Acorn User 10/AU_CD10.iso/Archived/Websites/ANS/ans.arc/archive/i09_text

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 |-------------------------- Acorn News Service --------------------------|
 |                                                                        |
 |                      http://www.acornusers.org/ans/                    |
 |------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |          The Acorn News Service is an independent service.             |
 |  It is in no way connected with, or supported by the Acorn Group Plc.  |
 |------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | ISSUE 9                                                   12 June 1998 |
 |------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |         Editor: E.Abrahams    ------  [e-mail]             |
 |         Webmaster: R.Hesketh  ------  [e-mail]           |
 |------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |    To send in your news items use the ANS website, or e-mail them      |
 |                 using the layout explained below.                      |
 |            Send comments directly to [e-mail]                |
 |------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |   > > Random site pick this issue: http://argonet.co.uk/scs/AAUG < <   |
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 |          The fastest growing Acorn mailing list........ANS             |
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 Contents
 --------
 1) Editorial
 2) General News
 3) Commercial News
 4) PD/Shareware News
 5) Club News
 6) How to Send in News




Editorial
---------

Welcome!

I think we have finally worked out why the listserver was sending out ANS
twice ...wait for it...!  A certain address, which has now been deleted from
the list was somehow, for some reason, telling the listserver to send ANS out
again.  If you have kept both copies, have a look at the headers, and you
will see one of them is about twice as large as the first!  It had been going
on some long trip.  Anyway, now it's solved we can get on to bigger and
better things.  If it does not solve the problem, please don't shout! I don't
run the list server!  But it should be 99% fixed!

Anyway, a few postings went out to comp.sys.acorn.announce, but don't seem
to have got there....yet!  These were, first of all, announcing a prize draw
every ten issues (if we get companies to donate software), and secondly a new
feature that is being introduced to the ANS website.  We intend to get
together EVERY SINGLE Acorn-related website address in the world.  Well,
maybe not every one, but the majority that people would want.  We already
have a list of 150, which must be pretty small compared to the number of
sites out there.  These sites can be commercial, but we also want sites on
which shareware/PD can be found, as well as any other Acorn site for that
matter.

When we have a large list, and feel enough sites have been collected, we will
turn to ANS members to keep a watch on the sites.  This will mean that you
can either check the site every week or so, (depending on how often the site
is normally updated), or register the site name with one of the many
pagewatch services which e-mail you and tell you when the site has been
changed.  If you do not have much time, it would be appreciated if you still
take a site, but maybe one which  is not updated very often, so you can put a
pagewatch on it.  When a site is changed, you just take a quick note of the
news, or just send the text from the site about it (if any).

If this project is successful, we will hopefully have every Acorn site
monitored, and therefore the latest news as it happens! (Although that's
only if the sites are updated on time! ;-)

Once again, I know we have quite a few Acorn companies who subscribe to this
service who DO have news items coming out, but do not send them to ANS.
Please do!

As always, please keep sending in those news items, tell other Acorn users
about ANS, put a link to ANS on your site, and.......enjoy!

Eytan Abrahams,
Editor




General News
------------

1) IMS Phone Number

Yours truly has noticed that the IMS number in the latest Acorn User was
printed incorrectly.  It should read: [phone], or [phone] for
people overseas.



2) Acorn Demo moved

Due to hardware changes, pages hosted by sidonie.imag.fr have moved to
aglaee.imag.fr.  For example, the Arm's Tech pages (formerly 'Acorn Demo'
pages) should now be accessed at:

  http://aglaee.imag.fr/AcornDemos/
  http://aglaee.imag.fr/ArmsTech/



3) Acorn Emulation Pages

The Acorn Emulation Pages have once again been updated with all the latest
news, including:

  * Retrocade to be ported to the Acorn
  * Final Fight reviewed
  * Lots of new ROM links
  * An interview with Paul Clifford (PC Engine and Gameboy emulator author)
  * Spectrum 128 emulator news
  * MESS and MAME imminent
  * RISC OS 2 emulator
  * SNES ROM editor released
  * Gameboy demo ROM released
  * Updated Acorn Emulation Archive
  * Added technical information on each system
  * Updated beginner's guide to emulation
  * AcornEmu, an Archimedes emulator for Windows 95, released

...and lots more. Enjoy!




