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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 Acorn Group PLC. |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ISSUE 38 8 August 1999 |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| To send in your news items or comments, use the ANS website, |
| or e-mail them to ans@acornusers.org. |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Featured site this issue: http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/ |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Contents
--------
1) Editorial
2) General News
3) Commercial News
4) PD/Shareware News
5) Club News
6) ANS information
Editorial
---------
Due to a fairly large number of software update announcements I have
experimented with a new way of presenting this information. If you have
any comments on this or anything else related to ANS you can e-mail me at
james@ans.acornusers.org.
Remember to tell other Acorn users who you think may be interested about
ANS. Feel free to forward a copy of the newsletter to anyone you know, and
point people who want more information, or to subscribe, to the ANS web
site <http://www.acornusers.org/ans/>.
James Sears, Editor
james@ans.acornusers.org
General News
------------
1) RISCOS Ltd Millennium compliance statement
In order to be Millennium compliant, RISC OS must conform to a set of
requirements laid down by the British Standards Institute. Acorn initially
made a statement of compliance which can be found at
<http://www.acorn.com/acorn/news/year2000/>.
To comply with this, two OS Word calls have changed slightly in their
operation. Details for programmers are available from RISC OS Ltd.
2) #acorn IRC meeting
The #Acorn IRC Meet '99, for users of the real time Internet Relay Chat
Acorn/RISC OS channel, is scheduled to take place at RISC OS world '99 at
Epsom Downs Racecourse.
Further details are available from
<http://www.maxi-web.net/benbrook/irc/irc99.htm>.
3) Browse mailing list
The mailing list for users of Acorn's Browse web browser, announced in the
last issue, has moved to an automatic majordomo list, meaning that it will
be much quicker to process commands and distribute messages.
To subscribe, send an email to majordomo@riscos.man.ac.uk with 'subscribe
browse' in the BODY of the message (not the subject line).
Anyone who subscribed to the address at the old location will already be
on the new list.
4) Comic Relief auction and Kosovo CD update
Paul Johnson reports that the Acorn related projects he has organised to
raise money for various causes have collected almost GBP10000 between
them.
The next event planned is to raise money for Steve Turnbull's MENCAP bike
ride. This will be bigger than the other two, and some of the prizes will
blow you away! It is in an advanced stage of planning between Paul and
Steve, ANS will keep you up to date with developments.
Details of the Kosovo CD, which is still available, can be found at the
Acorn Charity Site <http://www.acornusers.org/charitysite/>, along with
information on the completed Comic Relief auction, and any future
projects.
5) The GCC for RISC OS initiative
Lack of modern compiler technology was often cited as one of the reasons
for the lack of software on RISC OS. With the latest version of GCC, the
latest C++ features and compiler optimisations will be available to the
RISC OS community.
To ensure the future development of GCC, the GNU C/C++/Fortran/Pascal
compiler suite, the GCC for RISC OS initiative was founded. In order to
get the latest GCC ported, a StrongARM Risc PC was donated to the original
GCC 2.7.2.1 porter, Nick Burrett. To finance this RiscPC, there are still
donations needed - please contact organiser Steffen Huber if you are
willing to donate any money to help.
You can read all about the history, facts and goals of the project at the
project's web page: <http://www.arcsite.de/hp/gcc/>.
6) Equinox BBS back online
Paul Vigay's BBS, Equinox, is back online again after the death of the
serial port in his A5000. Now connected to a 28.8Kbps modem, it is one of
the few Acorn BBSs still online.
Equinox is online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 01705 871531 (8N1) and
registration is free. It hosts several thousand Acorn files, in addition
to UFO and paranormal, and suppressed government information files.
Also note Paul's web site is now at <http://www.vigay.com/>.
7) RISC OS 4 installation in the "north-west"
The Manchester Acorn User Group is north-west England's largest RISC OS
user group, and is more than happy to offer advice and assistance to users
who need help with RISC OS 4 upgrades.
You can contact MAUG by e-mail or phone (info@acorn.manchester.ac.uk, 0161
9699820) for free advice, or details of an authorised installer near you.
MAUG also plan to run either one or two "install events", where your
system can be backed up and RISC OS 4 installed. Details will be announced
when finalised.
Commercial News
---------------
1) Teletext+ and Teletext Cards
Teletext cards with Teletext+ software are now available at the new low
price of GBP125 from Octopus Systems. These are Computer Concepts teletext
cards (no longer available from CC) supplied with additional advanced
Teletext+ software.
Teletext+ software displays teletext pages on the computer screen but
works much faster than a television as pages and sub-pages are cached for
fast access.
Teletext+ can also automatically search hundreds of pages every day for
keywords that interest you, presenting you with a personal summary of the
news and TV listings.
