Archive Magazine 1996/ARCHIVE_96.iso/text/magazine/volume_07/issue_02

Text File | 1995-06-25 | 280KB | 5,735 lines

Archive and NCS Ö All things new?
7.2
Acorn World 93 sees the re-launch of Archive Magazine and NCS! This
reflects our intention to develop as a company, building on the
strengths of the past 6 years. Our aim is to develop all the good bits,
improve where we fall short and move forward where new opportunities
arise Ö and all this without losing that Éindefinable somethingæ that
makes Archive and NCS quite unique in the Acorn world! I have written a
separate article about this Ö see page 25. The new cover, which includes
the new company logo, and the slightly more open text layout are just
two of the changes which you will see over the next few months.
7.2
The recent customer questionnaire is currently being analysed, giving us
lots of constructive feedback. There is a healthy mixture of brickbats
and bouquets, both equally valuable. Well over one third of our
subscribers sent in a response which just shows the tremendous
commitment and involvement of our readers. Many, many thanks to all who
took the trouble to send in a questionnaire.
7.2
New staff
7.2
Weæve also had some changes in personnel. After 18 months with NCS,
Simon Moy has left for pastures new and we want to thank him for his
contribution to NCS and Archive magazine. Matthew Hunter, also a U.E.A.
graduate, has stepped into the breach and we are grateful for his help.
On the sales side, we are still looking to increase our staff so that we
can get out and about into local schools and colleges and stop the PC
and Mac salesmen from stealing Acornæs traditional customers!
7.2
Acorn World 93
7.2
I hope we will be able to meet many of you at the show. There will
certainly be lots to see judging by the products listed in the Acorn
World 93 preview article this month. (See page 9.)
7.2
Things are really moving, arenæt they?! Iæm enjoying being part of it Ö
I hope you are too!
7.2
Yours, as ever,
7.2
Products Available
Å    A4000S upgrade pack Ö Following the Cumana/SEMERC collaboration in
producing the A4000S package which enables overlay keyboards, switch
boxes, control equipment and turtles to be connected to the computer as
well as offering further expansion for SLCD, MIDI, SCSI and IDE, they
have released a hardware and software pack. This pack will upgrade a
standard A4000 to the A4000S. The upgrade comprises the EMU base board
and seven 1.6Mb floppies of software, ready for transfer to the hard
disc. The total cost is ú119 +VAT. A number of Acorn dealers have been
on SEMERCæs special needs training courses so if you want expert advice,
ring Acornæs special needs department and ask them who your nearest
trained dealer is.
7.2
Å    Acorn PC cards Ö The Acorn PC386 and PC486 cards for the A3020 and
A4000 have been dropped in price by ú50 and the combined prices of
A4000/PC card systems has dropped by more than ú100. The new RRP for the
1Mb 386 board is ú225 +VAT, ú425 +VAT for the 4Mb 486. (Archive prices
are ú255 and ú480 respectively.) The software has also been updated to
improve interaction between RISC OS and DOS/Windows when they are run
simultaneously.
7.2
Å Acorn PC cards 2 Ö The enhanced software is available to existing
owners free of charge by returning the original Acorn PC Card software
and Windows driver where supplied, along with your name and address in
an envelope clearly marked öPC Card Upgradeò to Customer Services, Acorn
Computers Limited, Acorn House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB4 4AE.
7.2
Å    AI CD-ROM Ö The Network Cybernetics Corporation has announced the
release of this CD through Lambda Publications. A large assortment of
software related to Artificial Intelligence and other topics is included
along with the text of research papers and tutorials, in a variety of
formats. Specific topics include Expert Systems, Neural Networks,
Genetic Algorithms, Fuzzy Logic, Linguistics/Natural Language, Robotics,
Virtual Reality, Artificial Life/Evolution Simulations, Machine Vision,
Prolog, Lisp/XLisp. Executables for some machines are included, as is
the source code so that programs can be recompiled on new platforms. The
cost is ú80 per disc + p&p from Lambda Publications.
7.2
Å    AppFS Ö The network application from Angelsoft has been increased in
price from ú100 + VAT to ú130 + VAT. A full site licence is still
included in the price.
7.2
Å    ART20 is a sprite-based art package which brings öfine art facilities
to the Archimedes at a fraction of the price of other recent art
packagesò. Painting is done outside the desktop but with easy return to
an unaltered desktop. ART20 costs ú60 inclusive from Tekoa Graphics. An
education site licence costs ú120 inclusive.
7.2
Å    Aztecs Ö This educational adventure from Sherston Software includes
resource materials such as posters, help cards and challenge cards. The
aim is to survive in Aztec times, learning as much as possible about the
Aztec people. It can be used as the centre piece to a class topic, or
simply on its own. The price is ú39.95 + VAT from Sherston or ú37
through Archive.
7.2
Å    Cars Ö Maths in Motion Ö This is a very interesting educational Grand
Prix simulation program. It is aimed at both young children and adults
and has ömany educational opportunitiesò covering percentages,
multiplication, division, simple geometry, scale drawing, modelling,
probability, ratios, strategy and logical thinking. This is available
from Cambridgeshire Software House (note the new address in the
Factfile) for ú49.95 +VAT and carriage.
7.2
Å    Computer Holidays Ö PGL Adventure, the well-known activity holiday
company, are offering IT Advantage holidays for 8 to 13 year olds in
1994. These holidays, to be held at PGLæs Marchant Hill centre in
Surrey, will combine computing (using all Acorn equipment!) and various
adventure activities. Contact PGL for more details Ö and tell them you
read about it in Archive magazine!
7.2
Å    Explorer Ö A new National Curriculum teaching aid designed to enhance
project work on the Solar System. It is a game where the player (or
players, as group involvement is recommended) must explore all planets
in the solar system with the aid of probes. During exploration, the
children will have to discover a variety of facts about the planets and
their moons. It is produced by Alpine Software at ú30 +VAT.
7.2
Å    First Steps in Programming Acorn RISC OS Computers Ö A companion book
for öA Beginners Guide to WIMP Programmingò, and also by Martyn Fox, it
is aimed at people who have only just purchased an Acorn machine and
have no experience of programming, or are finding it difficult. Basic is
used and a full reference section is included for VDU and PLOT codes and
for keywords. The price is ú14.95 + p&p from Sigma Press or ú15 through
Archive.
7.2
Å    Formula Fun Ö A four player top view driving game over several
different courses from Mystery Software. All four players are shown on
screen simultaneously and is compatible with the new Four joystick
interface. The price is ú14.99 inclusive from Mystery Software.
7.2
Å    IBM Keyboard and Mouse Interface Ö Supplied by the Serial Port for ú89
+VAT, it allows you to connect a PC keyboard and mouse to your
Archimedes. Any standard PC/AT keyboard can be used as well as a variety
of PC keyboard devices including barcode scanners, magnetic card readers
and PC 3-button serial or bus mice. The Acorn mouse can also be
connected. The interface also allows up to 4 Atari-style joysticks to be
connected. Each can be programmed to emulate any key or combination,
making it compatible with all games. There is no Joystick control
software needed. Software supplied allows key mappings for PC keyboard
scan codes to Archimedes keys, with different mappings for modifier keys
(e.g. shift).
7.2
Å    James Pond 2 Ö RoboCod Ö This conversion is the sequel to James Pond
but is said to have many improvements and new features to make it
enjoyable even for those who played the original. It is available from
GamesWare (the conversion was done by Eclipse) for ú25.99 inc VAT or ú24
through Archive.
7.2
Å    Keyboard Trainer Ö No, itæs not a typing tutor but Minerva Softwareæs
new music program. It is öan exciting new way of learning how to play
the electronic keyboard and to read musicò. The program requires a 1Mb
RISCáOS computer with Midi interface and will work with the Yamaha PSS
and PSR keyboards with Midi, plus most of the popular Midi keyboards and
synths. This costs ú69.95 +VAT from Minerva or ú87 through Archive.
7.2
Å    KlienFS Ö This is another compression utility, for any Acorn machine
with RISC OS 3 (since it uses the Squash module). It offers a full
filing system, and creates files like those produced by the squash
application. This means that compressed files are readable even if you
do not have the KlienFS. The fact that it is a filing system, however,
means that it offers a far more user-friendly interface than using
Squash. The price is ú17.95 inclusive from PTW Software.
7.2
Å    Laser Direct prices slashed!!! Ö Over ú350 off the price of the Laser
Direct Hires 8, plus a free copy of Impression 2 is what I call öprices
slashedò! Computer Concepts are really trying to attack the Mac market
in a big way. This is shown by the range of new DTP products mentioned
in the Acorn World 93 preview on page 9 but they are also doing this
special offer on Laser Directs. The Hires 8 is now selling for ú1099 +
ú15 carriage +VAT or ú1280 through Archive including carriage. The Hires
4 is ú799 + ú10 carriage +VAT or ú925 through Archive including
carriage. The free Impression offer is also available through Archive
but only up to 31st December 1993.
7.2
Å    Ludwig van Beethoven Overture, Egmont Ö Angelsoft Educational have
produced an electronic book concerned mainly with the Egmont overture.
It also contains background information on Beethovenæs life and works.
It was created using the ÉGenesisæ application, so pages can be printed
out as permanent records, and if you have a CD-ROM drive and the correct
CD, the musical pieces can be played. The pupils can be tested by using
the enclosed !BeetQuiz which asks questions based on the information.
The cost is ú25 +VAT from Angelsoft.
7.2
Å    More Naughty Stories Ö The second volume of Sherston Softwareæs
Talking Books entitled öMore Naughty Storiesò is now available for ú9.95
+VAT for individual stories or ú47.75 +VAT for the set of six. The
titles are Bobby the Boastful Bird, Clarence the Clumsy Cat, Derekæs
Dopey Dinosaur, Gordonæs Groovy Granny, Lucy the Little Liar and
Tasminæs Terrible Tantrums. The set of six is ú55 through Archive.
7.2
Å    Morpheus Ö As indicated by the name this is a morphing package,
costing ú34.95 inc VAT from Oregan Software Developments or ú33 through
Archive. Morphing first leapt into public consciousness in the Michael
Jackson video öBlack and Whiteò (although that was certainly not the
first time it was seen). It is a method of changing one image into
another but, unlike a simple fade, more account is made of the contents
of the image through the definition of a grid. The package will work on
256 colour sprites (including 256 shades of grey) or 24-bit clear files
(as produced by Translator), multitasking on the desktop, and supports
Acorn Replay. This will be reviewed next month.
7.2
Å    Nexus Junior Ö An important networking solution for schools, or any
other small installation of Acorn machines has been released by SJ
Research. The package includes four Nexus Junior expansion cards, a
Nexus Junior router, cables and software. It is aimed at locations
where, currently, software is loaded from local hard drives or floppies
but a more centralised system is wanted. Up to four machines, one of
which must have a hard drive can be connected through one router box.
The machine with the hard drive acts as a server, and the hard drive
appears to all machines as if it were resident locally as a read-only
drive. This means that files are protected from accidental deletion, and
only one machine needs to be updated with new software. Any files
produced locally can be saved to floppy to allow pupils to keep their
own work. Currently, there is a special introductory price of ú399 +VAT
for the four-computer pack, or ú599 including a visit to have the system
installed and an on-site training course. (Nexus Junior is also
available through Archive. Please ring for details.)
7.2
Å    Notes Ö Those of you who use sticky notes to keep track of your life
will be pleased to know that, thanks to the Really Good Software
Company, they are now available for your Archimedes. They can be stored
within the Notes application or put on discs as free-standing
applications. As well as being used as a notepad, there is a facility to
attach notes to specific files, causing them to be displayed when the
file is loaded or run. The cost is ú9.95 inclusive from RGSC.