Commercial News
---------------

1) Newsaver

ECS have just released a new product called Newsaver.  Newsaver provides a
quick, intuitive and simple way for children and adults to save work from a
any Acorn application in to individually named users' directories.

NewSaver has been used in a special education department for over six months
and is currently on trail in schools in Wales.  Evaluation copies available
by phoning ECS on:

  [phone]

or FAX:

  [phone]

or see the ECS web site:

  http://www.innotts.co.uk/~ecsltd/



2) Bajorasoft website

Bajorasoft have got a completely new web site.  The new, easier-to-use and
updated site can be viewed by pointing your browser at:

  http://www.bajorasoft.demon.co.uk/

Information on TriLink and InterLink, their two commercial products, can be
found there.



3) RapIDE driver software correction

The latest RapIDE software update (version 2.29, published on 15 May, had the
CD player software omitted, which should have been included in it.

There is no change to the player software since the previous release, but it
is now included in the 2.29 distribution available from:

  http://www.yellowstone.co.uk/downloads.html



4) ANKH - The Tales of Mystery

After six months of hard work, Artex Software have released the first native
Acorn game featuring 32,000 colours in a high resolution mode, along with
sixty minutes of CD audio music.

Ankh, an adventure game set in ancient Egypt, was created by the Exodus
coding team, with the support of several graphic artists and musicians.

The background graphics were raytraced using a PowerMac and Cinema4D XL,
while the animated characters were drawn on a PC. All other work (apart from
the music) was done entirely on Acorn RiscPCs.

The story itself was dreamt up while three Artex members were on an adventure
trip across southern Africa - thus Ankh contains some exotic influence.  Many
different scenes, characters, dialogues, jokes and riddles await the brave
adventurer, if he dares to enter the magical world of Ankh.


Game features:

  * over 35 scenes (including Cairo, desert, tomb, underworld),
     packed with riddles
  * over 35 animated Egyptians you can interact with
  * over 80 items you can use, combine, wear or give to other people
  * a weird story that'll guarantee hours of entertainment
     and many sleepless nights


Technical:

  * High resolution graphics
  * 32,000 colour mode for RiscPCs with 1MB VRAM
  * Animated scenery and characters
  * 60 minutes of audio tracks played from CD


Low resolution mode (640x200x256) requires:
  * RISC OS3 computer, 4 MB RAM, CD ROM drive and 20 MB hard disc space

High resolution mode (640x400x32k) requires:
  * RiscPC, 8MB RAM, 1 MB VRAM, CD ROM drive and 50 MB hard disc space

Price: 25 ukp inc VAT


For more information visit:

  http://www.artex.oaktree.co.uk/



5) Phantasm 1.03 upgrade

Phantasm has reached version 1.03, as sold at the Wakefield show, and is now
available as an upgrade to all registered users.

It is now fully compatible with all ArtWorks colour tables, with the
implementation of 'tints of tints'.  Other refinements include a reduction of
the decimal colour table file length.

Users of Phantasm should point their browsers at:

  http://www.astutegrfx.demon.co.uk/softw/p001.html

and follow the upgrade link.

Phantasm has now been reviewed in a number of Acorn-dedicated publications
with great success.  Other reviews are due shortly which all indicate the
usefulness of this small application.



6) New Olympus MegaPixel Digital Camera

Spacetech Ltd. have announced that the new "MegaPixel" Olympus C840L digital
camera, which is compatible with PhotoLink software, is now available.

This camera, at only 599.99 ukp, brings true high resolution digital
photography to the budget user.  Its non-interlaced CCD delivers an
incredible 1280x960 resolution (1,310,000 pixels).  This means that the
resolution is comparable with the Olympus "flagship", the C1400L digital SLR
camera.  The C840L is in the compact camera format, but incorporates a 2X
digital zoom as well as an extremely effective macro facility for extreme
close-ups.  It features a high-performance Olympus lens.

