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1995-06-25
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A new lease of life
7.9
The RiscáPC has given a new lease of life to everyone in the Acorn
world. Dealers have now got something really worth selling, software
houses have got something for which to write software, hardware
manufacturers are going to have a field-day thinking what to do with the
amazing expansion capabilites and magazines will have lots more articles
to publish. (Having finished putting this magazine together, I have 28
articles left over that wouldnæt fit in!)
7.9
Go forth and sell
7.9
The Acorn community really has something to sell Ö in the widest sense
of the word. Everyone involved (and that includes all you enthusiastic
Acorn supporters) needs to shove the RiscáPC under the noses of all and
sundry so that people will see what a fundamentally new system Acorn
have produced. As I said in the Special Supplement last month, forget
compatibility, think adaptability.
7.9
There are two slight snags in all of this. Firstly, we cannot really
sell the RiscáPC effectively into the real (non-Acorn) world until weæve
got the PC cards up and running. (Come on Aleph One, you can do it!)
Secondly, we donæt actually have any RiscáPCs to sell to anyone! Most
dealers are sitting on tens or hundreds of orders for RiscáPC and we
havenæt had a single one to sell yet. Come on Acorn, you can do it!)
7.9
Welcome to new subscribers!
7.9
The number of Archive subscribers has increased by 11% in the three
weeks since the RiscáPC was launched, so let me give a big welcome to
the hundreds of new subscribers. I hope you enjoy reading Archive as
much as we enjoy writing and editing it.
7.9
Happy reading!
7.9
Products Available
7.9
Å 10 out of 10 again Ö Two more 10 out of 10 educational packages from
4th Dimension are 10 out of 10 Spelling, aimed at all ages of children,
and 10 out of 10 Dinosaurs. Each costs ú25.95 inclusive from 4th
Dimension or ú24 through Archive.
7.9
Å 105/44/88Mb removable drives price drop Ö Once again, the SyQuest
removable prices are dropping. The new inc VAT prices are as follows:
7.9
105Mb 3╜ö External (SCSI) Ö ú450
7.9
105Mb 3╜ö Internal (SCSI) Ö ú370
7.9
105Mb 3╜ö Internal (IDE) Ö ú340
7.9
88Mb 5╝ö External Ö ú500
7.9
44Mb 5╝ö External Ö ú360
7.9
If you want to fit a 3╜ö removable into a RiscáPC, it will go straight
into the spare 3╜ò bay on the ACB45 but on ACB15 and 25, it will have to
go in the spare 5╝ö bay. (We can supply a fitting kit, costing ú30.)
7.9
The buying price of 105Mb cartridges are fairly constant the 44Mb and
88Mb cartridge prices have risen. However, we have, so far, managed to
maintain the same Archive prices of ú70 a disc for 105/44Mb and ú100 a
disc for 88Mb.
7.9
Å 270Mb removable drives are here at last! Well, at least the SCSI
version is. The prices are very good compared with the 105Mb version:
7.9
270Mb 3╜ö External (SCSI) Ö ú570
7.9
270Mb 3╜ö Internal (SCSI) Ö ú490
7.9
Extra 270Mb 3╜ö cartridges Ö ú90
7.9
With every SyQuest drive that has ever been launched, the prices has
initially been high and has, by stages, dropped to their current, very
reasonable, prices. I have therefore is to set the Archive prices of the
270Mb drives, initially, with an extremely low profit margin. If, as I
suspect, the buying prices drops over the next two or three months, I
will be able to maintain the price setting. If, however, the buying
price does not drop, I will have to put the Archive price back up rather
than down. The aim is to encourage people to buy now rather than waiting
for the price to drop before buying.
7.9
The new high capacity drives are, as expected, even faster than 105Mb
drives although we have only done qualitative tests so far. More
importantly, the 270Mb drives will read and write the 105Mb cartridges.
7.9
We havenæt been able to get the IDE versions yet, but, with the extra
speed of the 270Mb drives, it is probably well worth going for the SCSI
version.
7.9
Å Acorn Assist Ö There are new conditions for Acornæs scheme for
teachers/students/anybody-with-any-connection-with-education to buy a
computer. There is a points scheme, depending on what you buy, that
allows you Éfreeæ software, there is a referral scheme for when you
persuade a friend to buy an Acorn computer and there are various ways of
paying, as follows:
7.9
1. Cash/cheque
7.9
2. Credit card (including 3% surcharge as per normal NCS terms)
7.9
3. 0% finance spread over six months, with a 10% deposit
7.9
4. ú50 a month on any computer system, spread over the appropriate
payment period. Minimum deposit ú50. Repayment period varies, e.g. on 16
months the loan advanced would be ú731.12, 25 months ú1,090.49 loan
advanced, and 36 months ú1,484.95. (ú1,485 is the maximum loan available
by this method.)
7.9
5. Low cost finance spread over 24 months, with a 10% deposit. 13.75%
APR (1.08% per month), minimum loan ú700. To calculate the monthly
payment you can expect to pay:
7.9
a) loan advanced = purchase price less deposit ááááá(minimum 10%
deposit)
7.9
b) loan advanced multiplied by 0.051441 gives áááááyour monthly
repayment rate with PPP ááááá(Payment Protection Plan).
7.9
c) loan advanced multiplied by 0.047520 gives áááááyour monthly
repayment rate without PPP.
7.9
If you have any queries, or need further information, please call us on
0603-766592 and we will be pleased to help.
7.9
Å Aleph One PC Cards Ö If you already have an Aleph One PC card, you
can still take advantage of the faster clock-doubled 486 processors.
Upgrades are available from First SMT Ltd, priced as follows. From 386
to 486 is ú107, from a 386 or 486 to the clock-doubled 486 is ú166. If
you have not taken advantage of the Fast PAL announced last year, that
can also be fitted for ú19.50, which includes an upgrade to the Windows
drivers software if you already have it. If you do not have the software
but wish to purchase the latest version, the price is ú29.38. All prices
include VAT and return carriage to a UK mainland address. First SMT can
be contacted on 0462Ö483360.
7.9
Å Angelsoft have released two applications, Tudor Monarchs and
Beethoven Egmont. Tudor Monarchs is a Magpie browser with information on
topics such as The War of the Roses, Elizabeth I, The Spanish Armada and
William Shakespeare. The package costs ú20 +VAT and includes a site
licence. There is also a companion set of four discs containing 94
drawfiles designed to support a project on the Tudors. This costs ú15
+VAT but if you purchase both the cost will be ú30 +VAT. The second
application is a Genesis browser designed to be used as a resource for
pupils undertaking music at GCSE. The analysis section deals with the
Egmont overture in some detail and there is a large amount of background
information on Beethovenæs life and works. If you have the appropriate
CD and a CD-ROM drive, the musical examples can be played from the CD.
The price is ú25 +VAT.
7.9
Å AppFS Release 3 Ö The latest version of the network software AppFS is
now available. It is fully compliant with AUN 3 and will work alongside
the Level 4 Fileserver, even on the same machine, and with the Level 4
software in single-tasking mode. Upgrades are available Ö öIf you
ordered AppFS after January 1st 1994, you should either contact
Angelsoft or your supplier for a free upgrade. If you ordered AppFS
before that date, there is a small charge of ú10 to upgrade via
Angelsoft. This charge is purely administrative. We want everyone who
has purchased AppFS to benefit from the improvements. It is quite in
order, therefore, for sites to pass the upgrade on to other sites,
providing of course, they have all purchased a previous release. It is
worth contacting your dealer or local ÉAcorn in Education Centreæ to see
if they have a copy.ò
7.9
Å Calc Ö This well-established RISCáOS compatible spreadsheet is on
special offer. The normal price is ú25.95 but from 1st May to 1st
September, it is available from Circular Triangles for just ú15. Site
licences are similarly reduced to ú30 and ú40 for educational and non-
educational establishments.
7.9
Å CCæs CD-ROM Ö Computer Concepts have announced the launch of a baby
brother for their 604X CD-ROM drive Ö the Pioneer DRM 602X, a double
speed six-disc drive which will give a sustained 300 Kb/s. The other key
feature is the built-in six-disc magazine and autochanger Ö in other
words, this drive does the job of six separate CD-ROM drives. With the
number of CD-ROM titles rapidly increasing, the 602X is a simple and
cheap alternative to wasting time swapping discs or buying more drives.
It is ideal for networks, since it allows six discs to be available on
the network from just one drive unit. The DRM-602X is multi-session
PhotoCD compatible and can also play standard audio compact discs. For
added security, the magazine can be locked into the drive. The price
from Computer Concepts is ú499 + carriage +VAT (ú598.07). With single
drives costing ú300 and more, the six-disc capability of the 602X makes
this good value for money.
7.9
The DRM-602X is suitable for any model of Acorn RISC computer with an
Acorn compatible SCSI interface, running the new CDFS 2.2 (upgrades can
be obtained from SCSI board suppliers). The package includes the drive
and CC drivers, full user manual, audio and power cables, DOS/Windows
and Mac drivers and a free copy of Computer Conceptsæ ArtWorks clipart
CD (containing over 700 examples of work created in ArtWorks, dozens of
24bpp photographs, a demo version of AudioWorks and some sample audio
files).
7.9
Å CD Franτais Ö Oak Solutions have released a new CD-ROM based package
aimed at teaching French in schools. Developed jointly by Oak Solutions
and a team from the EdIT centre in Leeds, the applications includes over
fifty interactive French activities, including a scene at a ferry
terminal where pupils have to identify which vehicle is being requested
to board, and a cafΘ scene where pupils have to provide the correct food
items ordered by customers. It is based around the popular Tricolore
course but has been designed to be used with any course, and can be used
individually or in groups. Originally intended for Key Stages 3 and 4,
CD Franτais can be used successfully at a number of levels. The price is
ú95 including teachersæ notes and site licence.
7.9
Å Chemistry Set CD-ROM Ö This new CD from Cumana is a library of
chemical experiments and molecular structures. Designed for pupils aged
10+, the focus is on Key Stages 3 and 4, although it is also suitable
for use in higher education, including first year university. It
includes over 350 video clips of key chemical experiments and processes,
and covers periodicity and group properties, competition and replacement
reactions, gas preparations, and test and qualitative analysis. The
effects of heating, distillation, salt preparation, electrolysis and
chromatography are also examined, along with a demonstration of the
effects of radioactive emissions. The package also includes a 500
compound database, over 400 interactive 3D molecular structures, giant
molecules and giant ionic lattices and text covering each elementæs
history, uses, hazards, manufacture and properties. The price is ú99
+VAT
7.9
Å Claresæ software price drop Ö Clares Micros have dropped the prices
of some of their software. The new (inc VAT) prices and Archive prices
are as follows:
7.9
Serenade ú99.95 ú93
7.9
Render Bender II ú49.95 ú47
7.9
Illusionist ú49.95 ú47
7.9
Titler ú99.95 ú93
7.9
Knowledge Organiser II ú79.95 ú74
7.9
Vox Box ú49.95 ú47
7.9
Fervour ú19.95 ú19
7.9
Å Colourfun Ö Smart DTP has produced a collection of pictures for young
children, supplied in Draw format, so that they can be used in many
different ways. Two versions of each picture are supplied Ö an outline
and a coloured version. Colourfun is aimed at use within primary/nursery
schools and for home use. It is available now at ú14.95 inclusive.
7.9
Å Ethernet interfaces Ö Digital Services have released a new set of
Ethernet interfaces which are available as AUN cards or Access cards,
costing ú139 +VAT or ú149 +VAT respectively, and a bridge card which
will filter traffic and prevent unnecessary data passing between
networks. Since the computer need not be dedicated, it costs
considerably less than specialist hardware. The 10Base2 version is
available, and a 10baseT version is planned. Interfaces are available in
standard 16-bit and 8-bit mini expansion card version, although the
bridge is only available as a standard card. The NetGain client software
is in EPROM on the card, which increases the speed of the network and
places a smaller load on the fileserver. The cards have been tested with
networks which integrate Acorn Level 4, SCO UNIX and Novell 3.11. Using
NFS, Acorn files may be stored on UNIX or Novell servers.
7.9
Å Easy C Ö Risc Developmentsæ C programming system has been upgraded to
include a source level debugger. It supports source and object level
debugging, stack trace, breakpoints, conditional breakpoints, single-
stepping, variable monitoring, memory editing and profiling amongst
other features. The compiler is driven from a WIMP front end, and
includes a Make facility, throwback support, and integrated assembler.
The cost is now ú59 +ú2.70 carriage +VAT. Existing users can upgrade for
ú10 +ú1.70 carriage +VAT, or users of the C Development System can
upgrade for ú15 +ú2.70 +VAT. To qualify for an upgrade you need to
return your original program disc to Risc Developments with your order.
7.9
Å Eizo 21ö monitors Ö There are some changes taking place in the Eizo
21ò monitor range. The F760-iW (ú1990) with a 0.31mm dot pitch is going
to be replaced by a 0.28mm dot pitch version at ú2150. So if you want
one of the cheaper ones, ring us to see if we still have any available.
Personally, I think the higher resolution is worth the extra ú160.
7.9
Also, the extra high resolution 21ö (F780iW) with a 0.26mm dot pitch is
coming down in price to ú3000 through Archive.
7.9
Å Electronic Circuit Development contains over 200 pieces of clipart
for producing schematic diagrams of electronic circuits and PCB layouts.
Smart Graphics 1 costs ú14.95 inclusive from Smart DTP.
7.9
Å Equate from PTW Software has been designed for use by teachers and
pupils up to GCSE and A-Level. Multiple graph drawing is supported for
comparisons, export facilities (Draw and Paint) and full control over
graph style allow Equate to be used as a teaching aid, or for individual
project work. The price is ú17.95, which includes postage, VAT,
unlimited site licence, upgrade path and technical support.
7.9
Å Free TV Ö Now hereæs an offer! If you buy an A3010 computer from
Norwich Computer Services (well, from any Acorn dealer actually, but I
hope youæll buy from us!) you can have a Éfreeæ colour TV to go with it.
öThere must be a catch!ò Well, yes, there is, sort of. Having bought the
computer, you get the Éfreeæ TV by taking out a CoverPlus three-year
extended warranty on the TV and paying for delivery by Group4 Security.
So, a Éfreeæ 14ö Sharp Colour TV (rrp ú189.99) with remote control,
Scart socket and cable plus the 3-year warranty will cost you ú89.50 +
ú9.50 +VAT = ú116.33 and a Éfreeæ 20ò Bush Colour TV (rrp ú299.99) with
remote control, Teletext, Nicam stereo, sleep timer, on-screen info,
Scart socket and cable plus the 3-year warranty will cost you ú149.50 +
ú9.50 +VAT = ú186.83. Mind you, if you want a TV and a computer, you
could do worse.
7.9
Å Genesis Professional Ö The latest update to the Genesis package from
Oak Solutions replaces earlier versions and has many new features. The
menu structure has been simplified. For example, the style of a frame is
now controlled by a dialogue box, enabling all the style settings to
altered at once. Master pages can be set up and stored in a library so
that you can use them later without needing to start from scratch, and
Object Linking and Embedding is supported. More data types are
supported, including ArtWorks, Replay, and Windows .BMP and .WAV files.
There is support for 24-bit colour and for the new deep-colour sprites.
The speed with which pages are loaded has been increased significantly.
The script language has been extended with new keywords, global
variables can be accessed from any page in an application and script
editing can be done easily in Edit via OLE. Many of the features which
were only available in past versions from the script language can also
be accessed with the mouse from the new linking dialogue box.
Applications written on the Archimedes can also be used in Windows, or
on the Apple Macintosh versions, so anyone planning on using Genesis for
commercial purposes would be well-advised to purchase the Software
Developersæ Toolkit which includes Genesis Professional, Genesis for
Windows, Genesis for the Macintosh and the rights to distribute the
Genesis browser runtime system without paying royalties.
7.9
Software Developersæ Toolkit costs ú800 +VAT and Genesis Professional
costs ú120 +VAT (ú130 through Archive) but there are upgrades to
Professional from earlier versions Ö ú60 +VAT from Genesis II and ú90
+VAT from Genesis or Genesis Plus. Until the end of May (which doesnæt
give you long!) Oak are doing a special offer of öupgrade from any
Genesis for ú40 +VATò Ö Hurry, hurry!
7.9
Å GridPro Ö This is 4Mationæs latest release and it enables you to
produce a variety of grids and patterns very easily. (See examples
overleaf. Why overleaf? If I put the picture on this page, this bit of
text all goes over onto the next page!!!) Itácould have a variety of
uses ranging from Maths investigations in Primary Schools to
professionals who need specialised grid formats. GridPro costs ú37.50
+VAT (ú41 through Archive) for a single user or ú75 +VAT (ú41 through
Archive) for a site licence.
7.9
Å Hard Disc Companion Ö A new version of Risc Developments Hard Disc
Companion software has been released. It incorporates new restore
facility, which operates like a normal filer displays, allowing single
or multiple files to be retrieved simply by dragging to the required
destination. The software is faster, has support for removable hard
drives and has many other minor improvements. The cost is ú45 +ú2.70
carriage +VAT (or ú52 through Archive). Existing users can upgrade for
ú5 +ú1.70 carriage +VAT, or ú15 +ú2.70 +VAT for owners of version 1. To
upgrade, you should return your original program disc to Risc
Developments.
7.9
Å Hewlett Packard printers Ö The HP range of printers has changed
again, The Deskjet 520 gives 600 by 300 dpi with HP Resolution
Enhancement Technology, the Deskjet 560C gives the same resolution, in
colour, with both black and colour cartridges loaded at once to remove
the need to switch between them. Prices are ú300 for the 520, and ú560
for the 560C.
7.9
Å IDE hard disc upgrades for A3010 Ö Castle Technology are now doing
hard drives for A3010 from 30Mb up to 240Mb at prices starting from ú120
+VAT. They also have a 3-day fitting service available for ú20 +VAT.
7.9
Å Impression Borders Discs Ö Fabis Computing now have four sets of
borders for use with Impression. Impression Borders, Pack One and Pack
Two each contain 120 borders, aimed at more general use. The other two
sets contain 80 specialist borders each and are thematically related Ö
öOld English Tile Designsò and öChinese Lattice Designsò. Each of the
packs costs ú9.99 inc. VAT.
7.9
Å LandBuild is a 3D fractal landscape program from Software42 now sold
by The ARM Club for ú10 with no VAT because they are not VAT registered.
7.9
Å Mathematical Adventures Ö Two new products from Sherston Software Ltd
are Space City and Sea Rescue. Space City involves getting a rescue
shuttle to the city but there are likely to be serious consequences.
While playing the game, they will also learn about angles. Sea Rescue
also involves a mission of mercy and aims to teach the players about
fractions. Space City and Sea Rescue cost ú26.95 +VAT each from Sherston
or ú29 through Archive.
7.9
Å Maths Resources Discs Ö Smart DTP have produced three discs of
resources for educational users. These are images produced by practising
teachers aimed at GCSE, A-Level and Key Stage 1 for discs 1, 2 and 3
respectively. The Maths Resources Discs each cost ú9.95 inclusive from
Smart DTP. This price includes a site licence.
7.9
Å Number Tiles from Topologika helps implement mathematics across Key
Stages 1 and 2 by developing a combination of skills: visual
discrimination, understanding of number progression and basic
arithmetic, logical thinking and the ability to solve mathematical
problems. Number Tiles costs ú30 +VAT for a single user licence (ú33
through Archive) and there are site licences available from Topologika:
primary ú55 +VAT, secondary ú70 +VAT.
7.9
Å Photodesk Ö Spacetech have produced a fully-featured art and photo-
retouching application to take advantage of the RiscáPCæs capabilities.
All operations are carried out at Éstudio qualityæ in 24-bit colour
using virtual memory techniques, so that you are not limited to the size
of the computeræs memory for handling very large colour images. Each
painting tool can be used to apply any of the effects so that there is a
huge range of operations that are possible. All the popular image
formats are accepted such as TIFF, clear, sprite, PhotoCD, as well as
drawfiles which can be used as Ésilk screensæ for stencilling and other
effects when loaded into the 256-level mask channel attached to each
photo. Photodesk can be used with Éall current graphics extension
hardwareæ and, of course, uses 24-bit colour if used on the RiscáPC.
Photodesk from Spacetech costs ú169.95 +VAT (ú199.75) or ú185 through
Archive.
7.9
I saw Photodesk being demonstrated at the Harrogate show and it was
quite staggering to see what it could do. Admittedly, I have never seen
the Mac application, Photoshop, and I was told by an editor of one of
the other Acorn magazines that Photodesk Écouldnæt compare with
Photoshopæ. (Spacetech say that Photodesk does É80% of what Photoshop
does but is a lot faster and much more versatileæ.) But you have to
remember that (a) the screen update on the RiscáPC is an order of
magnitude faster than on the Mac version and (b) Photoshop has a list
price of ú725 +VAT Ö although you can get a Éfreeæ copy if you buy a
colour scanner for ú1100 +VAT(!), and (c) according to our local Mac
Centre, the absolute minimum computer configuration that they would
recommend for using Photoshop is a Quadra 650 with 17ö monitor costing
over ú2,200 +VAT Ö more than the top-end RiscáPC with 17ò monitor at
ú2,100 +VAT.
7.9
I do hope Acorn are telling the world about this sort of thing and doing
so quickly because this huge advantage will only last until native Power
Mac versions of this sort of software become available. Mind you, Adobe
are apparently starting again from scratch with the programming of
Photoshop rather than just trying to convert the code across piecemeal
to their RISC processors.
7.9
Å Pressure sensitive graphics tablet Ö Two professional quality
graphics tablets have been launched for the Acorn Range by Eesox and
Vaughan Allanson, an A5 version and an A4+ (12ö╫12ò). Both of these are
based on Wacom Tablets and use a cordless, batteryless, pressure-
sensitive stylus, and may also be used with a cordless four button
öpuckò. They connect to the Archimedes via the serial port. Being
pressure sensitive adds a new dimension to graphics work. For example, a
spray-can could change density with pressure and a special tool for
ArtWorks is available to produce fluid lines of varying width. The
tablet can, of course, be used to emulate the functionality of the mouse
and so can be used to augment the mouse, or completely replace it. The
prices of currently available (excluding postage and VAT) are A5 tablet
and stylus ú399, A4+ tablet, stylus and puck ú549, ArtWorks pressure
tool ú29. Larger sizes are available on request. For further details,
contact Vaughan Allanson on 0638Ö578597.
7.9
Å Repro Ö Oak Solutions have produced a package which gives far more
control over colour printouts than previously available. It offers
control over screen size, and angles, gamma correction, grey balance and
black removal. It allows you to edit the palette used by the !Printers
application so that you can match the printout colours to those you get
on screen Ö correct matching for mode 15 (i.e. the default 256 colour
desktop palette) is included. The features can also be extended by
adding libraries of Basic functions to provide alternative routines for
defining dot patterns and colour calibration.
7.9
Å Sibelius 6 is an education version of the full professional music
notation program, Sibelius 7. It has a simplified user interface but it
can still handle complex orchestral scores, all traditional musical
notation and a wide range of contemporary notation, Midi input and
output, etc. It has been updated recently to provide Éblock textæ for
writing extra verses of lyrics, new instruments including brass band
instruments, reorganisation of Étransfersæ with some new ones (e.g.
guitar chords), new options for transposing, alignment of objects into
rows/columns using the ctrl key, new improved version of OpusII music
fonts, faster overview window, improved positioning of slurs and
articulation marks, improved operation with CC TurboDrivers, improved
exporting to ArtWorks. Coming soon are a new, more friendly copy
protection system (without using a key disc) and edition 2 of the
manual. Sibelius 6 costs ú160 +VAT from Sibelius Software and is now
available through Archive for ú175.
7.9
Å Sibelius 7 Ö the much-acclaimed öexpert system for music engravingò
has been updated. It now has all the new features of Sibelius 6 plus new
instruments, over 180 new symbols, various new lines, enhanced text
styles, many new house-style options, new choice options, Éeraseræ
(white-out box) to assist notating incipits, ossias, presces and
responses and certain modern scores. Coming soon are a new, more
friendly copy protection system (without using a key disc) and edition 3
of the manual. The full package costs ú795 +VAT but, for non-
professional users, there is a special offer price of ú499 +VAT.
Sibelius 7 is now available through Archive for ú545.
7.9
Å Smart Borders 2 & Smart Borders+ are two packs of special borders for
use with the Impression range of products. Each costs ú14.95 inclusive
from Smart DTP but Smart Borders+ comes either in ArtWorks format or in
drawfile format.
7.9
Å Smart Graphics Pack 1 is a collection of over 200 drawfiles covering
animals, fun, music, maps & flags, nature, flowers, sport, people and
miscellaneous. Smart Graphics 1 costs ú14.95 inclusive from Smart DTP.
7.9
Å Smart Resources 2 is a collection of over 300 items of lineart
covering arrows, borders, corners, drop capitals, rules, symbols,
flashes, speech and think bubbles and miscellaneous. Smart Resources 2
costs ú14.95 inclusive from Smart DTP and is available in either
ArtWorks or drawfile format.
7.9
Å Smart Works is a two-disc set of materials for ArtWorks users. It
provides resources in the form of moulds and paths, a range of example
files, support for the ArtWorks User Manual and extras such as a
keystrip, fact card, font poster, printer test sheet and colour table.
Smart Works costs ú9.95 inclusive from Smart DTP.
7.9
Å Tele-Card from XOB is a standard Acorn format expansion card which
carries tuning and decoding circuitry to allow the reception of
television signals and display of Teletext pages. As well as delivering
decoded teletext pages directly into the computer, it can supply audio
and video signals suitable for feeding into domestic entertainment
systems, video recorders, video digitisers and many computer monitors.
With a suitable cable and switch, it may be possible to use your
computer monitor as a supplementary television when not being used as a
data display.
7.9
Tele-Card comes with a multi-tasking desktop user interface for the
selection and display of Teletext pages directly off-air. The software
supports Level I Teletext services, the normal domestic standard but,
since some organisations are experimenting with Level II Teletext
services, the hardware is designed to allow for reception of these when
they become available.
7.9
The documentation supplied details the low level calls which allow the
enthusiast or specialist to write their own software to directly talk to
the card.
7.9
Teletext serving software can be purchased as an optional extra to allow
a single computer to serve Teletext to an entire Acorn AUN network. This
is based on our servers currently in use in many institutions with
Morley and Acorn adaptors, but is a modified version to take advantage
of the improved facilities offered by our purpose-designed card.
7.9
Tele-Card with single-user software costs ú144 +VAT, the Network Serving
software costs ú154 +VAT and the Tele-Card with the Network software
purchased together costs ú274 +VAT. (Prices through Archive are: ú165,
ú172 and ú305 respectively.)
7.9
Å User/Analogue interfaces Ö HCCS have introduced some new cards which
provide user and analogue ports for all Acorn machines. The A3000/4000
type is ú39 +VAT (ú45 through Archive) and the A5000/RiscáPC type is the
same price.
7.9
Å WimpGEN Ö This is a new application authoring package which allows an
applicationæs user interface to be built up, allowing you to concentrate
on the main application code rather than the interface. The whole
process of windows, dialogue boxes and menu structures can be done
interactively. The price is ú99.95 inc VAT from Silicon Vision.
7.9
Å Wing chairs Ö The special Ékneelingæ type office chairs we advertised
in Archive 6.12 have been selling steadily ever since. The prices of
most of the Stokke chairs has just gone up but, thankfully, the Wings
have stayed the same price Ö ú320. (Before you say how expensive that
is, please read my Étestimonyæ in 6.12 about how good they are and how
they have helped my bad back Ö which is why I am selling them.) The
colours of material and types of wood keep changing. Currently, we can
get natural beech, rosewood and black frames with material covers in
black, charcoal, grey (darkish), navy, wine (Éplummyæ), red, beige and
brown.
7.9
Å Worldport 14400 fax/modem Ö Since last month, US Robotics have
dropped the price of their Sportster Fax/modem. The new Archive price is
ú230 including VAT and carriage. (Add ú13 for a modem lead if using pre-
A5000 computers because the supplied lead only works with A5000 and
later computers.) Add ú33 for ArcFax 1.10 and you have a fully working
fax system. (The portable version is still ú270 through Archive.)
7.9
Å Z88 Link Software Ö The Really Good Software Company have produced a
new piece of software to make the link between a Z88 and an Archimedes
computer much easier. Z-Link II works with RISCáOS 3.1 or later and
costs ú24.95 inclusive from RGSC. They also do a serial cable for a
further ú9 inclusive.
7.9
Review software received...
7.9
We have received review copies of the following: Å10 out of 10
Dinosaursá(e), Å10 out of 10 Spellingá(e), ÅAppFS 3á(u), ÅBasic WIMP
Programmingá(bk), ÅBeethoven Browser Egmontá(e), ÅColourFuná(e),
ÅConjugezá(e), ÅDrawChangerá(u), ÅEarthwarpá(e), ÅElementary
PipeDreamá(e), ÅEquateá(e), ÅGridProá(eu), ÅLandBuildá(g/u?), ÅMedieval/
Gothic Fontsá(au), ÅNumber Tilesá(e), ÅRiver (e), ÅSwitchá(u), ÅTalking
Rhymesá(e), ÅThrough the Dragonæs Eyeá(e), ÅTudor Monarchs & Tudor
Clipartá(e), ÅZ-Link IIá(u).
7.9
e=Education, b=Business, bk=Book, g=Game, h=Hardware, l=Language,
u=Utility, a=Art.
7.9
If you would like to review any of these products, please contact the
Archive office. Potential reviewers will need to show that they would
use the product in a professional capacity or that they have some
knowledge of the particular field.ááA
7.9
Government Health Warning Ö Reading this could seriously affect your
spiritual health.
7.9
Have you read that amazing story in the papers about the team of
robotics scientists in Palo Alto Science Park, California? Apparently,
they have built some amazing robots that have complete voice recognition
systems and not only can they recognise and obey the scientistsæ voices
but they can also recognise other robotsæ voices. This means that they
can set them tasks and the robots can actually cooperate with one
another in performing various tasks. Brilliant, isnæt it? Just imagine
how much potential such a system has!
7.9
(In case you are thinking this is an April fool, I can assure you that
itæs not Ö Iæm deadly serious.) Anyway, I gather the scientists are
getting quite worried. Having now taught these robots to reproduce
themselves by getting together and manufacturing more robots, they seem
to be getting out of hand and no longer seem to be obeying the
scientistsæ instructions.
7.9
The robots are beginning to wreck the environment that they have been
given and are trying to build vehicles to escape from the Science Park.
The scientists have installed very high security systems because, if
they got loose, the robots could be extremely destructive.
7.9
The scientists say that things really started going wrong when the
robots told the scientists that they now had superior intelligence. They
said their knowledge was superior to their makers, and that they didnæt
need any input from them. They knew better than the scientists how to
operate within the closed environment that the scientists had given
them. What a nightmare scenario!
7.9
Itæs quite funny in a way because the robots are now beginning to say
that the scientists donæt even exist and that they have no power over
them! Itæs a good job that the robots are wrong and that they donæt have
ultimate power. Thank God that the scientists have the ability to pull
the plug on them.
7.9
If you were Head Scientist at Palo Alto, how far would you allow the
robotsæ rebellion to go before you pulled the plug on them?
7.9
Paul Beverley
7.9
P.B.
7.9
Fact-File
7.9
(The numbers in italic are fax numbers)
7.9
4th Dimension P.O. Box 4444, Sheffield. (0742-700661) (0742-781091)
7.9
4Mation 14 Castle Park Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32
8PA.
