veetacore
(synonymous with the life force of the place). The software follows the
same broad events as the school’s broadcast and is designed to enhance
children’s reading strategies and logic-solving capability. It’s a
direct translation from the BBC disc version with a few graphics nicely
spruced up and sound effects courtesy of SoundFX.
8.1
The educational content is quite far-ranging and the 7 / 8 year olds who
tried it at school found it enjoyable, although some of the activities
didn’t appear to challenge them much beyond a remedial level.
8.1
Content of the activities (such as5 finding -ing, -ed, -s and -d words)
is pre-set within the program, whilst  randomly chosen activities have a
far wider range of ability between them than you would expect. My less
able groups found the multiplication facts very difficult to cope with,
although the alternative activity of a wordsquare was deemed “too easy”!
A configuration screen to set the level of difficulty experienced by
each group, as well as the vocabulary content, would have been most
welcome.
8.1
Skills that are addressed by the software include early multiplication
and division calculations, initial Logo-type directions within a maze,
the eight points of the compass and 3D shape properties. In the English
curriculum, Pelamar provides practice of finding opposites, compound
words, simple rhymes and hidden wordsquare activities, as well as the
suffixes mentioned above. For those still coming to terms with current
National Curriculum Information Technology, strands of modelling and
control are also partially covered.
8.1
Like most good educational software, the program gives ample opportunity
for small groups of children to discuss and negotiate their answers,
although each group takes the same path through the adventure.
8.1
Although I’m not convinced of its more immediate appeal for those who
have not seen the TV programme, the computer software does summarise the
story plot. As an activity to hold a supporting role to the series, the
software succeeds admirably.
8.1
Through the Dragon’s Eye is a Look and Read Adventure from Longman
Logotron, costing £24 +VAT from Longman or £26 through Archive.  A
8.1