Olympus Camedia Digital Camera C840L with PhotoLink:

  * 1,310,000 Pixel CCD (1280x960)
  * 3.3v Removable Smartmedia Cards (1x4MB supplied)
  * 2" TFT LCD viewfinder
  * Intelligent flash
  * Autofocus for impressive image quality
  * Versatile performance

Built in autofocus, multi-function flash and digital zoom give you the
flexibility you need to get the shot you want, while a 2" LCD colour LCD
panel allows you to manage your images more effectively.  The new 3.3v
Smartcard technology allows unlimited image capture while direct PAL output
gives live or still viewing on a TV.

The camera also features direct printing to an Olympus printer (also
available from Spacetech), and is Acorn RISC OS (3.5 or higher), PC and MAC
compatible.

Comes with:

  * 4MB Panorama memory card
  * Photo Album manipulation software
  * PhotoLink software for Acorn

all for 599.99 ukp (inc. VAT and PhotoLink)

Accessories:

  * 2MB card - 39.99 ukp
  * 4MB card - 59.99 ukp
  * 8MB card - 84.99 ukp
  * AC adaptor - 69.00 ukp
  * Direct dye-sub printer (Olympus P300E) - 499.99 ukp

PhotoLink is available from Spacetech as part of a hardware bundle which
includes the camera, or on its own for users who have already purchased a
camera.

The multi-driver has full remote control of the camera, including some
features not available from the camera itself.  A Photodesk-like clipboard is
used to display and manage the contents of the camera, which may also be
"hot-linked" to any application capable of loading JPEG images. This hot-link
could be used to transfer an entire batch of photos directly to Photodesk's
clipboard, for example.



PD/Shareware News
-----------------

1) Vim

Version 5 of Vim has just been ported to RISC OS, and testers are needed!

Vim is a text editor based on VI.  Although it is currently only
single-tasking, it is quite advanced.  It supports:

  * Syntax colouring
  * Editing multiple documents
  * Swap files, when memory is low
  * A powerful macro language  (Towers of Hanoi, etc)

...and lots more.

You can get it (with or without source) from:

  http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~tal197/

Comments and suggestions welcome. The GUI version is under development, and
an alpha release is also available from the above address.



2) CD Changer Controller Available

This allows a 4xCD autochanger to be used as a jukebox, remembering disc
names and track lists, and allowing tracks from any discs to be played in any
order.


Find it at:

  http://www.tranquility.demon.co.uk/Changer/index.html



3) New releases from Skullsoft

Skullsoft have released one new program (Nomen, v1.00), and new versions of
four of their current programs - SkullCrusher (v1.01), FSPRename (v1.01),
WFRP (v2.04) and JPEGTrans (v1.14).

All of these are available from their website:

  http://www.eganc.demon.co.uk/skullsoft/

Please note all of these programs require version 2.00 (or later) of the
WimpBASIC module, in order to work. This is also available, via a link from
the website.

SkullCrusher
~~~~~~~~~~~~
SkullCrusher is an archiving and compression program.  It was previously
shareware, but has now been made available as freeware.

It has many features, including:

  * 3 compression options (None, Squash and LZH)
  * File splitting whilst compressing
  * Secure password encryption
  * Able to store 'Skeleton file structure' or directories and
     applications only
  * Progress indication window
  * Single files can be compressed
  * Statistics window, giving full information on an archive,
     Squash or LZH file

The new version (1.01), fixes many bugs present in the last version.


JPEGTrans
~~~~~~~~~
This is a frontend for the 'jpegtrans' utility. It allows you to create
progressive and/or optimised JPEGs from standard JPEGs. This new version
(1.14) fixes a few bugs present in the last version.


WFRP
~~~~
This is a character generator for HogsHead Publishing's WFRP game.  If you
don't know what that is, then you don't need this program :-).  This new
version (2.04) is mainly a bug fix from the previous version, but adds one or
two minor new features.


FSPRename
~~~~~~~~~
This is a file re-namer for sprites, specifically designed for animations
created in Andy Southgate's Gamesuite library.  It will only be of use to
people who use the Amnesia and FastSpr modules from Gamesuite.  This new
version (1.01) fixes two small bugs.