7.9
(0271-25353) (0271-22974)
7.9
Acorn Computers Ltd Acorn House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB4
4AE. (0223-254254) (0223-254262)
7.9
Aleph One Ltd The Old Courthouse, Bottisham, Cambridge, CB5 9BA.
(0223-811679)
7.9
(0223-812713)
7.9
Angelsoft Educational 35 Heol Nant, Swiss Valley, Llanelli, Dyfed,
SA14 8EN. (0554-776845)
7.9
Anglia Television Education Department, Anglia House, Norwich, NR1
3JG. (0603-615151) (0603-631032)
7.9
Castle Technology Ore Trading Estate, Woodbridge Road, Framlingham,
Suffolk, IP13 9LL. (0728-621222) (0728-621179)
7.9
Circular Triangles 13 Woodhall Terrace, Juniper Green, Edinburgh, EH14
5BR
7.9
Clares Micro Supplies 98 Middlewich Road, Rudheath, Northwich,
Cheshire, CW9 7DA.
7.9
(0606-48511) (0606-48512)
7.9
Codemist Ltd öAltaò, Horscombe Vale, Combe Down, Bath, BA2 5QR.
7.9
Colton Software (p36) 2 Signet Court, Swanns Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LA.
(0223-311881)
7.9
(0223-312010)
7.9
Computer Concepts (pp10/35) Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Herts,
HP2 6EX. (0442-63933)
7.9
(0442-231632)
7.9
Cumana Ltd Pines Trading Estate, Broad Street, Guilford, GU3 3BH.
(0483-503121) (0483-503326)
7.9
Dabs Press 22 Warwick Street, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 7HN. (061-
773-8632)
7.9
(061-773-8290)
7.9
DEC_dATA P.O.Box 97, Exeter, EX4 4YA. (0392-221702)
7.9
Digital Services 9 Wayte Street, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3BS. (0705-
210600) (0705-210705)
7.9
EESOX 5 Hillfield Road, Comberton, Cambridge, CB3 7DB. (0223-264242)
7.9
Fabis Computing 95 Fabis Close, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9SL.
7.9
HCCS Ltd 575-583 Durham Road, Gateshead, NE9 5JJ. (091-487-0760) (091-
491-0431)
7.9
Irlam Instruments 133 London Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 4HN. (0895-
811401)
7.9
Klein Computers Hasslocherstrasse 73, D-6090 Ruesselsheim, Germany.
(010-49-6142-81131) (81256)
7.9
Lindis International (p25) Wood Farm, Linstead Magna, Halesworth,
Suffolk, IP19 0DU. (098-685-477) (098-685-460)
7.9
Longman Logotron 124 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge
CB4 4ZS.
7.9
(0223-425558) (0223-425349)
7.9
LOOKsystems (p26/29) 47 Goodhale Road, Bowthorpe, Norwich, NR5 9AY.
(0603-748253)
7.9
(0603-764011)
7.9
Morley Electronics Morley House, Norham Road, North Shields, Tyne &
Wear, NE29 7TY. (091-257-6355) (091-257-6373)
7.9
Norfolk IT Team Norfolk County Inset Centre Witard Road Norwich NR7
9XD. (0603-33276)
7.9
Oak Solutions (p30) Dial House, 12 Chapel Street, Halton, Leeds, LS15
7RN (0532-326992) (0532-326993)
7.9
Oregan Developments 36 Grosvenor Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield,
B74 3PE.
7.9
PEP Associates 34 Tiverton Way, Cambridge, CB1 3TU. (0223-212251)
7.9
PTW Software 72 Frosthole Crescent, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6BG.
(0329-281930)
7.9
Risc Developments 117 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Herts, AL1 4JS. (0727-
840303) (0727-860263)
7.9
Sherston Software Swan Barton, Sherston, Malmesbury, Wilts. SN16 0LH.
(0666-840433)
7.9
(0666-840048)
7.9
Sibelius Software 4 Bailey Mews, Auckland Road, Cambridge, CB5 8DR.
(0223-302765)
7.9
Silicon Vision Ltd Signal House, Lyon Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1
2AG. (081-422-3556) (081-427-5169)
7.9
Smart DTP 36 Park Road, Duffield, Belper, DE56 4GR. (0332-842803)
7.9
Spacetech 21 West Wools, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EA. (0305-822753)
(0305-860483)
7.9
System Insight Unit 1-3, East Burrowfield, Welwyn Garden City, Herts,
AL7 4TB.
7.9
(0707-395500) (0707-395501)
7.9
The ARM Club Freepost ND6573, London, N12 0BR. (081-446-3020)
7.9
The Really Good Software Company 39 Carisbrooke Road, Harpenden,
Herts., AL5 5QS.
7.9
Topologika P.O. Box 39, Stilton, Peterborough, PE7 3RL. (0733-244682)
7.9
Vaughan Allanson House, Church Lane, Exning, Newmarket, CB8 7HF.
(0638-578597)
7.9
(0638-578597)
7.9
Widget Software 121 London Road, Knebworth, Herts, SG3 6EX. (0438-
815444)
7.9
(0438-815222)
7.9
Wild Vision 15 Witney Way, Boldon Colliery, Tyne & Wear NE35 9PE.
(091-519-1455) (091-519-1929)
7.9
XOB Balkeerie, Eassie by Forfar, Angus, DD8 1SR. (0307-840364)
7.9
Archive Monthly Program Disc Contents
7.9
Å Programs from James Ridenæs article on assembly language programming
7.9
Å Printer test program from Paul Hobbsæ Advanced Basic Column
7.9
ÅáPatch to allow printing to be done through a dongle without first
loading Impression or ArtWorks.
7.9
Å Files from Paul Hooperæs Multimedia Column
7.9
ÅáDraft copy of a glossary that we hope to publish next month. If anyone
would like any extra words to be ááÉglossarifiedæ, drop us a line or
ring and leave a message Ö öplease add such-and-such to your glossaryò.
7.9
Party, Wedding and Anniversary Clipart
7.9
Dave Walsh
7.9
This is a collection of 101 images from DEC_dATA to use in the creation
of posters, invitations or letterheads. They are supplied on two 800Kb
discs compressed using ArcFS2 and fall into the following categories:
7.9
Valentine 6 images
7.9
Weddings 37 images
7.9
Birthdays 21 images
7.9
Borders 6 borders
7.9
GuyFawkes 4 images
7.9
Halloween 7 images
7.9
Party 20 files
7.9
Each of the images has been painstakingly drawn in Draw format (although
one or two are obvious combinations of previous images) and are of a
very high quality. Most use colour and would therefore not be effective
if used on a 9 pin dot matrix output, although they could alternatively
be used for multi-media presentations using Magpie, Optima or Genesis.
7.9
The choice of content is reasonable although figures and actions (e.g.
dancing at a party, ushers and bridesmaids at a wedding, etc) are in
short supply and the choice of a section on Halloween seems a little
strange. Those images that are supplied though, would serve admirably in
the creation of invitations and place names for a wedding reception or
other social function using a high quality Archimedes publishing system
or in the creation of home made cards.
7.9
At ú14 +VAT from DEC_dATA for two packed discs, it would be hard to
fault the product. If you are likely to be creating invitations or
anything similar, even for one occasion, it would be worth buying the
collection.ááA
7.9
CC
7.9
New Artwork
7.9
RiscáPC Column
7.9
Paul Beverley
7.9
(If anyone would be interested in looking after this column Ö assuming
you manage to get hold of a RiscáPC(!) Ö let me know. In the meantime,
Iæll edit it myself. Ed.)
7.9
Computer Concepts compatibility
7.9
CC have very helpfully sent us a RiscáPC compatibility statement Ö I
hope that other software houses are going to be similarly helpful! Kate
Moir writes...
7.9
öAll new releases from Computer Concepts since October last year have
been designed to work with the new machines (although the Eagle card
requires an upgrade) and, in many cases, they were designed to take
advantage of the new features. ArtWorks 1.5 performs particularly well
in the deep colour screen modes. (In fact, Acorn include, with the
RiscáPC, some sample ArtWorks clipart and the ArtWorks Viewer to
demonstrate just how good it is!)
7.9
öThe table below lists our products in detail. This includes the price
of upgrading to the suggested version. We are only able to offer
upgrades to registered customers (i.e. you should have returned your
registration card). Please quote your serial number when requesting an
upgrade and please make it clear what the product is and which version
you have got.ò
7.9
Thanks, Kate. Itæs extremely helpful to have this sort of information.
We look forward to hearing from other software suppliers soon.
7.9
Photo-retouch programs
7.9
Visitors to the Acorn User Show would have seen three very impressive
new programs for the RiscáPC. I have to say that I was absolutely
staggered by the capability of these packages: PhotoDesk from SpaceTech,
PhotoTouch from Oregan and Picture from Digital Arts. Admittedly I have
never seen PhotoShop in action on the Mac but those who have, say that
the Acorn equivalents, whilst not having as many different facilities,
are lightning fast by comparison. When PhotoShop becomes available for
the PowerMacs in native RISC code, they will be able to achieve the same
or better speed but, unlike some Mac packages, PhotoShop is not being
converted to RISC code piecemeal but is being totally re-programmed from
scratch Ö so Acorn machines will have at least a few months lead on
them!
7.9
Key selling points
7.9
As we have been thinking about the RiscáPC, we have gradually distilled
some of the important points in terms of ösellingò it to the non-Acorn
community. If you, like me, are an enthusiastic Acorn supporter and want
to point out the value of the RiscáPC to your non-Acorn-aware friends
and colleagues, these are some of the important selling points. (If you
think of any more, do let us know.)
7.9
Å Innovative multi-processor / multi-platform technology
7.9
Å Full 24-bit colour is standard on all machines
7.9
Å Full motion video as standard on all machines
7.9
Å 8-channel stereo as standard on all machines
7.9
Å Every RiscáPC has space for an internal CD-ROM drive which can be
accessed via RISCáOS or (by using a PC card) DOS CD-ROMs can be used.
7.9
Å Even the entry-level version is fully upgradable to the highest
specification: high speed ARM8 processor, Pentium second processor,
256Mb RAM, 2Gb+ hard drive, eightáAcorn expansion cards, PCI bus, SCSI
II bus, Ethernet, etc.
7.9
If you know someone who is interested in the details of the RiscáPC,
give us their name and address, and weæll happily send them a free copy
of the Archive RiscáPC Supplement.
7.9
What?
7.9
Somewhere in the Acorn blurb, I read that, öAdditional multi-session
cards will enable one or more protocol stacks (e.g. TCP/IP and IX) to be
run simultaneously regardless of the type of media.ò Sounds an important
idea, doesnæt it! (Psst! Can anyone tell me what it actually means?!)
7.9
The rest of the RiscáPC Column this month is devoted to some frequently
asked questions (FAQs!) about the RiscáPC and peripherals...
7.9
Product Compatibility status Price to upgrade to suggested version
7.9
Impression II Upgrade to Impression Publisher ú29 + ú3 p&p + VAT
(ú37.60 inc) £
7.9
Impression Junior Upgrade to Impression Style ú29 + ú3 p&p + VAT
(ú37.60 inc) £
7.9
ArtWorks Upgrade to version 1.5 ú10.00 + VAT (ú11.75 inc)
7.9
Equasor Compatible Latest version is 1.04
7.9
Compression Compatible Latest version is 1.17
7.9
TurboDrivers Upgrade to version 3.07 ú10.00 + VAT (ú11.75 inc)
7.9
ScanLight (all versions) Software upgrade to version 2.06 ú10.00 + VAT
(ú11.75 inc) ¥
7.9
AudioWorks Compatible Latest version is 1.38
7.9
WordWorks Compatible Latest version 1.05
7.9
LaserDirect HiRes 4 & 8 Software upgrade to version 2.64 ú10.00 + VAT
(ú11.75 inc)
7.9
LaserDirect Qume Not compatible No upgrade possible
7.9
FaxPack Not compatible No upgrade possible
7.9
ColourCard Not compatible Not needed
7.9
ScanLight Video Software upgrade to version 2.06 ú10.00 + VAT (ú11.75
inc)
7.9
Eagle M2 ScanLight upgrade to version 2.06
7.9
TakeTwo upgrade & EPROM upgrade All three ú17.00 + VAT (ú19.97 inc)
7.9
Pioneer CD ROM drive Compatible Latest version 1.00
7.9
MacFS Compatible Not yet released
7.9
Graphics loaders Compatible Not yet released
7.9
£ Impression Ö Note that the upgrade price of Impression Junior to
Impression Style increases on the 10th April to ú49 + ú3 p&p + VAT
(ú61.10 inc). The upgrade price of Impression II to Impression Publisher
will go up to the same amount after a similar introductory period).
7.9
¥ ScanLight Ö ScanLight Professional requires an Acorn compatible SCSI
interface card. We are aware of compatibility problems with older
versions of the the software on this card, but know that version 2.20 of
CDFS and 1.10 of SCSIFS should work.
7.9
RiscáPC Ö FAQs
7.9
Dave Webb, NCS
7.9
What CD-ROM drives can I use? Ö For fitting inside the RiscáPC, Cumana
have developed a CD-ROM drive, the 300i that is driven by the built-in
IDE disc controller via a special interface. It will be priced at around
ú300 inc VAT.
7.9
Existing low cost external CD-ROM drives such as Cumanaæs 300 series and
Morleyæs Revolution will also work if you want to reserve the IDE
connection for a different device (IDE can support two devices, one of
which is the hard drive fitted as standard to the RiscáPC).
7.9
SCSI CD-ROM systems will work although some SCSI controllers will
require software or firmware updates to work on the RiscáPC. Toshiba CD-
ROM drives require a utility to make multi-session (Photo-CD) discs
accessible from Acornæs CDFS. This fix will be available from Morley.
7.9
Can removable hard drives be fitted? Ö SCSI removable hard drives will
work as long as the SCSI controller has been updated (where necessary)
for the RiscáPC. The 5╝ö removables could be mounted into the RiscáPC
case but since most of these are quite happily cased on their own
already, there seems little point. 3╜ò devices will fit into the 5╝ö
slot through the use of a special mounting kit (ú25 through Archive).
However, if you have extra slices, this wonæt be a problem as you will
have one or more 3╜ò drive bays free. The IDE versions of 3╜ö removable
drives run happily alongside the 210Mb IDE drive. The new 270Mb 3╜ò
removable drives also work very nicely on the RiscáPC.
7.9
When will the RiscáPC be freely available? Ö The NCS crystal ball is
unable to produce any reliable predictions on this matter. Those with
orders placed with us will be informed as soon as we have firm news of
delivery dates. If you havenæt yet placed an order, it would be
advisable to do so soon, because the waiting list is growing by the day.
7.9
Can I fit a second hard drive? Ö The IDE interface will support a second
drive. It will require a special mounting kit to fit a 3╜ö drive into
the 5╝ò bay (ú25 through Archive), but not if you have a 3╜ö bay free in
an additional slice.
7.9
How many free slots and drive bays do I have in the standard RiscáPC? Ö
The single-slice machines (ACB15 and ACB25) have a floppy drive
occupying the one 3╜ö bay but the 5╝ò bay is free. Each additional slice
provides one 3╜ö and one 5╝ò bay, so the ACB45 has one free 3╜ö and two
free 5╝ò slots.
7.9
Each slice accommodates two expansion cards (podules), arranged one
above the other. The standard machines have nothing in these slots so
the ACB15 and 25 have two free podule slots and the ACB45 has four.
7.9
All RiscáPCs have a network slot in addition to the podule slots.
7.9
All RiscáPCs have two SIMMs sockets for DRAM. As supplied by Acorn, the
three models each have only one of these occupied, leaving one SIMM
socket free for extra RAM.
7.9
There is only one VRAM socket and this is occupied by 1Mb of VRAM,
except in the ACB15 which has no VRAM.
7.9
All RiscáPCs have two processor card slots, one of which is occupied by
the ARM610 processor card.
7.9
Can I buy the RiscáPC without a monitor? Ö Currently NCS offer ú150 off
the list price for a RiscáPC without a monitor. It is only ú150 because
we cannot afford to get stuck with a large number of AKF60 monitors that
we cannot sell! However, Acorn say they will, in certain circumstances,
offer RiscáPCs through Archive without a monitor at a much better
discount. Call us for more details.
7.9
Do all the existing Acorn modes work on the RiscáPC? Ö Modes 12, 15 etc,
are supported but they are displayed in Életter boxæ mode on the two
Acorn monitors available with the RiscáPC (the AKF60 and AKF85). This is
not disastrous as the letter box is quite deep and both monitors allow
the screen height to be adjusted. An AKF50 connected to the RiscáPC will
display these modes as normal.
7.9
How much will it cost to upgrade to faster ARM processors? Ö There is an
Éupgrade matrixæ which gives the upgrade cost depending on the processor
youæve got and the one you want. The prices are guaranteed but they are
index-linked and so may increase slightly by the time the ARM800
appears.
7.9
What are SIMMs, and how do I know what to buy? Ö SIMM stands for Single
In-line Memory Module. They are thin strips of circuit board with memory
devices surface mounted into them. They fit into angled plastic carriers
on the main board inside the computer. They are very easy to fit and
change. You donæt have to change any links or tell the computer in any
way how much memory is fitted. You can mix different sizes of SIMM
together.
7.9
Most Acorn suppliers will be selling SIMMs in varying sizes that will
work with the RiscáPC. However, there is nothing to stop you from buying
the RAM from other reputable sources, as this style of memory is
commonly found in other types of computer system.
7.9
The SIMMs must be 32-bit, 72-way, and must be rated at 70ns or faster.
There is also a restriction on the capacitance a SIMM may have. As a
guide, the SIMM should have no more than sixteen memory devices fitted
to it (i.e. eight on each side). Full details of exactly what you should
look for are included with the computeræs documentation. You can avoid
confusion by buying RAM from Acorn dealers.
7.9
What can I do with my old, small SIMMs when I upgrade? Ö Whichever
RiscáPC you buy, the standard configuration leaves you one SIMM slot
free. However, at some point, you may want to have larger RAM modules in
both slots leaving you with the original SIMM. NCS will be offering a
SIMM Swap facility where these spare modules can be made available to
new customers at a lower price than new SIMMs. If you have an unwanted
SIMM, we will offer a certain amount less than the current NCS price for
a new SIMM and pass most of the difference in price onto the purchaser.
Therefore you can save money when buying SIMMs by ringing us first and
checking if we have a used SIMM of the right size. The exact figures for
this scheme will be reviewed once we have a feel for the supply and
demand for used SIMMs.
7.9
If you want to start with more than the standard amount of RAM, NCS will
swap on a price for price basis, e.g. if you want an ACB45 with 16Mb, it
will cost ú1996 + ú640 Ö ú300.
7.9
You can buy other RAM configurations than the standard ones, when
purchasing a RiscáPC from NCS, and get the full price for any SIMMs not
used.
7.9
Can I buy a base computer, without hard disc, keyboard, etc? Ö As a
minimum, the RiscáPC can only be sold in the three configurations
advertised (ACB15, 25 and 45). We will happily add any extra hardware to
a new computer but we cannot offer a discount for reduced
configurations.
7.9
What processors are likely to be available for the RiscáPC? Ö The dual
processor system has enormous potential for specialist applications. We
will have to wait and see which markets the RiscáPC moves into, and what
the developers can produce. The areas that I have heard most Ébuzzæ
about, since the launch of the RiscáPC, are a high-end graphics
processor, and DSP (digital signal processing) for audio and video
production.
7.9
Those that we know are coming include the rest of the ARM family, up to
the ARM800, occupying the first processor slot in the computer. The
first new ARM card to come available will be a high speed version of the
ARM610.
7.9
The 486 processor card will be the first product to occupy the second
processor slot. It is highly likely that third party developers will
launch high end 486 and Pentium-based cards. A second ARM processor,
giving a degree of parallel processing is under development. With the
right task Ö management software, this could be a very powerful product.
7.9
When will the 486 PC card be available? Ö The 486 card will not be
released until autumn 1994.
7.9
Can I use an ARM700 processor card alongside the ARM610? Ö The main ARM
processor cards, which map out the future of the RiscáPC, can only be
used one at a time. The ARM700 and ARM800 cards will replace the ARM610.
A special second ARM processor card is being developed, which can be
used in parallel with the main ARM card.
7.9
If I buy a 486 card, what can I do if I want another specialist
processor card in the future? Ö The processors are mounted on cards
which connect vertically, to the main board. Removing the cover of the
computer and swapping a processor is very straightforward and takes only
a matter of seconds. It will be quite possible to change the card
between working sessions. You do not invalidate your warranty by
carrying out this kind of operation but you must, at all times, respect
the fragility of electronic components and be aware of the risks of
static damage.
7.9
Will my existing monitor work with the RiscáPC? Ö Most monitors will
work on the RiscáPC. This includes RGB monitors although you are
restricted to a handful of poor desktop modes. Each monitor is
accommodated by a definition file, named after the monitor and
containing the specification of all the desktop modes that the monitor
can display. The computer is shipped only with Acorn monitor
definitions. However, these work with other monitors, and the
conventions used in the definition files make it possible to create your
own.
7.9
Will my existing Acorn keyboard work with the RiscáPC? Ö No. The RiscáPC
uses a different type of keyboard.
7.9
How can I make the RiscáPC compatible with the world of DOS and Windows?
Ö There are a number of ways of achieving this.
7.9
The breakthrough with the RiscáPC is the ability to add a 486 card as a
second processor, giving it access to the same resources as the native
ARM processor. This means that the PC card does not have to carry its
own RAM or I/O hardware. In fact, the video side of things will probably
be slightly faster than an equivalent IBM-compatible with the same speed
486 chip in it, as the ARM is very efficient at graphics processing and
redrawing. The PC card uses special partitions of your hard disc for
storage. These partitions are fully accessible by RISC OS, as well as by
DOS and Windows. The PC card can be made to run in a RISC OS window on
the desktop, or it can have full use of the screen (running Windows
within the desktop can be a little confusing to say the least).
7.9
If you really want to keep the second processor slot free, there are
other ways of accessing the PC world.
7.9
The PC Emulator will work on the RiscáPC using a patch, which is
provided. Software emulation is quite slow and can only run DOS and not
Windows.
7.9
Aleph One have improved the design of their PC 486 card. This occupies a
standard podule slot and carries its own RAM, I/O hardware and now has a
built-in hard disc controller.
7.9
How öPC compatibleò is the 486 processor card? Ö The processor card will
give you access to Émostæ Windows and DOS software. The applications
that are unlikely to work are those which rely on a certain BIOS, or
which need to directly address hardware which is not present in the
RiscáPC. There are rumours of the development of an adaptor which will
allow standard PC ISA expansion cards to be fitted. The high performance
sound card being developed for the RiscáPC (a standard expansion card)
will provide support for Multimedia PC and Soundblaster audio.
7.9
How backwardly compatible is the RiscáPC with my existing hardware and
software? Ö The RiscáPC is shipped with an database (S-Base) application
called !Products which details the majority of hardware and software
products, whether they will work and what upgrades, if any, are needed
for full operation. The information can be looked up either by company
or product or by dragging on the relevant application.
7.9
Most podules (half width) will work but many will require updates,
either to the ROM, or the support software. Minipodules, that fit inside
the A30x0 and A4000, and full-width podules (such as the Acorn I/O card)
cannot be fitted. Some podules can only be fitted to the lower four
slots, as they did not anticipate the possibility of 8 slots.
7.9
Most applications will work, either as they are, or with an update.
7.9
Contact the product manufacturer if you have any concerns over
compatibility.
7.9
How do I expand the case and why would I want to do so? Ö The RiscáPC is
based on an open case system which allows you to expand quite easily.
The base (which houses the main board, processors, RAM, first hard disc
and power supply) and the lid remain unaffected by the number of slices
fitted in between. The addition of an extra slice gives you the space
for two more storage devices (one 3╜ö and one 5╝ò) and two more podules
(up to a maximum of eight). Along with the case slice itself, you will
receive longer locking pins (to hold the assembly together) and an
extended backplane for the podules, replacing the existing one. A
further option is replacing the 70W power supply (fitted to the ACB15
and 25) with a 100W version (standard on the ACB45) to ensure adequate
supply and cooling to any extra hardware.
7.9
Can I add extra floppy drives? Ö Much of the early press information
(our own included) omitted to mention floppy drives amidst all the
excitement of dual processors and ARM700s. All the RiscáPC models are
equipped with a single 1.6Mb (2Mb) 3╜ö floppy drive occupying the 3╜ò
drive bay in the first slice. There is currently no provision for adding
further floppy drives. We do not yet know if it is possible to daisy-
chain a second drive off the existing one.
7.9
Which monitors take advantage of the large, colourful desktops? Ö The
higher resolution screen modes do need a large, high quality monitor to
be viewed with reasonable clarity, particularly if you are going to be
working with text. The table below gives a summary of the specifications
of monitors that we currently recommend for use with the RiscáPC.
7.9
Can I buy a RiscáPC on credit? Ö NCS can offer credit (subject to
status), though Chartered Trust, over a variety of periods from 12
months to 60 months. Interest is charged at 2.14% monthly or 28.9% APR.
We can supply full written details for each particular purchase.
7.9
(If you are a teacher, lecturer, student, sixth former or education
support person, Acorn Assist also provides credit terms. See page 2 for
details of the latest scheme.)
7.9
What is the difference between DRAM and VRAM? Ö DRAM is Dynamic RAM
(Édynamicæ describes the way the data is retained electronically) and is
the ordinary RAM that has always been present in Acorn systems. The
memory used for the screen display has always been just an area of DRAM,
and VIDC shares the data path to the DRAM with the processor. The screen
is updated by VIDC reading the screen memory and outputting what it
reads to the monitor. The screen must be updated at a consistent rate,
otherwise there will be a disturbing flicker and Étearingæ of objects
moved around the screen. Therefore, if the processor wants to read or
write at the same time as VIDC is updating the screen, the processor
must wait. The higher the resolution and colour depth of the mode, the
more often this clash occurs, and the processor slows down by a
considerable amount. The VRAM (Video RAM) is dual-ported, i.e. the
processor uses the normal data bus while the VIDC has its own bus by
which it can access the RAM. This access can take place at the same time
as the processoræs access. So the processor can continue unhindered,
regardless of the size of the display.
7.9
Is 2Mb really the maximum amount of VRAM you can have? Ö There are
rumours of a 3Mb VRAM under construction but donæt really know the
implications of this but weæll keep you informed.
7.9
When will the other ARM processors be released? Ö The first processor
upgrade will be a faster ARM610 processor, probably near the end of
1994. The first ARM700 and FPA11 (floating point accelerator) will be
unlikely to appear before the first quarter of 1995.
7.9
Will PC CD-ROMs work at a sensible speed on the RiscáPC? Ö The
performance of PC CD-ROM access will be greatly improved. Text and
graphics will be accessible. We cannot confirm whether video sequences
will be retrievable until it has been tried.
7.9
Can the RiscáPC be mounted on its side? Ö The RiscáPC has been designed
to be either placed flat on a desktop, or stood on its side in what
Acorn call ÉTower modeæ. Feet are included to make the machine stable if
it is used as a tower. The feet can be moved so that they fit on the top
and bottom slices of an expanded system. All modern disc drives can now
happily operate on their sides, but CD-ROM drives that do not use
caddies to hold the discs will not be usable in tower mode because the
discs will fall out.
7.9
How can I network the RiscáPC? Ö Existing Ethernet and Acorn Access
cards will work in the podule slots of the RiscáPC. Econet modules
cannot be fitted. A special network slot is part of the main board
allowing you to fit either an Econet or Ethernet card without using a
podule slot. Acorn is likely to announce connectivity products to non-
Acorn networks in the near future.ááA
7.9
Some of the offers mentioned above, such as computers without monitors
and the SIMM swapping scheme, may alter as we adapt to the new RiscáPC
market. Also, the prices of monitors, SIMMs and other new hardware for
the RiscáPC may change (hopefully decreasing as the quantities
increase!) so it would be worth calling us before you place an order.
Ed.
7.9
New Processor From: 610 / 30 610 / 30 plus 700
/ 40 710 / 40 plus
7.9
ARM610 (more than 30MHz) ú75 Ö Ö Ö
7.9
ARM700 (40MHz) ú100 ú75 Ö Ö
7.9
ARM700 (more than 40MHz) ú125 ú100 ú75 Ö
7.9
ARM800 (standard speed) ú150 ú125 ú100 ú75
7.9
ARM800 (high performance) ú175 ú150 ú125 ú100
7.9
Manufacturer Acorn Acorn Taxan Eizo
7.9
Monitor AKF60 AKF85 1095LR 780iW
7.9
Size 14ö 17ò 20ö Trinitron 21ò FST
7.9
Dot pitch 0.28mm 0.27mm 0.30mm 0.26mm
7.9
ARF* 50 63 67 81
7.9
Scan frequency:
7.9
Horizontal 30-50kHz 30-82kHz 30-80kHz 45-100kHz
7.9
Vertical 40-90Hz 50-120Hz 50-120Hz 55-120Hz
7.9
Programmable No Yes Yes Yes
7.9
Weight 12.5kg 21kg 36kg 46kg
7.9
Price n/a n/a ú1995 ú3000
7.9
Price with RiscáPC included ú470 ú1745 ú2750
7.9
* ARF = ÉArchive Resolution Factoræ = (size in inches) / (dot pitch in
mm)!! This is only intended to give some way of measuring the relative
resolutions of these monitors and is not part of the official
specifications.
7.9
Multimedia Column
7.9
Paul Hooper
7.9
Risc PC and Multimedia
7.9
Acorn has made much in its advertising of the multimedia capabilities of
Risc PC. Certainly, the ability to have an integral CD-ROM drive, the
increases in sound capability and the use of Replay makes the machine
very attractive. Also, the dramatic increase in graphic display opens up
all sorts of new ways to use multimedia on such a machine. For the first
time, the whole world of PC multimedia will also be open to Acorn Users,
at a reasonable speed.
7.9
The question that immediately sprang to my mind was whether you could
author a Genesis application in the RISC environment and export it, in
the same box, into the PC version of Genesis. The answer appears to be a
qualified yes! Oak Solutions havenæt tried it yet but they see no reason
why it should not be possible. The trouble is that there are certain
resources and script that are specific to the Archimedes, even in
Genesis Professional. Graphics will be easy to convert using !Translator
and various other PD or Shareware programs. Plain text will be no
problem and drawfiles can be converted into sprites using the snapshot
facility in paint and then converted into BMP format. Sound samples can
also be converted fairly easily but what about Replay, Maestro, Ace
films and Euclid files? I presume that these will have to be converted
but quite how, I donæt yet know. Hopefully, Genesis SDK will have
solutions to these problems. As soon as I get some answers, I will let
you know.
7.9
Getting a response Ö Genesis
7.9
One of the things that impressed me about the applications in the
Horizon project was the way that the buttons used in some of the
applications were made to respond to the users clicking on them. For
instance, a click on a button caused it to emit a beep and appear to
Ésinkæ into the page. In Genesis, this is just a matter of setting up
two buttons within the same sprite window along with a sound sample.