7.2
Å    Observess Ö The first Expert System shell for the Acorn RISC OS
machine. It is fully desktop compatible and incorporates an IF ... THEN
... rule structure with up to three conditions. Support for percentage-
based certainty factors on facts and rules, and single or multiple
recommendations based on the certainty factors. The price is ú20 (no
VAT), or ú2 (refundable on purchase of the full version) for a
demonstration run-time system, from Rebecca Shalfield.
7.2
Å    Pocket Book special SPECIAL offer Ö Having extended the Pocket Book
special offer of ú199.99 up until 31st December, Acorn are now doing a
very special Acorn World 93 price of ú149.95. If you want one at this
price, you have to come to the show Ö we will have them available on the
Norwich Computer Services stand. (It would be worth ringing us to
reserve one as soon as possible. Ed.)
7.2
Å    PowerPad Ö This is a hardware modification which plugs into the
printer port of any Acorn 32-bit machine to give one or two joy-pads.
There are 6 fire buttons and a four-way thumb control pad, and software
is included to enable it to support the Acorn Joystick standard or
emulate keys for those games which do not know about joysticks. The
price is ú29.99 inc VAT for the single pad. The two pad price has not
yet been fixed and can be purchased from GamesWare.
7.2
Å    ProArtisan 2 Ö Clares have now released version 2 of ProArtisan at
ú135 inc VAT. It has a range of new features including texture brushes
(rattan, basket, dimple, slate, stone, canvas, etc) and special effects
such as smudge, dopple (Pointilist technique), smear and diffuse. There
is a special upgrade price from Clares of ú67.50 if you return your copy
of an earlier Artisan program or ú87.50 if you return to them any other
art package costing ú35 or more. The Archive price is ú120.
7.2
Å    Quark Ö A new shoot-em-up game from Oregan Software Developments,
priced at ú24.95 or ú23 through Archive. Features include one or two
players, 16 zones, 8 stereo soundtracks and öslippery smooth scrollingò.
7.2
Å    Revolution Ö Two new CD-ROM drives from Morley Electronics. Both are
compatible with all CD discs for RISC OS and DOS format (the latter
through emulation) as well as Kodak Photo CD. They are also fully
multisession and the cheaper of the two, Revolution, costs ú299 +VAT +
carriage from Morley or ú355 through Archive. If you want data transfer
rates of over 300Kb/s then Revolution Pro is ú439 +VAT + carriage from
Morley or ú510 through Archive.
7.2
Å    Rephorm Ö Another morphing package, this time from Oak Solutions. It
can create Ace film files as used by Projector (which is also supplied)
and Splice which can be used to edit films produced. Other features are
non-linear motion and colour control, options for fades and wipes and
support for 16 and 24-bit images. The price is ú49.95 + ú2 p&p and VAT
or ú56 through Archive.
7.2
Å    Schedule for the Pocket Book Ö Err, yes... it is now actually
available and the special price of ú19 through Archive has been extended
up to the end of December 1993. Sorry for the delay but öthe first ones
produced failed quality controlò.
7.2
Å    Sound Advice Ö The new 24-track sequencer for the Archimedes produced
by The Really Small Software Company was reviewed last month in the
Music Column (7.1 p50). Stewart Watson was obviously quite impressed, so
we have decided to sell it through Archive for ú38.
7.2
Å    Tales of Lore Ö This game, recently released by UK Soft, has already
had a price change, the current RRP is ú24.95 inc VAT.
7.2
Å    The Missing Dinosaur Bone Ö An educational adventure game in which the
children aim to find the stolen exhibit of the title. Language and
mathematical puzzles offer challenges to be overcome, all of which are
based around the Éliving thingsæ theme. Digitised images and sprites are
used to enhance the software. Also included in the package is an
ÉAnimals & Habitatsæ resource disc with sprites of 80 animals and 10
habitats created with !Paint, a teachers guide, a curriculum activity
booklet, user guides and two activity sheets. The cost is ú25 +VAT from
Angelsoft Educational.
7.2
Å    The Tudors Ö This set of two clipart discs contains 50 draw format
files. It covers several aspects of Tudor Life, including monarchs and
people, buildings, furniture, ships, punishment, weapons, musical
instruments. It costs ú15 +VAT from Angelsoft Educational.
7.2
Å    Twilight Ö Recently upgraded by the Really Good Software Company, this
package is designed as an enhanced version of the RISC OS 3 screen
protector. Instead of a blank screen, any of 17 different effects can be
displayed to prevent damage to the monitor screen. As well as activating
after a certain time, blanking can be manually induced, and to restrict
access to your machine while you are away, a password can be entered,
without which the blanker cannot be disengaged. Two versions are
available, a demo for ú5 or the full program for ú14.95 inclusive (the
demo cost is deductible if you decide to upgrade to the full version).
7.2
Å    Xenon 2 Ö Another product released by GamesWare/Eclipse, this shoot-
em-up has had great success on other formats and features a soundtrack
from öBomb the Bassò. The retail price is ú25.99 of ú24 through Archive.
7.2
Å    X-Stitch Designer Ö Version 3 of this package has now been released in
Archimedes format. It has many features including move and copy,
reflection, rotation, half stitch and backstitch. The cost is ú36 inc
VAT from IL-Soft.
7.2
Review software received...
7.2
We have received review copies of the following: ÅAI CD-ROM, á ÅAlpha-
Soundá(e), á ÅArchimedes Game Makeræs Manualá(bk), á ÅArcVenture III Ö
The Vikingsá(e), á ÅART20á(a), á ÅASM_Helpá(u), ÅCars Ö Maths in
Motioná(e), á ÅE-Numixá(e), ÅExplore with Flossy The Frogá(e), á
ÅExplorerá(e), ÅFirst Steps in Programming Acorn RISC OS Computersá(bk),
á ÅFormula Funá(g), á ÅGestalt 2 Ö Money & Shoppingá(e), á ÅGestalt 2 Ö
Time & Fractionsá(e), á ÅIllusions Disc Magazine, á ÅImpression Tutorial
on disc, á ÅKeyboard Trainerá(em),  ÅKleinFSá(u)á   ÅLettersá(e), á
ÅLingomasterá(e), ÅMiniExpansion Adaptorá(h), á ÅObservess Expert System
Shell,  ÅPhases α la Franτaisá(e), ÅProArtisan 2á(a), á ÅSea, Trade &
Empireá(e), ÅScreenplay training video, á ÅSmall Stepsá(e),
ÅSoapboxá(e), á ÅSounds & Rhymesá(e),  ÅSwitchá(g), á ÅTilesá(e), á ÅTOM
computer simulatorá(e).
7.2
e=Education, bk=book, g=Game, h=Hardware, l=Language, m=Music,
u=Utility, a=Art.
7.2
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
7.2
Government Health Warning Ö Reading this could seriously affect your
spiritual health.
7.2
Some important questions Ö öWhy is God so obsessed with people believing
in him? He must have a real ego problem. Why isnæt he happy for us just
to lead a decent existence?ò said one of my more open and honest
correspondents.
7.2
Just suppose for a moment that God does exist and that he made us Ö so
in a way he is a sort of öFatherò. (Those of you who have had bad
experiences of a human father probably donæt feel very positively
towards the öfatherò figure Ö but try to think of it in terms of what it
would be like with an ideal father.)
7.2
Put yourself in Dadæs position for a minute. Your son is a really
wonderful person; heæs hard working, honest and consciencious; he is
really loving towards other people; he would help anyone in need Ö even
a stranger; he gives generously to charity Ö all-in-all, a wonderful
son! But there is one slight problem. He refuses to have anything to do
with you, his own father; he even acts as if you didnæt exist; he wonæt
talk to you; he wonæt listen to you and he doesnæt even read the letters
you write to him Ö just throws them in the bin!
7.2
Does God the perfect Father have an ego problem? No, really he loves us
and desperately wants us to get in touch. It might be worth reading his
ölettersò to see what he has to say Ö just in case he exists.
7.2
Jesus: mad, bad or God? Ö Thanks for all the responses to last monthæs
challenge. The trouble is that I shouldnæt really be the one to judge
whether or not your arguments are convincing. Is there anyone reading
this who considers him/herself NOT to be a Christian (so that they are
not biased in my favour) who would be prepared to read a few of the
letters and tell me if you think they deserve a free subscription?
7.2
Paul Beverley
7.2
P.B.
7.2
Archive gets NITTs!
7.2
Norfolk IT Team
7.2
With the next issue of Archive, we shall be starting a series of
beginnersæ articles written by members of the Norfolk Information
Technology Team (NITT).
7.2
The goal of NITT is to improve the quality of education by promoting the
appropriate use of information technology in learning. Based in Norwich,
NITT runs the local Acorn in Education Centre and provides similar
support to users of Apple and PC machines.
7.2
NITT is made up of a team of six advisory staff with a broad range of
educational expertise and experience. We also have a detailed knowledge
of the application of information technology for the benefit of pupils
with special educational needs and we have our own full time technical
and administration staff.
7.2
We provide training courses to teachers, parents and others, and operate
an extensive software reference library and hardware exhibition centre
and produce a range of publications, mostly in support of school
curriculum development. These include KeyPress, a termly magazine and
KeyITin, a weekly broadsheet of abstracts from key sources of
information on IT especially in respect of education. We also operate a
subscription-based HelpLine service for teachers and others.
7.2
Absolute beginners
7.2
Our intention is to provide articles pitched at the right level for
Archive subscribers who are absolute beginners at using the Acorn
Archimedes and A series machines. We hope to cut through or explain
jargon, and make no assumptions about existing expertise on the part of
the reader. If all this sounds too pedestrian for you Ö fine Ö there is
plenty of material in Archive at a higher level. If much of the material
in Archive seems just beyond your comprehension at the moment then our
series of pieces should give you the warm helping hand that we all need
when embarking on something new. We look forward to this new venture and
to hearing readersæ comments and suggestions as we get underway.ááA
7.2
Oak
7.2
New artwork
7.2
CC
7.2
From 7.1 page 19
7.2

7.2
28
7.2
Acorn World 93 Ö Last Minute Information
7.2
Tickets
7.2
It may not be too late, by the time you get the magazine, to get advance
tickets for Acorn World. If you ring the ticket Hotline on 0784-473818,
they will be able to tell you if there is time to get advance tickets
out to you. It is worth it because you save about 20% on the cost of
tickets.
7.2
Magazine contributors
7.2
Several of our regular Archive contributors will be on hand at the
Archive stand (48) at Acorn World 93 so that you can chat to them. If
you have questions to ask them or ideas and suggestions to offer, here
is a list of when they hope to be available:
7.2
Friday 29th
7.2
Paul Hooper (Genesis / Magpie) 10 Ö 12
7.2
Alan Highet (General reviews / Help for beginners) 11 Ö 1 and 2 Ö 4
7.2
Gabriel Swords (Art packages / Clipart) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Solly Ezra (Education) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Dave Wilcox (General reviews) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Stuart Bell (JPEG) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Rob Wears (General reviews) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Richard Fallas (CAD / Architecture) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Peter Jennings (General reviews) 1 Ö 2
7.2
Saturday 30th
7.2
Trevor Sutton (ArtWorks) 10 Ö 12
7.2
Paul Hooper (Genesis / Magpie) 10 Ö 12
7.2
Robert Chrismas (General / Mugs) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Tim Nicholson (Squirrel / Printer drivers) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Richard Hallas (DTP / Music publishing) 2 Ö 4
7.2
Hugh Eagle (RISC OS 3) 2 Ö 4
7.2
Sunday 31st
7.2
Solly Ezra (Education) 10 Ö 12
7.2
Thomas Down (C programming) 12 Ö 2
7.2
Laura Handoca (Help for beginners) 12 Ö 2
7.2
There will probably be others popping in and the editor will be there
most of the time if you want to sort him out on one or two matters!
Weæll try to keep a timetable on the stand so you can see whom to
expect, and at what time, on each day.