Nomen (NEW)
~~~~~
This is a early version of a filename tidying program.  It can cope with long
filenames, and strip DOS extensions.

See the website for more details.



4) Delirium

Delirium is the long awaited screen saver from Kulture, using demo-style
effects.  Delirium has been developed over a number of years, but has never,
until now, been finished off.  After a recent surge in updating work for the
RiscPC, and the development of lots of new RiscPC savers, it's finally been
released.  A RiscPC with VRAM is required to run Delirium, and a StrongARM is
recommended.

Delirium is available for download from:

  http://www.various-artists.demon.co.uk/delirium/

Delirium related email (comments, bug reports etc) can be sent to:

  [e-mail]

[This rocks!  I've just downloaded it!   WEBMASTER]


5) StrongHelp 2.60 beta

The beta version of StrongHelp 2.60 is now available from:

  http://home.eunet.no/~guttorvi/strong.html

The major change in this version is to make it easier to organise multiple
manuals in the !Manuals directory.  Instead of just having them as one long
list, you can now organise them in sub-directories.  This will be reflected
in the StrongHelp root page, and in the way you select manuals to search in
the freetext search window.

So, if you're one of those that collect StrongHelp manuals, try it out and
see if it makes life simpler.



6) Squeak 2.0 now available for RPC

Squeak version 2.0, the Acorn port of Squeak 2.00, is now available for Acorn
RPC with RISC OS 3.7 or later.  Squeak is a public domain Smalltalk system.

Go to...

  http://sumeru.stanford.edu/tim/pooters/squeak.html

...to find out how to download it.  The download is about 3MB, and expands to
about 10Mb on disc. You need 6MB (approx.) of free RAM to run it, though it
should be possible to configure it to run down to a 4MB machine with some
work - other versions can run on 4Mb WinCE machines!

This latest version finally adds hotkey support, but still lacks sound and
serial port access.  Offers of help most gratefully received.

Updates, patches etc. are available from:

  http://sumeru.stanford.edu/tim/


More about Smalltalk
--------------------
Smalltalk is the original object oriented programming language and
environment, from which most OSs have learnt about windowing, pixel displays,
menus and so on.  You will need to read about Smalltalk to make best use of
it, since it is likely to be quite unfamiliar to you at first.

Information
-----------
For those with web access, there is plenty of information available about
Squeak and all the other variants of Smalltalk.

See:  http://squeak.cs.uiuc.edu/



6) Bug fixed in CDFSFiler installer

A problem with the CDFSFiler installer has been fixed, and a new version put
on the ECS web site:

  http://www.pep-assoc.co.uk/


The problem was that part of the installer was saving the old licence code
(which has now expired).  If you have already downloaded the beta 3 release
of CDFSFiler and don't want to download the whole archive again, the
workaround is to re-run the installer and choose the "Reinstall CDFSFiler"
option.  This will cause the installer to update the licence code correctly.



7) HENSA Software Archive

The HENSA/micros RISC OS software archive is now being actively maintained
again.  People are encouraged to start using this service again, by using the
following rules for uploading software:

Software can be uploaded by FTP to micros.hensa.ac.uk.  Log in as
'anonymous', and send your email address as password. Once logged in, change
to the RISC OS upload directory by using the command:

  cd incoming/riscos

You will not be able to see any of the software in that directory, including
anything you upload yourself, so please watch for errors in the transfer
process.  When uploading software, please follow the guidelines which will be
displayed when you first change to the RISC OS directory.  They are repeated
below:

  HENSA/micros has a policy that NO GAMES are allowed on the archive

  Please upload software in the following format:

  A single packed archive (such as a spark or zip file) - eg. package.arc
  A text file containing at least the title and version - eg. package.txt

  The text file is made available alongside the package in the download area
  and should contain enough information for the user to decide if it will be
  useful to them.

  The inclusion of a useful text file makes the maintenance job a lot easier,
  and your cooperation is appreciated.



8) Ports of gawk, grep and sed available

"Quick ports" to RISC OS of these useful UNIX command line utilities have
been made available at:

  http://www.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/



9) ECS - now with Freeware too

The ECS site at:

  http://www.innotts.co.uk/~ecsltd/

now also carries a selection of Freeware, including:

!Basecnvtr - Converts Decimal to hex to binary and all points in between!

!CMOSSaver - A quicker version of the part of !Configure which caters for
             CMOS settings.  This one works on the fly, and also creates
             named files for quickly switching setups.  This is a highly
             dangerous program - use at your own risk.

!DisplySvr - A cut down version of !CMOSSaver, it only does filer display
             settings.  Much safer!

!ReadNet   - Reads the current Econet station number and network numbers.
             Gives an error if you have any!

!ChrNum    - You type a keyboard printable character, it shows you the ASCII
             value.  Well, I needed it!



10) Mesa library for Acorn RISC OS

Mesa is an OpenGL-like graphics library which is distributed under the GNU
General Public License.  It is available for a number of operating systems,
and provides some support for 3D cards under Linux and Windows.

For RISC OS
-----------
A driver is now available which allows rendering to three of the screen mode
formats used under RISC OS: 8 bits per pixel (bpp) standard palette modes, 16
bpp modes, and 32 bpp modes.

Details
-------
The drivers are currently being distributed separately to the main Mesa
distribution.  They can be found, along with more information, at:

  http://www-solar.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~davidb/Mesa/index.html



11) RISC OS port of Deth - a Doom editor

Deth has been ported to RISC OS.  Deth is an editor for Doom I and Doom II
WAD files, allowing new levels to be created and existing levels to be
altered.  Features include:

  * Drag and drop of vertices, linedefs, objects (Things), etc.
  * Textures, flats and Things displayed while editing
  * Texture browser
  * Doors shown in key colours (optional)
  * One step undo
  * Error checking
  * Sprite viewer

N.B.  So far, the RISC OS version can only change levels - making new levels
       causes Doom to crash :-(

Deth can be downloaded from:

  http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/leenoar/



12) Eurisko Software Website update

The Eurisko Software website has had an update.

New Software for download:

  * XMouse - Auto pointer-following window focus
  * ModemLED - Display modem send/receive status on the icon bar
  * Fax - send and receive faxes with this command line utility

Also the start of a CD-RW FAQ has been placed on the site, please email
Eurisko Software with ideas.

Find it all at:

  http://www.euriskosoft.demon.co.uk/




Club News
---------

1) GAG

The German Archimedes Group cover all of Germany, and quite a bit of Austria
and Switzerland, as well as having several members in the Netherlands and the
odd one in Belgium and Finland - and really any German-speaking place in the
world!

GAG also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter called GAG-News.  Membership is
free, but there is a small charge of DM 52,20 for a year's subscription to
the magazine in Germany.  Special rates for elsewhere.

You can subscribe to their mailing list by sending an e-mail to:

  [e-mail]

With the subject line:

  gag-fa

Find out more at:

  http://www.gag.de/

or:

  http://www.argonet.co.uk/scs/AAUG/nonmembers/usergroups/german.html



2) Arche ACORN User Club

Arche ACORN User Club will hold a meeting on Saturday 13 June, at 1pm.

The meeting is being held at:

  Haus des Sports (Hauptbad)
  Steeler Strasse 38
  Essen
  GERMANY


The Arche ACORN User Club is a user group which organizes a meeting in Essen,
Germany, every 2 months.  Members and guests can exchange their experiences
and problems with the Acorn Archimedes, and Risc PC.

You can take your Acorn computer to the meeting (don't forget a multiple
socket electrical extension cable).

More information is available at ArcSite:

  http://www.arcsite.de/arche/

or via email:

  [e-mail]




How to Send in News
-------------------

To send in your news items, simply include the following information, and
send it to:

  [e-mail]

Or use the form on the web site.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

First name:
Surname:
E-mail address:


Subject of item (Person, company, and/or product):


Subject's contact details (E-mail and/or WWW addresses):


Source of information (Include relevant e-mail and/or WWW addresses):


Text of news item:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



*** End of ANS - Issue 9 ***

*** Updated: Sun 14th June 1998 **