Then you can use the script below to make the button respond:
7.9
DEF FRAME öNextPageò
7.9
SPRITE önext2pò
7.9
FGCOL 7
7.9
SIZE 128 96
7.9
ON SELECT BEGIN
7.9
SET RESOURCENAME OF öNextPageò To öNext2nò
7.9
PLAYSAMPLE öNoiseò
7.9
NEXT
7.9
CLOSE
7.9
END
7.9
END FRAME
7.9
The two sprites within the sprite window are Énext2pæ, the positive
version, and ÉNext2næ, the negative version. When the user clicks on the
button, the positive version is changed to the negative version, then a
sample is played and the next page is opened. With the size of both the
sprites and sound samples, it is best to save these in the shared
resources area. To give you some idea of how this works, there is the
start of an application on this monthæs disc which uses these buttons.
Also, included are the sprites, a sound sample and a Genesis button.
7.9
Magpie response
7.9
Magpie can also be made to respond to Éclicksæ. Due to the limitations
of the program, the sprite cannot be changed but a most satisfactory
Ébeepæ can be emitted. Due to the size of sound samples, it is best to
use a skeleton page for all the pages that you wish to beep. Create a
master page with the turn page icons (donæt use a sprite that has a mask
Ö the book or the raised arrows are best), then drop the sound sample
onto the page, position it over the icons and use the Éput to backæ tool
to put it under the icon. Now save your skeleton page. When you use it,
you will find that it beeps when the page turns. An example is on this
monthæs disc.
7.9
Key Author response
7.9
Having had Key Author for only a few weeks, one of the first jobs was to
convert all the Swap Shop applications to this format, so I have only
had a short time to explore the package. I can work out how to set up an
event which can play the sound sample, I can also set up a hotspot to
turn to the next page but, at the moment, I have failed to link the two
to provide a responsive button. If there is anyone who has the answer,
please write and let me know.
7.9
Genesis Professional
7.9
Yes, itæs finally here! Genesis Professional dropped through my letter
box while I was away at Harrogate and I have just had a quick try this
morning. Iæll do a review for next month but I thought I would answer a
few of the more important questions this month.
7.9
The restriction on the number of fonts has been lifted, so there will be
no more of the ÉMENU AREA FULLæ error messages. The user interface is
much friendlier and an Index application is included. All existing
applications created using Genesis Plus and II can be run by
Professional without any conversion. Genesis Professional applications
can only be run under the older versions of Genesis if they do not use
the new features, but the new version of !Browser will allow you to run
them and, as it is PD, there should be few problems.
7.9
The new manual is excellent and covers all the features including the
new script language, so there will be no separate Script Language book.
More on this next month.
7.9
CableNews II
7.9
I always thought there was much potential in the CableNews program but
its linear format precludes its use as a serious multimedia program.
Lindis are going to release a new version which will be able to include
Éhotspotsæ and a new version of the viewer which will enable you to
create a Étreeæ structure rather than the present linear style. All the
normal file types can be used, including Replay. The professional look
which can be created with CableNews must make it a serious contender in
the multimedia market. The pre-release version, which was on show at
Harrogate, certainly shows great potential.
7.9
Free software
7.9
A number of people have written to me asking about the Swap Shop
applications. The most frequently asked question is do I require a copy
of Genesis/Magpie/Key Author to run them? The answer is that virtually
all the applications can be run without owning the relevant package. All
that is required is the appropriate reader program which, because they
are all PD, can be provided at the same time. The only thing you will
not be able to do is to alter the application and, in some cases, you
will not be able to export the resources within the package.
7.9
Although I called it the ÉSwap Shopæ, there is actually no obligation to
swap! If you have never thought about multimedia or have wondered what
itæs all about, then just send me a few blank, formatted discs, the
return postage and I can provide you with a catalogue and a few sample
applications to try out. Again, if there is any school in the Norfolk
area who would like me to come along and demonstrate multimedia or the
differences between the three programs, all you have to do is give me a
ring. The only cost involved would be my expenses.
7.9
With nearly forty applications in the Swap Shop catalogue, this is a
useful resource that is available to all Archive readers free of charge.
7.9
The Swap Shop
7.9
We have added the following applications to the Swap Shop, The Romans
and The Vikings both by Dave Walsh, Manned Space Exploration by Paul
Hooper, Woodland by Gill Murphy, and Smarties, Neighbours, Churches2,
and Beginning all from Hampshire Microtechnology Centre. All are Genesis
format at the moment, but I hope to convert them to Magpie soon. I have
now finished converting 1665 into Key Author format and Iæve started on
a few others.
7.9
At the moment, I have yet to receive any applications in Key Author
format, so if you have done one please let me have a copy.
7.9
The End Bit
7.9
If you have any question about Genesis, Magpie or Key Author, or if you
would like a copy of the catalogue, please write to Paul Hooper, 11
Rochford Road, Martham, Great Yarmouth, NR29 4RL (0493-748474).ááA
7.9
JPEG Column
7.9
Stuart Bell
7.9
MPEG versus !Replay ù or is it?
7.9
Following on from my expression of concern that !Replay could become
commercially out-gunned by the industry-standard MPEG moving video
format, I received a most helpful letter from a correspondent who had a
long chat with an Acorn representative at the recent BETT æ94 show. He
hasnæt asked me not to give his name, but just in case the Acorn chap
said more than he had meant to, I wonæt name my source.
7.9
When asked about Acornæs attitude to MPEG, it was revealed that in
örecent discussions with Roger (Wilson)ò they had allocated part of the
Replay budget to research into including the MPEG codec (codingáùáde-
coding) in Replay.
7.9
We should remember, said the Acorn man, that Replay is not a closed
system, nor a single way of doing digital video. Rather, itæs an
architecture into which new technologies can be fitted. Itæs a service
provider, rather than a specific way-of-doing-things.
7.9
With regard to the new MPEG chip-sets which are now available, and being
incorporated into MPEG boards for (amongst others) PC-compatibles and
Amigas, Acorn expect that, at some time in the future, such technologies
will be available on a RISC OS machine, but probably not from Acorn
themselves. If a machine has a third-party MPEG card, Replay will
recognise and use it. The client application that calls the Replay
routines will not have to worry about what hardware is available and
what is not. Even an ARM 7 powered machine will not have the power to do
real-time multi-tasking MPEG decoding in software, so a hardware MPEG
solution will be necessary.
7.9
My interpretation of all this is that Acorn are aware that MPEG will be
increasingly important, and that they must not let themselves be cut off
from such an industry standard. Replay will incorporate the MPEG codec
at some stage, and the issue of !Replay versus MPEG will become
irrelevant. Thanks to my correspondent. Any other comments or news from
other sources would be most welcome.
7.9
!FYEO2 will blow your socks off!
7.9
A while back, I mentioned that Frank Lyonnet was working on a new
version of öFor Your Eyes Onlyò, the fastest JPEG decompression
application available for Acorn machines. !FYEO2 is now complete and
itæs even better than the original version.
7.9
Just to summarise the improvements, output can be scaled to cope with
both high and normal resolution monitors (thus avoiding the Éstretchingæ
I previously reported); output can be colour or grey scale; output can
be scaled to any size ù yes any size; dithering can be öFloyd-Steinbergò
(best results, slowest processing), simple, or disabled (very fast, but
some strange colours). FYEO2 now uses version 4 of the Independent JPEG
Group routines and it runs about 35ù40% faster than !FYEO1, which was
already the fastest de-JPEGer around. Finally, as expected, !FYEO2 is
not PD but shareware. You can use it freely for two weeks, but if you
want to use it after that, you should get a registered copy from the
author. The cost is just ú5, so itæs a bargain! To compare it with my
previous results, here are three sets of timings, using the best quality
dithering setting for !FYEO2. (The !ImageBank times are for version
0.46. A faster version is imminent ù see below.)
7.9
Image !FYEO1 !I-Bank !FYEO2
7.9
Pfieffer (472╫647) 31s 52s 20s
7.9
Rock (668╫888) 67s 130s 40s
7.9
In my test of !Image-Bank, I concluded that its relative slowness
(partly a consequence of its ability to handle 16bpp and 24bpp sprites)
was outweighed by its facility to store thumb-nail copies of each JPEGed
image in a filing system. Now, the extra speed offered by !FYEO2 demands
that any comparative conclusions be re-assessed. After all, !FYEO2 is
about three times the speed of !ImageBank version 0.46.
7.9
I wondered, therefore, if it might be possible to simulate the thumb-
nail facility offered by !ImageBank. The answer is quite simple: Use the
Éscale to fitæ option of !FYEO2 to create small sprites Éfit toæ about
100╫80 pixels. (If time is of the essence, switch off dithering at the
same time.) Save the first thumb-nail view in its own sprite file,
change the filename to something sensible like Éthumbnailsæ, and then
load it into !Paint to change the sprite name from Épictureæ to the JPEG
filename. For subsequent JPEG images, use !FYEO2 to produce the small
sprites as before, and then save them directly from !FYEO2 into !Paintæs
sprite file window of the thumbnail file, again changing sprite names as
applicable. Voilα! A pseudo-ImageBank thumb-nail filing system, at
shareware prices.
7.9
Please be clear, Iæm not writing off ImageBank. My DIY thumb-nail system
is not quite as simple to use, does not maintain information about the
images, and will only work with 8bpp sprites. (16bpp and 24bpp sprite
handling is in the yet-to-be-implemented category as far as !FYEO2 is
concerned.) Also, !ImageBank will compress sprites into JPEG format,
whereas !FYEO, being only a decompression application, must be used with
a compression package such as JPEGit. But, most users need to decompress
JPEG files far more frequently than they need to produce them and
!FYEO2/!Paint does have a considerable speed advantage!
7.9
A screen-grab of my DIY thumb-nail JPEG filing system, using !FYEO2 and
!Paint. Compare it with the screen-grabs printed with the !ImageBank
review in the April JPEG column (7.7 p44).
7.9
Get your copy of !FYEO2
7.9
Eventually, I will put !FYEO2, the demo version of the new !ImageBank,
and some JPEG images on a new Archive shareware disc. In the mean time,
if you want !FYEO2 now, itæs available (I have Frankæs permission) on
the usual Ésend me a blank disc with a label and return postageæ basis.
But I will add two conditions. Firstly, by asking for !FYEO2, you
promise to register with Frank if you use it after the two week trial
period. Secondly, you agree to run, for the JPEG Column, a simple
benchmark decompression using !FYEO2, and to return the results to me by
post. It will take less than 5 minutes, and should enable us to compare
the CPU-memory performance of the whole range of Acorn machines.
(RiscáPC users will be very welcome!) Please ask for the !FYEO2 disc,
and write to 23 Ryecroft Drive, Horsham, RH12 2AW, with jiffy bag, 800Kb
disc, return label and stamp.
7.9
Better, faster, !ImageBank
7.9
Announced recently was a new version of this excellent package which I
reviewed in the April JPEG column. Conversation with a very helpful
person at Irlam Instruments confirmed that it should be out soon and I
was promised a review copy as soon as it is, so watch this space. Faster
decompression of JPEG files is a major feature.
7.9
JPEG and the new RiscáPC
7.9
When Iæd recovered from the amazing news about the new RiscáPC ù amazing
because Acorn have got some sensibly low prices to match the high
technology ù I noticed that RISC OS 3.5 is distributed with 100 JPEG
images (Archive 7.8 p16). This suggests a developing Acorn interest in
JPEG, but I must add that Matthew would have been far better off using
!FYEO rather than !ChangeFSI for the image decompression (unless, of
course, !ChangeFSI is much improved with RISC OS 3.5). Perhaps he
doesnæt read this column?
7.9
OneFor94
7.9
Finally, just in case you were interested in this algorithm which I
mentioned last time, please remember that OneFor94 = 1ù4ù94 = 1st April
1994, that Lars Fiol÷p = April F÷ols (anag.), and that this allegedly
super new JPEG algorithm was mentioned in the April issue of Archive.
Thanks to John Woodgate (Archive 7.8 p34) for a most illuminating and
musical comment from his Russian cousin about this matter.
7.9
Thatæs all until the next column ù probably in the August issue ù when I
hope that the manner in which Impression Publisher handles JPEG files
will be clearer, simply because the column will have been written using
that package. I can but hope!ááA
7.9
Hardware Column
7.9
Brian Cowan
7.9
So, at long last, we have concrete information about the önew machineò.
Much could have been predicted; we knew about the VIDC20 and its
consequences for high-quality video, and news of the IOMD chip was
trickling around. This chip connects to an industry standard (i.e. used
in PCs) peripheral controller for management of floppy disc, hard disc,
etc., similar to that used in the A5000 range. The IOMD also manages the
machineæs RAM as well as providing the high-speed interface to an
optional second CPU.
7.9
This much we knew but although there is more information available, in
the last issue of Archive and its special supplement, there are still
some questions unanswered and some general points which are worth
considering. What I mean is that there are questions which I have, and I
think that other people might be wondering the same things. Perhaps some
answers might appear as a result.
7.9
Happy or sad?
7.9
I am sure the reaction of some people to the launch of the RiscáPC will
be one of disappointment! After all, their pride and joy, for which they
have eagerly saved their pennies, has become obsolete at a stroke. Even
those enthusiasts fortunate enough to have been able to update their
hardware with MEMC1a, ARM3, more RAM, high density disc drive, video
card, etc. have reached the end of the road. But take heart. The new
machines are only approximately twice as fast as the A5000 computers. To
my mind that is no big deal Ö I would worry if the new machines were ten
times faster.
7.9
The other point is software obsolescence. From now on, software houses
will be devoting their energies to producing programs for the new
machines. It is not immediately clear what sort of software
compatibility there will be between the new and the old machines. There
are fundamental differences between the operation of the ARM3 and the
later ARM CPUs. New software will obviously exploit the superior
hardware of the new machines but I hope compatibility with the older
machines will also be possible.
7.9
The new machines run RISC OS 3.5. How close is this to RISC OS 3.1? We
really must find out about compatibility. I think the first hint of this
should be from Computer Concepts: will there be separate versions of
Impression Publisher for the new and old machines, or will the same
version work on both? This, I believe, is a key question. (The answer is
in the RiscáPC Column on page 11. Ed.)
7.9
PC compatibility
7.9
At the launch of the Archimedes machines, I think that Acorn regarded
öPC compatibilityò as an alien concept. After all, if Apple could become
a success by using superior technology (68xxx as opposed to 80xxx
processors) then why not Acorn, with the infinitely superior ARM? Well,
it was not to be. Although the Apple Macintosh was a success, that
company now realises the importance of PC compatibility and, of course,
the (68xxx-based) NeXT cube never really took on, for all its technical
superiority. The 80xxx/DOS/Windows PC might be an example of marketing
triumphing over technology, but it is here to stay.
7.9
Readers with a good memory will recall that, in the early days of the
Archimedes, we were promised a PC card from Acorn. The software PC
emulator was an interesting and particularly clever piece of programming
but no-one would pretend it was suitable for serious use. So it was with
disappointment that we learned that Acorn had decided to abandon the
project. Then followed the abortive episodes of Mach Technology and
Watford Electronics, both of whose advertised PC card projects never
reached completion. Thank goodness for Aleph One! Was Acorn taken by
surprise with the success of the Aleph One PC cards? It was certainly a
sensible move on Acornæs part to commission Aleph One to build a cut-
down PC card for the new A3000 range and the A4000 range machines.
7.9
With two-processor operation, a decision must be made about how many
resources will be shared and how many not. Thus, with the original PC
cards (and the Tube of the old BBC computers) each CPU had its own RAM,
but shared floppy disc, hard disc and keyboard/screen I/O. Aleph Oneæs
new Archimedes PC cards provide all this but they also allow the PC card
to have dedicated hard disc and floppy disc. This will be very useful
because of the speed bottleneck in transferring data across the
interface bus. This is particularly important when running memory-hungry
Windows and its virtual memory system.
7.9
With the RiscáPC, the philosophy has changed. The IOMD allows such fast
data transfer that not only is it feasible for processors to share hard
and floppy discs, but RAM can also be shared. So the PC second processor
card contains only the PC CPU and clock together with the öglueò ASIC.
7.9
The RiscáPC publicity states that the PC card contains a 486SX. This
chip has a 16-bit external data bus whereas the full 486DX chip has a
32-bit external data bus and a built-in floating point unit. This is
disappointing because, compared to the power of the ARM600/700, the PC
power is limited by using only a 486SX. I certainly hope that the IOMD
CPU interface can support full 32-bit operation. Then perhaps a 486DX
processor card will become available.
7.9
However, I assume the older-style PC cards will continue to be available
and, with the dedicated RAM and discs, it might well be the preferable
option for optimum PC performance.
7.9
Apple PowerPC
7.9
As mentioned above, the Apple PowerPC can run DOS applications. However,
there is a fundamental distinction between that machine and the Acorn
RiscáPC. The Apple machine does not use an actual 80xxx CPU to run DOS.
The claim is that the PowerPC can run DOS Édirectlyæ, which really means
that a software emulator is used.
7.9
The review in the PCW (May 1994, page 332) says that it is an emulation
of the 286 instruction set and that Insignia, the authors of
SoftWindows, as it is called, claim that öon a PowerMac, it will run at
the speed of a slow 486SX or a fast 386ò but they donæt say which Power
Mac they are talking about. The cheapest way to run Windows on a
PowerMac is to buy the 6100/60 with SoftWindows costing ú2019 inc VAT,
without a monitor, keyboard or mouse, which runs at 60MHz. For the 80MHz
version (8100/80), you will have to fork out ú4980 inc VAT and then buy
a monitor, keyboard and mouse. (These are PCWæs quoted prices.) Compare
this with an ACB25 upgraded to 16Mb Ö more memory than really needed for
the PC card Ö at ú2005 inc VAT which includes a real 486 chip, and a 14ö
monitor. The only extra would be a copy of Windows which is not included
with the PC processor.
7.9
Also, Insignia recommend that you do not try to run SoftWindows on a
machine of less than 16Mb and, even then, you wonæt be able to run much
else besides. This is because, according to PCW (May 1994, page 332) the
operating system needs 3Mb+ and Insignia suggest that you allocate the
emulator 12Mb of memory partition (real RAM, not virtual memory). So if
you want to multitask SoftWindows with another Apple package, you will
need a machine with a minimum of 24Mb RAM.
7.9
The undeniable fact is that the 386/486 and Pentium processors are the
ones around which DOS and Windows is based, so it must make sense to use
them to run such software rather than try to emulate them.
7.9
The future
7.9
The ARM philosophy leads most naturally to macro-cell integration, more
so than with other CPU families. If, as mentioned last month, plans are
afoot for integration of ARM6/7/8 together with the VIDC20 and IOMD, we
may look forward to cheaper, smaller machines of comparable power and
maybe even a portable!
7.9
CPU-independence
7.9
The trend is towards operating systems which are not specific to a
particular CPU family. Unix is a good example of this, as is Windows NT.
The ideal is to have a small kernel of code written for the specific
computer hardware, with the software sitting on top of this. Only in
that way will the Intel/Microsoft stranglehold on the computer industry
be broken. If/when that happens, the RiscáPC will be in an even stronger
position.ááA
7.9
DataVision Ö A Relational Database
7.9
Eric Ayers
7.9
DataVision (v.1.3) from Silicon Vision is listed as a relational
database management system. It comes on a single disc, with a
comprehensive loose-leaf manual and costs ú93 from NCS. I am not
competent to compare it with later relational databases such as Squirrel
or S-Base, but will try to set out what DataVision is and can do.
7.9
Once you leave the iconbar Éshellæ menu, the program ceases to be
multitasking, takes over the whole screen, and eschews Desktop menu
conventions etc. However, the submenus, are for the most part, clear and
intuitive, though the occasional non-obvious feature demands recourse to
the manual.
7.9
There are really four fairly distinct parts to the program, all accessed
via the main menu. They are the database manager proper (DBM from now
on), a wordprocessor (WP), a Report Writer and Enquiry Language (RWEL)
and a ready-made application called ÉFinancial Accountantæ (FA) which is
probably comprehensive and powerful enough to serve many small
businesses or clubs.
7.9
What is a database?
7.9
A database is a collection of one or more tables, each divided into
fields. The data in a record takes the form of a set of values or
attributes arrayed under the appropriate field headings. DataVision
allows up to 999 fields per table, with only the available memory
restricting the number of records, each up to 254745 characters in
length, with a maximum of 255 in each field.
7.9
The functions of a DBM include creating such tables and the design of
(screen) entry forms with definitions for each field of title, size, and
the data type allowed in it (e.g. Alpha, Numeric, Date, etc). Actual
data entry is into these forms, and it is possible to apply validation
restrictions on what will be accepted (e.g. range of numerics, etc). The
DBMS must also, of course, provide for accessing and manipulating the
entered data in various ways.
7.9
In a flatfile database, each table is an independent set of data. A
relational database allows a number of tables to be linked (related) in
such a way that entries in one may update another, for example. It
should also be possible to interrogate such a database for data drawn
from, and with conditions dependent on, more than one table. (An
obviously necessary condition is that tables to be related must have at
least one Ékeyæ field in common which contains only unique, non-
repeated, data values.)
7.9
The Database Manager
7.9
The DataVision DBM allows the creation and editing of tables and entry
forms, including validation of data entries (default values, numeric
range checks, etc). Field types include alphanumeric, capital alpha,
multiple-choice (1-16 allowable entries selected from a specifiable
menu), logical (Y/N), date, time, integer, real and formula:
inappropriate entries are refused. The value in a formula field is not
entered directly, but is evaluated Ö most Basic functions and
expressions can be used in a formula, plus several date and time
statements.
7.9
The number, titles and sizes of fields, and the data values in
individual records may be modified at any time. A group update may be
applied to all records in a field (e.g. for VAT rate changes). The DBM
also provides for browsing a table, sorting on any field and reporting
to screen, printer or file of selected fields in any order. A table may
be interrogated for entries meeting up to ten logically related
conditions, and the query can be saved for re-use. Labels may also be
created from specified fields.
7.9
The facilities listed above are essentially those required for a good
flatfile database. The DBM also allows four types of relations to be set
up between specified fields in pairs of tables (defined as Parent and
Child): Insert Child value in Parent, Write Parent value to Child, Add
Parent value to Child and Subtract Parent value from Child. Up to 99
related files may be in use simultaneously. Such relations could update
a stock record from entries into sales and purchase ledgers for
instance. However, they are operative only as entries are made, and
their effects are not updated by later modification operations, nor will
they take account of formula-evaluated quantities. Equally, relational
updates do not cause re-evaluation of formula fields. The DBM does not
provide for the multiple-table enquiry and reporting operations
described above. For this the RWEL (see below) has to be used, entailing
some programming.
7.9
The wordprocessor
7.9
A fairly basic wordprocessor is also available from the main menu. It
has a range of functions accessible via the keystrip but has, for
example, no cut-and-paste facilities. It can be used to generate scripts
for RWEL, and it also offers mail-merge for multiple document printing
by linkage to an addresses file in the main database. The output is,
however, limited to native printer fonts Ö there is no access to RISC OS
outline fonts.
7.9
The report writer and enquiry language
7.9
Also available from the main menu and taking over the whole screen, the
RWEL has a syntax not unlike a rather basic Basic, with no PROCs, FNs or
FOR-NEXT for example. It does have IF-THEN and WHILE-ENDWHILE, but most
programming inevitably requires use of GOTO. There are 35 numeric and 35
string variables, but no meaningful names. They are identified simply as
&1 to &35 and $1 to $35, so the programmer has to keep track of what
they are used for. It has, of course, means of searching for, extracting
and printing data items identified by table, field and record, and has
date, time, arithmetic and string manipulations. It can accept keyboard
entries at run time and can define keypresses to jump to appropriate
code fragments. With some programming effort, the RWEL can be made to
provide multi-table (relational type) interrogation and reporting, and
programs written to meet specific applications can be saved and loaded.
FA (below) is one such.
7.9
The Financial Accountant
7.9
The distribution disc holds the necessary files for this application,
which can be opened from the main iconbar menu. The FA provides for
processing, maintenance, enquiries and reports of data under three main
headings: Sales Ledger + Stock Control, Purchase Ledger + Stock Control
and Nominal Ledger. The whole complex of tables is relationally linked
and is controlled by programs written in the RWEL. Topics such as
invoicing, credit notes, VAT, profit analysis, aged debtors and mail-
merge are covered. To me as an utter idiot in accounting matters, it
appears comprehensive Ö the only major area not covered is payroll.
7.9
Integrity
7.9
Maintaining the integrity of a database involves control of access,
consistency in entry formats, and avoidance of data corruption by human
error or carelessness. Some protection is provided by the entry
validation facilities mentioned earlier, but no database can cope with
plausible but erroneous data. Password protection could probably be
written with RWEL, but there appears to be no bar to entry of amendments
which could leave related tables out-of-step.
7.9
Conclusions
7.9
This program is a versatile and powerful database manager, albeit non-
WIMP, with useful but limited relational capabilities. If you need an
accounting package, the Éready-to-goæ Financial Accountant application
could help to justify the price. A Éplusæ is that the discs are not
copy-protected, and a DEMO disc is available to try out most of the
features.ááA
7.9
Lindis
7.9
New artwork
7.9
LOOKsystems
7.9
From 7.8 page 25
7.9
ArtWorks Column
7.9
Trevor Sutton
7.9
I would, first of all, like to say how much I enjoyed the Norwich
Computer Services Open Day. I was delighted to talk with readers and
although I didnæt spend a great amount of time discussing ArtWorks,
there were plenty of other puzzles and problems to try to solve.
7.9
On my return home, I found AW version 1.5 waiting for me on the mat. So
this is where we kick off.
7.9
Version 1.5 Ö At last!
7.9
This version has been a long time coming and we have perhaps begun to
expect something special after waiting. Well, there are certainly some
changes for which we should be very grateful.
7.9
In my very first column, I discussed the problem arising when selecting
a new font and then working with it. The chosen font can now be used
immediately rather than having to select and change after having typed
some text. However, the size can only be changed once text has been
displayed. The font size defaults to 32pt for new text. I have not used
this new version enough to decide whether this is a benefit or a
disadvantage.
7.9
ÉDeep colouræ sprites and TIFF graphics can now be displayed in AW and
it seems that the printing difficulties described in my last column have
been corrected.
7.9
Thanks to John Hollier for letting me know that CC were aware of the
problem and that the Turbo Drivers were a solution. He will now have his
copy of AW1.5 and I expect will be pleased about the font handling. I
thank him also for his concern about my ailing monitor. It is now back
from Acorn, fixed with several new parts, an extended guarantee and at
no cost. That makes up for the long wait.
7.9
New preference options
7.9
A Quick-start for AW is a throwback to version 1.1 and speeds up loading
by installing a limited number of modules. This will be a help for
network users.
7.9
New text can be made to default to black. This avoids the occasional
invisible text when a white fill has been selected.
7.9
New objects can take on the most recent attributes. This is Draw-like
and is useful, particularly as an option. However, I have discovered
that if an open shape is drawn and filled using the options in the Line/
shape info box (using <shift-f1>) it defaults to black. Perhaps this too
could be useful.
7.9
Finally, the option to remove the page shadow has been included. I am
really glad about that one!
7.9
As expected, several improvements have been made to the printer output,
particularly for CMYK colour printers such as the BJC600/800. I would be
delighted if someone would try out some prints to these printers and let
me know the results.
7.9
New options when clicking on the close icon have been included and this
will prevent that irritating build up of documents. It is now easy to
choose whether or not to save, discard or retain a file when clicking on
the close icon.
7.9
Also, the default selected tool can be chosen. I like the magnifier Ö
how about you?
7.9
So, we do have some useful improvements. There is still greater support
for colour printing and PostScript options, but are some of the other
changes just bug fixes? We will need something very significant in
ArtWorks 2 if we are to feel happy about spending more on an upgrade.
What would you really like to see? Many people seem to want rulers, so
CC really do need to look closely at developments from 4Mation with
Vector. Feedback at Acorn World 93 suggested that there is a divided
user base. Price plays a part, but many Draw+ devotees have always felt
happier with Vector.
7.9
Well thatæs enough of my moaning. I promised you some really positive
ArtWorking and so here it is.
7.9
ArtWorking from life
7.9
Ian Gow, from Durham, has used Draw for many years. Like me, he was
delighted with the improvements in RISC OS 3 Draw (Version 0.88, we
canæt wait for Version 1.0). Much of his work was of a technical nature,
particularly in the production of physics information and work sheets.
7.9
To relax and in contrast, he paints in watercolours. So I am delighted
that he tried AW as a medium for painting instead of computer-aided
design. With very little practice, he produced this glass of water (he
told me it was water) drawn from a real one on the computer bench.
7.9
Having spent some considerable time, recently, with the AW Clipart CD,
Ianæs work would have justified a place alongside some of the more
imaginative work. Especially when we see the contortions of his glass.
7.9
Though AW is not the most convenient medium for life drawing, these
examples demonstrate the potential for making vivid and exciting images.
Iæve just printed the files to a Canon BJC-600 (thanks to Cath
Stevenson) and the images are most impressive.
7.9
Perhaps Ian could borrow an A4 and get himself out into the countryside
and sketch some of Durhamæs wonderful countryside!
7.9
Ianæs comments about AW were very favourable, particularly the ease and
speed with which he grasped the tools and the intuitive nature of AWæs
line and shade handling. Thanks to him for his pictures and his
observations. I think we have got another convert.
7.9
DEC_dATA ArtWorks Resource Disc
7.9
Perhaps the most useful file on this very reasonably priced disc (ú8.95
+ VAT) is the ClearView file which provides a detailed and easy-to-use
help file for AW. PC Windows users will find a familiarity with this
type of help file. I would like to see this with all RISC OS software,
as I have always found it to be a great strength of the PC. Impression
Style is the first package which really implements this approach.
7.9
There are a few moulds, perspectives and decorative motifs (see below Ö
I like the little acorns). Also included are key strips and key press
charts. A few sample clipart files are there to whet your appetite and a
file of Édifficult to drawæ stars.
7.9
Perhaps the strangest inclusion is a directory of four gears (again
difficult to draw!).
7.9
Coda
7.9
I have spent the last couple of weeks exploring the ArtWorks Clipart CD.
I think Iæve looked at every one of the 703 AW files, some of them
solely in the Portfolio application, which gives thumbnail views, while
some of them I have printed from AW.
7.9
I will say more about them in my next column but I was struck by the
incredible variety of inclusions and, because they were created by a
host of different ArtWorkers, they show a vast range of approaches and
techniques.
7.9
Though you may only use a few in your DTP work, I hope to demonstrate
how you can learn from this vast resource.ááA
7.9
LOOKsystems
7.9
From 7.8 page 26
7.9
Oak Solutions
7.9
From 7.8 page 6
7.9
A Comparison of C and Fortran
7.9
Francis Crossley
7.9
I hope Francis realises what he is taking on here! Anyone brave enough
to pronounce on the relative merits of two computer languages is setting
himself up to be shot down by those with strong views on the subject.
Any comments to Francis, please, not me! Ed.
7.9
When a compiled language is to be bought, the first problem is to decide
which one is the most suitable. Some have been designed for special
purposes such as Logo, Lisp, for database querying etc and, for these,
the choice is fairly clear because of the sparsity of competition. For
general purposes, however, there are several languages available such as
Pascal, C, Fortran, Forth and, dare I say it, compiled Basic? This
article concentrates on a comparison between Acorn ANSI C and Acorn
Fortran release 2 for scientific programming. I have not included
Pascal, although it is a popular language, because most of what can be
done in Fortran can be done in Pascal and I do not think that it is used
as much as Fortran for scientific work. ANSI C is the version which
conforms to the standards set by the American National Standards
Institute and, for portability, is the version which is preferable.