Other features include FastText; page selection by clicking; save as
sprite or text; automatic data logging; share prices saved for Apricote's
Shares software etc.
More details and screen shots are available on these web pages:
http://www.octosys.co.uk/ Octopus Systems
http://www.armlink.ndirect.co.uk/ttx.htm Archive Review
http://www.octosys.co.uk/Imgs/ttxs.gif Screenshot
Prices (GBP, including VAT and postage):
Teletext+ with CC Teletext card 125
Teletext+ with external Teletext adapter 99
Teletext+ software for other teletext cards and adapters 39
Speak software (when ordered with either of above) 20
To order, simply send a cheque (no credit cards) to Octopus Systems,
9 Randwell Close, Ipswich IP4 5ES, England. Tel: 01473 728943,
fax: 01473 270643, web <http://www.octosys.co.uk/>.
2) Living Word Resource
The next instalment of the RCL Living Word from Redemptorist Publications
is now available and the HolyBible Resource, which tags this text resource
to the appropriate scripture passage in HolyBible, is ready.
Copies are available for GBP10.50 from Andy McMullon, 40 Thorpe Place,
Tattershall, Lincoln, LN4 4NU, England. E-mail skypilot@bigfoot.com.
3) Mijas Software - RISC OS 4 compatibility
All Mijas Software Products run under RISC OS 4 this includes:
* ArcSimp Analogue/Digital/Mathematical simulation.
Runs very fast with no problems.
* BatchPrnt Enables a single copy printout to be sent many times in
background to inkjet printers.
No Problems.
* LjDuplex A Post-driver which enables Impression, Ovation, Techwriter,
etc. to drive a Duplex Printer automatically. No turning over
paper by hand!
A small update is required for LjDuplex to enable direct
printing - printing to file and background printing work
as before.
Users with LjDuplex Professional should try editing their 'choicefile'
(a backup is recommended). Search for 'Output Names' and look for two,
two character entries 'ab', and change these to 'wb'. If in doubt or
difficulty return your disk for a free upgrade.
Users of earlier versions with a binary choices file will find it more
economical to upgrade to the Professional version.
Details from <http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/mijassw/>.
4) iSV products special half price offers
iSV Products are having a special half price summer sale.
* ArtLesson CD-ROM - original RRP GBP40 - offer price GBP15
* Dr Fonty font editor - normal RRP GBP30 - offer price GBP15
* Typography 2100 CD-ROM - normal RRP GBP30 - offer price GBP15
* Mr Clippy normal RRP GBP20 - offer price GBP10
* PublishART98 CD-ROM - original RRP GBP30 - offer price GBP15
* SerialNET - normal RRP GBP20 - offer price GBP10
All prices exclude carriage and are for the latest versions of each of
the products. All offers apply while stocks last.
See <http://members.aol.com/isvproduct/> for more details.
5) Important Announcement from Circle Software
John Skingley of Circle Software posted the following on August 4th:
I am very sorry to announce that Circle Software has ceased trading,
as of 31st July 1999.
I regret this decision, which has been made for purely personal
reasons, and has nothing to do with the demise of Acorn. In fact, I
expect the RISC OS market to remain buoyant as RO-4 becomes freely
available, and pick up during the Autumn when several new machines
will be launched.
Upgrades to Impact-3 version 3.13 may still be obtained by returning
master discs with five pounds p & p, for a limited period.
It is hoped that our products will be available from another source in
the near future.
I would like to thank our many loyal customers for their support over
the years, and hope that this decision will not cause too much
inconvenience.
<http://www.circlesw.demon.co.uk/>
PD/Shareware News
-----------------
1) New Family developer wanted
Family is a useful RISC OS application for editing and printing family
trees, developed by Denis Howe. The latest version is 2.18
(http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/acorn/denis/).
Sadly, Denis's development of Family has virtually stopped due to
a family, FOLDOC (http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/), work
(http://www.linklaters.com/), games (http://www.dungeonkeeper.com/),
AI (http://www.clickshop.com/pdkb/pdkb.html), and sleep
(http://www.newtechpub.com/phantom/articles/guide.html)
taking priority over Family.
Denis is therefore seeking a committed programmer to take over
development. The code is complex but well commented, and it is just a
BASIC WIMP program so no special tools are required. There is some work in
progress, a long to-do list and a steady stream of suggestions from many
enthusiastic users.
Please contact Denis Howe <dbh@doc.ic.ac.uk> if you can help.
2) SSHProxy: A secure shell client for RISC OS
SSHProxy is the first and only secure shell client for RISC OS, allowing
connection to remote computers using the SSH 1.5 protocol. This protocol
is similar to telnet in some ways, but encrypts all data sent through the
network - telnet sends all data 'in the clear', which leaves passwords and
other sensitive data visible for anyone listening on the network to
intercept.
