Archive Magazine 1995/ARCHIVE95.iso/text/products/volume_04/issue_01

Text File | 1995-02-16 | 19KB | 369 lines

Å   Tiny Logo is a new implementation of Logo from Topologika and is aimed
at young children. Some of the facilities can be disabled if required to
make it less confusing for younger users. The pack includes Tiny Draw, a
mouse/icon controlled painting package for infants and lower juniors.
The price is ú29.95 or ú28 through Archive.
4.1
Å   5.25ö disc drive interface Ö Digital Services produce a podule floppy
disc drive interface which provides a rather more easily fitted
interface than any that weæve seen so far. ú35 +VAT or ú38 through
Archive.
4.1
Å   600 d.p.i. 8 page per minute laser printer for only ú1399 + VAT (ú1490
inclusive through Archive). Computer Concepts have released their new
600 d.p.i. version of the Laser Direct. It is a modified LBP8 laser
printer engine with a board which fits into the Archimedes, just like
the 300 d.p.i. Qume version. This printer, because it is modified
specifically for the Archimedes, cannot be used on other computers. If
you want to have a printer than can be used on both the Archimedes and
other computers, you can get an LBP4 (which is, admittedly, half the
printing speed of the LBP8) and use CCæs interface board and software
which can be bought separately for ú350 + VAT (ú370 through Archive).
4.1
Å   A3000 ram prices down again Ö The 4M Atomwide and Computerware ram
upgrades have dropped in price to ú320. These are the ones which adhere
to Acornæs guidelines about the numbers of memory chips in an A3000 ram
board.
4.1
Å   Acorn price drops Ö Certain of the Acorn podules have dropped in
price: Ethernet card is now ú250, the floating point podule is ú500 and
the SCSI card is ú250 (+VAT in each case).
4.1
Å   Archimedes Annual Service Kit Ö Acorn recommend that you change the
batteries on your Archimedes (this does not apply to A3000æs) once a
year. That may be a bit over cautious but if your computer is two years
old, I would definitely change the batteries since spurious configura
tion changes can occur which you may not notice and which could cause
you all sorts of hassle. Also, having had a few A310æs back for memory
upgrades and having seen the state of the fan filters, I would also
recommend changing the filter every so often. The trouble is, alkaline
batteries come in packs of four and you only need two and have you tried
asking your local dealer for a replacement fan filter recently?! What we
have put together is an Archive Service Kit Ö two batteries plus a fan
filter for ú2.
4.1
Å   Archimedes Learning Curve Launched Ö For the same price as an A420
(new price ú1299 + VAT) you can now get an Archimedes Learning Curve
pack. This is not to be confused (some hope!) with öThe Learning Curveò
hereinafter called öthe A3000 Learning Curveò. The software that comes
with the Archimedes Learning Curve is the same as with the A3000
Learning Curve (DR DOS, PC emulator, Genesis and First Word Plus) but
with the addition of Acorn DTP. Also included in the new pack are the
introductory video and a copy of öYour Child and the National
Curriculumò again as included in the A3000 Learning Curve pack. Please
note that neither Learning Curve includes a monitor. This has to be
purchased separately. All the software is carefully laid out on the 20M
drive.
4.1
Å   Archimedes Price drops Ö The prices of the A420 and A440 have dropped
to ú1299 and ú1699 +VAT respectively (ú1493.85 and ú1953.85). Also, the
new Archimedes Learning Curve which has recently been launched adds to
the complication since it sells at the same price as the straight 420!
If you want a 420, it is best to buy the Archimedes Learning Curve from
us at ú1490 and get the Learning Curve software free as well as a ú100
Archive software voucher. If you want a more powerful machine, we can
swap the 20M drive for a 40M or a 47M drive for ú210 or ú290 respec
tively and we can upgrade the memory to 4M for ú120. If you want the 20M
drive replaced with a SCSI drive instead of an ST506 drive we can allow
you ú120 off the price of the SCSI drive. So, for example, you could
have it with a 45M SCSI by adding ú405 or an 80M by adding ú630.
4.1
So, if you want a Learning Curve 440 equivalent, it will cost you ú1490
+ 290 (drive upgrade) + 120 (memory upgrade) = ú1900 which works out
cheaper than Acornæs own A440 price without the extra software. If you
really donæt want the software then you can buy an upgraded A410 from us
for ú1260 + ú180 (3M ram) + ú390 (47M drive) = ú1830 and so you save
yourself ú70. If you are thinking of buying an Archimedes Learning Curve
or an upgraded A440 Learning Curve, note that the software is supplied
on the hard disc, not on separate floppies, so I donæt know how you
stand legally if you are thinking of selling the software on to someone
else. I suspect that it may be a breach of the licencing agreement under
which Acorn sell you the software.