7.2
Special deals
7.2
Acorn are being very generous at the show in more ways than one. They
are offering, in collaboration with TDK, a free copy of !NewLook, the
official Acorn 3D tool sprites. NewLook contains replacement templates
for all the ROM applications, and also those on the two application
discs, as well as 3D icons and toolsprites.
7.2
ú50 off the ú50 off the Pocket Book (no, thatæs not a misprint!) Ö The
special price of ú50 off the Pocket Book (i.e. ú199.95) is still
available until the end of 1993 but if you come to the show, you can get
ú50 off the ú50 off price! In other words you can buy one for ú149.95 Ö
but this is ONLY at Acorn World 93. Mind you, unless you live in
Scotland, itæs probably worth a trip to London just to buy a Pocket Book
and save yourself ú50!
7.2
(If you want to buy one from NCS, it would be worth ringing us to
reserve one a.s.a.p. Ed.)
7.2
Competition
7.2
Wyddfa Software and Norwich Computer Services have combined to offer a
competition. The aim of the competition is to find out the English name
for Wyddfa or, more properly, yr Wyddfa. The winner will be the first
entry drawn at random from all the correct entries. The prize is that
Wyddfa Software will pay up to ú50 towards any product(s) of the
winneræs choice supplied by Norwich Computer Services. Application forms
will be available from Wyddfa Software either by post or at Acorn World
93, stand 94 (Wyddfa) or stand 48 (NCS).
7.2
New products
7.2
As expected, we have received a tremendous number of press releases
telling us about new products to be launched at Acorn World 93. We have
tried to give some brief details here but, obviously, it would be best
if you could come to the show to see for yourself. I suspect you will
see quite a few hardware and software engineers at Acorn World 93 with
bags, nay portmanteau, under their eyes from burning the midnight oil to
meet the 29th October deadline!
7.2
Judging by the pages and pages of new product details, this is going to
be a show to remember!
7.2
Matthew Hunter (our latest recruit) has spent ages leafing through the
press releases. Here are his findings in no particular order. (Well,
what order would you have used?)
7.2
Å    Armlock Ö A RISCáOS software-only utility that prevents unauthorised
access to CMOS RAM or designated files/directories on the hard disc.
Armlock costs ú35 +VAT single user or ú135 +VAT for a ten-user licence
pack. (Digital Services Ö stand 17)
7.2
Å    Squirrel 2 Ö A major upgrade to their popular Squirrel database,
Squirrel 2 has 38 separate enhancements over the previous release
versions. Existing users can upgrade to version 2 for ú25 +VAT or ú35
+VAT including a revised manual. (Digital Services Ö stand 17)
7.2
Å    MicroStudio 2 Ö 24-Track MIDI/internal sound software with unique
keyboard learning system, has been re-written for the Desktop and
enhanced for RISC OS 3. (EMR Ö stand 28a)
7.2
Å    Desktop Scorewriter Ö You can now play up to 8 score parts using the
Archimedes internal sound system and the included ÉAlphaæ font allows
the computer to act as a music typewriter. (EMR Ö stand 28a)
7.2
Å    Music Player 3 Ö Part of a new EMR/Yamaha package (ÉHello Musicæ),
this allows any standard MIDI format file to be played simply by double
clicking on its icon. Other facilities include changing file formats and
program numbers (for different MIDI instruments) as well as selecting
the play time. (EMR Ö stand 28a)
7.2
Å    Studio24Plus Ö This package now allows direct disc recording when used
with the new MIDI/Sampler interfaces produced by HCCS as part of their
ÉUltimateæ series. This offers dual MIDI ports with 32 channels and an
optional 8-bit mono sampler (at up to 50kHz). Sounds can be sampled from
a variety of sources even while playing MIDI instruments. (EMR Ö stand
28a)
7.2
Å    PrimeMover Ö A new animation system for any RISC OS machine. It not
only allows sequencing of frames but then allows the animation to be
moved around the screen. The program allows you to restrict access to
facilities if required. A real time system is used for animation control
making it easier to understand how the animation will appear. (Minerva Ö
stand 42)
7.2
Å    Keyboard Trainer Ö A software package aimed at those learning the
electronic keyboard. It contains more than sixty lessons including over
20 graded tunes in a variety of styles and nine games to develop
keyboard familiarity. It also fulfils all National Curriculum
requirements for the primary sector. To use the package, you need at
least 1Mb of memory and a MIDI interface. (Minerva Ö stand 42)
7.2
Å    Talking Rhymes Ö A new series of educational software titles, each one
featuring one illustrated nursery rhyme. The rhyme appears as a
combination of text and picture which are jumbled. By clicking on the
pieces, the child can hear what the piece Ésaysæ (using real sampled
speech) before dragging it to the correct place. Once the rhyme has been
completed, the child is rewarded with an animation and sing-along tune.
There are eight titles in all, Humpty Dumpty, Georgie Porgie, Little
Miss Muffet and Ring-a-Ring-a-Roses, which should be ready for the show,
and Little Jack Horner, Mary Mary, Jack and Jill and Baa Baa Green (yes,
green) Sheep, which will be released before Christmas. (Topologika Ö
stand 44)
7.2
Å    S-Base 2 Ö A new version of the RISC OS relational database including
the S-Base Application Manager (SAM) allows simple creation of working
databases, without the need for programming. Extended features include
query by example, enhanced multimedia support, the ability to load DBase
III and Squirrel data, and improved documentation. (Longman Logotron Ö
stand 72)
7.2
Å    Eureka 2 Ö The second release of this spreadsheet permits scaled
printing of worksheets, improved memory management, a macro language for
custom functions, worksheet zoom, charting of multiple selections, best
fit lines. (Longman Logotron Ö stand 72)
7.2
Å    Talking Pendown Ö The latest in the Pendown series of wordprocessors
provides immediate feedback by reading back letters, words and sentences
as you type, making it easier for children to spot mistakes. (Longman
Logotron Ö stand 72)
7.2
Å    Fireworkz Ö An integrated program for all machines with 2Mb or more of
memory, it combines all the features of Wordz and Resultz, offering
improved flexibility over use of the two separate programs (available at
the show for ú169 +VAT). Reports in the wordprocessor can include tables
or charts which can contain Éliveæ data Ö no need to return to the
spreadsheet and regenerate, new data can simply be entered and any re-
calculations are conducted. Sprites and drawfiles from other sources may
also be included in documents. (Colton Software Ö stand 46/47)
7.2
Å    Replay Plus Ö A hardware upgrade for the Acorn Replay DIY kit to
improve image quality of movies, along with new software, the total
price is ú139 +VAT. The software allows several new movie formats (these
take less disc space and can be played back immediately), time lapse
recording, improved movie editing and better sound. Sound sampling
facilities allow the kit to act as a direct to disc stereo sampler,
supporting Armadeus, Microsoft WAVe, Creative VOC (Soundblaster) as well
as sound-only Replay files. (Irlam Instruments Ltd. Ö stand 121)
7.2
Å    16 bit Sound Sampling Ö Stereo sampling at up to CD or DAT sampling
rates can be captured and played back at a higher quality than the
built-in sound system allows with this new card, a derivative of that
used for the Replay system. The software enables samples to be edited
and saved in RISC OS or industry standard formats. An on board DSP can
perform real-time audio effects and compression. The price is ú299 +VAT
(Irlam Instruments Ltd. Ö stand 121)
7.2
Å    A3000 Ö A3020 Ö Aimed at upgrading the specification of an A3000 to
one comparable with the A3020, this comprises three parts. The Multi I/O
primary board replaces the floppy controller and floppy drive to give a
high density disc drive. The secondary board has a serial port and bi-
directional parallel port as found on the newer machines. Finally, an 85
or 120Mb IDE hard drive can be fitted. The primary board costs ú199
+VAT, the secondary ú45 +VAT. The hard disc prices have not yet been
fixed. (Greyhound Marketing/Vantage One Ö stand 6)
7.2
Å    PDSview Ö The package has been upgraded with many new features and a
new manual. 24bit colour processing and separation of bit-mapped images
is possible. Additional support is available for users with graphics
cards. It provides multispectral classification and other powerful
processes usually associated with more expensive dedicated image
processing systems. (Spacetech Ö stand 38)
7.2
Å    PDSmap Ö This allows huge images such as those from SPOT or LANDSAT
(some as large as 150Mb) to be previewed and processed. Sample images
will also be available on CD-ROM. (Spacetech Ö stand 38)
7.2
Å    Weather Satellite Stations Ö Upgraded to be colour card compatible,
additional enhancements include cross-fade for super smooth animation of
weather systems. (Spacetech Ö stand 38)
7.2
Å    Scribble Ö An easy-to-use art package aimed at pre-school and special
needs, the program can be tailored to meet the individual needs of the
user. The touch window screen is also supported. Topical support packs
are also available including ÉThe Farmæ, ÉSpaceæ, ÉDinosaursæ,
ÉChristmasæ, and ÉMiscellaneousæ. Pictures can be imported and exported
into other applications. The cost is ú29.95 and includes a site licence.
(Honormead Software Solutions Ö stand 93a)
7.2
Å    Jumble Fun Ö A game for pre-school and special needs costing ú15.95
(including site licence). It can be used in conjunction with switches or
touch window. Level 1 is a jigsaw and level two a picture jumble.
Additional discs with further topical jigsaws are available, or pictures
can be imported from Scribble, 1st Paint or scanned/digitised images.
(Honormead Software Solutions Ö stand 93a)
7.2
Å    Crystal Maze Ö Based on the Chatsworth Television program for Channel
4, this game features a mix of puzzles and action and is being released
exclusively to the Acorn Market. (Sherston Software Ö stand 35)
7.2
Å    CD-ROMs Ö A new selection of cheap CD-ROMs specifically designed for
classroom use and linked to the National Curriculum. Clipart, datafile
packs and map suites are available. It should be noted that some of the
CD-ROMs are dependent upon the Key range of software (Key Plus/Key Calc/
Key Count). (Anglia TV Ö stand 109)
7.2
Å    Easy C Ö ANSI standard C development system, made easy to use by the
provision of a wimp front end to drive the compiler and linker (AOF
Compatible), removing the need to remember long command line sequences.
Programs can be compiled, linked and run using a single mouse click
making it ideal for beginners, while the built-in make facility ensures
large multi-file applications are also possible. A built-in assembler
allows ARM code to be included directly. It provides access to the CLib
module and is compatible with the FreeWare WIMP library DeskLib.
Upgrades from the C Development System costs ú10 +VAT. If you do not
have the earlier system, the price is ú49 +VAT. (RISC Developments Ltd Ö
stand 75)
7.2
Å    Outline Fonts Ö Two new discs of outline fonts, each containing 10
families of fonts and additional applications. The cost is ú11.95 inc.
VAT each. (RISC Developments Ö stand 75)
7.2
Å    Basic Programmeræs Toolkit Ö Ten applications for programmers,
particularly those using Basic. A disc and manual are supplied. (RISC
Developments Ö stand 75)
7.2
Å    WIMP Programmeræs Toolkit Ö Updated to Version 3, the toolkit now
contains 15 applications to aid WIMP programming. New features include
Procedure/Function analyser, WIMP mask and flag generators and a
comprehensive WIMP library. The price (including manual) is ú21.95 inc.
VAT (ú7.95 upgrade). (RISC Developments Ö stand 75)
7.2
Å    High-Density Floppy Disc Interface Ö Enables older machines to use the
higher capacity floppy disc formats found on the newer machines and
gives access to 1.44Mb DOS discs. (RISC Developments Ö stand 75)
7.2
Å    Tape Streamer Ö Connecting to the standard printer port, this is
designed as a large capacity, low price backup device. (RISC
Developments Ö stand 75)
7.2
Å    Impression Style Ö The latest in the Impression series, it combines
the features of a standard word processor with many powerful features
new to the Acorn platform, and those usually associated with DTP. Two
types of on-line help Ö interactive help and full hyper-text help Ö are
included. Special features include: drag and drop editing; an integrated
thesaurus and dictionary with definitions based on the highly respected
Collins publications; OLE or Object Linking and Embedding; Impression
Junior, II and Acorn Advance file compatibility; automatic section and
paragraph bulleting, numbering and re-numbering; full support for 24
bit, full colour images; an open, extendable graphics filter system with
TIFF loaders; New interactive ruler and tab system.