SSHProxy will work alongside, rather than instead of, your favourite
telnet client. This means you do not have to get used to the quirks of yet
another terminal emulator, and it can provide this facility to a number of
machines connected via secure links (eg tamper proof serial cables).
Currently, SSHProxy is in an early stage of development, and is of alpha
quality. The core functionality works, although there is a fair amount of
work still to do. It is being released as developer Theo Markettos will
not have much time to work on it in the near future, and is looking for
help with the project. It may also be useful to some people in its current
form.
For more details, and to request a copy (which includes source), see
<http://www-stu.cai.cam.ac.uk/~atm26/acorn/sshproxy/>.
3) CVS: a RISC OS port of a version control system
John Tytgat has ported a popular version control system to RISC OS.
It is called CVS and more information about CVS itself can be found at:
<http://www.cyclic.com/>.
Using CVS, you can record the history of your source files (eg source code
of your programs, or contents of your web site). The CVS database can be
stored on your local harddisc or accessed via network. Source code of many
popular programs (like Zap) can be accessed from your RISC OS machine via
the Internet using this CVS port.
The CVS program is normally a command line utility but a simple GUI
interface has also been provided.
You can find the RISC OS binaries at:
<URL:http://gallery.uunet.be/John.Tytgat/cvs/>
4) SiteMatch - Beta release
SiteMatch is a utility to synchronise your web site with a local copy. It
is not an FTP program and will not upload or update your site for you,
although it will tell you what files have been added, changed or deleted
since you last updated your site.
This is a beta release, which still requires some work, although it is
stable in its current form. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.
A copy may be downloaded from
<http://www.dave-edwards.com/riscos/software.html>.
5) Updated software summary
This issue ANS features an alphabetical list of software which has
recently been updated, with brief details and a URL for more information
or downloads. If you have any comments on the use of this format for
information on software updates, please contact ans@acornusers.org.
* ASM v4.03
ARM assembler, this version fixes a bug fix from the previously released
version (4.01), and adds a couple of minor enhancements.
<http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tigger/programs/progs.html>
* CamTrack v110 beta
A new release of CamTrack, the PD program for the fetching and storing
of webcam images, is now available. With CamTrack 110 beta you can fetch
and store images from up to 10 cameras at the same time.
<http://home.planet.nl/~hjng/>
* CSS Designer v1.02
CSS Designer is a Cascading Style Sheet designer for RISC OS. Cascading
Style Sheets are used in HTML to define more precisely how the page
should be displayed. The new version should eliminate any problems
people had with saving and loading files.
<http://www.software.solutionsweb.co.uk/>
* DtLHARC v0.11
Desktop front-end for lharc, Nick Roberts's port of the Unix/DOS lha
compression utility. The progress monitor can now be disabled to
improve performance.
<http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tigger/programs/progs.html>
* Multi-ISP v0.74b
Utility now allowing easy use of up to twenty different ISPs with the
ANT Internet Suite, also with optional configuration of Fresco and news.
<http://www.richie.ukgateway.net/internet/multi.html>
* JvScript v1.12
JvScript is a JavaScript authoring program, it allows the insertion of
pre-designed scripts into HTML documents as well as saving time when
writing your own JavaScript. JavaScript is the popular Netscape
scripting language supported by both WebsterXL and FrescoJS.
<http://www.software.solutionsweb.co.uk/jvscript/>
* Risc AMP v1.01
Risc AMP, the popular shareware audio MPEG player and sequencer has been
updated, adding several new "skins", low res sprites of all skins for
rectangular pixel modes, and better support for WinAMP skins, as well
as fixing several minor bugs.
<http://www-student.lboro.ac.uk/~phajb/software/commercial/RiscAMP/>
* SprSort v1.02
Sprite sorter, this version now allows backwards sorting.
<http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tigger/programs/progs.html>
* sbmserver v0.03
Smbserver, the Samba server for RISC OS, has been updated. New in this
version:
- filetypes appended to file names,
- files created by the client are created with sensible filetype,
- tidied up documentation.
<http://www.merddin.demon.co.uk/riscos.html>
* VideoPlus v1.15
This release of the Acorn port of the VideoPlus codec features a lot of
bug fixes, and increased use of the Messages file to allow users to
customise the output of the program.
<http://www.netbook.demon.co.uk/>
* WebMan v1.01
WebMan keeps track of your locally-held web site, and lists the changes
that have been made since you last uploaded. Version 1.01 is now
available, which interfaces with sFTP more closely, allowing you to
make a single-click upload of the changed files, and has an additional
configuration window.
<http://www.locationworks.com/kang.html>
Club News
---------
1) August meeting dates from AAUG
The following user group meetings are planned for August. Always check
the AAUG web site <http://www.aaug.net/> to confirm details.