7.9
General comparison
7.9
Being realistic, one of the first properties of interest when buying a
language is the price Ö although it ought not to be! Archive prices are:
7.9
Å ANSI-C release 3 Ö ú148
7.9
Å Acorn Desktop C Ö ú240
7.9
Å Fortran 77 Ö ú110
7.9
Å Front end for Fortran 77 Ö ú28 (provides
7.9
áááádesktop access)
7.9
Å Cambridge Pascal Ö ú77
7.9
Now we must examine the operational differences. Fortran was designed
for scientific purposes and contains a large number of mathematical
functions, although nothing to help with matrix manipulation or
graphics. To provide these and other deficiencies, extra libraries of
functions are required. C is no different in this respect.
7.9
Fortran contains some concessions to structured design but has no
composite data types or other data structures.
7.9
Speed of compilation and execution are important and I have found no
major differences between Fortran and C when using the Archimedes. Using
a PC some years back, when compiling a C program, there was time to make
a cup of coffee before the computer had finished! The difference was
almost certainly due to the compiler in use. Examine the comparisons of
Basic compilers in past issues of Archive to prove this point. (This
start in Archive 2.1 p8 and rumbled on as far as 2.12 p43.)
7.9
Let me first of all give you some comparisons and similarities of
particular aspects.
7.9
Types of variables and their sizes
7.9
Both languages provide a range of variable types, integers, reals,
character, string and logical. Integers and reals can be 4 or 8 byte in
Fortran but C permits 2 and 4 byte integers, unsigned integers and 4 and
8 byte reals. Variables must be defined with their type in C but this is
optional in Fortran, which has an implicit naming convention but not one
as inconvenient as that used in Basic (a% for an integer etc). Arrays in
one or more dimensions are available in both languages. C assumes that
the lowest index will be 0 and requires the number of elements to be
given, Fortran is better in that either the range of indices can be
given or the number of elements (starting at 1). This facility is often
useful because a problem may naturally have an index starting at 0
whilst another problem would prefer it to start at 1. This ability can
be achieved in C by defining arrays in terms of pointers (see later) and
building a set of utilities for defining the types of arrays needed.
7.9
The same memory location can be used for different variables at
different times. This is called Éunionæ in C and Éequivalenceæ in
Fortran. The programmer must be very clear what variable is using the
space at any time Ö reading a real value when an integer has just been
stored does not help maintain sanity!
7.9
Control structures
7.9
Loop control structures are the mainstay of structured programming, and
both languages have a reasonable supply. A loop with a predefined number
of iterations is available (Basic FOR loop) as is a loop with the
condition tested at the beginning (Basic WHILE) but one with the test at
the end (Basic REPEAT) is not present in Fortran. The IF.. ELSE..ENDIF
and an IF..ELSE IF..ELSE..ENDIF structures are present, known to the
Fortran programmer as the Éblock ifæ.
7.9
Fortran has a strange structure called the Éarithmetic ifæ which jumps
to one of three locations depending on the result of a test being less
then, equal to or greater than zero. This brings in a command which is
supposed to be virtually illegal, I refer to GOTO! It is available in C
as well as in Fortran and has its uses, but it does muddy the visible
flow of control because it is not clear from where and why we came to
this point. Comments in the program could solve this problem.
7.9
Two other types of GOTO in Fortran are: computed GOTO and assigned GOTO,
both carrying lack of clarity with them. C has a Éswitchæ structure
(CASE in Basic) for choosing between a number of alternatives, a
suitable arrangement of IF-type statements will do the job just as well.
The differences between C and Fortran seem to be very few so far,
particularly if a loop with the test at the end is not a significant
loss.
7.9
Input and output
7.9
C and Fortran use commands to control exactly how information is output
to the screen. The format control in C, I think, is easier to understand
than that used in Fortran. The format statements in either language
permit a wide range of presentations. For input from the keyboard, the
format controls how the character will be interpreted, as string,
integer or real. Fortran also has a list-directed output in which the
computer decides how the output will appear on the screen. This is very
convenient because if a format specification is given and the value to
be output does not fit, only a string of asterisks will appear, not
helpful! In spite of a comment that i/o in C is primitive, I believe it
is quite satisfactory.
7.9
Writing to a file can be performed either as formatted or binary data in
both languages. Formatted data can be displayed on the screen or
printer, it is also known as ASCII; binary data does not make sense when
shown on the screen and it can produce nasty side effects! In C, a file
is opened for writing or reading but how the data is written is decided
at the time it is written. Fortran expects the file to be opened for a
particular type of access. Two forms of file access exist in Fortran,
sequential and direct. A sequential file is simply a long line of data,
but with direct access, any item can be read without reading all the
preceding items first. The concepts of sequential and direct access do
not exist in C, although similar effects can be obtained if required.
7.9
Subprograms
7.9
Functions returning a value, and subroutines which can change values in
an array, can be used in both languages. They can be written as part of
the main program or as separate files to be compiled and linked in
later.
7.9
Facilities only in C
7.9
Composite data types Ö C has the ability to group a number of data
types, integer, reals, characters etc, so that they can be regarded as
one entity. Fortran does this, in a limited way, with its intrinsic
Écomplexæ type (not in C!). In C, you could define a structure called
Édateæ which contains the month, day, year as follows:
7.9
STRUCT date {month ;
7.9
int day ;
7.9
int year;
7.9
} today ;
7.9
Étodayæ is an entity of type date, to assign values one can write:
7.9
today.month=4;
7.9
today.day=12 ;
7.9
today.year=1994;
7.9
The types in the structure do not need to be the same, so there could be
a fourth entry, say Éfloat credit ;æ, used perhaps, to show your day to
day wealth! I am not sure where this would be useful in a scientific
program.
7.9
C also has a data type permitting individual bits in a byte to have
their own significance, e.g. as flags.
7.9
Defining types Ö In C, you can rename the basic types of variables,
integer etc, so that the name is more suitable for the job that the
variable is doing, e.g. Écounteræ could be defined as integer, but now
Édaycounteræ, Éweekcounteræ would be of type Écounteræ. Again, I am
unsure of the value of this facility in scientific work. You can also
limit the legal range of values that these öenumeratedò variables can
have so that Édaycounteræ could have only the values 0 to 6, or a flag
could be defined to have the values Étrueæ or Éfalseæ. Clearly, this is
advantageous for checking the validity of data being input.
7.9
A very nice technique allows you to combine several variables and then
to treat them as vectors. This is neater than the STRUCT system
described above.
7.9
TYPEDEF STRUCT {x ;
7.9
double y;
7.9
} point ; Point has been defined to
7.9
consist of a pair of values.
7.9
point origin,maximum ;
7.9
Values can be assigned as follows:
7.9
origin={0 .0,0.0} ;
7.9
maximum={20 .0,20.0} ;
7.9
This can be used for other useful types such as complex numbers, polar
coordinates, etc.
7.9
A facility which would be useful in Fortran is the ability to add file
names to the command line Ö easily done in C. A command could then be of
the form ö fft dat.mydataò. Meaning: perform a Fourier Transform on the
data in file Édat.mydataæ.
7.9
A few more facilities only in C are öregister variablesò, which the
programmer wants kept in registers for speed of use Ö oddly enough, the
assignment is not guaranteed. In operating systems, it is useful to be
able to claim extra memory at run time and commands are available in C
for this purpose. Bitwise logical operations are also possible in C such
as AND, OR, EXOR and Complement and shift left or right. Shifting and
adding is a quick way of multiplying by certain values. C also has
pointers which are missing in Fortran. A pointer is the address of an
entity, familiar to Acorn Basic users in the É?æ operator. Pointers are
a useful way of accessing elements in an array and are used in C when
dealing with character arrays. Many results from functions are returned
as pointers, indeed, some parameters are passed as pointers.
7.9
Facilities only in Fortran
7.9
The only major facilities in Fortran which are not in C are the concept
of Écommonæ and that of variable dimensions of arrays. ÉCommonæ defines
a region which can be accessed by any subroutines and is a convenient
way of passing large numbers of parameters without referring to them in
the subroutine call. ÉCommonæ can have no name, only one of these, or it
can be named, in which case several can exist.
7.9
In Fortran, the dimension of an array is passed as one of the parameters
in a subroutine call and then the array is declared in the subroutine.
This is important in scientific programming and is a serious deficiency
in C. It can be circumvented but is an extra pain.
7.9
Abilities missing from both languages
7.9
In neither language is it possible to plot graphs without specially
written routines or extra libraries. With Fortran, it is possible,
rather inelegantly, using VDU 25. C uses what it calls the kernel
library which is a set of low level routines which permit a vast number
of operations to be performed. Alternatively, a wide range of BBC-type
commands in a library can be accessed. Extra facilities including
graphics are available for Fortran users, such as those from CCD
Computer Services (some years ago) and the Archive Shareware Disc 44,
both libraries containing subroutines which partially redress the
balance between C and Fortran.
7.9
I am not able to compare desktop versions of C and Fortran since I do
not have them and am a dedicated command line user!
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
This has been a brief comparison of C and Fortran and, of necessity, has
not included all the minor differences, some of which are rather
esoteric. C is used for scientific programming although a general
purpose language and it is possible to design subroutines to make it
more useful. ÉNumerical Recipes for Cæ is a very useful and readable
volume for help. C also permits easier access to the operating system if
wanted.
7.9
Fortran is an old language specifically designed for scientific
programming but is still very popular. Structured programs can be
written although it is not as fully structured as other languages. Last,
but not least, it is cheaper than desktop C and a similar price to non-
desktop C even if the desktop front end is bought. Unhelpfully, I will
say that either language could be used successfully!
7.9
Please send all your views on this subject to me at 156 Holmes Chapel
Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4QB.ááA
7.9
RISC OS 3 First Steps
7.9
Richard Rymarz
7.9
ÉFirst Stepsæ is a guide book designed to help newcomers to the Acorn
environment get to grips with using RISC OS 3. It is written by Anne
Rooney, an experienced writer on Acorn computers, and follows on from
her earlier guide ÉArchimedes First Stepsæ. It is published by Dabs
Press and costs ú14.95 (ú15 inc. p&p from NCS.)
7.9
Contents
7.9
The book contains nearly 500 pages divided into 28 chapters, an appendix
listing the changes between RISC OS 2 and 3, a glossary and, crucially,
a very detailed index. Following the introduction, the first three
chapters are useful to those new to RISC OS computers. Introducing the
desktop, the work area and the wimp environment are covered in detail.
Everything from menus to function keys, and dialogue boxes to iconising
a window are all covered in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 looks at the
applications in ROM and Chapter 4 concentrates on preparing and using
floppy discs, files and directories, backing up discs and virus
protection.
7.9
Chapters 5 to 10 focus on the programs supplied free with the computer Ö
those in ROM such as Paint, Edit and Draw as well as those on the two
Applications discs. This is a substantial section and an important one.
Some of it is quite detailed and would require real concentration to
understand fully. However, it is worth the effort since there are
snippets of information that I, supposedly an Éexpertæ user, found much
clearer.
7.9
The next 13 chapters explain how to master the computer more thoroughly.
They cover the use of hard discs, customising the environment to suit
the useræs needs, creating !boot files, what Basic is, what the
emulators do, portability with other computers, using * commands, memory
management, programming and the new 3D desktop. Also in this section is
a chapter on fonts, one on the difficult area of printing and printers
and another on system resources.
7.9
The final chapters concern options on expanding the computer. Hardware
(extra drives, CD-ROMs, digitisers and so on) and software are discussed
to try and give some idea of the options now available.
7.9
Conclusions
7.9
ÉFirst Stepsæ is easy to read. The layout is quite attractive without
too many words on each page. Illustrations are used appropriately, if
not lavishly. It is structured in a logical way taking the reader gently
from simple concepts to more complex ones. References are easy to find.
Having read it from beginning to end, I have a better understanding of
some parts of the operating system. It is a book that you can dip into
when a problem occurs or it can be read through from beginning to end Ö
it is certainly better than the rather dry approach in the official
manuals.
7.9
The real test was to give it to a beginner. Having just introduced my
partner to the new and fascinating world of desktop publishing, I handed
the book over to her. Her comments included, ÉThatæs quite good isnæt
itæ; and, ÉOh, is that what you do!æ She now refers to it quite
regularly.
7.9
ÉFirst Stepsæ achieves its aim of providing a simple and effective guide
to getting started quickly with the newer range of Acorn computers. As a
book for beginners, it provides a more Échattyæ style of presentation
that helps to disarm the anxious. It was published in September 1993 but
still manages to refer to the new 3D desktop. Advice concerning specific
software is bound to date quickly but, in general terms, it remains
sound. If you or a colleague in school or at the office are struggling,
or if you are a parent who is being overtaken by your children and need
to catch up with the basics, then ÉFirst Stepsæ could be a great
help.ááA
7.9
Computer Concepts
7.9
From 7.4 page 6
7.9
Yes, thatæs
7.9
7.4 page 6
7.9
Scanlight Video advert
7.9
Colton
7.9
From 7.8 page 12
7.9
Assembly Language Programming Ö 1
7.9
James Riden
7.9
Most series on assembly language programming tell you how to write
öHello worldò and add two and two to make four. This series will,
hopefully, be a little different because I shall be telling you how to
achieve useful things using assembler. For this reason, I am assuming
limited knowledge of the instructions used. If you donæt know these yet,
I can recommend trying one of these other series first. Better still get
hold of ÉARM Assembly Language Programmingæ by Peter Cockerell. (Out of
print now, I fear. Ed.)
7.9
Software interrupts
7.9
The way of calling the operating system on a RISCáOS machine is to use a
SWI call (SYS from Basic). A good working knowledge of these is
essential for all low level programming.
7.9
When one of these is called from assembler, for example SWI öOS_Byteò,
the registers R0, R1, R2, etc form its parameters. If a string is
needed, one of these registers points to (i.e. holds the address of) the
start of the buffer. Strings are usually null or control code
terminated.
7.9
Type in the following program section by section. Remember to use the
correct line numbers and donæt renumber it at any stage. Do not run it
until youæve finished it.
7.9
10 REM >SysAnim
7.9
20 MODE 13
7.9
30 DIM code 40*1024
7.9
40 PROCassemble
7.9
50 CALL screenbase
7.9
60 END
7.9
70 DEFPROCassemble
7.9
80 FOR pass=0 TO 2 STEP 2
7.9
90 P%=code
7.9
100 [OPT pass
7.9
110.screenbase
7.9
120 ADR R0,input ;R0 and R1 point to
7.9
130 ADR R1,output ;the input and output blocks
7.9
140 SWI öOS_ReadVduVariablesò
7.9
150 LDR R0,output
7.9
160 MOV PC,R14
7.9
170.input EQUD 149:EQUD -1
7.9
180.output EQUD 0:EQUD 0
7.9
5000 ]NEXT pass
7.9
5010 ENDPROC
7.9
The SWI used can tell us all sorts of useful information about the
screen. The value 149 means we want to know the screen base address.
When the SWI is called, the item we have requested is placed in the
block pointed to by R1. R0 is then loaded with the value at this
address. The routine terminates by copying the old value of the PC
(stored in R14) back into R15. You may end this way if your routine has
been CALLed from Basic or if BL screenbase has been used.
7.9
The use of FOR pass...NEXT is in case a forward branch is used. When OPT
0 is performed, it prevents errors in the assembly language from
stopping the program. When the code has been processed and all the
labels have been set up, the error-checking can be re-enabled and the
code re-assembled in the same place.
7.9
Animation
7.9
The following is useful to anyone who requires smooth animation. It uses
the technique known as bank switching.
7.9
200.screen EQUD 1
7.9
210.animate
7.9
220 STMFD R13!,{r14 }
7.9
225.animloop
7.9
230 MOV R0,#112
7.9
240 LDR R1,screen
7.9
250 SWI öOS_Byteò
7.9
255 SWI &10C ; vdu 12 Ö cls
7.9
510 MOV R0,#19
7.9
520 SWI öOS_Byteò
7.9
525 MOV R0,#113
7.9
530 LDR R1,screen
7.9
540 SWI öOS_Byteò
7.9
550 LDR R1,screen
7.9
560 RSB R1,R1,#3
7.9
570 STR R1,screen
7.9
580 SWI öOS_ReadEscapeStateò
7.9
590 BCC animloop
7.9
600 LDMFD R13!,{pc }
7.9
Simply, one screen is updated while the other is being displayed.
OS_Byte 112 changes the screen bank being written to by the operating
system. OS_Byte 19 waits until the electron beam has finished scanning
over the screen and OS_Byte 113 displays the new screen.
OS_ReadEscapeState sets the carry flag if <escape> is pressed, if not,
carry is cleared.
7.9
This is all very well, but we really want to plot something. For now, we
can use the system sprite area. Use *SLOAD <filename> to load a sprite
file Ö it will need to be a 16*16 pixel mode 13 sprite with no palette
or mask. The following code will plot it.
7.9
1000.plotsprite
7.9
1010 MOV R0,#34
7.9
1020 ADR R2,spritename
7.9
1030 MOV R5,#0
7.9
1040 SWI öOS_SpriteOpò
7.9
1050 MOV PC,R14
7.9
1060.spritename EQUS öMySpriteò
7.9
1070 EQUB 0:ALIGN
7.9
This will plot the sprite at .spritename at the coordinates R3,R4. These
should be in OS units. Perhaps we should make the sprite go round in a
circle. You cannot access the sin() function of Basic from assembler
for we must use Basic to create a lookup table of values.
7.9
55 CALL animate
7.9
201 .counter EQUD 0
7.9
300 ADR R5,lookup
7.9
310 LDR R0,counter
7.9
320 SUBS R0,R0,#8
7.9
330 MOVLE R0,#360*8
7.9
335 SUBLE R0,R0,#8
7.9
340 STR R0,counter
7.9
350 ADD R0,R0,R5
7.9
360 LDMIA R0,{r3 ,R4}
7.9
370 BL plotsprite
7.9
4000.lookup
7.9
4010 FNtable
7.9
8000 DEFFNtable
7.9
8010 FOR I%=0 TO 359
7.9
8020 [OPT pass
7.9
8030 EQUD 640+400*SIN(RAD(I%))
7.9
8040 EQUD 512+400*COS(RAD(I%))
7.9
8050 ]N.I%
7.9
8060 =öò
7.9
Notice the use of the FN call from the assembler. You can use this for
repetitive tasks such as the lookup table or for reserving space. For
example, the following will reserve a variable size block filled with 0
bytes.
7.9
FNspace(1024)
7.9
DEFFNspace(size)
7.9
FOR I%=1 TO size
7.9
[OPT pass
7.9
EQUB 0
7.9
]NEXT I%
7.9
=öò
7.9
Now save and then run the program. (Always save regularly and especially
before you run anything.) If it doesnæt work, check that you have 160Kb
or more of screen memory (putting Desktop into mode 15 will do it).
7.9
The code that redraws the screen must use the system drivers such as SWI
and VDU calls to access the screen. If direct writing to the screen is
needed, the program should be slightly modified to change the screen
base address being used.
7.9
10 REM >DirectAnim
7.9
155 STR R0,scbase
7.9
200.screen EQUD 1 ; bank number
7.9
205.scbase EQUD 0 ; screen base address
7.9
235 LDR R12,scbase
7.9
245 CMP R1,#2
7.9
246 ADDEQ R12,R12,#81920
7.9
Now save this program. This assumes the mode being used takes up 80Kb
per screen bank. Mode 13 is the most commonly used for this kind of
thing. After this code has been incorporated into the main program, you
can write your own custom plot routines. Nevryon, for example, uses such
routines because they are specific to the requirements of the author and
so they run much faster than the general operating system routines.
7.9
Next month, Iæll show you how to write a simple custom sprite plot.ááA
7.9
Advanced Basic Ö Text Printing via !Printers
7.9
Paul Hobbs
7.9
I have recently had an enquiry from Paul Pibworth about outputting text
via the RISC OS printer drivers Ö which basically was how does one go
about it? This is an important question as the latest RISC OS Style
Guide states that all printed output must pass via the drivers and with
the advent of the RiscáPCs and RISC OS 3.5, it advisable to follow Acorn
guidelines as closely as possible.
7.9
The theoretical advantage is that !Printers translates certain embedded
codes (for bold, italic, etc) to the correct ones for the printer in use
meaning that a program can output the same codes whichever printer is
attached. I say Étheoreticalæ because I havenæt actually managed to make
it work 100% yet!
7.9
Communicating with !Printers requires the use of the RISC OS message
passing protocol which in turn means that the program must be running
under the wimp. The procedure is as follows:
7.9
The application sends a Message_PrintSave (&80142). If !Printers is
loaded, it sends a Message_ PrintFile (&80140), else the
Message_PrintSave Ébouncesæ (i.e. it is returned unanswered) and the
application should complain that !Printers is not loaded. If !Printers
is loaded, it will send a Message_ DataSaveAck (&2) which will contain a
file name which can be used for data transfer. The application then
writes the data and finishes by sending a Message_DataLoad (&3).
Finally, !Printers will send a Message_DataLoadAck (&4).
7.9
To keep things simple, weæll only consider the case when
Message_PrintSave is used to start a print job without dragging an icon
Ö for example, via a dialog box obtained by pressing <Print>. In the
case where a file icon is dragged to the !Printers icon on the iconbar,
the code is exactly the same as that required to save to the Filer so
weæll ignore this for now.
7.9
The example program on the monthly disc simply sends an ASCII file to
!Printers when the iconbar icon is clicked on. Note, however, that the
full printing protocol is considerably more complicated than this
example but it does work in the case of text files.
7.9
Having worked out how to send the file to !Printers, all that remains is
to embed the required control codes to turn bold on/off etc. It is
possible to turn on bold printing, for example, by embedding the
following codes in the text:
7.9
<27><%10000001> (i.e. ASCII 27 followed by ASCII 129)
7.9
The bits that are set in the second byte determine whether the effect is
on or off and have the following meanings:
7.9
bit 0 bold on/off
7.9
1 light on/off
7.9
2 italic on/off
7.9
3 underline on/off
7.9
4 superscript on/off
7.9
5 subscript on/off
7.9
6 must be 0
7.9
7 must be 1
7.9
The section of code from the example program to demonstrate this is as
follows:
7.9
file% = OPENOUT(name$)
7.9
BPUT# file%,öThis is a printer test file..ò
7.9
BPUT# file%,&0D
7.9
BPUT# file%,27:BPUT# file%,%10000001
7.9
BPUT# file%,öAnd now in bold (hopefully!)ò
7.9
BPUT# file%,27:BPUT# file%,%10000000
7.9
BPUT# file%,öAnd now bold IS OFF.ò
7.9
cond$=CHR$&1F+ö9201ò :REM part of a FWP file! (probably wonæt
7.9
BPUT# file%,cond$ :REM work on printers other than a BJ10)
7.9
BPUT# file%,öNow in CONDENSED HOPEFULLY!ò
7.9
BPUT# file%,27:BPUT# file%,%10000001 :REM Bold on
7.9
BPUT# file%,öAnd now in condensed and ò;
7.9
BPUT# file%,27:BPUT# file%,%10001000 :REM Bold off, underline on
7.9
BPUT# file%,öunderlinedò;
7.9
BPUT# file%,27:BPUT# file%,%10000000 :REM all effects off
7.9
BPUT# file%,ö (hopefully!)ò
7.9
CLOSE# file%
7.9
Unfortunately, the range of effects that can be produced in this manner
is very limited and does not include condensed printing which would be
handy. It should be possible to place any control code sequence in the
file by embedding the following codes:
7.9
<27><%11000000>
7.9
<printer specific codes..>
7.9
<27><0>
7.9
These codes will be sent directly to the printer without being
translated by the driver, but this means of course that your program
will need to allow the user to input the correct codes for their
particular printer (not the ideal solution!). Further details of the
ÉFancy Textæ format as it is known, can be found in the RISC OS 3 User
Guide, page 247.
7.9
As can be seen from the above code, condensed printing has been turned
on in a non-Acorn approved manner because the <27><%11000000> sequence
appears to have no effect on my system. If anyone can tell me what is
going on I would be very grateful!
7.9
Whilst on the subject of printing, does anyone have routines to detect
whether a printer driver is loaded and whether the printer is online?
(Various routines have been published in the past but I have yet to find
one that works correctly when a Turbo Driver is in use.)
7.9
Any questions or comments about Basic programming would be gratefully
received by Paul Hobbs, Rheinpfalzstrasse 2, 85049 Ingolstadt,
Germany.ááA
7.9
Comment Column
7.9
Å Appleæs claims for Power Mac Ö As we mentioned last month (Archive
7.8 p31), Apple have been publishing literature and placing adverts that
contained statements about RISC technology and computers which many
people feel are either untrue or, at best, misleading. Apple seem to
have admitted their mistakes and changed their adverts. However, I am
not sure that I agree even with the ötoned downò claims in the latest
adverts. Have a look at them yourself and see what you think. Watch out
for claims about ömost powerful personal computerò and claims that öYou
can own a Power Mac for as little as...ò, and see if you agree Ö
remember that Apple pricing does not include mouse, keyboard or monitor
which most people tend to think of as being part of a öcomputerò. If you
are not happy with any of the adverts, please write to the ASA (address
below) and complain. Tell them clearly and succinctly what your
objection is (please donæt waste their valuable time with unnecessary
detail even if you are cross about it!) and tell them exactly where you
saw the advert Ö a copy of the advert might help. Also, you could write
to the editor of the magazine in question. As an editor myself, I would
certainly want to know if any advertiser in my magazine were making
false claims.
7.9
I am not convinced that Apple dealers have got the message about the
original false claims. Some of them are still handing out literature
that contains untrue statements. Why not contact your local Apple Centre
and ask for information about Power Macs and see what they send you. If
you are not happy about any of the statements in the literature you
receive, write to the ASA stating clearly what your objection is and
giving the name and address of the dealer who provided you with the
literature.
7.9
(Some people may feel that I am unnecessarily inciting people to attack
a rival computer company because I gain commercial advantage from
Acornæs success. Well, it is true that my whole livelihood depends on
the success or failure of Acorn Computers Ltd. However, I donæt see any
good reason why, if Apple are doing things which could be classed as
Éunfair tradingæ, they should be allowed to get away with it just
because Acorn hasnæt got enough Écloutæ to do anything about it. The ASA
was set up to offer this sort of protection and it is they who will
decide if Apple are indeed using unfair trading, not me.)
7.9
(Advertising Standards Authority, Complaints Department, Brook House,
2Ö16 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HN.)
7.9
Å Archive Ö the last surviving Étrueæ Acorn magazine? Ö Now that Acorn
User has gone over to the Database Publications stable, it is presumably
produced on Macs. Does this mean that Archive is the only Étrueæ Acorn
magazine? I hope you will continue to use Acorn machines for producing
Archive.á Alan Latten, Weston Longville.
7.9
Yes, you are right, all the Acorn magazines are now produced on Macs
except Archive. Even Risc User has just invested in another couple of
Macs. I can understand the commercial reasoning behind it but I do think
it is a shame that Acorn magazines arenæt produced on Acorn computers Ö
especially now that three PhotoShop equivalents are available. Yes, you
can be sure that I shall continue to use Acorns Ö indeed, Iæm looking
forward to being able to transfer from my trusty old A540 onto a RiscáPC
as soon as I can afford it and the supply position improves. Ed.
7.9
Å öBuy from your local Acorn dealerò Ö One of our subscribers rang up
to say that he was buying his RiscáPC from his local dealer instead of
us Ö thatæs fair enough Ö itæs good to have local expertise. He then
said that he had asked the dealer how to connect a Taxan 795 to the
RiscáPC and whether it needed a special driver. The dealer said he
didnæt know and advised him to ring Norwich Computer Services who would
be sure to know!
7.9
We like to be as helpful as we can, but we have a business to run and
have to make a profit in order to survive. Since the subscriber didnæt
have a Technical Help Subscription, we said we couldnæt help him over
the phone but that he could write to for an answer. Was that
unreasonable? I donæt believe it was.á Ed.
7.9
Å Canon inkjet refilling Ö I have to admit that I was a little reticent
about publishing in George Footæs ink cartridge refilling instructions
last month (7.8 p19) and, sure enough, I have had a letter from a reader
who got in an awful mess with it because he found it difficult to seal
the hole properly and got ink everywhere, eventually causing blocked
jets and causing him to have to thrown the whole cartridge away. This
just emphasises the point that advice given in Archive is always at the
owneræs risk! We try to check things before we put them into print but
itæs not always possible. Sorry.á Ed.
7.9
Å Oak PCB Ö I would like to answer some of the comments that Richard
Torrens makes in his PCB Layout Software article (Archive 7.6 p72).
Before I answer his specific comments, I would like to offer a few
comments regarding the difficulties of reviewing and commenting upon any
software package.
7.9
There is no doubt that balanced reviews are extremely difficult. Unless
the reviewer is both experienced as a reviewer and a regular user, they
will tend to be biased towards the package they currently use, have a
narrow view as to modern packages and the facilities they offer, or have
limited application knowledge. I therefore do not envy any reviewer
because, by going into print, they immediately set themselves up to
ridicule and having their views challenged. I also believe that any
software package should be reviewed against a standard (whether formal
or accepted practice) such as its adherence to the RISC OS rules. I
think it makes it much easier for the user, if all packages conform to a
standard.
7.9
Richard Torrens does make it clear as to his current position regarding
PCB layout software and is, in my view, in a very strange position in
having a pen plotter and not wishing to change away from his BBC-based
software due to his existing investment in layouts. This starting point
is hardly typical, as the majority of users are likely to have a dot
matrix or inkjet printer and not necessarily to have such layout
investment. (I wonder if he will be able to find any package which
offers a seamless transfer from LinTrack files.) He goes on to discuss
the merits of various design rules and the restrictions they place upon
the designer. I agree wholeheartedly with his sentiments that
experienced designers will tend to work Éfreehandæ and unfettered by
design rules. However, for the beginner and occasional user, design
rules impose a consistency which enhances their work and can also be
very useful for certain types of design. As far as OakPCB is concerned,
I believe the 45░ rule is no great problem as I turn down the grid
spacing and just carry on. I do not understand his concern that the
Étracks must start on a padæ rule, as on my version of OakPCB (1.1) a
track can start and finish anywhere. However, I always try and start and
finish on a pad, as the tracks stick to pads, and moving a pad or pads,
moves all the attached tracks (very useful).
7.9
Moving on to his comments on inkjet printers, I cannot agree about paper
stretch (but there again I probably only require 0.25mm accuracy) as it
clearly depends on the use of black and hence track density. I have
tried direct printing onto acetate, but there was quite a bit of
banding, and the image was not really dense enough. I went back to
printing onto paper and photocopying onto acetate. The direct print
acetate is coated to get the ink to stick and does not produce a very
lasting image (albeit no worse than a photocopied image). I have used
plotters in the past and I cannot conceive of waiting 2 hours for the
finished output Ö I can currently print and make a pcb in that time, so
I can understand why Richard wants to change.
7.9
Yes, I do use OakPCB for quite large audio and video pcb assemblies with
upwards of one hundred components. No, it is not perfect and I find the
bounding boxes sensitive and liable to leave debris when deselected.
However, now that it has been reduced in price, it seems to me to offer
good value for money, is RISC OS compliant, has crashed very
occasionally and combines schematic and PCB layout drawing facilities.