7.2
All this costs ú99 +VAT. Discounts are available on trade-ins for your
old packages. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    Impression Publisher Ö Incorporating all the new user-friendly word
processing abilities of Impression Style as well as advanced page layout
capabilities. The package has full colour separation capabilities.
Together with Impression Style and ArtWorks, this package offers full
support, including separations, of 24bpp colour images and even 32-bit
CMYK images, along with the ability to load TIFF files (even Mac, PC and
CMYK variations). OLE and full on-line interactive and hyper-text help
is also provided. PostScript is also catered for, offering industry
standard output. Additional features include auto-tracking and kerning
(for RISC OS3 fonts), brightness and contrast control of graphics and
will create a list of all the fonts used in your document. The cost is
ú169 +VAT. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    OPI Supplement Ö For professional pre-press or publishing work, this
optional upgrade supports the Open Prepress Interface Ö a system for
incorporating very high resolution full colour images without the need
for huge hard discs or large amounts of memory. In addition, the OPI
Supplement includes the ability to load EPS (encapsulated PostScript).
It is only available as an upgrade to Impression Publisher at ú230 +
VAT. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    WordWorks Ö Designed as a stand-alone application to assist users of
all word processors (although it is more integrated with Impression).
Not only a Thesaurus, WordWorks is unique in that it includes a complete
English dictionary with explanations. WordWorks uses licensed thesaurus
and dictionary data from Collins, so you can be sure the information is
up-to-date, accurate and of the highest quality. Once a word has been
looked up, it can be transferred to whatever wordprocessor you use. Note
that this product is bundled with Impression Style and Impression
Publisher products and is included in the upgrades available. Price ú39
+ VAT (ú45.82) (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    AudioWorks Ö Providing a complete suite of sound editing functions in
one easy-to-use, low cost application. AudioWorks is compatible with a
whole range of sound files (MicroSoft WAVe, Armadeus, DataVox,
SoundTracker and RawData formats). In addition to playing back from the
standard Archimedes speaker, the software can sample from and playback
to more advanced audio boards, such as the Eagle MultiMedia card.
7.2
AudioWorks supports 8 bit, 12 bit, 16 bit, linear signed, linear
unsigned, VIDC logarithmic, m-law logarithmic, mono and stereo samples.
Features include: accurate waveform display with instantaneous zoom; a
utility for playing back from hard disc in the background with various
effects; on screen real-time spectrum analyser and oscilloscope
displays; full background operation; multiple channel and multiple
sample operations. Price ú49 +VAT (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    BJC-600 Ö The brand new BJC-600 A4 plain paper printer from Canon,
combined with Computer Conceptsæ 24-bit TurboDriver software, provides a
key component in the full colour revolution that is occurring in the
Acorn world. Four colour CMYK inks for the best full spectrum of colours
including real black, 360 dpi provides 40% more dots per square inch
than 300 dpi printers Ö visibly better resolution. The high quality
colour results on plain paper mean lower running costs than other colour
inkjet printers. Minimum 4Mb RAM recommended. Requires RISC OS 3.1.
Price Guide ú500 +VAT. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å     ArtWorks CD Ö This CD contains a full copy of the latest version of
ArtWorks, all the fonts normally included with ArtWorks in both RISC OS
2 and RISC OS 3 outline format (RISC OS 3 format includes kerning
information), and everything that is on the ArtWorks Clipart CD. The
latest version of ArtWorks (1.5) now includes full support for 24bpp
sprites and compatibility with the new graphics filter system used by
Impression (including the filter for TIFF files). Price ú169 +VAT. CD
Upgrade for registered ArtWorks owners Ö ú29 +VAT. Floppy disc upgrade
to version 1.5 (program only) Ö ú10 +VAT. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/
68)
7.2
Å    ArtWorks Clipart CD Ö This CD includes the best of the entries for the
ArtWorks competition and many more ArtWorks and other graphic examples.
On the CD are an ArtWorks file viewer and over 800 ArtWorks example
pictures, on-line ArtWorks presentation, a demonstration version of
!AudioWorks and example audio files, dozens of high quality 24bpp
photographs Ö ideal for the new 24bpp-capable versions of Impression and
ArtWorks. Price ú19 +VAT. (Computer Concepts Ö stand 67/68)
7.2
Å    Eagle M2 Ö Designed to offer an array of multimedia facilities, this
standard width expansion card is capable of video digitising (still
frames, and Replay movies), stereo audio sampling and playback, as well
as MIDI capability. Software included comprises a video view-finder and
image capture utility for still frames and Replay movie capture. Acornæs
!ARMovie is supplied to play back movies created and Computer Concepts
!AudioWorks enables capture and editing of sound samples. Real time
scaling and dithering of images is achieved by additional hardware on
the card. Any machine with a standard podule slot free can be used,
although 4Mb of RAM and RISC OS 3.1 is required. A5000/A540 is needed
for Replay capture. (Wild Vision/Computer Concepts Ö stand 67)
7.2
Å    Lark Ö Following the success of the ColourCard in providing high
quality graphics, the Lark is a new Audio card which offers CD-quality
sound. It has industry standard stereo input and output connection. The
line-in can be connected to a wide range of audio sources. Sampling
frequencies can be up to 48kHz (DAT standard) and may be stored in 16-
bit linear format or in various compressed formats. The single width
podule comes with the !AudioWorks software as well as an additional
Émixing deskæ application. (Wild Vision/Computer Concepts Ö stand 67)
7.2
Å    Chroma 500 Ö This latest version of the digital genlock card gives
full broadcast size screen modes and enables encoding to S-VHS format.
Resolutions of up to 768╫576 pixels (TV resolution). Output can be
overlaid onto video, or not, as required. (Wild Vision Ö stand 67)
7.2
Å    Talking Stories Ö Another learning aid for younger children, questions
are asked and the child can pick their response. Correct answers are
rewarded with an amusing story. In later levels, the questions are
replaced by sentences with missing words. (Wyddfa Software Ö stand 94)
7.2
Å    Flossy the Frog Ö An interactive adventure for under eights, movement
is by clicking on elements of the picture. The animations are designed
to be as educational and entertaining as possible with sound effects
completing the package. (4Mation Ö stand 119)
7.2
Å    RiscCAD Professional Ö Actually an updated version of RiscCAD Junior,
this has a variety of new tools and tool boxes to hold them. The plotter
drivers are programmable to ensure compatibility, and conversions for
different units. (Davyn Computer Services Ö stand 30a)
7.2
Help!!!
7.2
As you can see, there is a huge number of new products aimed to be
released at Acorn World 93. It is therefore a major job analysing and
assessing them and finding out which of these are actually öProducts
Availableò. Could anyone help us in this task, please?
7.2
We need writers (preferably those who have written for Archive before)
who will take a particular theme, say, Énew developments in Archimedes
audioæ or CD-ROMs and go round the show finding out about all the
different offerings.
7.2
The deadlines for the next issue of Archive are a bit tight, so if you
wanted your write-up to be in the main Show Roundup article in the
December issue, I would need to have a disc in my hands within about two
or three days of the end of the show!
7.2
Judging by what is promised (and I use that word advisedly!) to be at
Acorn World 93, we may even need to produce a separate Acorn World 93
Supplement.
7.2
The number of developments on some fronts (DTP, for in particular) are
so many and so significant for the future of the Archimedes that it may
be better to take a bit more time assimilating and assessing them and
not rush into print. These sort of decisions will have to be made during
the course of the show itself, so if you are interested in helping in
this important task, come along on Friday, if possible, and get in touch
with Paul a.s.a.p.
7.2
This is another example where Archive, through its unique network of
contributors, can play an important role in the world of Acorn. Thank
you for all your help!ááA
7.2
Wembley Exhibition Centre Ö Hall 1
7.2
Friday 29th Ö Sunday 31st October 1993
7.2
Acorn World Logo
7.2
Colton
7.2
From 7.1 page 10
7.2
Lambda
7.2
From 7.1 page 16
7.2
or, if it turns up, the Acorn World one !!!!!
7.2
Removable Drives Ö New Developments
7.2
Paul Beverley
7.2
With the coming of the 3╜ö SyQuest 105Mb removable drives, and
especially the IDE version for the A5000, the price/performance ratio
has been improved drastically over the older 5╝ò 42Mb and 84Mb versions.
Removable drives therefore become worthy of consideration for a much
wider range of applications.
7.2
In this article, I shall look at the pros and cons of removable drives
in general and the 105Mb drives in particular. Some of the material in
the article will have been covered previously in Archive magazine but I
think it will be helpful to see the information within one article.
7.2
First of all, let me look at removable drives in general.
7.2
What is a removable hard drive?
7.2
The majority of hard drives consist of a rotating metal disc (or a
number of them) inside a sealed container. A magnetic read/write head
glides over the surfaces of the metal disc(s) and data is stored as
magnetic patterns on these surfaces. The heads glide very close to the
surface in order to increase the packing density of the data and the
heads have to be moved in a precision way across the surface. Small
specks of dirt could damage both the head and the surfaces Ö which is
why the discs are normally sealed.
7.2
Techniques have improved over the years such that the degree of
susceptibility to dirt and dust has decreased and it is now realistic to
use removable metal Éhard discsæ. The discs are held in plastic cases
with a flap that opens as the disc is pushed into the drive Ö rather
like floppy discs.
7.2
So you can now have a number of different hard discs which can be
inserted in turn into the one drive, each disc holding up to 105Mb of
data. Whatæs more, the data transfer speed is rather different from
floppies Ö you can load and save data at well over 1,000 Kb/sec instead
of more like 25 Kb/sec from floppies.
7.2
What can they be used for?
7.2
If you can get as much as 105Mb on each disc and they can transfer data
as fast as a fixed hard drive, they become a very powerful and versatile
data storage medium. Using them for backing up the data on fixed hard
discs becomes simplicity itself. And since they are so fast, there is no
reason why they should not be used as the primary hard disc medium,
giving increased flexibility over fixed hard drives.
7.2
What is the down side?
7.2
Removable drives are not the solution for every situation Ö there are
some drawbacks, not least of which is cost. The cheapest removable drive
is the A5000 internal IDE 105Mb. The Archive price of this is ú455
compared with a second 160Mb internal fixed hard drive for the A5000
costing just ú290.
7.2
Although the technology has improved quite considerably, no-one is going
to pretend that removable drives are as robust as fixed hard drives.
Since they are not sealed units, they are bound to be at least slightly
more susceptible to dust than fixed hard drives although the difference
is somewhat less than it used to be with the coming of 3╜ö units. In
fact, SyQuest, who make the drives and removable discs, have given a 5-
year guarantee on the 3╜ò 105Mb media!
7.2
Security issues
7.2
In one sense, removable drives increase security in that the discs can
be taken out and locked up in a safe place, kept in a fire-proof box, or
whatever. The down side of that, of course, is that if you can remove
them easily, so can unauthorised people. Losing 1.6Mb of data on a
stolen floppy disc is one thing but losing 105Mb at one go is rather
different!
7.2
How do they compare with their forbears?
7.2
The 105Mb 3╜ö drives are the descendants of the long-standing 42Mb and
(more recent) 84Mb 5╝ò removable drives, so how do they compare?
7.2
Because the new discs are two-thirds of the diameter, they donæt need to
be as thick to maintain the stability of the flat surfaces. This means
they are a lot lighter, the 5╝ö discs weighing 183g each compared with
only 79g for the 3╜ò discs.