August 1999
===========
9th - Southampton meeting
9th - SASAUG meeting
9th - DARC meeting - Advanced Pluto (TBC)
10th - Bottisham Acorn Usergroup meeting
10th - Liverpool Acorn Usergroup meeting
10th - Essex Acorn Usergroup meeting
12th - North Kent Computer Club meeting
13th - Welwyn Hatfield meeting
24th - Blackpool meeting
25th - Bristol Acorn User Group meeting
31st - Acorn Club NorthEast meeting
The AAUG website provides details of all the user groups worldwide, and
how you can benefit from becoming a member. For more information, visit
<http://www.aaug.net/>.
2) North Kent Amateur Computer Club meeting
The next meeting of the NKACC is on Thursday 12th August, at the Petts
Wood Memorial Hall, Woodlands Way, Petts Wood. Doors open 7.30pm,
refreshments will be available. Map at <http://www.nkacc.roundel.net/>.
This month is an open meeting - just the chance you have been waiting for
to bring along your machine to show off your latest program, to
demonstrate a new skill, or to hope that someone has a way to sort out
that irritating problem!
Members who have not gone eclipse-hunting will be greeted by club
chairman, Carl, who will have his RiscPC with him, complete with a copy of
the club's website. He will be happy to chat to people about how he goes
about developing the pages.
3) Essex Acorn User Group - August meeting
This month's regular EAUG meeting will be at 7.45pm on Tuesday 10th
August 1999.
On this occasion EAUG hope to see some of the more interesting features of
Ovation Pro. This presentation, by the editor of the group's newsletter,
is particularly appropriate following the good news that this important
application is now owned by its author, David Pilling, and further
development is already in hand following months of uncertainty resulting
from Beebug's marketing shift.
Ordinary membership increased in May (first time for years) from GBP15 to
GBP16. Student and Family membership remains at GBP10 and GBP20,
respectively (unchanged).
Non-member visitors are now charged GBP2 for the evening, but for this
they receive a copy of the current newsletter, and will also be sent a
copy of the next newsletter, in time for the following meeting.
Meetings are held in the centre of Essex: The Library in Witham Town
Centre, starting at 7.45pm. There is some off-road parking, plus
marked-space on-road parking.
For more details of the club's future programme, and directions to the
Library, take a look at <http://www.watsnees.demon.co.uk/eaug.html> or
e-mail eaug@watsnees.demon.co.uk.
4) Liverpool Acorn User Group
The next LAUG meeting is on 10th August, at 7.30pm. The venue is the Acorn
Computer Lab, Birkenhead Boys School, Bidston Road, Oxton, Wirral. There
is a map on the Club web page at <http://www.italia.co.uk/laug/>.
The main subject this meeting will be RISC OS 4, the upgrades and affect
on your system and software. Apart from that members are always willing to
listen to your specific queries and problems.
Annual Membership is GBP10 for adults and a concessionary rate of GBP5 for
Juniors & Students, Family membership is GBP12. Visitors are welcome
subject to a donation/fee of GBP1. There is ample free parking at the
school, and teas, coffee and biscuits are available free of charge.
ANS Information
---------------
1) Contact ANS
Editor - James Sears - james@ans.acornusers.org
Webmaster - Stephen Courtney - stephen@ans.acornusers.org
Founder - Eytan Abrahams - eytan@ans.acornusers.org
Life-Webmaster - Richard Hesketh - richard@ans.acornusers.org
ADL Moderator - Paul Johnson - paul@ans.acornusers.org
Translator - Michael Gerbracht - michael@ans.acornusers.org
2) How to send in news
To send in your news items simply e-mail ans@acornusers.org, or use the
form on the ANS website <http://www.acornusers.org/ans/newsdesk.html>.
Also if you have an Acorn related announcements mailing list, feel free
to subscribe ans@acornusers.org.
3) How to subscribe to ANS
If you are reading this on the ANS web site, or have received a forwarded
copy of ANS and would like to subscribe to the mailing list, simply send
any e-mail to ans-subscribe@ans.acornusers.org. Alternatively use the form
on the ANS web site at <http://www.acornusers.org/ans/subscribe.html>.
For details of other commands e-mail ans-help@ans.acornusers.org.
4) Fetching web pages via e-mail
If you do not have web access you can fetch any URL referenced in ANS by
using the KFS web by e-mail service. To use this free service send an
e-mail to www@kfs.org with the subject header "send <URL>". For example to
fetch the web by e-mail service information page send an e-mail like this:
From: youraddress@example.com
To: www@kfs.org
Subject: send http://www.kfs.org/web-by-mail.html
------------ Acorn News Service, http://www.acornusers.org/ans/ ------------