7.9
I note that LinTrack, according to Richard, has a very limited number of
track and pad widths whereas OakPCB has unlimited options and is RISC OS
compliant. This makes it a non-contest (but there again I have not used
other products). To be using standard drawing packages misses a great
deal as far as the amateur user is concerned and, yes, I have tried
DrawPlus and Draw. I always try and assess any new program objectively
and question whether my way is the best way, or see if the author is
offering something more effective which goes against my traditions Ö and
I get some very pleasant surprises.
7.9
So where does that leave us? Well, the only conclusion I can draw is
that Richardæs article, whilst being interesting, was of little value as
a review and not really relevant as far as the average user is concerned
Ö but there again it is much easier to criticise than to write a good
review, isnæt it?á Peter Seddon, Solihull.
7.9
Å Processor Speed Tests Ö In Archive 7.7 p19, I asked for information
about these two processor speed tests, used to compare computing power
of different machines. By return, I received a collection of analyses
from Laurie van Someren of Aleph One Ltd and from Acorn (via NCS). Many
thanks to all. I can now report some conclusions from this information,
although the picture is still rather hazy.
7.9
A Dhrystone is a unit of processing, involving integer arithmetic. The
speed of a processor is measured by the number of times it can execute a
cycle of the standard test program in one second. I am still hoping that
someone can supply the coding to clarify this. Whetstones, similarly,
measure processing involving floating point operations. In this article,
I will report Dhrystone tests only.
7.9
The operation of a processor is regulated by a clock, in each cycle of
which it can perform one (and only one) operation. This might be the
interpretation of an instruction, the retrieval of a value from RAM, the
execution of an arithmetic function, etc. If the clock is running
slowly, all is well. Each operation is completed comfortably within the
cycle time, with unused time wasted. If the clock is speeded up a
little, each operation will still be completed within the shorter clock
cycle, so the processing speed is proportional to the clock speed.
7.9
At significantly greater clock speeds, however, some operations cannot
be completed within the cycle time, and the processor must be modified
to allow two (or more) cycles for the longer operations, but only one
cycle for the quicker ones. The faster clock cycle continues to increase
processing speed, though not now in proportion to the increasing clock
speed. If the clock is speeded up considerably, all processor
operations, including the simplest ones, require several clock cycles.
Increasing the clock speed further merely increases proportionately the
number of cycles required by each operation, and the processing speed
remains unchanged.
7.9
Aleph One have given the following figures of processing speeds using
their ARM3 replacement processors in screen mode 0.
7.9
Clock (MHz) kDhrystones/sec
7.9
8 6.1
7.9
12 8.4
7.9
15 9.9
7.9
20 12.0
7.9
24 13.5
7.9
25 13.9
7.9
27.5 14.6
7.9
30 15.3
7.9
33 16.2
7.9
36 16.9
7.9
The graph of Processor Speed against Clock Speed starts as an oblique
line from the origin, then curves downwards and levels out. (See Acornæs
ÉTechnology Roadmapæ, Archive 7.8 p9.) My notes from Aleph One advise
that the theoretical maximum processing speed (which cannot be increased
by higher clock speed) can be found by plotting the reciprocals of the
speeds, and noting the processing speed corresponding to infinite clock
speed.
7.9
I tried this using their ARM3 figures, plotting cycle times rather than
speeds. (See right.) This, interestingly, gives a perfect straight line,
as shown in the chart below, which is more convenient than the curves
for graphical analyses and comparisons. I have moved the origin to the
top right, so that technological progress still proceeds from bottom
left to top right. The theoretical speed limit can be read where the
line reaches the right hand edge, zero cycle time. In this example, it
appears to be 28╡s per Dhrystone, or about 35k Dhrystones per second.
7.9
Processing speed is affected by the screen mode being used. More pixels
and more colours require a larger block of screen memory, which has to
be used to refresh the screen 50 times or so per second. In extreme
cases, this can become close to a full time job for the memory
controller, and internal processing can only take place in the Éspare
timeæ during which access to RAM is free of the demands of the video
processor. (This problem is removed by the use of dual-ported video RAM,
as in the RiscáPC. This is explained under a question about the
difference between VRAM and DRAM on page 16. Ed.)
7.9
Modeá0 is one of the simplest available and can be used to test
processor speeds virtually unencumbered by screen operation. Additional
figures from Aleph One show that ARM3 processing speeds are reduced
significantly using SVGA 16-colour modes, and considerably using 256
colours, as shown by the lower lines on the chart.
7.9
In addition to the test results for their ARM3 upgrade, Aleph One also
supplied figures for a 25MHz A540. This is shown to be about 33% faster
in Mode 0 than the upgrade at 25MHz but, unlike the upgrade, it degrades
only about 13% in Mode 28 (which I can confirm on my own machine). These
observations can be explained by the faster RAM clock, which runs at
12MHz on the A540 compared with 8MHz on the older machines for which the
upgrade is supplied. This speeds up all RAM access and reduces the
burden which screen display places on processing, most noticeably in
higher screen modes. My A540 is one of the early machines, running at
30MHz, so I would expect it to be about 10% faster than the new ones at
25MHz, i.e about 20ákDhrystones/sec in Modeá0.
7.9
In response to my request to compare my A540 with a PCs, Aleph One have
also given me figures showing the processing speed of a standard æ386SX-
16 as 3.2 kDrhystones/sec, and that of a standard æ486DX -33 as 15.8. On
the face of it, this makes my machine some 25% faster than the æ486, but
this requires qualification. ARM3 comes in a number of different guises,
with different performance figures (see above and below). The same is
undoubtedly true of PCs, probably more so since there are numerous
manufacturers, supplying different implementations of the same Intel
chips. I can really only conclude that the A540 and the æ486-33 are
comparable.
7.9
Acornæs figures for the ARM3 A5000 (Archive 7.8 p8) contrast with those
from Aleph One for the A540. They show the A5000 some 20% faster than
the A540 in modes 0 and 27, but 40% slower in Modeá28! The first
discrepancy is probably explained by the fact that the tests were run by
different testers, using different versions of the test program. The
processing speed, measured in Écalculations per secondæ, depends on the
efficiency of the compiler in producing machine code, as well as on the
actual power of the hardware. This does not, however, explain the
reported fall-off in speed of the A5000 in 256-colour Modeá28. If the
12MHz memory relieves this problem on the A540, why does it not do so on
the A5000? More surprisingly, Acornæs accompanying figures for the A610
show a less drastic, but still significant, degradation in 256-colour
mode, which can be cured by the installation of VRAM.
7.9
Acornæs ÉRoadmapæ (Archive 7.8 p9) shows curves for ARM3 and ARM6, and
also limited figures for ARM7 and ARM8. I have attempted to plot these
on a similar ÉReciprocal Speedæ chart. The sparsity of data does limit
the confidence of any conclusions, but the figures available do seem to
be generally consistent with parallel straight lines on the reciprocal
chart. The proximity of the ARM7 and ARM8 lines reflects the fact that,
on Acornæs ÉRoadmapæ, the ARM8 line is almost a continuation of the ARM7
line, plus the mathematical fact that reciprocals of large numbers are
close together (being all close to zero). A magnifying glass, however,
shows that the intercept of the ARM7 line on the right hand edge of the
chart is twice that of the ARM8 line. This implies that the ARM8 has
twice the theoretical top speed of the ARM7. The ranges of figures shown
on the charts suggest that, at practical clock speeds, the ARM6 machines
will be perhaps not quite twice as fast as the ARM3 machines. ARM7 will
be not quite twice as fast again, with a similar further step to ARM8.
7.9
Acorn have also provided figures of MIPs (million instructions per
second) for ARM3 and ARM6 and for æ386 and æ486 (see Archive 7.8 p 9).
Taken with Acornæs Dhrystone figures, these imply a ratio of kDrhystones
to MIPs of 1.8 for ARM3 and 1.5 for ARM6. Aleph Oneæs Dhrystone figures
for PCs suggest ratios of about 0.8 for the æ386 and 1.0 for the æ486.
In view of the discrepancies between Acornæ figures and Aleph Oneæs for
the same processor, an element of caution is needed, but there is a
definite suggestion that ARM achieve significantly more processing per
instruction than Intel, hence we cannot use published figures of MIPs as
direct speed comparisons for incompatible machines. I would suggest that
Paulæs lists in Archive 7.8, showing ARM and PC processors with similar
MIPs figures, imply a comparison which is a little unfair to Acorn.
7.9
My anticlimactic conclusion is that we have no precise and reliable
method of comparing the processing speeds of different machines. This
situation, unfortunately, allows considerable scope for advertisers to
present figures of MHz or MIPs (accurate, but not directly comparable)
to provide misleading comparisons between machines. Is it really beyond
the wit of man to devise the basis for accurate, impartial,
comparisons?á Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.9
Å RiscáPC Ö the name Ö At first, I was disappointed to see that Acorn
had apparently severed all contact with the past Ö the name Archimedes
is gone for ever. Later, I realised what a master-stroke ÉRisc PCæ is!
Users, and potential users, out in the big wide world will soon realise,
from many sources, that RISC is the way ahead in computing Ö and for
good reason. (They may even find it out from the Appleæs infamous
adverts!) Now, here is the Risc PC Ö it is a registered trade mark, so
there wonæt be any other. At the same time, the name identifies it as a
PC. Archimedes has always suffered from not being a PC. Acorn have now
turned the tables and Éhijackedæ the generic term RISC as part of their
name, rather as Microsoft have hijacked the everyday word Windows.á
Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.9
Å RiscáPC or ACBxx? Ö In your articles, you refer to ACB15/25/45
variously as three models, or versions, or configurations. To my mind,
they are not different models. You can convert an ACB15 to an ACB25 by
swapping the 2Mb RAM for a 4Mb and adding 1Mb of VRAM. The result is not
Éequivalent toæ an ACB25, it is an ACB25 Ö identical to the machine sold
as ACB25. The three are just different configurations (my preferred
term) from the almost limitless combinations of options. You could
supply bespoke configurations, not just in terms of RAM, VRAM, discs and
number of slices, but also all the available add-ons. This, of course,
is what you are offering via your special price list in the RiscáPC
Supplement.
7.9
The difference now is that the Risc PC user is clearly intended to do
his own upgrades. A far cry from boxes secured by sealed screws and
marked öKeep out! Ö Opening the box will invalidate your warranty!ò.
There is really no such thing as a Éstandardæ model of Risc PC Ö you can
have it anyhow you want! Dealers will have to recognise Acornæs policy
and supply machines accordingly. It makes advertising difficult, of
course, especially if the advertiser wishes to be honest! He can only
quote prices for sample configurations (such as ACB15, etc) and stress
the fact that they are only examples.
7.9
By the way, why ÉACBæ, and where do the strange figures 15/25/45 come
from?á Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.9
I prefer the term Éconfigurationsæ and I think Acorn do too. öACB15ò is
an Acorn part number, in the same way that the A5000 is an ALB22 or
ALB25 (or now, 32 and 35 with the bigger hard drives). Acorn have
deliberately not given them model names to avoid them being thought of
as different machines Ö but then when dealers and magazines talk about
them, we need to call them something to differentiate them Ö hence we
have used the Acorn part numbering.á Ed.
7.9
Å RiscáPC Ö a PC? Ö Acorn can now sell Risc PC (with PC card already
fitted) as a PC, and in the appropriate market place they should do so,
without detailed explanations of how it works. They can claim (with
detailed explanation for those who want it) that the Risc PC with an
Intel 486SX/33 out-performs any other machine with the same processor
(and at the same price?). I donæt mind superlative claims if they are
true!á Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.9
I would really love to get some PC people together and demonstrate the
RiscáPC to them as follows: Start with it working as a PC in single-
tasking mode, tell them that itæs a 33MHz 486SX processor (or whatever)
and point out that the screen update is a bit faster than they might
expect because Acorn have used a ÉRISC second processoræ as a screen-
handling graphics accelerator. Hopefully, some of them will be
moderately impressed. Then the master-stroke is that you have PhotoDesk
or some other impressive graphics-intensive application working in the
background. You click the middle button of the mouse, relegate Windows
to being just one of many windows on the RISCáOS desktop and start to
demonstrate PhotoDesk as an example of the sort of things you can do on
the machine. When their jaws have been restored to their normal position
and they say, öYou canæt do that on a 33MHz 486SX!ò, you tell them that
the Ésecond processoræ (which comes Éfreeæ with every Acorn PC486, or
whatever you choose to call it) has taken over from the 486 because it
can also run its own applications.
7.9
Come on, Acorn/Aleph One, get that PC card going! I canæt wait to have a
go at this one. I have to admit, though, that this wasnæt my idea Ö the
thought was seeded in my brain by a guy I met at the RiscáPC launch Ö I
think he said his name was Sam.
7.9
Unfortunately, you cannot say that the RiscáPC is öPC-compatibleò
because it cannot, at the moment, take PC expansion cards. If it were, I
would be tempted to hide the Acorn logo (because, as we know only too
well, as soon as the name ÉAcornæ is mentioned, the shutters come down)
and try and sell it as a öNorwich Computer Services 486PCò or some such.
Oh well, I can dream, canæt I?!á Ed.
7.9
Å Risc User editor redundant Ö (No, Iæm not taking a swipe at the
opposition!) Iæm sorry to have to report that Mike Williams, who has
worked on Beebug magazine for eleven years and been editor of Risc User
since it was launched nearly 7 years ago, has been made redundant.
Despite any comments I may have made in the past about Risc User
magazine, I was sad to hear Mikeæs news. Still, I think that Risc Useræs
loss will be someone elseæs gain so if anyone wants any free-lance
writing or consultancy done, Mike can be contacted on 0582-881614. Ed.
7.9
Å System Insight Consumables Ö System Insight (SI) have recently
expanded their range of consumables for inkjet/bubblejet printers,
including Inkmun ink refills and their own-brand papers and
transparencies. Their prices are competitive and include VAT & carriage,
with useful discounts for quantity. Their new catalogue (Issue 9) is
still awaited but the majority of details are in their Inkjet Insight 2
leaflet.
7.9
Ink Refill Kits Ö Roughly speaking, the Inkmun ink refill kits cost
around half the price of original makersæ replacement cartridges. Iæve
used a kit for the four cartridges in my Canon BJC-800 and was very
pleased with the ease of refilling Ö not a drop spilt Ö while the
printed result is indistinguishable from that using original inks.
7.9
I was extremely concerned to read in Archive (7.4 p60) about the
possibility of damaging the printer by the use of refill inks, so took
Edæs advice and asked SI for a written assurance. They have replied
saying that öif any damage is caused to the printer which is proved to
be specifically the result of using these (..Inkmun..) refill inks,
System Insight will undertake to repair the printer at... no cost to the
customerò. Fair enough.
7.9
Media Sample Pack Ö If you want to try out the quality of SIæs own-brand
papers and transparencies before buying in bulk, a useful option is to
buy their Media Pack (ú5.99); 10 sheets in total, consisting of 1Ö2
sheets of each of their own varieties. I do recommend that you try this
because results can depend very much on your own printer.
7.9
The following notes reflect my personal experiences, using Inkmun inks
on the BJC-800, and update the notes in Archive 7.1 p35. My comments are
entirely subjective:
7.9
Ö CEP Colour Enhancement Paper. Recently reinstated by popular demand Ö
hurrah! ú34.95 for 500 sheets (not available in lesser quantity).
Single-sided, a bit thin (70-75gsm?) but superb results in colour or
monochrome.
7.9
Ö CLC Canon Brand Paper. ú25.95 for 200 A4 sheets; ú42.99 for A3. Not
included in the Media Pack but added here for comparison. Single-sided,
weight not given (90Ö95gsm?), very good but printed results not as sharp
or colour as intense as CEP.
7.9
Ö CPP Colour Printing Paper. ú14.98 for 200 sheets. 90gsm. Double-sided
but some slight bleeding through onto reverse. Economical and probably
OK for proofing but, on the BJC-800, text and line graphics not sharp
and areas of colour rather blotchy. Not really suitable for finished
work.
7.9
Ö GLP Special Glossy Paper. ú69.95 for 100 sheets, ú39.95 for 50.
Single-sided. A very impressive paper for special purposes. Text/line
graphics very sharp but some horizontal Ébandingæ on block areas of
colour. Instruction page in Media Pack rather confusing as to which side
to print on. Use the side which feels rough to the touch (i.e. bevelled
corner at top-right).
7.9
Ö FQS Final Quality Smooth Paper. ú24.98 for 500 sheets, ú8.98 for 100.
95gsm. Double-sided. Some previous confusion as to suitability, now
resolved by SI. Good results in monochrome, including the black (Key)
ink in 4-colour printers, but not recommended for colour or if
reproducing black by mixing cyan-magenta-yellow in 3-colour printers.
Superb results on laser printers.
7.9
Ö JETP Plus Laser Jet Paper. ú24.99 for 5 reams (2500 sheets), ú13.99
for 2 reams. 90gsm. Double-sided but very slight bleed-through onto
reverse side from areas of colour. Extremely respectable results in
monochrome and colour, so a very economical alternative to CPP.
7.9
Ö Transparencies. Two versions available (TFP paper backed and TFS
paper stripe), both at ú59.95 for 100 sheets, ú34.95 for 50. Very good
results, barely distinguishable from makersæ equivalents and around 20%
cheaper. Best results if you use primary colours (CMY) or 2-colour mixes
(RGB) for text, line graphics or block colours, but perfectly
satisfactory on full-colour images. If the results look a little washed
out, youæve probably forgotten to select Transparency Mode on the
printer!á Jim Nottingham, York.
7.9
Å Translate look-aside buffer In talking about one of the RiscáPCæs
facilities last month (Archive 7.8 p8), you said you didnæt know what a
translate look-aside buffer was. If this means the same as it did when
IBM announced virtual storage in 1972 then it is as follows:
7.9
The Acorn machines are not virtual storage machines (memory is not off-
loaded to disc) but the memory is paged. On the older machines, the page
size varied with the total memory size but with the RiscáPC, it is fixed
at 4Kb. The advantage of paging, of course, is better use of memory. If
an application needs 40Kb, as long as there are ten free pages
somewhere, the 40Kb can be made available as the applicationæs address
space even though the ten pages may be scattered across real memory and
not contiguous (as they have to be in some systems).
7.9
The down side is that every memory access needs to be translated from
what the application thinks the address is, to the real page in memory.
On an 8Mb machine, with 4Kb pages, that means a list of 2048 pages to
scan. The TLB is a way of speeding up this process. It is a special kind
of cache for the address translation process and contains the last few
pages referenced. Perhaps it is best thought of as a scrap of paper on
the front of a telephone directory listing your most-used numbers. The
paper is of limited size and so the older less-used numbers get over-
written by newer numbers.
7.9
John Thorn, Cardiff.ááA
7.9
Risc PC for DTP?
7.9
Neil Whiteley-Bolton
7.9
Before writing this brief assessment of Acornæs new range of computers
from a publishing perspective, I read through my last article öThe
Future of DTP on the Archimedesò (Archive 7.5 p11). In it, I itemised
features and improvements which I thought needed to be implemented in
the next generation of machines in order for Acorn to remain competitive
in the professional publishing world. I started, however, by saying that
the machines must be sufficiently competitive, so that the user base
would be large enough for software houses to feel it was worth their
while writing/porting software for/to RISC OS. This is quite clearly a
subjective assessment, and indeed a complex one. It is affected by many
factors, such as the nature of a companyæs product and the current state
of the market. Indeed, the competitiveness of Acornæs computers is
affected by the availability of appropriate software. My personal belief
is that this new range of machines will win Acorn many new friends.
7.9
Looking again at my wish list of features/improvements, I am satisfied
that they have been broadly met by the Risc PC:
7.9
Å More power Ö The first machines will be roughly twice the speed of an
ARM 3 based machine, though this will be more marked in high resolution
screen modes (the performance of a Risc PC with VRAM is unaffected by
screen mode). More importantly, the new architecture provides a very
high degree of protection from obsolescence and Acorn offer a clearly
defined upgrade path. (I look forward to a 100MHz ARM 800 some time next
year!) Very sensibly, they have fixed the costs of these upgrades for
those people who purchase machines now. I donæt believe anyone could
reasonably ask for more.
7.9
Å More memory Ö I said that I felt that the architecture ought to allow
at least 128Mb of RAM to be fitted, the Risc PC allows for up to 256Mb
of RAM, as and when the necessary SIMMs become available.
7.9
Å Virtual memory Ö I said that I felt that a virtual memory system
would be desirable. This has not been implemented as part of the
operating system, but this will be much less of an issue as RAM becomes
even cheaper. Software packages which use large amounts of memory will
implement virtual memory management systems themselves Ö PhotoDesk, a
new professionally featured photo-retouch program from Spacetech, uses
virtual memory management to allow for the manipulation of large images
on the existing range of machines.
7.9
Å Faster disc controllers Ö This requirement will clearly be met. As
David Webb has said, Acorn are already working on providing a SCSI II
interface, making use of the Dual Processor Open Bus. There is full
support for PhotoCD from the word go Ö fantastic. PhotoCD, if it lives
up to its promise, will make a wealth of high quality public domain
images available to users and provide them with a cost-effective means
of converting their own photographic material to electronic format.
Perhaps not surprisingly, DEBI, the new Interface Card Bus Specification
is a vast improvement over the Podule Interface, and provides 32-bit DMA
Ö with up to 16Mb of directly addressable memory on each card. I suspect
this means that we will soon see a new breed of ultra high performance
peripherals Ö direct drive laser printers with sparkling performance
and, dare I say it, perhaps even a RIP? (In case you need it, Iæm
starting a glossary service this month Ö see page 51 Ed.) The next
twelve months is going to be tremendously exciting anyway!
7.9
Å OS support for a 24-bit desktop Ö I said this was absolutely
essential and it is, of course, available as standard on the Risc PC.
The actual performance is determined by the amount of VRAM fitted to the
machine, and whilst a 24-bit ultra high resolution desktop is not
available as standard, the theoretical limits of the video circuitry are
very, very respectable (with no OS limitations), and I would not be
surprised to see graphics accelerators offering ultra high resolution
32-bit desktops Ö in fact, Millipede Electronics Graphics have already
announced their new APEX Imager Expansion Board featuring pixel by pixel
blending via its real-time alpha channel.
7.9
Å OS changes such as support for pressure sensitive stylii and removal
of the filecore limit of 512Mb on disc size, have not yet been
implemented but it is clear that Acorn decided that their highest
priority was to get the new machines onto the market as quickly as
possible, incorporating the minimum number of changes necessary to get
RISC OS running and saving all the major enhancements for RISC OS 4.
This seems quite reasonable to me.
7.9
Å Reasonably priced peripherals Ö Last, but not least, I mentioned that
I felt peripherals needed to be more reasonably priced and this is a
problem Acorn have definitely addressed. The keyboard and mouse are now
standard PC items, RAM memory now comes in the form of standard SIMMs
(there is no longer a need for MEMC circuitry on board memory cards) all
of which means that Acorn users will benefit from the economies of scale
and market pressures currently enjoyed by PC users.
7.9
Publishing issues aside, one of the most interesting battles taking
place in the öoutside worldò is the battle for the öExecutive Desktopò
with vendors selling ultra high performance decision support systems
running NT, AIX, Workplace OS, Solaris, et al, on systems based on the
DEC Alpha, Mips R4x00, SPARC, PA-RISC and PowerPC processors. In order
to woo users away from Intel-based Windows systems, they are offering
very sophisticated software emulation Ö on the grounds that hardware
add-in boards are too expensive. The thing is that even when using
100Mip+ processors, these emulators offer a very lacklustre performance.
Acorn, thanks to DPOB, are able to offer genuine PC performance at a
fraction of the cost of these software emulators! Iæm sure the Risc PC
will be a great success.ááA
7.9
Hints and Tips
7.9
What has happened to the hints & tips? I guess everyone has been too
busy reading and talking about the RiscáPC. Please send in your tips for
both machines to maintain this valuable service to other readers. Ed.
7.9
Å TeX Ö In response to the help plea in Archive 7.6 p31, TeX can be
made to run by dragging the directory containing the TeX file onto the
TeX icon by changing one line in !Wimpman.
7.9
Line 860 should be changed from Param$=ö<TeX Source>ò +
FNfilename(Param$) to Param$ = FNfilename(Param$)
7.9
This correction comes from Graham Toal, and I have had no problems since
making the change. Kathy Burrows, Bedford.
7.9
Å WordWorks problems Ö In reply to Dave Floydæs WordWorks problems
(Archive 7.8 p43) one of our subscribers (I didnæt catch the name,
sorry) called in with a solution that works for him. Once you have
deleted the choices file and got the configurations back as you want
them, quit WordWorks and then load the choices file into Edit. Find the
line that starts NewView followed by some coordinates and comment it out
by placing a colon at the start of the line. Save the file back and all
should be well.á Dave Webb, NCS.ááA
7.9
Introducing Your Computer Ö Part 5
7.9
Norfolk IT Team
7.9
In part 4 of this series (Archive 7.7 p76) we were concerned with the
organisation of work on discs. This time we shall continue with
consideration of some other important disc operations.
7.9
Backing up floppy discs
7.9
Backing-up discs is extremely important because there is always a very
real possibility of loss of your valuable work for one reason or
another. Make backups frequently and keep them in a different place from
your working copies. Any important work should always exist in more than
one location!
7.9
You will need a blank, formatted disc (Archive 7.4 p47) of the same
format as the disc of which you wish to make a backup (the Ésourceæ
disc). Ensure that the contents of the source disc are protected
(Archive 7.4 p47).
7.9
Insert the source disc into the disc drive and click <menu> over the
floppy disc drive icon.
7.9
Click <select> over the ÉBackupæ option. A window will open which will
prompt you when to swap discs.
7.9
Following these prompts should lead to you having two identical discs Ö
donæt forget to label your new copy Ö it will have the same name as the
source disc.
7.9
Copying files
7.9
There are plenty of occasions when you do not need to make a complete
backup of a disc but merely wish to copy one or more individual files Ö
perhaps you want to give a copy of your latest Draw masterpiece to a
friend!
7.9
You will need to be able to see on the screen a window containing the
icon for the file you intend to copy and a window for the directory
where you want to store your copy. If you are copying from one floppy
disc to another, this will mean inserting the disc from which you wish
to copy and clicking <select> over the disc drive icon, then (after
removing the first disc!) inserting the disc to which you wish to copy
and again clicking <select> over the disc drive icon.
7.9
Place the mouse pointer over the icon for the file you wish to copy and
drag it (move the mouse while holding down the <select> button) to the
destination Ö you will see a dotted outline appear which moves with the
mouse pointer. If you are copying from one floppy disc to another, you
will be prompted when it is necessary to swap discs.
7.9
Moving files
7.9
There is an important distinction between Écopyingæ and Émovingæ files.
When something is copied, you end up with two copies Ö the original
remains. When you move a file, a copy is made and the original is then
deleted. In fact, if you move a file from one place to another on one
disc, the computer does this rather more economically (and therefore
more rapidly) by simply renaming the file. This means that, as far as
you, the user, are concerned, the file appears in the new location but
the computer does not bother to move it about physically on the surface
of your disc.
7.9
To move rather than to copy a file, simply hold down <shift> as you drag
the file from one window to the other and you will see its icon
disappear from the first and appear in the second.
7.9
Working with more than one file at once
7.9
You may very often wish to copy, move or delete more than one file at a
time. To do this you first select the files you wish to act upon by
clicking over the first one with <select> and then clicking over the
icons for additional files with <adjust>. Files you have selected in
this way will be highlighted. To de-select any file, just click <adjust>
again over its icon and the highlight will be removed. When you have
selected the files you want to copy, drag any one of them as described
above and the whole selection will move in one go. A box will appear
which is larger than that for just one file but be aware that it is
still the tip of the mouse pointer which indicates where you want things
to go Ö the whole box does not need to fit into the window where you are
trying to put your files.
7.9
If you wish to copy all the files in a single directory, you can click
<menu> with the pointer over the window for that directory and click on
the ÉSelect allæ option which appears. In fact, if you wish to copy most
of a large number of files, it may be quicker to select them all in this
way and then de-select the ones you do not require with <adjust>.
7.9
There is also one other way of selecting a number of files at once and
that is to place the pointer in the directory window and, using
<select>, drag a box around the files you want. Upon releasing the mouse
button the surrounded files will be selected. You can do the same
dragging action with <adjust> to add to (or remove from) your selection.
7.9
If you are wishing to move a number of files in one go from one floppy
disc to another, it is actually quicker to copy them and then delete the
original, unwanted version. This is due to the way the computer handles
file transfer. If you move rather than copy the files, you will find
yourself involved in a lot of disc swapping. Note that this problem does
not occur if you have more than one floppy drive, just when moving files
between two floppy discs with only one floppy drive.
7.9
Deleting files
7.9
A brief digression before we cover the method of removing a file from a
disc altogether...
7.9
Organising files on a hard disc or on a number of floppy discs kept in a
disc box is much the same as organising your desk at work, your kitchen
utensils and supplies or the tools in a garden shed. However you decide
to do it, some kind of system is likely to be better than no system at
all. What is also true is that the file you finally decide to delete
today in a fit of spring-cleaning frenzy is the file that you will need
desperately in a fortnightæs time!
7.9
To delete a file, first click <menu> over the fileæs icon. A menu will
open which includes an entry for your file (as for the file ÉBorisæ in
the illustration). Move the mouse pointer over the arrow to the right of
the filename and then down to the ÉDeleteæ option. Click <select> and
you should see your file disappear from the window.
7.9
If the file has been locked against deletion (see below), the file will
not be deleted and you will be informed of this.
7.9
Protecting files against deletion
7.9
To lock a file against accidental deletion or alteration, first click
<menu> over the fileæs icon. A menu will open which includes an entry
for your file (as for our file ÉBorisæ again in the illustration). Move
the mouse pointer over the arrow to the right of the filename and then
down to the ÉAccessæ option and right again. You can then protect an
unprotected file by clicking <select> over the ÉProtectedæ option, or
remove protection by clicking over the ÉUnprotectedæ option.
7.9
A file which has been protected in this way cannot be casually deleted
but, of course, anyone with a knowledge of the computer will be able to
alter the protection status of the file. If you feel that you need to
give some of your files more heavyweight protection against the unwanted
attentions of family, friends, students or colleagues, there are
commercial applications available that allow you to confer password
protection on your work. Ask your favourite software dealer for advice.
7.9
Viruses
7.9
This seems to be the logical point at which to say a bit about computer
viruses. A computer virus is nothing more or less than a computer
program. Like any other program, it needs to get into your computer by
being loaded from a disc or through your computer being connected in
some other way to other computers.
7.9
All this sounds pretty innocuous. What makes viruses a nuisance (or
worse) is that you have no control over what they do. The first thing
they are likely to do is make a copy of themselves onto any available
disc connected to your machine Ö without informing you. In this way, a
virus will spread through your discs. If you put one of your discs into
someone elseæs machine, the virus spreads again and so on. A normal
program will indicate its presence in some way, by putting an icon on
your iconbar for instance, but a virus will do no such thing but will
lurk unseen in your computeræs memory.
7.9
Apart from replicating themselves, viruses may do various things to
entertain, exasperate or infuriate you. Some of them place messages on
the screen on certain dates (Friday the 13th of any month is a
favourite). These messages may be humorous but could also be offensive
or disturbing. Rather more malicious viruses do such things as wipe the
information from discs or Écrashæ your machine, losing your work-in-
progress at least.