7.2
One major consequence of this is that the electro-mechanical parts
needed to spin and control the discs are far smaller and use much less
power. The maximum power consumption of the 3╜ö drives (i.e. when
getting the drives up to speed) is only 6W compared with 28W for the 5╝ò
drives. The average power when operating normally is 3.5W compared with
13W.
7.2
Anyone who has felt the temperature of a 5╝ö disc when it comes out of a
removable drive on a hot summeræs day will be quick to see another
advantage of the 3╜ò drives. The lower power (and hence the lower
operating temperature) could make a significant difference to the
reliability of the discs. Although the quoted MTBF (mean time between
failures) of the two drives is quoted as being the same, the fact that
the 3╜ö discs now come with a 5-year warranty speaks for itself.
7.2
Desk space
7.2
This may sound like a strange criterion to use for comparison of hard
drives but in some circumstances, it can be important. If you look at
the footprints of the drives in the diagram below, you will quickly see
that the 3╜ö drives occupy a lot less desk space. The internal A5000
drives donæt add to the desk space at all, because they fit in the box
instead of a second floppy drive.
7.2
(Those of you who have already bought an external 105Mb drive may be
surprised at the footprint size quoted. This is because there are two
sizes of drive that we have supplied. The earlier drives were designed
to allow battery use and so are rather longer allowing a space behind
the drive for a battery pack. The newer drives have the power supply
underneath the drive so that the footprint is little more than that of
an un-cased drive unit, i.e. the same size as a 3╜ö floppy drive).
7.2
Relative costs?
7.2
If you look at the table of relative costs of the different removable
drives (see opposite), you will see another major advantage of the newer
drives. The table of Archive prices should make it clear. Although the
105Mb drive units are more expensive, the media costs per megabyte are
so much less that even if you only want to store a total of 200Mb of
data, the 105Mb drives actually work out cheaper.
7.2
Particular applications
7.2
1) Data portability
7.2
One of the most obvious applications for these removable drives is for
data portability. In my job as editor of Archive magazine and MD of
Norwich Computer Services, it is extremely important to be able to carry
large amounts of data to and fro between the home and office. For
several years, one of the 42Mb removable discs has been my constant
companion, travelling in my brief case on the back of my bike every
single day. Latterly, I have been having to carry two 42Mb cartridges
and so the advent of the 105Mb drives was greeted with great joy!
7.2
2) Data backup
7.2
If you are wanting to back up your fixed hard drive, what are the
options? You can choose from large numbers of floppies, tape streamers
or removables.
7.2
(a) Floppies Ö If finance is strictly limited, you will have to use
floppies. But you donæt need me to tell you what a pain it is to have to
sit there for possibly hours inserting floppy after floppy Ö and what
happens if you do have a crash and need to reconstitute the data? You
sit there with fingers crossed hoping that the restore function of your
backup program actually works. (Donæt try to tell me that you have
already tried that feature out by reformatting your drive... ...because
I wonæt believe you!) And we all know that if backing up is a real pain,
it doesnæt get done... and then we all know what happens next! (They say
the computer world is divided into two types of people: those who have
lost a lot of data on a hard disc crash and those who will lose a lot of
data on a hard disc crash!)
7.2
(b) Tapestreamers Ö In the PC world, the price of tapestreamers has
dropped quite a bit but they are still quite an expensive backup option
for the Archimedes user. The Morley 250Mb tapestreamer, for example,
costs about ú820.
7.2
Mind you, when I say that tapestreamers are expensive, I am talking
about the drive. The media on the other hand are relatively cheap. A
250Mb tape will cost you about ú30 compared with ú75 for a 105Mb
cartridge. So thatæs 12p/Mb as compared with 71p/Mb Ö one sixth of the
media cost.
7.2
The other factor is speed. The data transfer rate of the Morley 250Mb
tapestreamer is öapproximately 100Kb/sò compared with 1,370 Kb/s for the
105Mb SCSI removable Ö rather a difference! Although it probably wonæt
take as much as 13╜ times as long to do the backup, Iæm a great believer
that if backing up is quick and easy, you are more likely actually to
use it.
7.2
(c) Removables Ö In terms of backup, a removable is just like another
hard drive except that you can take it out and lock it away in a safe
place. You can also have a number of backup discs so that you keep more
than one backup of your data.
7.2
The ease of handling the data is, for me, the other main factor in the
choice between tapestreamer and removable. If you want to restore the
whole of the data after a drive crash, that is one thing, but more
common in my experience is trying to recover from an accidental deletion
of some critical file or directory. To insert a removable disc and drag
back the latest backup version is simplicity itself whereas the file-
handling on tapestreamers is much more complex and it will probably take
you several minutes to find and restore a particular file Ö during which
time you sit and sweat wondering whether you did the last backup before
or after you spent hours making those really major changes! (I know the
feeling from bitter experience!)
7.2
The other area where removablesæ file-handling is much easier is in
terms of Éfresheningæ your backup. Most people have certain directories
of data that are more critical than others because the data is changing
more rapidly. You therefore donæt want to backup the whole hard disc,
except occasionally. To backup just certain parts of a hard drive is
considerably easier with a removable drive than with a tapestreamer. You
can see at a glance the directory structures of both the hard drive and
the removable and can delete sections of the old backup and copy the
latest version at will, keeping your eye on the free space available.
You might also keep more than one historic copy of the most critical
bits of data (such as the as yet unpublished articles I am working on!).
7.2
3) Replay DIY
7.2
With the advent of Replay DIY from Irlam Instruments, large amounts of
fast data storage have become extremely important. The speeds of the
42Mb and 84Mb removable drives were not quite good enough for real-time
digitising from video sources. With the higher capacity removables,
digitising direct to disc is perfectly possible Ö even the slower IDE
105Mb drives are fast enough and the SCSI versions are more than
adequate. A 105Mb disc will store about 5 minutes of continuously
recorded video data and, when the data is compressed, you can fit about
20 minutes of film onto each disc.
7.2
Other issues
7.2
Data compatibility across platforms?
7.2
Since these removable drives can also be connected to PCs and Macs, how
much data portability is there? Well, in theory, it should be perfectly
possible to read (and write, I suppose) PC and Mac format cartridges in
an Acorn-controlled removable drive Ö it öjustò needs someone to write
the software! Any offers? (I have just heard a rumour that Risc
Developments are hoping to release some software for Mac file transfer.
If thatæs true itæs terrific news!!)
7.2
IDE / SCSI data compatibility on Acorns
7.2
Is it possible to transfer 105Mb cartridges between SCSI 105Mb drives
and IDE 105Mb drives? Well, yes, to a limited extent. So far, we have
found that cartridges formatted on SCSI cannot be read on IDE drives but
those formatted on IDE can be read on SCSI! We are looking into this in
more detail and will report back as soon as we find out what is going
on.
7.2
IDE versus SCSI
7.2
Although the SCSI drives are slightly more expensive than IDE, they have
a number of advantages. First of all, they are faster than IDE by about
20% although, for most applications, they are already so fast that 20%
would be hard to notice.
7.2
The major difference at the moment is that IDE is not as easy to use as
SCSI because of a problem within the RISCáOS filing system. RISCáOS was
never written to handle removable hard drive media and so it treats them
as ordinary fixed hard drives. Because SCSI removable drives have been
around for quite a while, a suitable ökludgeò has been added which
enables SCSIFS to handle removables properly but, at the moment, there
isnæt a suitable fix for ADFS Ö although Acorn are working on it for us.
7.2
The effect of this is that if you are using an IDE removable, there is
no way of getting ADFS to forget about the first removable disc it sees
at switch-on. The only way, therefore, to change discs is to release the
removable from the drive, switch off the computer, insert the new
removable and switch the computer back on again.
7.2
Anyone who has got used to the ease of exchanging removables would NOT
be advised to try to save money by buying an IDE removable... ...well,
not until such time as we get a software fix.
7.2
(Also, there can be problems getting IDE removables to work happily with
other IDE hard drives. This, for me, confirms what I have always felt,
that IDE is a false economy!)
7.2
Part exchange deals?
7.2
If anyone is interested in doing a part exchange, weæd be prepared to
offer ú100 for a 42Mb drive plus ú10 per cartridge but that would only
be against the purchase of a 105Mb drive with at least one extra
cartridge. If you are interested, let us know and we will explain the
terms in more detail.
7.2
(This may not seem a lot to offer in part exchange for a drive that cost
you several hundred pounds but you have to ask yourself how much you
would be prepared to pay for a second hand 42Mb drive. You then take off
the VAT that we have to charge and allow for the cost of refurbishment
of the drive plus something for admin and carriage and you will,
perhaps, see why ú100 is all we dare offer.)
7.2
Iæm afraid that we cannot make this offer for 84Mb drive since so few of
them have been sold which means that there is very little chance that we
will be able to sell them as second hand drives.
7.2
Conclusion
7.2
These new 105Mb drives are certainly an exciting development. They
introduce a new level of speed, compactness and convenience to data
backup and data transfer. With their larger capacity and the ability to
sit in floppy drive slots, they seem set to be even more widely used
than the 5╝ö drive units.
7.2
When the technical problems with ADFS are overcome, the IDE version will
provide an even cheaper entry-level system for A5000 owners, thereby
increasing their market penetration even further.
7.2
If someone produces some Mac or PC read/write software, it will have
considerable implications for the transfer of large DTP files and such-
like, between platforms.
7.2
It will be interesting to see what sort of applications people will find
for them. You never know, Acorn may even offer them as an option in
their new ARM700-based computers!ááA
7.2
Comparison of computer and removable drive Éfootprintsæ.
7.2
(The sizes include some cable space at the rear.)
7.2
    42 ext    84 ext    105 ext    105 int
105 IDE
7.2
Drive including one disc    ú410
ú550    ú570    ú490    ú455
7.2
Extra data disc    ú75    ú100
ú75    ú75    ú75
7.2
Data cost per Mb    ú1.79    ú1.19
71p    71p    71p
7.2
Cost of drive plus total 210Mb    ú710
ú750    ú645    ú565    ú530
7.2
Cost of drive plus total 420Mb    ú1085
ú950    ú795    ú715    ú680
7.2
Cost of drive plus total 840Mb    ú1835
ú1450    ú1095    ú1015    ú980
7.2
Relative costings of the different removable drives
7.2
(These costings ignore the cost of the SCSI interface which is needed
for all but the A5000 105Mb IDE version.)
7.2
The drives fit neatly into the second floppy slot on the A5000
7.2
    42Mb    84Mb    105Mb
7.2
Size    5╝ö    5╝ò    3╜ö
7.2
Speed (rpm)    3,200    3,200
3,600
7.2
Ave access (ms)    20    20    15
7.2
Buffer size (Kb)    8    32    64
7.2
Transfer rate (Kb/s)    590
900    1370
7.2
öFile copyò test (Kb/s)    45    47
60
7.2
Max power (W)    28    28    6
7.2
Ave power (W)    13    13    3.5
7.2
Cartridge weight (g)    183
183    79
7.2
Drive price (ext)    ú410    ú550
ú570
7.2
Media    ú75    ú100    ú75
7.2
Cost/Mb    ú1.79    ú1.19    71p
7.2
Specifications of the three sizes of SyQuest removable.
7.2
CC
7.2
From 7.1 page 20
7.2
ArtWorks Column
7.2
Trevor Sutton
7.2
A couple of months ago, I lashed out on a 486 PC board from Aleph One.
No, that isnæt the reason Iæve missed a couple of months of column
writing Ö itæs just that Iæve been gathering a few ideas and hints from
people and waiting for some exciting news from Computer Concepts. Well,
I can wait no longer. Yes, we are to have the ArtWorks CD Ö two
actually! There will be one with clipart selected from competition
entries and one containing AW itself and possibly the fonts and a
selection of clipart. After delving into the PC vector graphic world,
this line up sounds all too familiar. I wished for at least one more
exciting tool for my AW toolbox.