4.1
Å   Arclight Ö an extremely fast multitasking ray tracing package for
Euclid users. It is now available for ú50 inclusive from Ace Computing
(ú46 through Archive.
4.1
Å   ARM3 upgrade Ö Aleph One have improved their ARM3 upgrade and reduced
the price again. It is now on a board just 50mm x 60mm and stands only
about 6mm above the ARM 2 chip socket so that there should be no more
problems of incompatibility with anything. They have achieved this
amazingly small size by using surface mount components throughout. The
price hasnæt shrunk in quite the same proportion as the size(!) but it
is down to ú449 +VAT or ú460 through Archive. (See Comment Column on
page 13.) It also means that if you can find someone who owns a surface
mount rework station, you could, in theory, replace the ARM2 on an A3000
with an 84 way socket and then put in an ARM3 upgrade.
4.1
Å   ARM3 upgrade Ö CJE Micros are now also selling ARM3 upgrades for the
A300/400 computers. The upgrade has two extra features to make it stand
out from the opposition. Firstly, the ARM3 is in a sub assembly so that
it can be replaced when other ARM chips and/or floating point units
become available and secondly, though the chip is run at 30MHz, you can
buy a öSuper Boosterò which will increase the speed to ö34, 36, 38, 40╔
MHzò. (See Comment Column on page 14.) The prices are ú500 (inc VAT) for
the upgrade and ú34.50 for each Super Booster. The ARM3 itself will be
available through Archive for ú465 but the Super Boosters are only
available through CJE Micros.
4.1
Å   Ballarena Ö the first game from the French Archimedes software house,
Eterna. At ú19.95, it is an all action arcade type game with some
excellent background music.
4.1
Å   Business Accounts from Minerva Ö For ú99.95 (inc VAT) each, you can
buy modules for Minervaæs new business accounts system: Stock manage
ment, Order processing and invoicing, Sales ledger, Purchase ledger and
Nominal ledger. If you want all five modules, they can be bought for
ú399.95 (inc VAT). (Archive prices are ú90 and ú350 respectively.)
Although these are revamped programs, they are not, I gather,
multitasking.
4.1
Å   Careware Disc 9 Ö Fast Julia and Mandelbrot generator, desktop
fractals, 3D ray traced Julia and Mandelbrot sets.
4.1
Å   Computerware A310 memory upgrades are still available through Archive
despite Computerwareæs demise. We have a few in stock at the moment.
4.1
Å   Datavision is Silicon Visionæs relational database management system
consisting of label printing, reporting, wordprocessing and mailmerging
facilities in one integrated environment. It costs ú149.95 from Silicon
Vision or ú130 through Archive.
4.1
Å   Dust Ö Educational software house, Resource have produced a new
mathematics program called, Dust. It is designed for upper junior and
lower secondary age children. On an öeyecatching journey through the
solar systemò you are faced with various mathematical puzzles. It is set
up as 10 chapters with supplementary activities and a teacheræs guide.
The price is ú30.50 +VAT (or ú22.50 if you buy 10+) or ú32 inclusive
from Archive.
4.1
Å   EdScheme Lisp Compiler Ö Lambda Publications have produced a Lisp
incremental compiler for the Archimedes for just ú37.50. It has been
recommended to us by Mr A Angus of Blyth, Northumberland as a good
selfstudy course in computer science when combined with Abelson &
Sussmanæs öStructure & Interpretation of Computer Programsò.
4.1
Å   Financial Accountant from Silicon Vision provides order processing,
invoicing, sales ledger, purchase ledger, nominal ledger, cash book,
stock management, reporting, VAT analysis, trial balances and profit
analysis all in one package. It costs ú275 from Silicon Vision or ú245
through Archive.
4.1
Å   Flexifile Ö Minervaæs latest offering in the database area is now
available at ú149.95 inclusive (or ú130 through Archive). It is a
ösimple to use, multitasking, relational databaseò.
4.1
Å   Gate Array Design & Teaching system provides an introductory course
for teaching silicon chip design including array design, cell design and
a tutorial on IC design. The price is ú149.95 from Silicon Vision or
ú130 through Archive.
4.1
Å   !Help Ö The Teacheræs Guide to the Archimedes from Sherston Software
reviewed last month (page 40) has gone up in price from ú4.95 to ú7.95.
4.1
Å   Impression II Ö should be available by the time you read this. The
price is ú169 + VAT or ú175 through Archive. It will take some time to
clear the backlog of orders, so please be patient.
4.1
Å   Interdictor II is now available from Clares Micros at ú34.95 (ú32
through Archive). When compared to Interdictor I, it has better
landscaping, the flight simulator is much improved, there is a new game
scenario, a greater variety of enemy targets and a computer analysis of
the state of the plane in flight. It is not an upgrade of Interdictor I
but is a completely new product with, sadly, no upgrade path.