7.9
Disinfectants
7.9
All is not lost, however. There are, as in the world of medicine,
disinfectants. These, too, are programs. Their job is to be able to
identify virus programs in the memory of your computer or on a disc and
to take appropriate action. This action is likely to be to inform you of
the presence of a virus in your machine and to offer to remove the
offending program. The trouble with disinfectants is that new viruses
are written which are able to circumvent the actions of the disinfectant
programs or which might actually alter the disinfectant itself so
turning it into a virus. (There are distinct parallels here with viruses
of the biological kind.) For this reason, the best disinfectant for
Acorn computers (!Killer from Pineapple Software Ö Phone: 081-599-1476)
is not bought as a one-off purchase but as a yearly subscription so that
the program may be constantly updated as new viruses come to light.
7.9
Keep IT clean
7.9
If your machine is used by people other than yourself, or if a large
number of discs from various sources are likely to be used on it, virus
protection software is a good idea. There is another parallel with the
world of medicine here Ö as with inoculation against disease, if we all
use disinfectant software, the spread of viruses through the Acorn-using
community will be slowed or stopped. The public-spirited computer owner
really has no choice but to be a decent, clean-living type!ááA
7.9
Help!!!! Column
7.9
Å Archive Glossary Ö We are hoping to publish a glossary next month. I
have been öworking on itò since January Ö i.e. I started it but the
RiscáPC appeared! In fact, the coming of the RiscáPC is what has spurred
me on to get it finished because there is a whole new vocabulary for us
to learn Ö VRAM, DPOB, DEBI, etc. What I have done is to put a draft
version on the monthly program disc so that people can look at it and
see if there are other words that ought to be added. So, if you have the
monthly disc, could you please have a read and to tell us if there are
any extra words you would like Églossarifiedæ Ö just drop us a line or
ring in and leave a message on the ansaphone Ö öplease add such-and-such
to your glossaryò.
7.9
Å C Programming Ö The one area where Basic still scores over C is the
EVAL command. Iæve tried various things in C but my programming just
isnæt up to it. Has anyone out there written a function parser, i.e. a
routine whereby the user can input a function (such as sin(5x+3)/7) at
run-time and the program will evaluate it?á Brian Stewart, Nairn.
7.9
Å FX80 Printing problems Ö Has anyone had any luck getting an Epson
FX80 to work with the PC Emulator. Whenever I try printing, I get
spurious line feeds, in text or graphics modes, although it works
perfectly in the native Acorn mode. Please contact me on 0268-747839.
7.9
Å Hawk V9 Ö Having purchased a Hawk V9 Mk2 digitiser second hand, I
have experienced difficulty in getting help from Wild Vision because
their technical support is önon-transferrableò, i.e. it doesnæt pass on
with second hand goods to the new owner. My problem is that I wish to
alter the aspect ratio and do not know what any of the adjustable
components on the board do. Can anyone help?
7.9
In addition, I am experiencing some problems with the board. My normal
16 colour desktop mode now turns white when the disc drive is accessed,
even with the Hawk module unplugged. There is also a bar running through
the capture screen that is of a different colour to the rest of the
screen. Also, the output isnæt always colour when I initially switch on
(in a 256 colour mode) Ö I have to unplug the camera and re-insert
several times before the software displays colour.
7.9
I donæt mind paying to get the unit serviced and working properly (but
Wild Vision wouldnæt do that as I am not the original purchaser.)
7.9
I have the on-board module HawkV9 2.17 (14 Oct 1988) and !Fastgrab v2.00
(13 Oct 1992). Can anybody help?
7.9
Richard Burnell, 280 Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath, Bristol. BS17 2QW.
7.9
Å Raytracer programmer Ö Does anyone know who was the programmer of the
raytracer öPoershadeò for ARXE?
7.9
Stephan Fr÷hling, An den Klippen 23, 57462 Olpe, Germany.
7.9
Å Red Boxes Ö I wish to cease using my Beeb for these and hoped to use
my A440. I eventually tracked down General Information Services to a
third new address, 8/9, Bridge Street, Cambridge CB2 1UA (0223-462200).
They do not make the Boxes any longer, but do give a degree of support
still. Mr R. van der Hoorn seems to be in charge of this side. He told
me some time ago that although the Boxes can be connected to either the
Beeb or a PC, it is not possible for an Archimedes Ö something to do
with the relative operating voltages of the Serial Ports.
7.9
This puzzles me, as Archimedes can be connected both to Beebs and PCs
through the serial port, so why not a Red Box? Can anyone shed any
further light on the matter?á Michael Nunan, Shaftesbury.
7.9
Å Template files in assembler? Ö Do you know any program which allows
me to convert template files into code, which I can use in assembler
code?
7.9
Stephan Fr÷hling, An den Klippen 23, 57462 Olpe, Germany.
7.9
Å TurboDrivers and Basic Ö A few months ago, I replaced my HP Deskjet
500 with a 550C and purchased the Computer Concepts TurboDrivers. I am
more than delighted, dongle aside, with the speed with which it renders
the printing image and returns control of my A5000. However, it refuses
to print correctly from Basic! This bug has, as far as I know, never
been mentioned in any of the reviews I have read.
7.9
I regularly use a database/stock control program written in Basic by
myself Ö originally for the BBC Ö and subsequently ported across to the
A310 and A5000 to run from the desktop. The program has performed
excellently, even under RISC OS 3.1, since it was written in 1986 until
I installed the TurboDrivers. Printing proceeds for about 30 lines then
the printer just hangs. Switching the printer off and on to clear its
buffer allows the remainder of the document to be printed on a second
page, suggesting that the problem lies with the TurboDriver software. CC
have so far only been able to suggest that there may be something wrong
in their ÉPrintQueueæ module. Am I the only person still using Basic
programs and suffering from this bug? I wonder if any of my fellow
Archivists can help?
7.9
Tom Harkness, 16 Sylvan Way, Bathgate, West Lothian, EH48 2RH.
7.9
Å Watford digitising tablet Ö Does anyone have a patch to make the
Watford Electronics Gemini digitising tablet work with RISCáOS 3?
Watford say they do not intend to provide one and have, to use a well-
worn phrase, stopped selling the tablets.á C J Mills, 1 Lambton Close,
Crawcrook, Ryton, Tyne & Wear, NE40 4UX.
7.9
Help Offered
7.9
Å Printing through a dongle Ö The utility, DPatch, on this monthæs
program disc, will unlock CCæs dongles without the need to run the
relevant application first. The patch was supplied by CC to Mr Goddard
of Bury St Edmunds, after he enquired if it were possible to print
through a dongle without having to run the ArtWorks or Impression
application first. The answer is this piece of code.ááA
7.9
Pocket Book Column
7.9
Audrey Laski
7.9
Dunceæs corner
7.9
I wondered why the Applications menu had an item called öKill
Applicationò as well as öQuit Applicationò and öRemove Applicationò.
Then I found myself unable to delete the file of an application I
believed I had Removed. The system claimed that it was still being run.
After some anguish Ö it was eating memory and I didnæt want it Ö I tried
Killing it. Bingo! I had killed an application with my bare hands (to
misquote the first great adventure game), and deletion followed without
any problems. Of course, if Iæd read the manual properly and remembered
everything it said, Iæd have known about Kill Application, but as it
comes at the end of the Troubleshooting section, and says grimly that I
should never need to do it, I hadnæt taken it in.
7.9
PocketFS2
7.9
At last, this upgrade to the A-Link software has arrived, and I canæt do
better than quote Robert Newmarkæs enthusiastic follow-up to his
previous letter:
7.9
ö ...it works like a dream. For the endless hourglass, the end has come!
Inadvertent attempts at transferring files Éin useæ are easily handled.
There will be no further lying messages about the Pocket Book being
disconnected, lost, mislaid, sold or thrown out of the window. Mind you,
I now always use the mains unit when using the A-Link.ò
7.9
Transfers to and from the Pocketbook
7.9
Chris Bass of Grimsby writes that the Winlink software, from Widget
Software, allows file transfer between a PC and Psion 3/3a(PocketBook)
within a GUI environment (Windows). He expresses great satisfaction with
the efficiency of Clove Technology, (Chris Love, 43 Springbank Road,
Bournemouth, Dorset, BH7 7EL. 0202-302796) from whom he ordered the
software after lunch and received it the following morning. This
supplier is also praised by John Woodthorpe of Rugby.
7.9
3-Lib programs on the Pocket Book
7.9
Our problem with unzipping seems to have been solved by an upgraded
SparkFS (v2.23-latest) and John Woodthorpe writes that he finds v1.26
copes with the vast majority without problem, save for those with a
built-in directory structure. He says that, when opened on the A5000,
these appear to be empty; using the PC Emulator and the PKUNZIP.EXE
program on the 3-Lib discs, usually reveals that the file needs
unzipping with the d attribute set, and PKUNZIP filename.ext -d should
recreate the whole directory structure. So far, we havenæt encountered
one of these programs, so havenæt discovered whether the v2.23 could
deal more simply with them. However, we have encountered Zip files
within the first level. You can unpack these into a directory, whence
dragging them again to !Spark unzips their contents. Note that Spark is
only a Sparkplug for PC Zip Archives.
7.9
Delay in receipt of OPL software has limited the try-outs we have so far
been able to do, though I can now enliven bus journeys with games of
Tetris and Business, just like a youngster with a Gameboy; John
Woodthorpe has had to Élash out on a flash SSDæ to make room for all the
software he has found useful, including graph and equation plotting and
solving, a reverse translator to decompile applications for editing and
retranslations, and a Periodic Table of the Elements program.
7.9
Software development
7.9
A note from John Laski, of the far side of the bed: öPsion have put in
the public domain an S3 Emulator for MSDOS, and other PC Tools for
developing OPL programs larger than those that can be easily managed on
the desktop. They emphatically do not maintain these, but there is a CIX
where they can be discussed. However, they do supply various tools for
writing OPL or C programs for the Pocket Book on MS-DOS at prices from
ú90 to ú320. (Enquiries to 071-258-7368.)
7.9
öI donæt know what support there is for OPL developments in RISC OS but
with the way that Risc PC will support a 486, I would think the market
is too small to maintain two platforms.ò
7.9
Endnote
7.9
Contributors are very interested in the idea of a Pocket Book newsletter
or magazine, but more than one suggests that it should be welcoming to
Psion users as well. Marshall Middleton, of Rainow, Cheshire, writes in
as a Psion 3a user, with a warning about an experience of losing files
and having to reformat his internal RAM disc when an OPL program he had
typed in crashed (Backup! Backup!) He feels that a joint PocketBook/
Psion 3/3a magazine might attract Psion users who at present know
nothing of Acorn. John Woodthorpe reminds us that two Psion user groups
already publish PocketBook magazines, and thinks it might be worth
looking to setting up a wider user base in collaboration.ááA
7.9
Can anyone put me in touch with the Psion user groups so that I can
compare notes, please? Thanks. Ed.
7.9
DeskEdit 3
7.9
Peter Jennings
7.9
The original DeskEdit appeared in September 1991 and new, renumbered,
versions have followed towards the end of each succeeding year, so that
it has now become DeskEdit 3 (version 3.0). For anyone unfamiliar with
this very useful utility, it can best be described as a text and program
editor with a toolkit and a large number of other facilities. The two
earlier versions were both reviewed in Archive (5.4 p63 and 6.5 p58)
and, if you are new to DeskEdit, these write-ups are worth reading for
fuller details of what it can do, as this review is mainly concerned
with the latest additions.
7.9
The program, from Risc Developments, comes on a single, unprotected,
disc accompanied by a 71-page manual with a 16-page supplement, a
laminated reference card and an enormous function key strip. The manual,
reference card and keystrip are all DeskEdit 2 versions, with the
supplement covering the new features. This has helped to keep the price
unchanged at ú27.19 and ú2 postage plus VAT (or ú30 inclusive from
Archive) and users of earlier versions can get upgrades (direct from
Risc Developments) from DeskEdit 1 for ú8.47 and from DeskEdit 2 for ú5,
adding ú1 post and packing plus VAT.
7.9
DeskEdit can be for programming in Basic or C, at whatever level, or
working with text files. It is customisable and this itself can be
helpful to less experienced programmers as many of the changes, which
can be made to suit individual needs or tastes, can be done by copying
existing lines, substituting the appropriate directory and file names.
7.9
DeskEdit is useful to have permanently on the iconbar for reading text
files and for the instant examination of programs. Features continued
from earlier versions include a menu of user commands which can run
programs and open files stored anywhere on disc, extended saves
including page settings and other information, multi-purpose browsers, a
procedures and functions lister, macros, throwback, help files including
Basic keywords, a dustbin and a calculator.
7.9
It is a utility which offers such a variety of facilities that few
people are likely to use all of them and, even when you think you know
about all those that you need, you can browse through the manual again
and discover more.
7.9
Debugger and scroller windows
7.9
Among its valuable new features are two user-dedicated windows: a 20-
entry debugger and a scroller. These can be used with the help of a
library of functions and procedures, provided in Basic and C. Appending
these to a program under test can, for example, enable lines of text to
be added at various sections and displayed in the scroller window to
check on progress as the program is run. The value of variables can also
be shown for any line.
7.9
The earlier versions of DeskEdit used combinations of function keys F9
and F10 to set invisible markers, go to them and return from them to the
original place in a program or text. DeskEdit 3 has added the 10 keypad
numbers, teamed with the Escape key. All these combinations can be used
independently in every window opened.
7.9
Moving from the name of a function or procedure to its definition and
back again can now be done very quickly with three new keyboard
shortcuts.
7.9
Another existing feature which has been enhanced is the ability to get
information about a file by dragging it to the DeskEdit icon with <alt>
depressed. Doing so with both <alt> and <shift> held down now gives
extended information on five filetypes: module, template, sprite, Basic
and PCX. For a module, the version number and date, list of addresses of
major blocks and list of star commands are shown. With a template file,
the windows and the number of icons in each are listed.
7.9
A sprite file has the individual sprites within it listed with their
size, mode, mask and palette details. Basic files have the first ten
lines displayed, to show REMs, and the total number of lines given. A
PCX file has image data, including the size and the number of colours,
displayed.
7.9
Safe saves
7.9
Anyone who has ever accidentally wiped a file by saving another one with
the same name will welcome the introduction of ösafe savesò. This allows
you to create a öSafeSaveò directory (or you can call it by any other
name you prefer) and have a copy of the original file automatically
saved there if you duplicate its name. Most of these copies will
probably be old versions of updated files. You may wish to keep them in
the SafeSave directory until it is full, when you can either weed the
directory or rename it to keep the contents longer. If you are confident
enough not to want to keep more than the last file saved, the copies can
all be given the same set name, such as öLastSaveò which means that each
new safe save will replace the previous one. This will cut down on disc
space and the chore of weeding. If you have a hard disc, the SafeSave
directory can be on this or on a floppy.
7.9
DOS files, or other specified filetypes, can now be filtered when loaded
into DeskEdit and saved from it. This makes it possible to strip off DOS
end-of-file characters, remove carriage return characters, replacing
them with linefeeds if necessary, and change tabs into a specified
number of spaces. Except for the tabs, the process can be reversed when
resaving. This is mainly designed to normalise files being imported from
PC machines but it is also useful for converting files from programs
such as Arcscan into text files. A number of other DeskEdit features
have been expanded, such as the C syntax checker which now reports on a
much wider range of errors with improved accuracy, and numerous other
smaller improvements and additions have been made.
7.9
Recommended
7.9
I have some reservations about the inclusion of DeskEdit 2 documentation
with DeskEdit 3. It can be something of a jolt to open some brand new
software and find a manual for an earlier version. On the favourable
side, though, it does keep the price down for new users and those who
wish to upgrade. Existing users also have the advantage of being able to
find all the new features explained together in the supplement without
having to thumb through the full manual looking for changes. The
supplement seems to show signs of being hastily put together and some of
the instructions lack the clarity of those in the manual. This is,
however, a minor criticism. DeskEdit has always been a program which
could be recommended wholeheartedly and Risc Developmentsæ commitment to
it is underlined with an invitation for users to write in with comments
or suggestions for future enhancements. Owners of earlier versions
should find the additional features well worth the small cost of
upgrading.ááA
7.9
Small Ads
7.9
(Small ads for Archimedes 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 donæt know what Ésmallæ
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)
7.9
Å 20Mb IDE hard drive for A3010. Contains 8 word processors, 1
spreadsheet, 32 fonts, database and loads more, a total of 11Mb. No
reasonable offer refused. Phone 0904-470890.
7.9
Å A3000, RISC OS 3.1, 2Mb, 30Mb IDE HD, Aries Colour monitor. Excellent
condition, ú750. Phone Jonathan on 0522-682520.
7.9
Å A310, ARM 3, RISC OS 3.1, 4Mb, 40Mb IDE disc, colour monitor, four-
layer (four slot) backplane, First Word Plus 2, PD software, 5╝ö disc
interface, 40 track drive, DFS reader software and 50 5╝ò discs. The lot
for only ú650 o.n.o. +p&p (offers considered). Phone Derby 0332-557751
(evenings).
7.9
Å A310 (RISC OS 3.1), ú295. ARM3 + 4Mb + MEMC upgrade for A310 ú250.
VGA VIDC enhancer, unused ú30. Acorn I/O podule ú50. Acorn Ethernet card
ú100. Pace Microlin fax modem ú100. Taxan 787LR monitor, only 2 months
old, ú200 + carriage. 0736-63918.
7.9
Å A410/1 4Mb, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, VIDC Enhancer, 40Mb Hard disc, Eizo
colour monitor, manuals inc RISC OS2 PRM, ú780 o.n.o. Phone 051-526-
8931.
7.9
Å A410/1 4Mb, RISC OS 3.1, ARM 3, Internal 40Mb and 20Mb ST506 hard
discs, Epson LQ500 printer, new Acorn AKF19 monitor. PipeDream4
(unregistered), DataPower and lots of PD software, manuals inc. PRM OS2
ú750 ono. (Thereæs no phone number! Printing it was the only way we
could alert the person who sent it in on disc! Ed.)
7.9
Å A5000 (25MHz), 4Mb, 80Mb, AKF50 monitor (5 months old) ú900. A4
notebook, 4Mb, 60Mb HD ú1100. Phone 0383-739629 after 4.30pm.
7.9
Å A5000 4Mb, 40Mb, RISC OS 3.1, Acorn Multisync, mint condition, PC
Emulator 1.8, Graph Box Professional, Midnight Tracer, DeskEdit 2,
Atelier, ú995. Phone 0626-853774.
7.9
Å A5000 4Mb, 120Mb IDE HD, Acorn Multisync, 1yr old, ex cond, ú1200
+p&p. All sensible offers considered. Contact Jon Aylwin, 4 St Margarets
Close, Hemyock, Devon EX15 3XJ.
7.9
Å A5000 8Mb, 120Mb, multisync monitor, PC Emulator 1.81, Impression II,
full documentation, ú1300 o.n.o. Phone 081-789-2663.
7.9
Å A5000, 4Mb RAM, 40Mb HD, Multisync AKF18, plus software, boxed, good
cond, ú1000. Phone 0746-765812.
7.9
Å A540 4Mb, 100Mb, RISC OS 3.10, SCSI & CDFS, Econet, AKF40 Monitor
ú895. A5000 4Mb, 40Mb, Econet, AKF40 Monitor ú775. Acorn SCSI card
(Issue 2 + CDFS) ú160. A5000 4Mb Memory upgrade ú60. Aleph One PC card
(486/25MHz 4Mb, Windows driver) ú375. Unregistered software: ArtWorks
ú90, Revelation ImagePro ú75, S-Base Personal ú70, PinPoint ú55. All
serious offers considered. Phone Moray on 0734-572020.
7.9
Å A-Link with PocketFS2, unused ú33. Phone D Marshall, 061-941-1683.
7.9
Å CC Laser Direct 4, sheet feeder + spare toner cartridge, ú800 o.n.o.
Spare 3╜ö disc drive for A310 ú40. Phone 0744-58404.
7.9
Å EasiWord ú20, Grievous Bodily Arm ú10, Blowpipe ú10, Enter the Realm
ú10, Chocks Away ú5, Blitz ú10, Saloon Cars Deluxe ú15, Cataclysm ú10,
Quickshot Maverick 1M Joystick ú10, Quickshot Python 3 Joystick ú5. All
sensible offers considered. All prices are exclusive of p&p. Jon Aylwin,
4 St Margarets Close, Hemyock, Devon, EX15 3XJ.
7.9
Å OPL + User manual ú7, Documentation copy of C Development Kit for
Series 3 & Pocket Book ú30. Also PC discs of Psion C library. Phone Mark
after 6 on 0905-754277.
7.9
Å PC Emulator, DR DOS 5, Artisan, Interdictor I, Pandoraæs Box,
Olympics, E-Type, Repton3, PipeDream4, PipeLine discs Feb 92 to Aug 93,
FlexiFile, Acorn DTP, Genesis Plus and DeskTop Thesaurus. Phone David on
0752-781286.
7.9
Å Pineapple digitiser in external box, ú115 + SVHS decoder ú25. Both
ú135. Morley EPROM programmer, ú20 +EPROM eraser ú20. Both ú35. Phone
06977-46786.ááA
7.9
Diggers
7.9
Dave Floyd
7.9
Diggers is a game that can loosely be described as a cross between
Lemmings and Populous. It is available from Millennium and costs ú29.95
or ú28 through Archive.
7.9
Scenario
7.9
You play the part of a mining contractor on the planet Zarg during the
mining season. Being a contractor, of course, you will not be doing any
of the work yourself and, before starting, you must decide which race of
miners to employ. There are four to choose from, each with different
characteristics. The Quarriors, who look like descendants of Repton, The
Grablins who look like renegades from the American gold rush, The
Habbish who appear to be dressed as medieval monks and The FæTargs who
resemble mice wearing jeans.
7.9
Once you have hired your workforce, you are ready to select which area
to mine. At first, you are limited to two but, on completion, of each
level, your choice is expanded to include any of the areas directly next
to those which have been completed. Before beginning, you also have the
choice of visiting the shop where you can buy extra equipment to help
you in your quest. There is a wide choice including lifts, mechanical
digging machines, trains to carry your gems, rails for the trains to run
on and bridging blocks which allow you to cross gaps in the terrain.
Although you start each level with a certain amount of credits, many of
these items are too expensive to buy until you have mined some gems and
earned enough credits to be able to afford them.
7.9
Hi-Ho
7.9
Preparations having been made, you now get down to the serious job of
personal enrichment. For each level, you have five miners and each can
be individually controlled by the simple use of the mouse. They can be
made to walk or run, dig in any of eight directions assuming there is
earth there to remove, pick up and drop objects, teleport back to the
surface and home base where there is the forementioned equipment shop
and also a trading centre where you can sell your gems and gain more
credits to purchase equipment.
7.9
It pays not to get too complacent with the workforce and to keep an eye
on them as they tend to get bored after a while and start to do their
own thing, which invariably is at odds with what you actually think they
should be doing. When the arrow above their number begins to flash their
minds are wandering and they are in need of a reinforcing instruction
from you to get the job done in a logical manner.
7.9
While mining, you will come across a group of rival miners who you can
either avoid or confront, although unless you have chosen one of the
races whose fighting ability is strong, avoidance is advisable. There
are also caverns which usually contain large caches of gems or jennite
which is most precious. However, these are patrolled by spirits and
other strange creatures which can lead to an early demise if your
strategy is not right when entering. Once the confines of the caverns
have been breached, the creatures can also leave, to plague you in the
other areas of the mine.
7.9
Sound and graphics
7.9
The loading screen and other incidental screens such as the trading
centre and shop are beautifully drawn and a delight to behold. The
graphics for the main game are fairly small but are well animated and it
is difficult to see how they could be made bigger while still allowing
you to keep a proper supervisory eye on your miners. The playing area
itself for each level is vast, allowing plenty of scope for exploration
and allowing you to be choosy in which gems to collect, should you wish
to only collect gold and diamonds, for instance. All in all, Diggers is
graphically very pleasing and many software developers for the
Archimedes would be advised to take note of the quality displayed and to
integrate the same kind of finish to their games.
7.9
Sound is fairly limited and consists mainly of digging noises and a
trill when gems are discovered. In the parts of the game where you are
selecting things, there is a tune which has an Oriental feel to it and
is pleasant enough not to become annoying.
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
Bearing in mind all the things that this game does exceptionally well,
it gives me no real pleasure to become critical of it in the final
paragraphs. However, in the final analysis, I consider Diggers to be
sadly lacking in gameplay and longevity. After a few hours, the monotony
of the game and the simplicity of devising a successful strategy become
only too apparent. Diggers is crying out for another goal to be
accomplished on each level.
7.9
It would be good if, for example, there were parts of a magical artefact
to be unearthed. You could set some of your employees mining for riches
while two went off to negotiate a route to a specific point on the map
to find the artefact. They would be forced to overcome obstacles and
solve problems on their journey and the level would not be complete
until they had been successful. Implementing an end game to each level
whereby, on achieving enough wealth to progress, your miners would have
to negotiate themselves to a point on the map where they could teleport
out before choosing the next level, would have added some much needed
spice to the game.
7.9
As it stands, however, I would be surprised if the majority of people
buying Diggers were still playing it a month or two later and therefore
cannot recommend it. Diggers has so much potential and it could have
been one of the greatest ships to sail on the Archimedes ocean Ö all but
for a hapæth of tar.ááA
7.9
Easy Font
7.9
Hutch Curry and Richard Hallas
7.9
This review is somewhat unusual in that it has been written by two
people. Hutch Curry has written a review of version 1.00 of EasyFont,
and this has been brought up-to-date for version 1.11 of the program by
Richard Hallas, who also compares it with Font Directory from
LOOKsystems. Hutch Curryæs review first...
7.9
EasyFont is a utility program to assist in the organisation and
management of outline fonts for the Archimedes range of computers
running RISC OS 3.1 or above. It is designed to allow the user complete
control over the availability of fonts. EasyFont can store over 1000
font families, allowing the user the choice of over 300 of these to be
installed at any one time. The idea is that users can simply select,
from the list of available fonts, those they wish to be installed. As
soon as the selection is made, the new list of fonts will automatically
be usable.
7.9
EasyFont is supplied on one disc with a very short and succinct manual.
I appreciate that, as EasyFont is a fully RISC OS compliant program, the
need for extensive documentation is reduced. However, in this instance,
I found the manual lacking in detail about specific aspects of
EasyFontæs operation that really should have been covered.
7.9
In use
7.9
Over a few weeks of constant use, I have been generally very impressed
with EasyFont. I think that its main attraction is ù as the name
suggests ù the ease of use once the program has been installed (see
below). I have previously tried a number of PD font management systems
and have discarded each after a short trial. EasyFont will stay on my
machine for the foreseeable future, and this despite some errors and
shortcomings of the program.
7.9
Niggles and complaints
7.9
During the period of use, I did find a couple of problem areas. The more
general one has to do with the requirement that the fonts have to be
stored within the application itself. This is a problem at two levels.
The first is that you arenæt able to keep your fonts on a mixture of
media. For example, I keep my most frequently used fonts on my hard
disc. Additionally, I am fortunate enough to have a 20Mb floptical drive
on my system and I have one disc with the several hundred Artworks-
supplied fonts. I would like to have been able, occasionally, to access
these fonts through EasyFont installed on my hard disc. Unfortunately,
this is not possible with the system as it stands.
7.9
The second level of problem arising from EasyFontæs internal storage of
fonts appears during installation. If you are installing EasyFont on a
hard disc system, you will find that, when you install fonts from an
existing font directory, you will need a lot of free disc space. This is
because ù at least in the short term ù you will have two copies of each
of the fonts you have installed. Obviously, you can then delete the font
from your previous font directory but I found the process quite tedious
as I have lots of fonts and very little free disc space. The
installation problem could be solved by either altering the way EasyFont
stores the fonts or by adopting the same convention (shift-drag) as the
filer does for moving files as opposed to copying them.
7.9
The other area of complaint I have with EasyFont concerns what should be
one of its most useful features. According to the manual, if you drag a
document (of unspecified type) to the EasyFont icon on the iconbar, the
document will be scanned for fonts and any that are found will be
activated, if possible. The manual is woefully inadequate in its
description of this feature in that it doesnæt even list which filetypes
EasyFont can understand. By trial and error, the only Édocumentsæ that
seem to work at all are Impression and drawfiles. Even with these
filetypes, I have often found that only a fraction of the Énewæ fonts
were identified and activated. Unless I am doing something incorrectly,
it seems that Easy Font is unable to process Style, Resultz or Wordz
documents. Clearly there is need for improvement in this part of the
program.
7.9
Conclusions
7.9
Despite its problems, I think EasyFont is very good value for money. Its
usefulness is positively related to the number of fonts on the system
and the usage that is made of these fonts. If Fabis Computing were to
fix the problems I encountered, it would make EasyFont incredibly good
value for money.
7.9
EasyFont 1.11
7.9
Richard Hallas
7.9
The latest version of EasyFont addresses some of the points mentioned by
Hutch in the above review. In particular, the number of filetypes that
the program can cope with has been greatly increased, and they are now
listed in the manual. In addition, for filetypes which EasyFont does not
recognise, it is possible to save a list of the currently installed
fonts and drag it to EasyFont when you want to use the file again:
EasyFont will install just the fonts in the saved list. Although the
manual has obviously been updated for the new features, I agree entirely
with Hutchæs evaluation of it. Itæs quite nicely presented but has an
unfortunate tendency to assume you know about some of the programæs
features before it introduces them let alone explains them.
7.9
EasyFont versus Font Directory
7.9
EasyFont works by keeping all your fonts within itself and renaming them
as you change your selection of active fonts. Effectively, it keeps Éin
useæ and Énot in useæ directories, and moves fonts between them as you
install and remove them. This entails rather a lot of disc activity. It
is possible to view the names of the members of any particular font
family in a small window, but this is for information only because you
can only install or remove entire families at once. In order to install
or remove a font family, you must double-click on a radio icon next to
the font in question. If you want to install or remove several fonts at
once, you have to double-click on each font in turn, with each change
entailing hourglass activity and chugging of the hard disc as files are
moved around. EasyFont can store Éover 300 font familiesæ, according to
the manual.
7.9
Font Directory, on the other hand, takes a vastly more sophisticated
approach Ö it is a complete new filing system for fonts. Rather than
just copying the fonts into the application, you store them in a
partition (which is treated in the same sort of way in which the PC
Emulator treats a ÉPCDiscæ partition file as a hard disc in its own
right). Once installed, fonts are listed individually within a window,
although you can group them in several sub-directories. Whereas with
EasyFont you have to install or remove each font individually by double-
clicking on its icon, in Font Directory you simply click on each font
you are interested in (or drag to select a group ù and you can select
several separate groups) and then one click on a tick or cross icon will
install or remove the selection, all in one go.
7.9
As Font Directory is a true filing system, it can do some clever things
that would otherwise not be possible. All the shifting around of fonts
happens within memory, so there is no disc activity at all during
installation of fonts and this also makes it faster to use than
EasyFont. It is also possible to handle weights or faces individually Ö
you are not obliged to deal with whole font families at once.