7.2
AW and the PC
7.2
Yes, I have been exploring the memory-consuming world of the PC. This
portion is not meant as a review of any software but I have to say how
pleased I am with the performance of Aleph Oneæs board and their helpful
advice and suggestions. There is something almost indecent about running
ArtWorks and Corel Draw at the same time in the same desktop
environment. Sadly for PC users, this could never be an option for them
for the foreseeable future.
7.2
The transfer of files from one program to another was simple, provided I
didnæt mislay files inside some vast Windows directory. Certain
facilities, notably the special fills of Corel Draw, would not transfer,
as Corel seems to use a system of masks in order to fill irregular
shapes. I have mentioned before that this facility should perhaps be a
priority for AW developers. (I have just seen 4Mationæs HatchBack at our
local IT centre and will buy it soon if we donæt get an AW tool.)
7.2
My main reason for acquiring PC compatibility was to have easy access to
a vast range of graphic images to import to, and export from, AW and to
explore PC printing which seems to me to be more effective in providing
better control and some better dithers, especially on cheaper colour
printers. The time taken to produce a print is compensated for by
effective print buffering and queueing. The dithering is better than any
I have seen from a RISC OS printer driver. Hopefully this will change.
7.2
Mike Charlton in Hampshire has been using vector graphic programs in
interesting and exciting ways. He is a mathematics teacher and so
perhaps views these programs with a different and, as you will find out,
a critical eye. Though AW has made an impression on him (no pun
intended!) he finds a fatal flaw in one feature of AW.
7.2
Tessellating with ArtWorks?
7.2
Mike Charlton
7.2
Drawing patterns is an activity that I like to spend a lot of time on in
school. Tiling patterns, reflection patterns, circle patterns ... lots
of patterns. The basic tools are pencil, paper, pencil crayons and a
black handwriting pen. It takes quite a while and colouring well with
pencil crayons really does make your finger ache.
7.2
Instead of drawing patterns, why not try drawing them with ArtWorks Ö
perhaps not quite as satisfying as struggling with a sore finger to
create your masterpiece, but fast, accurate and painless!
7.2
Hereæs one method for creating Escher-type tessellations using ArtWorks.
7.2
With gridlock on and the grid showing, draw a square, at least 5cm ╫
5cm. This will be the basis for your tile.
7.2
1)    Draw a side (with either straight sides or curves).
7.2
2)    Copy the side and position it to form a second, opposite side.
7.2
3)    Repeat for the other two sides.
7.2
4)    Before you can colour-fill the tile, you must draw it as a single
object, so carefully draw over the outline of the whole tile or, if you
prefer, join the sides together to form a closed shape.
7.2
5)    You can now select the whole tile and move it away, which enables
you to select and delete the original square and the individual sides.
7.2
6)    The tile is now ready for copying, colouring, arranging, etc.
7.2
For a different effect, try a tile with the Ésameæ sides adjacent rather
than opposite. You will need to rotate the two different sides by 90░
(or Ö90░ depending on which sides you construct first), and position
them accurately.
7.2
Selecting an isometric grid would allow you to work with tiles based on
the equilateral triangle but I canæt find an isometric grid anywhere Ö
does it exist? Not equipping ArtWorks with an isometric grid facility
is, for me, a major blunder.
7.2
As a school teacher, I am aware that a considerable amount of work in
the mathematics classroom is based on triangular dotty paper and that
isometric projection is a vital aspect of work in Technology (ArtWorks
has a square grid facility which allows the user to create orthographic
projections, and it has the perspective tool which allows the user to
work in true perspective with vanishing points, but it does not possess
the facility to enable the user to construct and work to a simple
isometric grid!)
7.2
So, as much of the wonderful graphic art of Maurits Cornelis Escher is
based on the isometric grid, it is impossible to emulate it using
Artworks.
7.2
If you wish to follow up this idea of tessellations and produce images
like these, then, for the time being, like me, you will have to continue
using Draw.
7.2
You can use ArtWorks to distort your images at the end, if need be!
7.2
Coda
7.2
Clearly there are many items on our AW Éwanted listæ. The uses of AW are
so many and varied that it is impossible to please everybody. It would
seem, however, from Mikeæs comments that an isometric grid is rather a
serious omission. The facilities within AW for distortion of shapes make
it an ideal environment for some of the experiments that Mike has
outlined. It is a shame that an important link in the process is
missing!
7.2
If you have a particular use for AW or have discovered something which
it does well or badly then please let me know.ááA
7.2
NCS Ö The Shape of Things to Come!
7.2
Paul Beverley
7.2
Both Norwich Computer Services and Archive Magazine are being re-
launched at Acorn World 93. As you can see from this magazine, we have a
new cover and a new company logo. This is one outcome of a kind of
östock takingò exercise that we have been (and still are) going through.
NCS has seen huge business growth and expansion in the last 18 months,
both in terms of turnover and staff levels to handle the increased
business Ö now is the time to take stock of where we are, look to where
we want to go from here and how to get there.
7.2
We have always tried to be a friendly, efficient company with concern
for customer care high on our priority list Ö and it is our intention to
stay that way Ö but we realise that we also need to be professional and
business-like at every level of the way we operate. One very important
aspect of this is to make sure that our öimageò reflects what we want to
say about ourselves, our products and our services Ö hence a big re-
think about how we present NCS and Archive to the world. Come and see us
on Stand 48 at Acorn World 93 and see the shape of things to come!
7.2
öMore than a magazine Ö itæs an interactive user groupò
7.2
...this is the main thrust of our publicity at Acorn World 93. It is my
firm belief, backed up by the many complimentary comments from you in
the recent questionnaire, that Archive is unique. It is unique because
Archive is MORE than just a magazine Ö itæs an interactive,
communicating, dynamic user group. Yes, I know it is a commercial
venture and I know it is the vehicle through which the employees of
Norwich Computer Services earn their daily bread. Nevertheless, it IS
unique because of its contributors Ö and that means you.
7.2
Anyone who reads this magazine is a potential contributor. You all have
views and, by expressing them, you are able to shape your magazine Ö the
new cover and the slightly lightened layout are examples of this.
7.2
Talking of contributors, we have invited some of our regular experts to
join us on the Archive/NCS stand at Acorn World 93. They will be
available for you to meet them face to face, ask any questions and chat
with them generally or about any burning issues youæd like to discuss!
In the Acorn World 93 Preview on page 9, Iæve put a list of the times
and days when various people will be available.
7.2
First reactions to questionnaire
7.2
The questionnaire was filled in by over one third of all Archive
subscribers Ö that really is tremendous and shows a level of commitment
that is extremely gratifying. Thanks very much for taking the trouble to
fill it in Ö it will help us to see how we can improve things to meet
your needs.
7.2
We are using Longman Logotronæs PinPoint to help us interpret
statistically and report on the findings from the database. We will be
telling you more before the end of the year but since we have so many
questionnaires to analyse, it will take a little time.
7.2
Some things, however, didnæt need computer analysis to identify as
common themes, so we are taking action on those straight away...
7.2
Help for beginners
7.2
We have now commissioned a series of beginnersæ articles (starting next
month), so that Archive can be an educational vehicle for everyone and
no-one need feel they canæt even get onto the bottom rung. We will
continue to be a source of up-to-date technical information but we want
more people to be able to learn along with us. Hence the efforts to
bring more people on board through the beginnersæ articles which
complement the work already done by Laura Handoca in the Beginnersæ
Column. The articles will be written by members of the Norfolk IT Team,
based at our County InSET Centre in Norwich Ö they introduce themselves
on page 6 and we are looking forward to gaining the benefit of their
experience and training skills within the pages of Archive magazine.
7.2
Archive monthly program disc
7.2
Lots of people said they didnæt actually know what was on the program
disc each month, so they didnæt buy it Ö fair enough! Each month, I try
to put details of the program disc towards the back of the Membersæ
Price List Ö I hope this helps!
7.2
Payment cards
7.2
Almost every other questionnaire said would we please, please start
accepting payment by Visa, Barclaycard, etc, etc! Well, having made the
decision to ögo with the flowò, weæve set things in motion and hope to
be up and running with payment cards by the end of November Ö watch this
space!
7.2
Archive Bulletin board
7.2
We re-launched the Archive bulletin board in August, with help from Paul
Welbank at Eaton (City of Norwich) School. Now that we have a better
idea of what itæs capable of doing, we are working on it behind the
scenes to incorporate the improvements and the facilities youæve
requested. We hope to have these all ready to install at the end of
November at the latest.
7.2
If you havenæt already expressed your views and have some suggestions
about the sort of facilities you would like to see on Archive BBS, then
contact Matthew Hunter at the Norwich Computer Services office.
7.2
Additional phone lines
7.2
To cope with the ever increasing telephone traffic to the Archive
office, we have installed some extra lines, so you shouldnæt get that
annoying engaged tone quite so often. We are not saying that you wonæt
ever get the ansaphone, because with four incoming lines and customers
calling at the office, we sometimes run out of person-power to answer
the phones Ö so please bear with us and call back some time later when,
hopefully, things will have calmed down.
7.2
Unfortunately, for 2╜ weeks after BT did the new installation, the
phones were not working properly. öWhen we didnæt get either you or the
ansaphone, we thought you had packed up and goneò, said various people.
BT have apologised for the inconvenience, so we pass their apology on to
you.
7.2
Until we meet...
7.2
Norwich Computer Services Open Day
7.2
We will be holding the first Norwich Computer Servicesæ Open Day at
Colman Middle School, Norwich, between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 13th
November.
7.2
These are some of the key exhibitors and displays:
7.2
Å    The new Acorn home computer series will be on display: Action Pack,
Home Office and Learning Curve
7.2
Å    Acornæs network installation team and other Acorn personnel will be on
hand to demonstrate and advise
7.2
Å    Norfolk IT Team, from the County InSET Centre
7.2
Å    Colman Middle Schoolæs IT Coordinator, Rick Thorne, will display the
schoolæs Acorn workstations and childrenæs work
7.2
Å    Educational software producers Longman Logotron and  Anglia TV
7.2
Å    Gamesware, producers of games for the Archimedes
7.2
Å    Various software packages can be seen in operation, such as Genesis,
Magpie, Artworks, Impression
7.2
Å    Stock clearance: education and other software at special prices
7.2
Å    Competition with prizes of software/hardware vouchers to spend at
Norwich Computer Services
7.2
Å    Charity sales: items sent in by subscribers in aid of charity
7.2
(There wonæt be space on the Archive Acorn World 93 stand for charity
bits and pieces. We are sorry that this tradition cannot be continued
but be assured that charitable giving is still high on our list of
priorities.)
7.2
There is ample car parking at the school and light refreshments will be
on sale all day.
7.2
See you at Acorn World 93 ?
7.2
These are certainly exciting times for Archive and Norwich Computer
Services... I hope that we will see many of you next week at Acorn World
93 or at the Open Day in November. Thanks again for being part of
Archive!ááA
7.2
Toshiba XM-3401 CD-ROM Drive
7.2
David Bower
7.2
The Toshiba XM-3401 is recognised in the PC world as the fastest single-
disc CD-ROM drive currently available. This review provides some general
information on CD-ROM drives and reports on the compatibility of the
Toshiba with the Archimedes both in the RISCáOS desktop and in PC mode
using an Aleph One PC-386 card.
7.2
CD-ROM performance
7.2
The performance of a CD-ROM drive is determined by its speed, its
compatibility with multiple data storage formats, the hardware-interface
to the host computer and reliability.
7.2
Three factors control the effective drive speed. The driveæs access time
(the time to position the optical head over the desired track plus the
time for the desired block to spin under the head) is critical for
operations such as cataloguing a drive or copying a number of short
files. The sustained transfer rate is crucial for sound and real-time
video applications. First generation drives had access times around a
second, and transfer rates in the 50-100Kb/s range. Most modern drives
conform to the Windows Multi-Media PC (MPC) specification which demands
a minimum 150Kb/s transfer rate. The latest generation of drives can
spin at both normal and double-speed. In the latter mode, access times
are around 200 to 300ms and transfer rates are around 300Kb/s. A final
factor Ö rarely specified Ö is the Ésoft error rateæ. This shows how
frequently data-blocks need to be re-read to pass internal checksum
tests.