4.1
Å   Jetstream from Digital Services is a 30M tapestreamer at a very
reasonable price Ö ú599 + VAT or ú640 through Archive. It is not a SCSI
device but consists of a podule, to which the streamer is connected, and
front end software driven from an icon on the icon bar. It has the added
advantage that the podule can also be used as a 5.25ö external disc
drive interface. The streamer itself takes either 20M or 30M tapes and
can back up drives larger than the tape size by using multiple tapes. It
runs at 1.5Mbyte/minute, i.e. 13 minutes to back up a 20M drive or half
an hour to backup a 45M drive.
4.1
(This is a somewhat slower, but rather cheaper, alternative to the Oak
60M tapestreamer at ú1100. However, if it is a SCSI drive you want to
backup, a 42M removable drive at ú680 is a much better alternative as it
can be used as an ordinary drive as well as being used for backup
purposes.)
4.1
Å   Join the Jet Set! Ö ZCL Ltd are launching a package aimed very
aggressively at the games market. They are putting together an A3000 and
a high quality TV modulator with Interdictor, Superior Golf, Trivial
Pursuits and Euclid for ú650 +VAT. (ú710 through Archive.) A great idea
for a Christmas present!
4.1
Å   Joystick Interface Ö You can now use your favourite joysticks from
Amiga, Atari or whatever, on the Archimedes. This interface fits into
the Econet connectors on the Archimedes or A3000 and has special
software which allows you to use two joysticks to run applications that
were intended to be mouse or keyboard based. (Fitting such a joystick
interface will, of course, void your warranty.) These are available from
RTFM Software in Jersey for ú34.99 inclusive.
4.1
Å   Laser Direct and ArcLaser supplies Ö We can now supply toner cartri
dges (ú75) and replacement drum sets (ú95) for the Laser Direct and
ArcLaser.
4.1
Å   MCP is a lighting and special effects management system designed for
discos, etc. It can handle up to 512 channels on a single core cable
with 1 to 5kW dimmers with an easytouse management system run from an
Archimedes. This system is available from S.P.E.M. in Torino, Italy.
4.1
Å   Mouse splitter from Voltmace Ö If you are fed up with having to unplug
the joystick and plug your mouse back in again after the kids have been
playing games on the computer, here is the answer! Voltmace have
produced a simple switch box into which both the mouse and the joystick
can be plugged. A toggle switch then selects which is active at any
time. This will save a lot of hassle and will remove the liklihood of a
broken mouse or joystick plug caused by continued plugging and
unplugging. For A3000 owners, this is particularly useful Ö I donæt
think Acorn could possibly have found a more awkward place to put the
mouse socket, do you?! The only problem for A3000 owners is that, at
least on the sample switch box I was sent, the cable is so thick that
the computer wonæt sit properly on its feet! I have told Voltmace about
this and am hopeful that they will use a thinner cable in future. These
boxes are ú19.95 inclusive (or ú18 through Archive).
4.1
Å   Office Tools is a combination of Silicon Visionæs packages: Datavi
sion, ShareHolder, Financial Accountant and the Presentation System. It
costs ú375 from Silicon Vision or ú320 through Archive.
4.1
Å   !Orrery is Spacetechæs latest application. As I am sure you all
know(!), an orrery is a device (originally mechanical) for displaying
the solar system showing the orbitals of all the planets. This appli
cation allows you to view the solar system with an accurate backdrop of
stars and zoom in and out and to look at it from different places both
within and outside the solar system. ú95 +VAT from Spacetech. (More
information on page 55.)
4.1
Å   PipeMania comes to the Archimedes Ö Entertainment International have
now transferred Pipemania, the well known Amiga/Atari/Spectrum etc game,
onto the Archimedes. You have to direct the pipework around the screen
before the slime reaches the last piece of pipe you have laid! ú23
through Archive.
4.1
Å   Removable SCSI hard drives Ö we are now stocking MicroNet 42M
removable SCSI drives as well as the Oak ones. These drives are
considerably faster than the Cumana 20M removable drives and are about
the same speed as the standard Oak fixed SCSI drives. Indeed, in the
higher resolution modes, they are faster! The Archive price for a drive
without a podule, but including the cables and one 42M cartridge is ú680
inc. VAT and the spare cartridges are ú80 each. If you buy it with an
Oak SCSI card, it comes out at ú870. More details in the SCSI Column on
page 47.
4.1
Å   Rhapsody is Claresæ new music notation package supporting Midi input
and output, editing and printing of musical scores. The price is ú49.95
or ú46 through Archive. See the comments on page 43.