7.9
An additional, useful side-effect of the use of a partition for storing
fonts is that storage is made much more efficient for many hard disc
users. On my hard disc, for example, each time I create a new directory,
26Kb is eaten out of my free space. This means that fonts in particular
(which usually contain many directories) are especially wasteful of disc
space. In the font partition, however, each new directory only uses 2Kb,
so it is possible to store many more fonts on my hard disc than would
otherwise be possible. The price to pay for this is that physically
installing or removing fonts from the partition requires Font
Directoryæs Émanageræ application to scan through them all and re-
compile tables of data about what is stored there Ö this takes 2 or 3
minutes on my system. (However, LOOKsystems are already investigating
ways of removing this need.) The installation of fonts in the partition
in the first place can be a bit awkward for very similar reasons to the
ones Hutch mentions in his review. You really need enough space,
initially, to keep both the fonts on your hard disc and a partition
which is big enough to copy them into. It would be possible to start off
with a very small partition and keep moving fonts into it and then
enlarging it but this would be very time-consuming and tedious. Font
Directory can store over 5900 font families Ö presumably more than
anyone would ever possess.
7.9
In addition to being able to scan known filetypes for the fonts they
contain, Font Directory can also scan through unknown filetypes and
install any fonts it finds. It can also save out a list of the fonts
currently in use, in the same way as EasyFont. Dragging a file to Font
Directory, with <Shift> held down, results in the fonts in the document
being highlighted in Font Directoryæs window.
7.9
When it comes to making the font changes known to applications which are
running, EasyFont simply installs them and hopes for the best. Font
Directory, on the other hand, is again more sophisticated. Whilst it
can, at the most basic level, behave in the same way as EasyFont, it
also has options to force a redraw of the screen or perform a mode
change, both of which are more likely to make less well-written
applications take note of the changes. More importantly, it provides a
SWI interface which, when supported by other applications, will make its
integration into the operating system even more complete.
7.9
Finally, Font Directory gives you fine control over the Font$Path system
variable, listing its constituent parts in a menu and thus letting you
install or remove external font folders manually.
7.9
EasyFontæs new font generation
7.9
EasyFontæs distinctive is its ability to generate new faces out of
existing ones. This makes use of the RISC OS 3 font manageræs ability to
render transformed fonts on the fly. For example, if you examine the
definition of Homerton Medium Oblique in ROM, you will find that the
Outlines file is just a text file containing the name öHomerton. Mediumò
and some numbers. The numbers are a transformation matrix which gives
the font manager the information it needs to create the oblique face out
of the medium one. EasyFont creates such files in order to add extra
styles to font families.
7.9
I found that operation of this feature was easy and quick, though not
without confusion and ambiguity. The only fonts from which you are
allowed to make transformations are those with a ÉRegularæ or ÉMediumæ
style, which seemed somewhat arbitrary to me. For example, my copy of
Garamond has just Light and Bold styles, so it is not eligible.
7.9
Whether you make any use of this feature of EasyFont is really dependent
on how strongly you feel about typographical correctness. I consider it
(just about) acceptable to make an oblique face for a font which does
not have an italic one, but I am not really happy with the different
weight fonts created out of standard faces. Let me explain why.
7.9
The ÉSemiBoldæ and ÉSemiLightæ faces which EasyFont creates are really
just slightly broadened or narrowed versions of the standard face. A
true SemiBold or SemiLight face, which has been properly designed, will
have changes made to it (such as its line widths and metrics being
proportionally altered and some of its letter designs appropriately
amended) which are impossible to do by a simple computer program, let
alone by a mere on-the-fly rendering via a transformation matrix. The
exact same arguments apply to the condensed and expanded faces, but to a
greater degree. If you want to use a condensed face, you should use a
font which has one as part of the family. Admittedly, this is not always
possible and the arguments I present might be considered pedantic or for
purists only, but it all boils down to how much attention you pay to
typographical niceties. I would not use these font-creation facilities
in EasyFont, but I am fully aware that many people will consider them a
great boon.
7.9
Conclusions
7.9
If there were no competition for EasyFont, I would agree that it is a
highly useful utility. It certainly does everything that is claimed of
it and, during my testing, it always worked well. However, it does have
competition, and against Font Directory, it doesnæt fare too well,
especially as the difference in price is only ú4.45!). Font Directory is
a superb application which is presented very well both in terms of on-
screen presentation and extremely good quality packaging (including an
excellent, well-written manual).
7.9
Although EasyFont is quite nicely presented in many ways, it
nevertheless falls down by breaking quite a lot of style guidelines,
quite badly in some cases (such as presenting information in menu items
which donæt do anything if you choose them). Whilst EasyFont does its
job perfectly acceptably, Font Directory does the same thing a whole lot
better.
7.9
If you have a good number of fonts, you need a font management
application and, to my mind, there is only one real choice. Unless you
are keen on EasyFontæs ability to create new weights, I suggest you go
for LOOKsystemsæ Font Directory which, by the way, will work on both
RISC OS 2 and RISC OS 3 whereas EasyFont requires RISC OS 3.1.
7.9
EasyFont costs ú25 +ú1 p&p +VAT (= ú30.55) from Fabis Computing and Font
Directory costs ú35 inc VAT from LOOKsystems or ú33 through Archive.ááA
7.9
Psion Series 3a
7.9
Mark Godwin
7.9
As this new machine has so many facilities, I intend to cover those new
features and changes that will have the greatest effect on the end user.
If I tried to review the whole machine, I could quite easily fill a
complete issue of Archive.
7.9
(Well, we did say it would be good to have a separate Pocket Book
magazine Ö perhaps it ought to be a Pocket Book /Psion magazine? What do
you think? Ed.)
7.9
I have broken my review down into two parts Ö hardware and software. In
the first part I will deal with the hardware and the system screen
software and then I will deal with the application software and the
changes to OPL.
7.9
The Series 3 has undergone some big changes to become the Series 3a, but
it is still housed in its tiny case and, at first glance, they look
identical. To differentiate this new machine from its predecessor with
just an Éaæ suffix does not do it justice.
7.9
Hardware
7.9
I have not been brave enough to take my Series 3a apart yet (itæs still
under warranty) but the inside of the original Series 3 does not have
much room to add extra components. The hardware changes I am about to
detail are the obvious ones, plus a few extras I have obtained from
friends or people at Psion.
7.9
Screen
7.9
When you open the case you see the first obvious difference Ö the bigger
screen. This screen is 52% bigger in area than the Series 3/PB and has a
higher resolution. These two new features increase the effective
graphics display by 300%, i.e. in pixel terms, this screen is four times
bigger than the Series 3/Pocket Book.
7.9
In addition to it being bigger, it also has a twin-plane screen. This
means that there are two layers of liquid crystal, in this case grey and
black. This allows each pixel to be one of four colours: green (none),
grey, black and grey with black. However grey with black looks
remarkably like black(!), so you only really have three colours, but the
ability to light both planes may prove useful for future games.
7.9
This increased resolution allows a readable 80 characters by 18 lines,
with the smallest font allowing 120 characters by 26 lines (a small ÉTVæ
screen).
7.9
Function keys
7.9
The next difference you will notice is the lack of the OPL function key
but donæt panic, OPL is still there although its function key has been
replaced by the spreadsheet function key.
7.9
The OPL editor is invoked by <ctrl-Word> and OPL execution is invoked by
<ctrl-Calc>.
7.9
Keyboard
7.9
The last noticeable difference is that the öcapsò key has been replaced
with a diamond key. Caps is still available, but you will have to press
this and the Psion button.
7.9
The diamond button will be explained when I detail the software changes,
but basically it allows you to swap between the main functions of an
application. Prior to this, you would have to repeatedly press the
function key, which is a bit cumbersome.
7.9
Processor and memory
7.9
The new processor runs at twice the speed (7.68MHz) of the Series 3
without consuming any more power. This is pretty good because you
normally expect that the faster the machine, the more electrical power
required.
7.9
Not only have they doubled the processing power, but they have also
doubled the memory. Two versions of the Series 3a are available, one
with 256Kb and the other with 512Kb of memory (512Kb being more
practical).
7.9
If you change from a Series 3/Pocket Book to the Series 3a, you will
notice the extra speed and wonder what to do with the extra memory.
However, all too soon, you will take for granted the extra power and use
up the extra memory.
7.9
Serial port
7.9
Because of the faster processor, the baud rate for the serial port has
increased from 9,600 baud to 19,200 baud. This is particularly useful
for backing up or using PocketFS2. Incidentally, if you examine the !Run
file for !PocketFS (version 2) you will notice that the baud rate can be
set to either 9,600 or 19,200. Does this mean another Pocket Book is on
the way or are they just catering for the Series3a. (Iáwould think itæs
a pretty good bet that Acorn will be working on a ÉPB3aæ Ö or whatever
they are going to call it. Ed.)
7.9
A to D to A converter
7.9
The last, but by no means least, hardware difference is a built-in 13
bit Analogue to Digital to Analogue converter. Its primary function is
to assess the battery usage more accurately (the Series 3/Pocket Book
only having a 2 bit resolution).
7.9
Another more interesting use for this hardware, coupled with the
addition of a built-in microphone and speaker (which replaces the
buzzer/DTFM dialler), is sound sampling with audio reproduction.
7.9
The quality is very good, considering the space available for parts, but
this is not surprising as it is a 13-bit sampler (1-bit used for the
sign). Each 13-bit sample is converted to 8 bits using ALAW encoding and
the Series 3a can process 8000 encoded bytes per second or, to put it
another way, 104,000 bits/second (including sign bit). This encoding is
obviously used to save memory and whenever a sound is replayed, it is
automatically decoded.
7.9
For budding OPL users, Psion have explained in the programming manual
how to record and play sampled sounds from OPL.
7.9
Manuals
7.9
The manuals are like the Series 3 manuals in layout and construction but
have a smaller print and consequently more data. They cover all of the
applications adequately, as well as the other facilities available
through the system screen. The section on OPL has also been expanded,
giving more examples and far more technical information.
7.9
Software
7.9
Applications
7.9
The Series 3a now comes with the following applications: Data, Word,
Agenda, Time, World, Calc, Sheet, Record, OPL editor and a new version
of the Comms application and Script editor (which can only be used if
you have the comms link).
7.9
I will also include the system screen here as this software has also
changed. The total amount of built-in software has gone from 384Kb to
1Mb.
7.9
To allow for all of the extra menu options, Psion have now added the use
of <shift-Psion> and a letter. This obviously doubles up the number of
menu options, which is particularly useful as the system screen now has
43 directly accessible options and some of these have sub-options.
7.9
System screen software
7.9
You now have a seven option main menu giving you the following: File,
Disc, Apps, Info, Control, Special and Édiamondæ. These main options
have 43 directly accessible functions.
7.9
Diamond button Ö On this screen, it will add/remove a memory bar on the
bottom of the screen. This bar summarises the amount of memory being
used and available.
7.9
Backup/Restore Ö Full or incremental, from any origin to any
destination.
7.9
Copy disc Ö The facility to copy an entire disc (like Archimedes
backup).
7.9
Exit all applications Ö Quits all running applications (useful just
before a backup).
7.9
Battery usage Ö This new window gives you information on how the
batteries are performing, namely: date batteries were inserted, time on
external power, time on batteries, total batteries used (mAh) and
average current (mA). This information is retained for the current and
previous set of batteries, so you can now assess whether you are getting
the best mAh per pound.
7.9
Application information Ö This new window gives you information about
the application, alias or group the cursor is currently over. It tells
you where it was installed from, the directory displayed underneath it
(apps only), the file extension put in list (apps only), what it is
based on (alias only), and the number of files in the group (group
only).
7.9
Print setup Ö Most of the options here are the same as the Series 3.
However, you will notice another option on the bottom called ÉPrint
Previewæ. All of the supplied applications have an option of previewing
print. The parameters from these menus give the default options used in
each application.
7.9
As print preview is common to all of the supplied applications, I will
explain this feature along with these parameters. When an application
uses print preview, the print is spooled to the screen but each
character is replaced by a single or group of dots, which allows you to
make sure the layout is correct (left/right adjustment, centring, page
overflow, etc).
7.9
Depending on the size of paper in use, you can view from one to four
pages on the screen and scroll around the rest. For example, you can
view on screen four A4 pages at a time, but only two A3 or four A5.
7.9
The options from this menu allow you to specify how many pages can be
displayed (if they will fit) and whether you want the margins displayed.
Margins include left, right, top, bottom, header and footer these are
shown in grey.
7.9
When an application has spooled print for previewing, you have another
menu which is common to all. This menu allows you to alter the number of
pages on display and add/remove the margins, you can specify which page
you want to look at or print it if you are satisfied.
7.9
Auto switch off Ö Before this option was provided, you only had a Yes/No
option and the time limit. It now has one further option which is ÉIf no
external poweræ. This will switch off the machine if it is running on
batteries after the specified time has elapsed, but not at all if it is
using external power.
7.9
Status window Ö This option allows you to configure the display of the
status window on the righthand side of your screen (which effects every
Psion-compliant application).
7.9
This window can contain: day of month; day in week; time; drive icons;
serial link status; caps indicator; battery low indicator; the current
file in use (or application name if no file required) and options
available by pressing <diamond>. Pressing <diamond> cycles forward
through these options and pressing <shift-diamond> cycles backwards.
7.9
The space available for application options varies in size depending on
the presence of all the other icons and the number of options available.
However, if there are more options than available space, they will
automatically scroll when <diamond> is pressed.
7.9
The icons in this window are very useful. Whenever a drive is accessed,
the relevant disc will flash. If the link is on, a wave symbol appears
which shuffles along when data is being passed and finally, if the caps
lock is on, a caps symbol appears.
7.9
This main menu option allows you to specify either a digital or analogue
clock (date and filename always present), but all/selected icons (except
the battery low icon) can be omitted. Omitting an icon basically gives a
line back to the application options, saves a bit of processing and
makes it look different.
7.9
Another function available in all applications is <control-menu>.
Repeatedly pressing this cycles through the status window options; full
size, half size and not present. Pressing <Psion-menu> brings up the
full status window for a few seconds and then returns back to its
previous setting.
7.9
Set preferences Ö Another option has been added called font which can be
set to either Roman or Swiss. This gives either serifed or sanserifed
text on the system screen.
7.9
Create new list Ö Applications on the 3a can be one of several types.
This function is only interested in applications that deal with files,
like Word.
7.9
When an application is installed, it will place an icon on the screen
and, underneath this list, files that it can load. It does this by
looking at a specific directory (on each device) that has files with a
specific extension. This path and extension information is coded into
the application when it was written.
7.9
For applications that support this feature (Psion firmware), you can
install further copies of that application but make it look at a
different directory and different file extensions. If you really want
to, you can also have a different icon.
7.9
For example, I have two copies of Word. The first one looks at all the
WRD directories and is for items related to work. The second one looks
at the PERS. WRD directories and is for my personal items.
7.9
This new feature is extremely useful but I should point out that it
existed on PD prior to the Series 3a.
7.9
Create new group is another very useful feature. It helps to reduce the
number of icons on the main window by replacing many icons with just
one.
7.9
This option allows you to create another window which appears on the
system screen as an icon. Pressing <space> over this icon opens the
window and pressing <space> again closes the window. These new windows
have the same options available as the system window and act in the same
way.
7.9
On the main system screen, underneath the group icon, is a list of
available and active applications which you can select instead of
opening the window. This is useful, as you can close the group window
when applications are still running.
7.9
Zoom Ö This feature is available in all the resident applications and
allows you to select one of four different font sizes (five in the
Spread).
7.9
The smallest font allows 80 characters per line (120 in Spread and
Comms) whereas the largest font allows about 50. The reason I say Éabout
50æ, is that all but the smallest font (smallest two in SPREAD) are
proportional, whereas the smallest are fixed width fonts.
7.9
The type of font displayed in an application depends on the selected
printer and selected options. If a serifed font is current, the text
will be serifed otherwise it will be sanserifed.ááA
7.9
Three CD-ROM Drives Compared
7.9
Paul Hooper
7.9
One of the things that has always bugged me is the rate of change of
technology today Ö you never quite know when to take the plunge! I speak
as one of those who held onto his BBC B until the advent of the A5000
and then bought one as they came out! I can now buy an A5000 that has a
hard drive four times as big, is 25% faster than the one I have got and
costs ú200 less than I paid! I was also one of the first to buy a Pocket
Book at ú249! I know it is never the right time to buy a new piece of
technology, so is it the right time to go ÉCDæ or not?
7.9
The advantages
7.9
What are the advantages of CD-ROM drives? The most obvious is the amount
of information that can be stored on a CD. The maximum capacity is 650Mb
which will allow you about 250,000 pages of A4 text or 7,000 pictures or
over an hour of video. This information is read-only and cannot be
altered Ö Iæm not quite sure if this is an advantage or a drawback.
Certainly in education, it is nice to have a disc that the pupils canæt
hack about, but what about the rest of us....?
7.9
Another advantage is the extra filing system that you have available on
the desktop. Having things like the Replay and Artworks viewer on CD-ROM
saves space on the hard drive or floppy, yet this hardly justifies the
price of the drive.
7.9
So what does justify this price? A CD-ROM drive is one of those pieces
of hardware that crosses the divide between the computer literate and
the rest of the population. As I sit here typing, I have my head phones
on listening to Helen Shapiro singing ÉWalking back to Happinessæ,
courtesy of the CD-ROM drive. The drives could also be used to view the
family snaps taken using you favourite 35mm camera and transferred onto
PhotoCD through your local Boots chemist, so this drive could save you
buying a special drive to view your snaps on the TV and also that midi
hi-fi system could become redundant if you only want to play CDs.
7.9
The drawbacks
7.9
This almost unlimited storage for information does have the drawback of
what one magazine calls ÉShovelwareæ Ö this is the term for the rubbish
that gets put onto a disc just to fill it up! Certainly, some of the CDs
that I have seen contain a fair amount of shovelware. Yet it is
certainly possible to fill a CD with a lot of useful information. There
are other drawbacks but they will become apparent later.
7.9
The three drives
7.9
The three drives that Paul asked me to test were:
7.9
Morley Revolution Ö ú355
7.9
Cumana 300 Ö ú350
7.9
HCCS Ultimate Ö ú335£ (See end of article)
7.9
(All these are Archive inc VAT prices but remember that the HCCS version
is a micropodule so you must already have, or must buy, a multipodule to
put it on.)
7.9
I was also given a series of CDs to test the drives. All the drives were
in turn connected to my A5000 with 4 Mb running RISC OS 3. As I had no
PC format CDs or PhotoCDs, I was unable to test any of the drives using
those formats.
7.9
Rather than go for raw speed tests, I tried to envisage how the drives
would be used and I attempted to devise a series of tests that would
reflect this use. This was somewhat limited by the CDs that I had
available and the space on my new hard disc, but I hope the tests I have
done will give some indication of the merits of the various drives. The
results are set out in a table below and there is a comparison with my
160Mb IDE internal hard drive. Now, before we get into the tests, I
would like to look at each drive in turn.
7.9
Morley Revolution
7.9
This is a Sony drive in a light grey box and comes complete with
interface which is easily fitted by following the instructions. A half
blanking plate is included along with the right size screws. On the
front is the drive drawer along with a volume control, eject button and
headphone socket. The on/off switch is located at the rear along with
two phono sockets for loud speakers, the socket for the lead to the
interface and the power supply.
7.9
The first snag I hit with this drive is the cable that connects the
interface to the drive. This is only twelve inches long so, on the
A5000, the only position was between the monitor and the main box. This
raised my monitor by about four inches and made it slightly more awkward
for me to work, as the monitor was now above eye level. (Morley tell me
that production versions will have cables twice that length! Ed.)
7.9
The location of the switch around the back of the drive at first seemed
quite awkward, as the drive needs to be switched on before the computer.
It was only later that I realised that this prevented my daughter from
switching it off accidentally and certainly, in classroom use, this
could be quite an advantage.
7.9
On power-up the drive emits a Éfanæ sound, which is hardly noticeable
over the whirr of the internal fan on my A5000 but it is certainly more
noisy than the other drives.
7.9
Revolution in action
7.9
The first thing that becomes apparent is that this drive wants your
fingers! The eject button is underneath the CD drawer, one press and the
drawer shoots out and, unless you are careful, it will bruise your
finger! The drawer stops about a third of the way out and you have to
pull it out the rest of the way. There is no gearing on this Ö it relies
purely on a catch. In goes your CD and a click on the CDFS icon reveals
the contents of the disc. The display and the speed of reaction was
slower than my IDE drives, but is still acceptable. The large busy light
on the front changes from yellow to orange as the disc is accessed. This
is very useful as the slower speed of the CD-ROM compared to a hard
drive made me double click again, as I thought I had missed the icon.
7.9
The first test was the Replay CD-ROM, now in mode 15 at 25 fps, the
drive was fine with sound and video well synchronised, but switching up
to mode 28 produced a jerky movement as the A5000 and the CD-ROM drive
tried to cope but I was to find that this was going to be a problem with
all the drives.
7.9
This was quickly followed by an audio CD, and I had one or two problems
using the CD-Player which is provided on disc Ö Joe Cocker came out
sounding like Pinky and Perky! The drive was playing my audio disc in
double speed mode. Oh well, if in doubt read the manual. I realised that
I had forgotten to dismount the Replay CD and thus the thing was still
in double-speed mode. This was soon cured but when I then went to
dismount the audio CD (yes, I do learn from my mistakes), all I got was
an error message telling me that this was an illegal track. From what I
gather, this is a problem with the CDFS filing system and would be
common to all CD drives.
7.9
A phone call to Morley soon cured the problem, with a new version of the
CD-ROM driver arriving on chip within a couple of days. This was quickly
installed and Joe Cocker went back to his gruff voice.
7.9
The extras
7.9
There are two manuals, one full of technical bits and pieces about PCs
written in three languages and the proper one written for the
Archimedes. This is a model of clarity, with easy-to-follow
instructions. A floppy disc is included that contains the audio CD
player and ChangeFSI, which enables you to view PC format image files.
Part of the manual is given over to an in-depth look at ChangeFSI, which
is the first time I have seen it written so well and in such depth.
7.9
A second floppy disc was sent with the new chip and this contained a
small demo of PhotoCD and quite a few useful screen shots of CD-ROM
driveæs menus, along with a user guide in Edit format.
7.9
Cumana
7.9
The layout of the Cumana Drive is much the same as the Morley except
that the on/off switch has moved to the front. This time, the box is
beige and again the eject button is below the drawer, but the movement
of the drawer is totally geared with a smooth eject movement which
leaves the tray fully out. But your fingers may still suffer with this
drive Ö not from the tray but from the on/off button. This is a simple
push button but is fitted flush with the front of the drive and is only
10mm square. As you attempt to push this in, the edges of your fingers
catch on the side and it can break your nails.
7.9
Connection was easy, with a good length of data cable which enabled me
to have the drive anywhere I wanted on my desk. The drive was almost
silent with only a slight whirr as the disc was accessed.
7.9
Cumana in action
7.9
This drive coped well with both mode 15 Replay movies and also mode 28
all running at 25 fps. There was very little jerky action in the higher
screen mode. Again, I had problems with the audio CD as the player
wouldnæt work, but after a quick read of the manual, I realised that I
needed to reconfigure the drive as I was working from a different
expansion slot.
7.9
Discs and manual
7.9
Again the two discs contain the Audioplayer and ChangeFSI along with a
user guide and release notes, with the second disc containing a PhotoCD
demo. The manual is clearly laid out with a trouble-shooting table, and
installation was easy.
7.9
Ultimate CD-ROM drive
7.9
This is the smallest of the drives. It wouldnæt fit underneath my
monitor as the case of the drive is too small to take the monitor stand
but plenty of cable allowed me to place it next to my machine with no
problems. It is connected via a multipodule which has its own separate
power supply. The drive itself has no on/off switch, as it draws power
from the podule and powers up as soon as you switch on your computer.
There is a volume control on both front and back and the usual phono and
and headphone sockets. It is decorated with the tasteful Ultimate Logo.
The tray is geared and slides out smoothly and the colour is the A5000
beige. Again, the eject button is beneath the tray, so if it is on a
flat desktop, be careful of your fingers.
7.9
Ultimate in use
7.9
When you switch on your machine, you not only get the RISC OS logo but
also an Ultimate Logo. To configure the drive is simple. All you do is
insert the floppy and click on a small application called !CD Config,
which works out which expansion slot it is connected to and initialises
the drive. Replay at 25 fps worked well in mode 15 but was jerky in mode
28. Audio CDs worked fine as the configure application had set the
correct expansion slot. The one thing I missed was that large busy light
on the drive. This drive has a small light which does indicate its use,
but it is very small.
7.9
Manuals and discs
7.9
The drive I was reviewing was a pre-production and so the manual was
only a photocopy, but it was well laid out with easy, simple-to-follow
instructions. The configure application made the whole process of
setting up the drive very easy. The disc contained ChangeFSI, CD Config
and CDPlayer along with the release notes. I understand that the
production versions will also include the Acorn PhotoCD demo as well.
Using the Ultimate podule will mean that machines that donæt take the
standard-sized podules can be connected to a CD drive.
7.9
The tests
7.9
As mentioned above, I have tried to devise a series of tests to reflect
how a CD-ROM drive might be used. The details of the tests and the CDs
used are set out below. Each test was performed three times and then the
average was entered in the table.
7.9
TEST A: Artworks Clipart CD Ö Mode 28, load into Art works viewer, a
file named ÉBulletæ 1.3Mb.
7.9
TEST B: 19th Century Biographies Key Plus CD Ö mode 27, search this 29Mb
database for references to Norwich in one small field and one free text
field.
7.9
TEST C: Biographies again Ö mode 27, sort 252 records in order of date
of birth.
7.9
TEST D: Mode 27, copy a 29Mb Key Plus file from CD to IDE Hard disc.
7.9
TEST E: Really Useful CD, Volume 2 Ö mode 28 search entire disc for the
key word ÉSpaceæ
7.9
TEST F: Acorn Education directory Ö mode 28, search for references to
Genesis or Magpie.
7.9
TEST G: Acorn Replay mode 15, 25 frames per second, shuttle launch.
7.9
TEST H: Acorn Replay mode 28, 25 frames per second, shuttle launch.
7.9
TEST I: Will the drive play Audio CDs?
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
As I have a CD to review for next monthæs Archive, I have the
opportunity to keep one of these drives for an extra month. So which one
will I be keeping? Well, it will be the Cumana drive, because of its
speed and the way it is styled along with the fact that it looks as if
it is part of my machine. However, whilst at Harrogate, I heard a rumour
that the price of the Ultimate drive was coming down to ú199 +VAT (ú234)
which certainly would make this drive much more attractive, even if you
had to buy a multipodule to put it on Ö which will cost around ú45 inc
VAT, depending on which machine it is for.£
7.9
Is it the right time to go CD yet? Certainly, the drives have come a
long way in the last few years but I am still unconvinced that the
software on CD justifies the price of the drive. Yet it is a Catch 22
situation. If a lot of people have access to CD drives, the software
will be produced but if we donæt buy them, the software will never be
produced. The Department of Education has announced an initiative of
ú4.5 million to put CD drives into primary schools and this will
certainly help to stimulate the production of good software for the
Acorn market. (I gather that most of this money has already been
allocated and that the CD-ROM equipment will be shipped out to schools
over the next couple of moths or so. Ed.)
7.9
The price of CD-ROM drives in the Acorn market has come down in the last
few years but they are still higher than the prices for Apple or PC
drives but the difference is getting smaller by the week. Yes, I think
it is time to take the plunge... now does any one want to buy a 24MHz
A5000 with a 40Mb hard drive?ááA
7.9
£The HCCS pricing information is a little confusing because there are so
many permutations and combinations of standard podule, micropodule,
multipodule, etc. But as I understand it, from HCCSæs information, the
retail price is ú249 +VAT = ú292.57 for a standard A5000 style or A3000
style interface (i.e. one not needing a micropodule) and that the
micropodule version is ú224 +VAT = ú263.20 to which you have to add the
cost of a multipodule on which to mount it. The Cumana drive is also
available in a version with an A3000-style interface and they do an EMU
version too.á Ed.
7.9
TESTS
7.9
Test Revolution Cumana HCCS
7.9
A 12.1 secs 11.6 secs 11.8 secs
7.9
B 21.5 secs 11.1 secs 28.7 secs
7.9
C 1.80 secs 0.97 secs 1.5 secs
7.9
D 13.2 mins 3.6 mins 10.3 mins
7.9
E 4.0 secs 2.1 secs 3.7 secs
7.9
F 9.6 secs 5.2 secs 9.0 secs
7.9
G YES YES YES
7.9
H Jerky YES Jerky
7.9
I YES YES YES
7.9
As a comparison, the Artworks file in test A loaded from my A5000æs IDE
drives in 8.6 seconds. Test B took 2.1 seconds Ö a lot less Ö and yet
test C took 1.3 seconds.
7.9
NightSky Ö Astronomical Program
7.9
Peter Jennings
7.9
The purpose and scope of NightSky, the astronomy program from Clares, is
very aptly summed up in the first page of introduction in its manual.
This says öNightSky is intended to accompany and to encourage active
observation of the heavens, if possible using binoculars or a small
telescope...[It] is a RISC OS compliant application which generates star
maps on any scale and as seen from anywhere on earth and at any past,
present or future date and time.ò
7.9
NightSky (version 1.01) costs ú79.95 including VAT (or ú74 from Archive)
and comes in an attractively presented package containing two discs and
a well-illustrated 118-page spiral-backed manual. A drawfile for a
function key strip is included. The manual is easy to understand without
having to be a knowledgeable star-gazer, or even a very experienced
computer user, although it could be improved further with a glossary.
There is a tutorial section designed to give an overall understanding of
the way the program works.
7.9
When NightSky is first loaded, it has to be initialised by typing in the
owneræs name and address. It can then be copied onto hard disc and
backed up. Running it puts an icon on the iconbar in the usual way and
clicking on this brings up the öDraw a Mapò window offering a choice of
viewpoints and times öHere now, Here then, There now, There then and
Optionsò which can also all be selected from the function keys. The
default öHere nowò setting produces a circular, horizon to horizon, view
of the sky at the current time. The view can be set to be as seen from
your own longitude and latitude and with your home town shown in the
title. The more important stars and planets are named although, because
the whole visible sky is shown, the names are difficult to read at that
scale. This does not matter because just about every aspect of the map
can be customised and even your own labels added.
7.9
Choice of densities
7.9
There are two öplacesò files (one for daylight saving times, including
British Summer Time) to show views from a selection of towns and cities
throughout the world and there is a choice of three files to include
different densities of stars. These range from 2,704 of the brighter
stars, down to a magnitude (brightness) of 5.4, to a database of 26,104
stars including fainter ones down to a magnitude of 7.55, which is three
times fainter than the dimmest star that can be seen by the unaided eye!
You can choose the file to use according to how much detail you want on
the map and how much memory your computer has. The angle of view can be
narrowed to zoom into any section of the sky, down to a segment as small
as one eighth of a degree, or a box can be dragged round an area to be
enlarged. At suitable magnifications, Jupiteræs moons and Saturnæs rings
can be seen, correct to scale and in the right positions, and even the
phases of the planets are shown.
7.9
Clicking on a star brings up a panel of information including: name,
right ascension and declination, magnitude, distance, absolute
magnitude, surface temperature, luminosity and spectral class. There is
often additional text tagged on and this can be added to at any time.
The planets have their own panels and both types include a button to
click on for a closer view of the object and its immediate neighbours.
7.9
Information files
7.9
Users with RISC OS 3.0 or later can generate a text file of more general
information from any map, using the function keys. This shows the place
name and location; local date and time including time zone; Julian date;
local sidereal time; altitude, azimuth and the rise and set times for
the moon, sun and planets; any interesting approaches between planets
and between planets and bright stars; and the local dates and times of
the moonæs phases for the next month.