7.2
All drives support the ISO 9660 (High Sierra) CD-ROM data format. Most
will support CD-ROM XA (which allows graphics, video, audio and text
files to be interleaved) and CD-DA which allows music CDs to be played
via the computer. The latest development is PhotoCD for storing and
retrieving high-definition images scanned from photographs. PhotoCD
comes in two flavours Ö single session and the more recent multi-
session. Acorn are porting PhotoCD software to the Archimedes, so multi-
session compatibility is potentially important.
7.2
Though a few drives use proprietary interfaces for operation with a PC,
SCSI is by far the most common hardware interface for CD-ROM drives and
the only one relevant to the Archimedes. The latest generation drives
usually support the newer SCSI-2 standard which is backwards compatible
with SCSI but can operate at higher speeds. As far as I am aware, all
Archimedes SCSI interfaces work to the older standard.
7.2
Although manufacturers quote typical mean times to failure around 30,000
to 50,000 power-on hours, these figures should be treated with some care
as they are usually extrapolated from limited testing. One would expect
a CD-ROM drive to be about as reliable as an audio CD-player and that
mechanical moving parts such as the disc load/unload assembly, the laser
head carriage and the drive motor would be the most likely failures
points. The power supply and the semiconductor laser diode in the read
head are also potential weak spots.
7.2
Hardware and firmware requirements
7.2
Earlier this year, I decided that the range of CD-ROM software for both
the Archimedes and PC platforms had expanded to the point where I could
justify the purchase of a CD-ROM drive.
7.2
My A440/1 system runs RISCáOS 3.1. It has an ARM3 board, an Aleph One
PC-386 card with 4Mb RAM / 80387 co-processor and an Oak 16-bit SCSI
card. My first move was to upgrade the ROM on the SCSI card to include
the essential Acorn CDFS control software. Oak supplied me with a new
ROM containing SCSIFS version 1.33 and CDFS version 2.13 for ú30. (All
the prices mentioned here and below exclude VAT.)
7.2
The list of CDFS *commands contains two very intriguing options:
*CDSpeed and *Supported. The first shows that CDFS supports dual-speed
drives. (Does anyone know which speed parameters are legal apart from
the default zero?)
7.2
Executing *Supported produced the following CDFS compatible drive list:
Sony, LMS, Toshiba 3322, Hitachi, Chinon, Toshiba 3301.
7.2
Selecting a CD-ROM drive
7.2
My personal requirements were as follows: (i) compatibility with
Archimedes (for home use) and IBM-PC hardware (for a PC network at work)
(ii) single and double-speed drive operation (iii) CD-XA / CD-DA /
PhotoCD compatibility.
7.2
Very little data on CD-ROM hardware has appeared in dedicated Archimedes
magazines. However, manufacturersæ literature was readily available and
PC magazines reviews and adverts were another fruitful source of
information.
7.2
A single-speed Chinon drive and an incompatible Mac drive were described
in Archive 6.10 p25 and the Acorn Multimedia unit was reviewed in the
Aug/Sept æ93 issue of Risc User. Both the Acorn unit and the new Cumana
600 series drives use the Sony CDU561 double-speed mechanism which has a
295ms access time and a 300Kb/s claimed transfer rate.
7.2
Recent PC magazine reviews such as Windows Magazine July 1993, Computer
Buyer July 1993 and Personal Computer Magazine April 1993 have all
selected the Toshiba XM-3401 as the top performing drive and they also
rated highly the build-quality of this drive.
7.2
The clinching factor in my decision was a Toshiba data-sheet showing
that the XM-3401 drive was downwards compatible with the XM-3301 drive
included in the CDFS supported drive list.
7.2
Drive variants
7.2
Although Archimedes software is usually cheaper than PC equivalents, the
reverse is true for peripheral hardware. ÉStreet pricesæ for PC CD-ROM
drives range from around ú150 for a low-end internal drive to around
ú500 for top-performance external drives with aáSCSI interface card.
7.2
The Toshiba drive is available in three forms:
7.2
(a) An internal PC mounting mechanism Ö typical July æ93 pricing ú320 Ö
ú340. This variant would only interest those Archimedes users intending
to add a second drive to the Acorn Multimedia unit.
7.2
(b) An external cased drive with its own power supply. This is the
version most suitable for Archimedes owners Ö though you will need to
buy a SCSI cable Ö prices are typically ú420 Ö ú440.
7.2
(c) As (b) plus an 8-bit PC ISA-bus SCSI controller card, controller
software and a SCSI cable connecting the card to the drive. Typical
system price is around ú480 Ö ú500. As I wanted to use the drive on both
Acorn and PC hardware, I plumped for this version. (The software
supplied with the drive also supports the Adaptec 1542 16-bit SCSI
controller Ö a near industry-standard on the PC).
7.2
The Toshiba XM-3401
7.2
The drive mechanism and power supply are housed in a cream, steel box
23cm wide by 27cm deep. Including its four rubber feet, the unit is 6cm
high.
7.2
The rear panel has two female 50-way SCSI connectors (resembling an
overgrown Centronics printer port) so that the drive can be connected in
a daisy-chain to other SCSI devices. Also on this panel is the power on/
off switch, a set of DIP switches for setting the SCSI device-address
and a pair of phono plugs to connect the audio output to a hi-fi system.
7.2
The major feature on the front panel is a dust flap to protect the
internal mechanisms Ö CD-ROM drives are more sensitive to dust than
their audio equivalents. For the same reason, the discs are not loaded
directly into the drive, but are first inserted into a CD-caddy, a thin,
plastic box with a transparent flap and a protective metal slide like a
floppy disc. Other front panel features are a small headphone socket
with an adjacent thumbwheel volume-control and a caddy-eject push
button.
7.2
Opening up the case revealed a tidy interior with the sealed drive
mechanism flanked by a power supply. All the cabling was neatly
arranged.
7.2
Specification
7.2
The claimed features of the drive are as follows:
7.2
Å    Access time: typically 200ms£
7.2
Å    Sustained transfer rate: 330Kb/s£
7.2
Å    256Kb internal data-buffer
7.2
Å    SCSI-2 interface
7.2
Å    CD-ROM XA compatible (modes 1 and 2)
7.2
Å    CD-ROM DA compatible
7.2
Å    Multimedia PC compliant
7.2
Å    Multi-session PhotoCD compatible
7.2
    (£ in double-speed mode)
7.2
Performance in the RISC OS desktop
7.2
The trials started with the Acorn Replay Video-Clip Collection One Ö a
freebie passed out by Acorn at the 1992 User Show. Clicking on the CD
drive icon produced an immediate file-catalogue Ö and a huge sigh of
relief from yours truly! The main files on this disc are in ARMovie
format Ö combined real-time video and sound Ö and are between 5 and 14Mb
long. (A 10Mb file provides around one minute of film in a 256 ╫ 256
pixel area). In modes 15 and 20, the video and sound are smooth and
continuous. In modes 21 and 28, the motion is more jerky and the sound
is sometimes lost. I donæt know if an A5000 with its faster memory can
handle the load but I assume the next generation of ARM700 powered
machines will have no problems.
7.2
The Cumana four-disc CD-ROM set of Creepy Crawlies, Grooves, Dictionary
of the Living World and Image Warehouse all performed as expected Ö
though I was somewhat disappointed with their contents.
7.2
Turning to more rigorous tests, I did some timings for copying files
from the CD-ROM to RAM disc. The first test copied a single 1704Kb
ARMovie file to test the sustained transfer rate. The second test copied
the entire contents of the !ARMOVIE directory (34 files/914Kb). The
tests were executed in modes 15, 20 and 21 with the ARM3 cache disabled
and enabled. The results below are in seconds and are the means of three
separate runs.
7.2
    Mode    Test    Cache off    Cache on
7.2
    15    File     6.92        5.60
7.2
    20    File     5.64         5.56
7.2
    21    File     5.90         5.69
7.2
    15    Directory     7.17        5.91
7.2
    20    Directory     6.92         5.84
7.2
    21    Directory    11.76         7.77
7.2
Clearly, the drive defaults to its double-speed mode with a transfer
rate in excess of 300Kb/s.
7.2
Performance with Aleph-One PC386 card
7.2
PC specific CD-ROM discs were tested with an Aleph-One PC386-20 card
running Windows 3.1 under DOS 6.0. The CONFIG.SYS file needed an extra
line, DEVICE=A1CD.SYS /D:MCSD000, to load the Aleph-One supplied CD
device driver, and the AUTOEXEC.BAT file was modified to invoke the
MicroSoft CD extensions file MSCEDX.EXE.
7.2
Two of the discs tested were not compatible, but only because they
needed SVGA resolution or a 256 colour VGA mode. The Aleph-One card
cannot handle either mode. All the other discs tested worked well and a
recommended list follows:
7.2
ááSoftware Toolworks ÉMultimedia Encyclopediaæ
7.2
ááDeLorme ÉGlobal Exploreræ (Atlas)
7.2
ááPower User ÉSo Much Screenwareæ (Photos)
7.2
ááScreen Artists ÉDanger Hot Stuffæ
7.2
ááScreen Artists ÉHot Stuff IIæ
7.2
(In spite of the titles, the last two items are not pornography Ö they
are collections of pictures, video animations and SoundBlaster files.)
7.2
The Aris ÉMPC Wizardæ utility indicated a transfer rate from the CD-ROM
of 134Kb/s rate under Windows. This figure is below the MPC standard but
it includes the bottleneck imposed by the interface between the Aleph-
One card and the Archimedes. Moreover, my PC card is an early unit and
it lacks the faster podule interface of cards shipped after June 1993.
7.2
Performance in a PC
7.2
The drive was briefly installed on a PC-compatible machine used as a
network server. All the discs tested worked perfectly on Éthe real
thingæ. (If you get a chance, do try to see the brilliant Software
Toolworks disc, ÉThe Animals of San Diego Zooæ.)
7.2
CDFS version 2.13 problems
7.2
The current CDFS frequently crashes when discs are swapped, even after
dismounting the first disc. It also consistently crashes when it tries
to catalogue certain PC discs from the RISC OS Desktop Ö though the same
discs all catalogue correctly with the Aleph One card under DOS.
7.2
Conclusion
7.2
The Toshiba XM-3401 drive is Archimedes compatible and highly
recommended.ááA
7.2
We are trying to find a source of these drives at a good price for
Archive subscribers Ö see the Price List for more details. Ed.
7.2
Comment Column
7.2
Å    A5 sub-notebook portable Ö Have you heard the rumours about the Acorn
A5 sub-notebook portable? The size of half an A4 sheet of paper when
closed, itæs designed to fill the massive price and performance gaps
between the A4 and the PocketBook. It comes with an ARM3, 4Mb RAM, and
no floppy drive but a 40Mb hard disc pre-loaded with Acornæs Advance
integrated package. The price is ú599 inc VAT. You havenæt heard?
Neither have I, but if you do, let me know ù A4 prices are looking
increasingly unrealistic.á Stuart Bell, Horsham.
7.2
Å    Floating-point numbers in Basic64 Ö I have been wondering for some
time how numbers are held by Basic64 and also by !SciCalc which uses the
same standard. It is clear from my experiments that Basic64 can hold the
exact values of integers up to 253 (in floating-point variables, not in
integer (%) variables). It can also distinguish between successive
values of 1Ök╖2Ö53, for positive integer values of k. These findings
indicate that the values are held to 53-bit precision. I also find that
it can handle floating-point values up to nearly 21024, which implies
that the exponent is held in 10 bits. Adding two bits for the signs of
the exponent and the mantissa gives 65 bits all together! How then does
it squeeze this into 64 bits?