4.1
Å   RoboLOGO is Silicon Visionæs own version of Logo providing 3D movement
of an onscreen robotic figure (no hardware turtle equivalent, Iæm
afraid). This package costs ú99.95 from Silicon Vision or ú90 through
Archive.
4.1
Å   Schema Ö Clares have taken over Acornæs multitasking spreadsheet,
Schema, and it is now available for ú129.95 inclusive or ú110 through
Archive. It sounds extremely powerful but we havenæt yet got a review
copy. As well as the normal spreadsheet functions, it also has some
graphical output Ö bar, line, area and pie.
4.1
Å   ShareHolder is Silicon Visionæs share management system for the small
investor which will allow you to automate your portfolio. It costs ú195
from Silicon Vision or ú160 through Archive.
4.1
Å   Shareware Disc 33 Ö is a music disc with twenty tunes for Maestro,
three utilities and seven tunes for soundtracker, a computerised
metronome and a midi monitor. The soundtracker utilities are: one which
separates samples and songs from soundtracker modules, one which plays a
soundtracker module and one which allows the user to control the way in
which the module is played.
4.1
Å   Shareware Disc 34 Ö contains !Draw+ (a much improved version of
!Draw), 38 lineart draw files, a converter to change outline fonts into
bitmap fonts, a screen mode info module, a converter from !Paint 256
colour numbers (0255) to RGB values, a PipeDream to Impression conver
ter, an update to !PrinterPS, a pound printer utility and PrintUtils for
FX80.
4.1
Å   Shareware Disc 35 Ö contains a desktop cassette inlay printer, a
packet radio program, a desktop front end for Wingpass Assembler, a
desktop dustbin, a desktop find file, a routine which converts BASIC
programs into application code, a desktop disassembler, a desktop front
end for Acornæs Squeeze utility, an iconbar clock and some files
relating to a geothermal energy project (explained in the Help!!!
Section on page 16).
4.1
Å   Silicon Vision price rises. Unfortunately, Silicon Vision has felt the
need to increase the prices of much of their Archimedes software. The
new prices, including VAT, are as follows, the Archive prices being in
brackets after each one.
4.1
ArcPCB   ú195   (ú160)
4.1
Realtime Solids Modeller   ú195
(ú160)
4.1
Solid CAD   ú149.95   (ú130)
4.1
FilmMaker   ú99.95   (ú90)
4.1
Solids Render   ú149.95   (ú130)
4.1
RoboLOGO   ú99.95   (ú90)
4.1
Gate Array Design System   ú149.95
(ú130)
4.1
Super Dump   ú29.95   (ú28)
4.1
RiscBASIC Compiler   ú149.95
(ú130)
4.1
RiscFORTH Compiler   ú149.95
(ú130)
4.1
SuperPlot   ú39.95   (ú37)
4.1
ShareHolder   ú195   (ú160)
4.1
Datavision   ú149.95   (ú130)
4.1
Financial Accountant   ú275
(ú230)
4.1
Office Tools   ú375   (ú320)
4.1
Å   Solids Render is Silicon Visionæs multitasking raytracing software
which works with their FilmMaker to produce animations. Can be used to
raytrace the output from SolidCAD and Realtime Solids Modeller. The
price is ú149.95 from Silicon Vision or ú130 through Archive.
4.1
Å   SuperDump is printer driver from Silicon Vision for use with Epson
compatible printers. Images can be scaled, positioned and previewed
before printing. This package costs ú29.95 from Silicon Vision or ú28
through Archive.
4.1
Å   SuperPlot is a plotter driver from Silicon Vision which supports HPGL,
Graphtec, Watanabe and Plotmate plotters amongst others. It is compat
ible with all of Silicon Visionæs graphics packages. It costs ú39.95
from Silicon Vision or ú37 through Archive.
4.1
Å   Taxan 14ö multisync monitors Ö new to the price list this month is
Taxanæs new 795 colour monitor with the flat screen Trinitron tube.
Anyone who saw it on display will agree that the quality is even better
than the Eizo 9060SZ (.28mm dot pitch). This is partly due to the closer
dit pitch (.26mm) and partly due to the new Trinitron technology tube.
The Archive price is ú590 inc VAT and carriage. Note, however, that this
monitor, unlike the Eizo 9060SZ will not work in modes 17 and below
unless a VIDC enhancer (ú34 through Archive) is fitted to the computer.
(See the Hardware Column on page 21 for further comments.)
4.1
Å   Taxan 20ö multisync monitors Ö also new to the price list this month
is Taxanæs 20ò colour monitor, the Taxan Multivision 970. It is a BIG
monitor with .31mm dot pitch which, on a 20ö screen represents very high
resolution. The Archive price is ú1690 inc VAT and carriage. The price
includes a free VIDC Enhancer.
4.1