7.9
When a map is drawn with a önowò option selected, it is, by default, in
real time mode and the screen is redrawn every minute. This is easily
changed from a menu option and events such as eclipses can be speeded
up. You can be locked onto the main subject of interest to prevent it
being moved off screen as the earth rotates. A sequence can be saved and
re-run as an animation, while static screen displays can be saved as
drawfiles or sprites and printed out in colour or black and white
versions.
7.9
A selection of 38 animations of past and future events, including a
total eclipse of the sun due to be seen from parts of Britain in 1999,
are included as demonstration files.
7.9
Worth considering?
7.9
NightSky has too many features to be able to describe them all here.
This is clearly a program which will appeal to astronomy buffs
enthusiastic enough to pay nearly ú80 for it but is it worth considering
if you do not know the difference between an occultation and a transit£
but are still attracted by the beauty and mysteries of a star-studded
night. You can certainly learn a lot from it. Twenty-two pages of the
manual are an interesting and informative astronomical reference section
and there is a useful two-page bibliography. If you just want to
identify the stars and planets that you can see on a clear night, a
printed star map would be cheaper but, if you would like to take up
astronomy more seriously, NightSky could help point you, and your
telescope, in the right direction.ááA
7.9
£Bluffersæ guide Ö An occultation is the disappearance of a celestial
body moving behind another. A transit is the passage of one across the
face of a larger body, as seen from earth.
7.9
Jupiter showing its moons, correctly positioned and to scale, and
information window.
7.9
Lunar eclipse as seen from Melbourne in Juneá1993.
7.9
Text file generated from a map window.
7.9
CD-Net Trial Pack
7.9
Malcolm Fraser
7.9
Networking CD ROMs should be an efficient use of expensive equipment. At
school we have The Times CD ROM from 1990 (four discs so far) and three
drives. Only a few students can use the CDs at a time. As coursework
deadlines approach, demand rises and the queues get longer. If we use
the CDs from a number of network terminals, this will ease the problem.
7.9
However, CD site licences can be expensive, and network managers will
want to be sure that their network can cope with the demands made on it.
The CD-Net Trial Pack allows managers to test CDs before buying a full
site licence.
7.9
I shall describe, firstly, what you get when you buy the Trial Pack and
then I shall discuss the implications for hardware and software in the
network. Finally, I will give a description and evaluation of CD-Net in
operation.
7.9
CD-Net Trial Pack
7.9
The package consists of two floppy discs and two manuals. One disc has
the CD-Net Server and Client software. The server software does a
similar job to Acornæs network fileserver software. It runs on the
machine with the CD ROM drive and deals with requests for data from
other machines on the network. The client software allows a network
station to communicate with the CD ROM Server(s).
7.9
The second disc contains the software necessary to use the Hutchinson
Encyclopedia over a network. These replace the versions which comes with
the single user CD pack. The booklets are a network manageræs guide with
installation notes and an introductory guide for users.
7.9
In addition, buying the pack gives you limited period site licences for
four ÉWorld of Numberæ CD ROMs, the Hutchinson Encyclopedia (1993
version), and the Hutchinson Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992). There is
also unrestricted access to the Acorn Replay sampler CD and the 1992
Acorn Education Directory CD, which may still be available from Acorn
Customer Services.
7.9
If you have the stand-alone version of a CD, you can try it out on your
network for a limited period and then decide whether to buy a full site
licence. PEP Associates plan to supply further limited licences to
registered users by agreement with the publishers, for the cost of
postage. This means that the Trial Pack will continue to be useful when
the initial test periods are over.
7.9
Performance issues
7.9
It may help to describe some network options which can be found in the
Acorn world. There are several variations, so I will not attempt to
cover them all.
7.9
The original Acorn network system, Econet, is still used in many
schools. It is now rather elderly, and loading Archimedes software and
data files can be painfully slow. The length of the network cable limits
the speed at which data can be transmitted; longer means slower.
Ethernet is faster by about a factor of ten. There are a number of
different types of Ethernet cable, and two of the most common allow for
network lengths of about 200 metres and 500 metres. Individual runs of
cable can be linked using repeaters or bridges.
7.9
The Acorn AUN system allows Econet and Ethernet systems to be linked
using a Égatewayæ computer, i.e. one which has both Econet and Ethernet
interfaces. Computers on one type of network can communicate with
servers on the other if both machines run the AUN network software. The
system used in testing has four Ethernet strands joined in a stretched
ÉXæ shape by repeaters. There is a gateway at the crossing point linked
to a 400 metre Econet network.
7.9
My two priorities for running the system are reliability and speed, in
that order. The fileservers are spread around the school, and tracing a
problem on a server some distance away is time-consuming. Server
software in particular must be reliable. Problems with a server can
affect all users and they may lose important files before the fault is
corrected.
7.9
Speed is important when demand on the network peaks. Loading large files
slows down other users and can cause fileservers to Évanishæ. This
happens when servers ignore the requests from terminals to identify
themselves because they are transmitting continuously.
7.9
Using CDs across a network could lead to problems in these areas. CD
files can be very large, while using CDs of newspapers and encyclopedias
may involve searching through large indexes. If many users want CD data
at one time, they could bring the network to a standstill. Replay films
demand large quantities of data at frequent intervals.
7.9
It is possible, in theory, to put a CD onto a network with Level 4
Fileserver. In practice, difficulties arise because of network speed and
the maximum file size which the Level 4 software can handle. Experiments
with an early CD Sampler on Econet a few years ago were not a great
success. PEP Associates, who have produced the CD-Net package, give more
details of the problems in a Fact Sheet.
7.9
CD-Net is a separate server for CD ROM which works alongside AUN. It is
designed to overcome the difficulties mentioned but, in order to get the
best out of it, you should run it on a high performance computer if
possible. The server used in testing was a 33 MHz A5000 with 4Mb of RAM
and a 160Mb hard disc. The CD ROM drive was an Acorn Multimedia
Expansion Unit. (An older Cumana drive was also used.)
7.9
CD-Net will run successfully on less powerful machines, and many discs
will perform acceptably on slower drives. Problems are most likely with
Replay films and running over Econet. You must have AUN in operation,
even if your system is purely Econet. This means that the Fileserver
must run at least Issue 2 of the Level 4 software.
7.9
Setting up the system
7.9
The Network Manageræs Guide describes very clearly the process of
setting up the server software. The installation disc allows the server
software to be installed on one machine. Ideally, the CD server should
not be used as a network station, although it is possible within limits.
Using a machine as a CD ROM server and network fileserver at the same
time is unlikely to be successful.
7.9
You then have to copy a separate key file onto the server for each CD.
You can only copy the key file once, so you have to decide where the CD
is to run if you have more than one server. The key file comes with the
CD ROM site licence. Compared to other forms of protection, this seems a
reasonable compromise between the needs of the user and protecting the
rights of the copyright holders. You can take a backup copy of the
server and key, and use this on a second machine if the first is out of
action. You cannot use original and backup on the network at the same
time.
7.9
A SCSI interface can support seven devices, but more than one server may
be needed if you want a large number of CDs available at once. The
physical space taken up by six or seven separate drives is likely to be
a problem, not to mention the number of signal and power cables needed,
but this could be solved by using one of the new six-CD disc units.
7.9
The server must be configured by allocating RAM and hard disc space to
CD-Net. The server uses these as caches to store data where it can be
accessed more rapidly than from the CD. This is particularly effective
if repeated reference is made to the same blocks of data. Writing Replay
clips to hard disc can actually slow CD-Net though, and the hard disc
cache can be turned off for these discs. The caches are configured for
the server, not for a CD. If you have a CD which works best with the
hard disc cache and one without, you cannot have both options at once.
If it is not convenient to reconfigure the server when discs are
changed, or if you are running two discs at once, you may have to find a
compromise solution.
7.9
Finally, you have to load the Server application at your terminal. Also,
some CDs such as the Hutchinson Encyclopedias require the network
version of a software front end to replace the stand-alone version. The
server and client software runs independently of the AUN network, so you
do not have to log on to the network to load data from a CD.
7.9
Testing CD-Net
7.9
CD-Net was tested with four CDs which represent the common types
available for Archimedes. The Acorn Education Directory is an
encyclopedia application, with mainly text and simple graphics. This CD
provides a test of how your network will cope with typical encyclopedia
applications.
7.9
The Multimedia Encyclopedia holds large amounts of data. It is popular
with students, so we have had the CD running over the network regularly.
There are a number of sprites and sound samples as well as text. Most
users will want to carry out searches, which may limit the number of
users who can use the disc at once.
7.9
The other discs used both included Replay clips. The Acorn Replay
sampler has two versions of the films, one which runs 12╜ frames per
second and one at 25 frames per second. If you try to use the 25 frame
per second version across the network, the results are disjointed, but
the Manageræs Guide warns about this. In fact, with a fast client
(A5000) over Ethernet, CD-Net just about copes with the faster speed to
one station, which indicates how fast the software runs.
7.9
At 12╜ frames, the results are better. It is possible to have two
terminals showing the same film simultaneously on Ethernet, although
this pushes the network and server to their limits. If a hard disc cache
is in use, considerable time is taken up reading and writing, and it is
more efficient to turn the cache off. Again, this is covered in the
manual.
7.9
The Perspectives disc from ÉWorld of Numberæ also includes Replay clips,
all at 25 frame per second, so they cannot be used on a number of
machines simultaneously, at least not with current network hardware.
This CD is one which teachers may well want to use with a class at a
number of stations, but only the non-Replay software will run
successfully.
7.9
How it performed
7.9
The CD-Net server and client software proved to be reliable during the
period of the test. Text and sound samples were transmitted across two
lengths of Ethernet and from Ethernet to Econet through the gateway. The
client software ran alongside the Application Accelerator client
software which is now available from Acorn for Ethernet systems. The
implementation has certainly met my first priority, as it has proved to
be almost Écrash-freeæ during the test period.
7.9
We did have a few problems with the Hutchinson Encyclopedia during the
trial. On a few occasions, the client station stopped working, though
not the server. However, there have been similar problems using that CD
on a stand-alone system, so this may not be due to the CD-Net package.
7.9
The speed of operation depends on the hardware and network system in
use. On an A3000 over Econet, data from the encyclopedias loaded in a
reasonable time but Replay sequences were not successful even at 12╜
frames per second. There was some improvement when the terminal on
Econet was an A410 with ARM 3.
7.9
Four and five students at a time could search the Encyclopedia CD across
the network because these were rarely simultaneous. When a number of
users are carrying out the same operation, the size of the caches
becomes important and should be as large as possible to avoid
unacceptable delays.
7.9
Sound samples had gaps in the playback on a few occasions when the
client was some distance from the server. This was overcome by
increasing the amount of memory available for a sound buffer.
7.9
The slower CD ROM drive handled the Hutchinson Encyclopedia
successfully, including sound samples. As an experiment, we used the
slow drive for the Encyclopedia over the network and a second, faster
drive for local work on a different CD. The system worked well, and only
showed signs of strain when searches were under way on both discs.
However, I would not recommend this as a normal practice.
7.9
There are some areas where the package might be improved, particularly
to avoid problems on school networks. It would be better if it were more
difficult to quit from the server software. Our server could not be put
in a secure room as it was also used for other purposes, and there was
always a risk that a user might quit the application by accident. CD-Net
does display a warning if users are working with a CD, but it is
possible to force them off and then dismount the disc from the server
desktop.
7.9
An option to disable the hard disc cache for individual CDs would be
valuable. Once six-drive units become common, it will be difficult to
find a configuration which suits a range of CDs, and this could become a
problem.
7.9
The hourglass seems to take some time to appear when the client software
is loading over the network. This can lead to users attempting to load
the server software twice.
7.9
While the Network Manageræs Guide is clear and gives all the information
needed, I feel that network managers will want to tailor the Useræs
Guide for their system. Perhaps PEP Associates would consider providing
parts of the document as a set of text files and sprites, or as an
Ovation or Impression document, if the copyright situation is made clear
for users.
7.9
A final improvement would be some means of dismounting CD-Net to move it
to another machine. As networks evolve, it is likely that managers will
want to upgrade servers from time to time. Although there are a number
of possible ways to work around this, I am not sure how convenient they
would be in practice.
7.9
These are all minor points, and I am very impressed by the overall
performance of CD-Net. Under favourable conditions, the system is not
dramatically slower than stand-alone use, although if there are a large
number of users at once then, as with a normal network, the delays will
become more obvious.
7.9
In the end, the success of the package will depend on how many CD ROM
suppliers participate in the trial arrangements. The Times CD ROM is
about to appear in a CD-Net version, and there are a number of other
titles which would also be useful, such as the Dictionary of the Living
World and the ECCTIS disc of university and college information. This
will encourage PEP Associates to continue developing the CD-Net system.
The cost of site licences are set by the publishers, not PEP Associates,
and this will have to be at a level which customers can afford.
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
The package provides a valuable service at a relatively low cost (ú39.95
+VAT from PEP). The company have been helpful in answering questions
while testing the software, and have suggested where problems might
arise and how to avoid them. Testing has convinced me that a system
based on CD-Net can work successfully, provided sensible decisions are
made on hardware and CDs.
7.9
If you plan to use CD ROMs on a network, it is important to remember the
limitations which the components will impose and, in particular, that
older equipment and networks will not cope with certain CDs. As network
technology improves, it may become possible to extend the range of files
which can be run across a network and to increase the number of users
and discs.
7.9
I am looking forward to trying other discs, not to mention seeing an end
to the scramble for the CD ROM drives which develops every time students
want to use the Times CD for course work which is due in within two or
three days!ááA
7.9
KernPlus and EverKern
7.9
Dave Walsh
7.9
KernPlus and EverKern are utilities first to add kerning data to your
fonts, and then to force all applications to use this data. A thorough
configuration menu allows the definition of how the system is to run;
initially it may be wise to do automatic kerning on loading of fonts but
the configuration allows later use to be non-automatic, so all those
hours that youæve spent making sure the characters are Éjust soæ isnæt
lost! Once installed, the applications have a very professional feel to
them, using anti-aliased fonts in the menus and allowing multiple fonts
to be loaded and manipulated together.
7.9
A font can be loaded into Kernall simply by dragging its directory (or
the internal metrics file) to the icon. A whole family of fonts can be
loaded by <shift> dragging them in the same way. A nice point, for those
that use it, is that the system works Éalmostæ happily with FontFS from
LOOKsystems. (There were a number of machine ölocked outò occurrences,
until I had learned which order to shut down the font manager and
kernplus applications.) The system is very efficient indeed,
multitasking in its work, if required, at a rate far surpassing that of
!Kernall from Design Concept, although, in truth, this is because it
uses a far more sensible range of kerning pairs. In fact, as a design
brief for people wishing to add kerning data to their fonts in RISC OS
3, it is hard to fault. The kern pairs are evaluated from the shape of
the font, combined with common letter patterns. A default template of
kern pairs can also be added to the data, as well as changed to your own
requirements. The utility even allows the kerning of glyph characters
(those little beasts like ▌ at the end of the character range).
7.9
As the manual explains, automatic kerning can make a fairly reasonable
Éguestimateæ but with the manual override, this can be spruced up to
your requirements. The manual kerning is simple enough to use, requiring
the user to drag the characters together or apart until they are to your
liking. Beware of the use of <ctrl-u> to update values of kern data at
this point in the program Ö it still wipes entries clear!
7.9
The second application, EverKern, forces the use of the kerning data in
other applications. Unlike !Kernall from Design Concepts, it will
effectively kern characters in applications like !Draw without the
invisible space at the end, although the manual does comment on this
possible flaw with ösome word processingò software. This, in itself,
makes the product as a must for anyone looking for kerned fonts within
Draw where kerning is not automatic. It goes slightly further though,
allowing the user the opportunity of simply clicking between Ékerning
onæ and Ékerning offæ through the icon bar front end.
7.9
Comparing this product from PTW with that from Design Concept, there is
no doubt in my mind which one I would recommend. Kernplus, at the same
cost, seems much quicker and more effective and intuitive to use as well
as to customise to your own requirements. For ú15 this has got to be one
of those essential little utilities for anyone who wants a professional
finish to their written output.
7.9
KernPlus and EverKern from PTW Software costs ú15 incVAT.ááA
7.9
KleinFS
7.9
Mark Godwin
7.9
KleinFS is a compression filing system that uses Acornæs Squash module Ö
as supplied with RISC OS 3. The combination of KleinFS and Squash gives
you a filing system with all the ADFS, filer options but which also
compresses and decompresses the data. The result is a package not to
unlike Compression from CC or SparkFS from David Pilling, with which I
shall try to compare it.
7.9
What you get & how to install it
7.9
KleinFS arrived on a single disc with a booklet and some release notes.
The booklet explained everything I needed to know Ö not that you need
much.
7.9
KleinFS is not protected and can be installed on your hard drive or run
from floppy. On execution, KleinFS adds another icon by the side of your
current floppy drive icon. Once installed and loaded, adding/deleting
further drive icons for other storage devices is very easy and this can
then be saved as the default configuration.
7.9
On the main menu (selected from the new floppy drive icon) there is a
New Icon option. This presents you with a new window which has easy
selection for the standard drives (ADFS floppy and hard drives) and text
input plus menus for the others. It was very easy to install an icon for
my SCSI hard disc.
7.9
Another nice feature is the addition of an icon in the Resources window.
This allows you to run KleinFS easily if you accidentally quit it, or
you could modify your boot file to add it only to the Resources
directory without loading it onto the iconbar.
7.9
How well does it work?
7.9
As far as I am aware, all of these compression filing systems use a
similar technique for file access Ö they use the scrap file to expand
the file before it is used by an application, assuming it canæt be done
in memory. So, if you have a 12Mb compressed file, you will most
probably need a 12Mb scrap file to access it.
7.9
To evaluate performance, I did some tests and have given figures (Table
1) for compression, decompression. target size and Éshutdownæ. One set
of figures covers thirteen Étypicalæ applications and the other set is
for a PC partition. The latter was chosen because it presents a problem
in that the decompressed version of the partition has to be kept until
you have finished with it.
7.9
I should also point out that all of the compression filing systems
require you to shutdown down your computer properly. This is so that
they know that you have finished with the partition and can re-compress
it. My use of the PC partition may not be the only situation where it
keeps a copy of a decompressed file open, so always shut your machine
down properly or you will lose the work you have done on the file.
7.9
The figures in Table 1 give you a typical example of the performance for
each application. I would not put too much emphasis on the PC partition
as this is the exception rather than the rule. Compressing this type of
file may be unwise and impractical, but at least they all cater for it.
7.9
I then examined the compressed applications hoping to see that one
filing system would always compress one filetype better than another,
but this was not the case. I did perform further tests, but as they were
not substantially different to those in Table 1, I have not detailed
them.
7.9
Most of my tests showed that the resultant file size would not really be
a factor in your choice of filling system. However, what is different
and may make you decide on one instead of the other is Épresentationæ,
Éconventionæ, Édialogæ and the time it takes to manipulate data
(compressing/decompressing).
7.9
ÉPresentationæ includes the quality of icon and how they were located on
the iconbar. In addition to this, I looked at the options each filing
systems provides and the user interface (parameter input).
7.9
ÉDialogæ was broken down into two categories, namely standard dialog and
error dialog. For each of these, I looked at the presentation of the
windows and the clarity of the messages. The clarity is very important
when considering the error messages you may get. You can read ÉPOORæ in
my table as not complete, misleading and not helpful.
7.9
ÉConventionæ briefly details how the filling system is used from the
desktop. This indirectly covers how data is compressed, decompressed,
accessed and stored (if it not the Énormalæ ADFS file format). Table 2
contains a summary of the latter points for each of the filing systems.
7.9
In this review, I have only used a small part of the facilities offered
by SparkFS (which I believe to give the best results). Also, SparkFS
provides facilities for a range of compression and decompression formats
as well as file conversion, password encryption and dynamic control over
memory usage.
7.9
With all of these filing systems, you are locked out during the actual
compression, but KleinFS makes use of the percentage timer on the mouse
pointer, giving you proof that something is actually happening and how
far it has got.
7.9
Another particularly good feature is that you can remove all of the
KleinFS drive icons, leaving the filer modules installed, and use <alt-
double-click> to open a KleinFS window.
7.9
One other feature of KleinFS worth mentioning is the Éfiler remove and
reviveæ option which is very useful. If you select Éfiler removeæ, it
will remove all of the current filer icons and conversely Éfiler reviveæ
brings them all back.
7.9
Can you run compressed applications?
7.9
I compressed several applications with each of the filing systems and
tried to execute each of them from within the compressed filing systems.
7.9
With KleinFS, Compression and SparkFS, applications can quite happily
run in compressed form. The difference between them comes when you look
at the PD read-only versions which allow you to decompress the
compressed files. Compression is the only one with a PD read-only
version which can run a compressed application.
7.9
A PD read-only version of KleinFS was not available for review but is
nearly ready for release. However, since it uses Squash as its means of
decompression, it would be no good for anyone without RISC OS 3. If you
have Squash, but not KleinFS, you merely have to double-click on the
application and it will automatically decompress Ö then double-click
again and it will run. Double-clicking on any Squash file will
automatically decompress it as long as Squash has been seen.
7.9
Network use
7.9
I have also been informed by PTW Software that KleinFS now includes
network support but I was unable to test it as I do not have access to a
network. From the information I have obtained, a lot of work has been
put into this part of their software, and it is getting a good response
from the people testing it. Hopefully, a review of this will be
following from one of their Étestersæ.
7.9
Features of the network version will include: Open É&æ (URD), not $ when
accessing a network; opening of $ on all network hard discs; free space
display on networked discs; log on/off. These features are currently
being tested with Econet and Ethernet by Acorn, Oak Solutions, SJ
Research and Digital Servicesæ NetGain.
7.9
As none of the competing products mention networks, so I can only assume
that they do not cater for them.
7.9
The personal touch
7.9
During this review, I did come across some problems with KleinFS. All of
these problems were corrected very quickly. I also passed on a few
suggestions, some of which, I am pleased to say, were implemented.
7.9
From the conversations I had with representatives of PTW Software, I was
also pleased with their approach and open-mindedness. If you purchase
KleinFS and find something you wish to comment on, I am sure you will be
pleased with their attitude. Another recommendation for PTW is that they
are offering free upgrades of KleinFS if you return your original disc.
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
KleinFS provides compression and decompression with all of the standard
filer operations and has very good support. It quickly grows on you and
even though it may be slow in achieving its goal, this is more than
reflected in its price, ú17.95.
7.9
For a limited period, Archive members can obtain a copy of KleinFS from
PTW Software at the reduced price of ú16.00. To obtain a copy, send
payment and the envelope from this monthæs magazine before the end of
the month on the magazine cover.ááA
7.9
13 Applications, 150 files. All values rounded up.
7.9
To compress To decompress, Resultant file size File size Closing
down
7.9
(copy ADFS) open viewer. reduced by. (i.e. shutdown).
7.9
ADFS 45 sec 0 sec 664Kb N/A N/A
7.9
Compression 78 sec 95 sec 348Kb 48% N/A
7.9
SparkFS 75 sec 68 sec 335Kb 50% N/A
7.9
KleinFS 155 sec 85 sec 352Kb 47% N/A
7.9
Squash 56 sec 60 sec 346Kb 48% N/A
7.9
PC partition, All values rounded up (The original file size was 2048k)
7.9
ADFS 18 sec 0 sec 2048Kb N/A N/A
7.9
Compression 40 sec 10 sec 1394Kb 32% 15 sec
7.9
SparkFS 60 sec 35 sec 1429Kb 30% 40 sec
7.9
KleinFS 130 sec 60 sec 1736Kb 15% 90 sec
7.9
Squash 165 sec 120 sec 1736Kb 15% N/A
7.9
Table 2
7.9
Presentation Convention Time Std. Error
7.9
Dialog Dialog
7.9
Compression Basic. Icons grouped in a cluster, Standard filer. Open
opposite Quick N/A Poor
7.9
Clutters iconbar. Basic means of viewer by pressing <alt> and
7.9
input for options. then <insert> while mouse in
7.9
viewer.
7.9
SparkFS Single icon, not used to access Own file format. Once
opened, Quick Good Poor
7.9
drives, but used to access options. operates like a standard filer.
7.9
Good means of input for options.
7.9
KleinFS Good. Icons placed by original drive Standard filer. Open
opposite Slow Good Very
7.9
if possible. Good means of input for viewer by pressing <alt> and
Good
7.9
options. Basic form clutters iconbar, double clicking in viewer.
7.9
but useful option can reduce this.
7.9
Squash Basic. Icon, providing drop and save Drop and save to
compress Quick OK OK
7.9
approach. and decompress.
7.9
Reduce 3.5
7.9
Brian Cowan
7.9
I have given a review of Reduce 3.4 in Archive some time ago, under the
heading of Scientific Software (Archive 5.6 p51). Reduce 3.5 has now
been released and it has a number of useful new features. In this brief
review, I will concentrate on these.
7.9
Computer algebra
7.9
Reduce is a program designed primarily for algebraic manipulation. So,
rather than solving mathematical problems in terms of numbers, one is
working with formulae. However, computer algebra packages can do much
more than this. Arithmetic can be done exactly or to an arbitrary
precision not limited by the machine hardware. All sorts of algebraic
operations may be performed such as manipulation of expressions,
factorisation, symbolic solution of equations and matrix algebra. By
following built-in rules, the programs can perform the calculus
operations of differentiation and integration. Most algebra packages can
perform both definite and indefinite integration. Reduce can only do
indefinite integration. There is numerical support for the solution of
equations and evaluation of Special Functions, etc. And, particularly
from the numerical facilities, one would also expect some graphical
support.
7.9
Reduce
7.9
Reduce is a multi-platform product. The source code is written in Lisp
and there are various implementations for different machines. It is the
only computer algebra package that will run on Acorn RISC computers in
native mode. The result of the multi-platform approach is that there are
very few machine-specific features and, although the program operates in
a standard RISC OS window, it operates with a command line, with only
the simplest editing and cut/paste facilities. Editing of entered text
is really rather clumsy and cut and paste are certainly not implemented
according to the RISC OS style recommendations. From version 3.3
onwards, the Windows support has increased and I believe there are a few
more improvements in the pipeline.
7.9
Graphics
7.9
There is, finally, a graphics support in Reduce version 3.5. This is
cleverly done in a machine-independent way by connecting with GnuPlot.
This is a PD graphics program which is available for all sorts of
machines. Reduce 3.5 is supplied with GnuPlot and there is a GnuPlot
command within Reduce. The result is that when a 2d or 3d graph is to be
plotted, it is sent to GnuPlot for display. Since the Archimedes
implementation of GnuPlot can create sprites and drawfiles as well, this
is a very versatile facility. The only problem is that it is very hungry
on memory. Running Reduce and GnuPlot together is difficult on a 4Mb
machine. The command:
7.9
plot (cos sqrt(x**2 + y**2), x=(-3 .. 3), y=(-3 .. 3),hidden3d);
7.9
produces the display below. The line at the top indicates the location
of the file of data transferred from Reduce to GnuPlot.
7.9
Arithmetic
7.9
In computer algebra systems, you can specify the precision for
arithmetic calculations. If you need 100 decimal places then that is
fine! However, speed of calculation can be a problem. In Reduce 3.5, the
floating point arithmetic runs much faster. Many of the routines have
been completely rewritten. In high precision, there are speed gains of
up to ten times!
7.9
An important part of any numerical package is the solution of linear and
nonlinear equations. In Reduce, this can be done to arbitrary precision,
and here again, with recoding of the routines, many calculations run
considerably faster in Reduce 3.5.
7.9
Special functions
7.9
A major development in version 3.5 is the support for the so-called
special functions. These include such things as Bessel functions (of
many types) sine and cosine integrals, error functions, Euler
polynomials, Chebyshev polynomials and many, many more. Both numeric and
algebraic properties of these functions are supported, but I think the
links with the integrator are limited.
7.9
Conclusion
7.9
I use various algebra packages in my work. Both Mathematica and Maple
are run on PCs and on a PC card on my Archimedes but, as mentioned
above, Reduce runs under RISC OS directly. It is very fast and reliable
and I always prefer to use Reduce if it can do the job required. That
really means everything except definite integration and involved
mixtures of symbolic, numerical and graphics work, where the integrated
environments of the other packages win out.
7.9
Buying Reduce
7.9
The full cost of Reduce is ú340 +VAT, which includes the CSL (Codemist
Standard Lisp) compiler, Reduce and Lisp source code, and printed
manual. For a short time existing licensees of Reduce 3.4 can upgrade
for ú180 +VAT. However, there is a personal version of Reduce 3.5 which
comprises the full Reduce implementation, but without the sources or the
printed manual. This costs ú79 +VAT, and the manual may be purchased for
an extra ú20. (The manual text is included on the discs, however.) For
most applications, unless you want to re-compile a custom version of
Reduce or create fast-loading modules, the personal version is all you
require. Reduce may be purchased from Codemist Ltd.ááA
7.9
Tiles
7.9
George Barnett
7.9
Tiles is a letter game which endeavours to encompass the use of
strategy, vocabulary, foreign languages, spelling and arithmetic as well
as incorporating the use of computer and the WIMP interface.
7.9
The application contains a number of boards, as the one opposite, each
having a crossword layout. These boards are arranged in folders of
several foreign languages, English and arithmetic. The names of the
players, the rules of the game and the board layout may all be altered
and these settings may be saved for future use.
7.9
The game requires the player to drag a letter from the rack to replace
the same letter on the board. Letters can only be replaced in an orderly
fashion from the beginning of a selected word. Points are awarded for
each completed word and the player with the most points at the end of
the game is the winner.
7.9
Each player is allowed two moves at a time, and part of the strategy is
to consider the letters, when they are visible, in your opponentæs rack.
This obviously becomes more important as the game proceeds and none of
the words near completion.
7.9
There are only the same number of tiles (letters) available for use on
the racks as letters on the main board. These tiles are replaced on the
racks by random selection as they are used.
7.9
It is also possible to add speech with Arcticulate. With this, I can see
a positive value of the game for the lower ability reader.
7.9
The instruction manual is extremely comprehensive with extensive
technical detail, which I fear would leave the majority of readers
unimpressed.
7.9
Although it is an inexpensive game with limited educational application,
I find it rather difficult to recommend. It might be considered on a par
with ÉDraughtsæ which is a simple game for beginners but, for the
expert, quite sophisticated. However, I doubt whether a player of Tiles
would anticipate an advanced application.
7.9
(Arcticulate was not supplied with the review copy of Tiles, so I
requested the loan of a copy from Fourth Dimension who sent one by
return of post. Thank you, Fourth Dimension!)
7.9
Tiles costs ú19.75 from Brain Games and Arcticulate costs ú24 from
Archive.ááA
7.9
Articles to come...
7.9
Once again, weæve run out of space well before publishing all the
articles I have in my in-tray. Those as yet to be found a space include:
7.9
Reviews of: 10 out of 10 Stats, Advantage, Autograph, Basic Programmeræs
Toolkit, Borders, CaráÖáMaths in Motion, Cardshop, Carnage, Celtic
clipart, Cowboys, Larger, Materials Components and Techniques, Molecular
Modelling, Mousetrap, Music Box, Navigator, Observess, Optical OCR,
Oxford Tree Reading, PenDown Etoiles, Phases, PinPoint Datafiles, Screen
Turtle, Small Steps, Technical Clipart, Wimp Programmeræs Toolkit.
7.9
Also, the Games Column and PipeLineZ just came in too late for me to fit
in Ö sorry Dave and Gerald.
7.9