7.2
To investigate this, I first discovered that the indirection floating-
point operator (|) processes eight bytes, rather than the five in BBC
Basic. It is therefore possible to study how various floating-point
values are held. It still takes a bit of detective work to figure out
what is happening.
7.2
Firstly, we must recognise that floating-point values (with a few
exceptions explained later) are held in a normalised mantissa + exponent
form, with just one integer bit. For decimal (base ten) numbers, this
means, for example, that the number 1234 would be held as 1╖234E3 and
0╖005678 as 5╖678E-3. The exponent is set so that there is just one
significant digit before the implied point and this, of course, cannot
be zero.
7.2
The same principle applies to numbers held in binary. The exponent is
set so that there is just one integer-bit before the implied binary
point. Since this bit cannot be zero, it must be one, which means it
does not need to be stored, its presence can always be assumed! That is
how Basic64 achieves 53-bit precision by holding 52 significant bits.
7.2
Investigating further, I find that the exponent, rather than being held
as a signed integer in the range ▒1023, is held as a positive number
relative to Ö1023. Hence an exponent of Ö1022 is held as 1, zero is held
as 1023 and 1023 is held as 2046. These values held in binary require
eleven bits. For some reason, the value 2047 (all bits set) is not used.
Indeed, if you force it in by using indirection, any attempt to use the
resulting value will generate an error.
7.2
The format just described is used for all numbers whose absolute value
is σ2Ö1022. That value is held with an exponent of 1 and a mantissa
(excluding the implied 1) of zero. Negative values are indicated by a
sign bit which is held before the most significant bit of the eleven-bit
exponent. This standard creates a problem with the number zero. A number
held with all 64 bits zero would, with the implied integer bit,
represent a value of 2Ö1023 which, although very small, is not zero!
7.2
Hence absolute values of ┼2Ö1023 are held differently. Such numbers are
indicated by the fact that their exponent is held as zero. They are not
normalised as described above, and the assumed integer-bit is zero. The
52-bit number is treated as a binary fraction relative to 2Ö1022. Thus
2Ö1023 is held as 0╖1000...02, and 5╫2Ö1028 is held as 0╖000101000...02.
The smallest non-zero values which can be held is 2Ö1074. This is held
as 0╖000...0012. Zero is held as all-bits-zero. Incidentally, the
largest number which can be held is 1╖111...1112E11111111112, which is
21024Ö2971, or £1╖79769313486231571╫10308.
7.2
The floating-point number is assembled with the sign-bit first, followed
by the eleven-bit exponent, then the 52-bit mantissa. Finally, following
the usual Acorn convention, the individual bytes are held in memory in
reverse order, but this applies only to the four bytes within each 32-
bit word. The two words are held in the Érightæ order. Is that clear?
Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.2
Å    HCCS Electronic manual Ö Francis Aries is far too kind about HCCSæs
!Emanual öelectronic manualò. (Archive 7.1 p58) The !HiVision package is
excellent and the idea of an on-line manual is great but the execution
is abysmal. Each takes almost 600Kb of disc space and 640Kb of RAM when
running. This is in addition to the 736Kb for !Hifinder and 1120Kb for
!HiVision. Even with 4Mb of memory, one !Emanual and the two
applications cannot be co-resident with !Impression. You might, of
course, want to have both manuals and both applications open; thatæs
3136Kb! Users with 2Mb are going to have real problems with a manual
that cannot be accessed when youære running the application which it
describes.
7.2
If the manuals themselves were wonderful, then these overheads might be
tolerable. But they are not. Each page is a sprite of up to about 100
words, in a very Échunkyæ font, with some simple diagrams. There are
eight pages to each manual, so the efficiency of the implementation is
about 1Kb per word. In short, great hardware and software ù shame about
the manual, which is just what I said, for quite different reasons, in
my review of the original monochrome digitiser, Archive 5.12 p43.á
Stuart Bell, Horsham.
7.2
Å    Sleuth OCR in use Ö I edit a magazine for a club I belong to and
produce it on an Archimedes using Impression. Items for the magazine
arrive in various forms, but many are either typewritten or printed from
a word processor. Rather than type everything into Impression, I have
been using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on a Digital (DEC)
Vaxstation with an A4 flatbed scanner attached. This has proved
moderately successful, with some help from Impressionæs spell checker.
7.2
When Risc Developments recently released an OCR package for RISC OS,
called Sleuth, I was keen to attempt the OCR operation on the
Archimedes. If that was successful, it would help to justify buying a
scanner so that I could perform the complete operation on the
Archimedes. First impressions were good. The manual is brief but told me
all I needed to know and the program was easy to set up and use.
7.2
I selected some articles I had already processed on the Vaxstation,
using DECimage OCR software and converted the scanned images to mode 18
sprite files, as required by Sleuth, using !ChangeFSI. The articles had
been scanned at 300 dpi using an A4 flatbed scanner.
7.2
The first example had been produced on a dot matrix printer. Sleuth
delivered 90% accuracy (in terms of words), while DECimage gave 94%. If
Sleuth had not consistently confused the letter öwò for öMò, it would
have exceeded the accuracy of DECimage. Considering the quality of the
original, this can be considered acceptable.
7.2
A second example was again apparently produced on a dot matrix printer.
On this one, Sleuth delivered 85% accuracy, while DECimage gave 92%.
7.2
A third example was a good quality typewriter copy. Sleuth could only
deliver 72% accuracy in this case, while DECimage delivered 100%.
7.2
As a fourth example, I took an article produced on a daisywheel
typewriter. Sleuth delivered only 50% accuracy, while DECimage achieved
100% accuracy. I suspect that the problem arises from Sleuth not being
trained on the font used, as the quality of the scan (as viewed in
!Paint) is excellent.
7.2
As a further reference, I repeated the four examples above on a PC using
a popular OCR package, Calera WordScan Plus. This has a setting
specifically for output from dot matrix printers and produced 100%
accurate results on all four examples, whereas DECimage was not too
happy with output from dot-matrix printers.
7.2
There is a trade-off between the number of fonts considered and the time
it takes to recognise the document. Currently the processing time is
remarkably quick (at least as fast as Calera WordScan Plus on a 386 PC),
but I would be quite happy to accept a slower rate in return for greater
accuracy. Although 90% accuracy may sound good, that means it will be
necessary to correct one word in ten. To be a really practical tool, a
consistent score of around 98% or more is generally considered
necessary, otherwise it would probably be easier just to re-type the
copy.
7.2
I believe it is really important that a first class OCR package is
available for RISC OS if the Acorn platform is to compete in the DTP
business. Sleuth appears to be a step in the right direction and has an
excellent user interface. It is priced quite reasonably at ú49 + VAT,
whereas Calera WordScan Plus will set you back several hundred pounds!
It is often said that you get what you pay for but Sleuth urgently needs
further development if it is to provide consistent and useful results.á
Richard Readings, Wokingham.ááA
7.2
Hints and Tips
7.2
Å    ArcDFS under RISC OS 3 Ö It has been reported on numerous occasions
that ArcDFS doesnæt work under RISC OS 3 Ö not true! (Or at least only
partly.) If a disc reports a failure, change the disc TITLE (using
appropriate option) to öò, i.e. an empty string, and hey presto!!
7.2
Why is that necessary? I have not yet had a chance to bury myself in the
code to find out, Iæm afraid.
7.2
Note: The only other option that doesnæt work is Free, but personally I
donæt think thatæs much of a problem. Format and Verify both work OK.
7.2
P.S. Make sure the Step timings are set to those values given in the
original documentation, as they are reset when upgrading to RISC OS 3.á
R.áGeorge, Cambridge.
7.2
Å    Grey Scales Ö I frequently use Draw to produceádiagrams for inclusion
in text produced using Impression, or for independent printing. The
drawing package which comes with RISCáOSá3 generally satisfies my needs.
7.2
One facility which I often need is a grey scale which will produce
distinct shades on my LaserDirect printer, with the minimum of
Égraininessæ. Ignore the adverts which proclaim 256 Grey Shades! If you
need a Éseamlessæ transition from black to white, this is fine, but if
you want to print blocks of greys which all look different, you will be
lucky to manage 16 shades.
7.2
The simplest approach to this problem is to try using the colours on the
palette. It can be helpful to have the features of your diagram
highlighted in blue, red, green, etc on the screen, but how will they
appear printed in black-and-white? If you use the default palette (which
I do not!) the 16 colours come out in various shades of grey, as shown
below. The squares are labelled with the appropriate colour numbers, and
arranged from white to black. These squares appear on my Impression
screen, of course, in glorious technicolour.
7.2
I cannot be sure how this will turn out if Paul prints it in Archive,
but on my printer there are only seven, perhaps just eight,
distinguishable shades. They are all fairly grain-free, printed at
600╫600 dpi, so a suitable selection can be used. If you want them to
appear on the screen as shades of grey, use Écoloursæ
0ááâ2áá1áá2áá3áá4áá5(?)áá7. If you prefer them displayed in colour, use
the series 0ááâ2áá9ááâ4ááâ5ááâ0áá5(?)áá11áá7.
7.2
I have continued this investigation to attempt to find the best possible
grey scale using colours not necessarily on the palette. I have
restricted my investigation to grey Écoloursæ, i.e. those using the
same, or similar, intensities of red, green and blue. That is enough to
be going on with!
7.2
!Draw allows you to select each of the three components on a scale
0Ö255. The !Palette utility only allows 16 intensity levels for each
component (producing the 4096 standard colours), so I have started with
this restriction. Representing the 16 degrees of intensity by the hex-
digits 0ÖF, and allowing a difference of only one between the three
components, I have devised the 16-grey-shades scale shown below.
7.2
How these colours appear on your screen depends on what palette you are
using. In front of me now, I can see shades of buff/brown, because I
have modified the standard, rather harsh, palette. You could try setting
up a palette using these as colours 0Ö15. The result on the screen is
pretty horrible! The result in print, however, is quite good, although
the lighter shades are a bit grainy.
7.2
Using the Fill Colour facility of Draw gives us greater flexibility,
because we can select from 0Ö255 for each primary colour. To keep things
fairly simple, I have tried only Épure greyæ shades, in which the
intensities of red¡green¡blue are always the same. This gives 256 shades
to try.
7.2
Using this technique, LaserDirect clearly does not print 256 shades.
Groups of four consecutive shades always appear identical, so our
selection comes down to 64 shades. I printed blocks of these shades,
each identified by the intensity number used for each of the three
components, 0á=áblack ... 255á=áwhite. The shades which show the least
grain are, for some reason, those numbered 243áá235áá227áá219ááetc, i.e.
those whose codes are 8k+3.
7.2
There are 32 such shades, but adjacent ones are very similar in print,
often apparently identical. In an attempt to create a usable scale, I
have selected ten of these codes (235 219 203 187 171 155 139 123 99 and
67) plus 0 (black) and 255 (white). These are the shades which I will
try for my next few Draw diagrams. Even these shades show little
difference between adjacent pairs, and it is desirable to use alternate
ones only, if possible.
7.2
Colin Singleton, Sheffield.
7.2
Å    Hard disc usage Ö How much space do my hard disc files occupy? The
answer depends on how I try to measure them! My investigations resulted
in the recovery of 5.6Mb (13%) from an unexpected source which I donæt
think has been mentioned previously in Archive.
7.2
We all know that the disc usage figures given by *Free and *Count are
different. *Count returns the total number of data bytes in the files,
in my case 22.3Mb. *Free returns the total number of bytes used (or
reserved) on the disc, in my case 42.8Mb. These are different for at
least two reasons.
7.2
Firstly, disc space is allocated to files in units which vary from drive
to drive. In the case of the Acorn SCSI on my A540, this unit is 1Kb.
Hence, on average, 512 bytes is wasted at the end of each fileáÖáthis is
included in the bytes used returned by *Free, but not by *Count. For the
5,134 files on my drive, this totals 2.5Mb.
7.2
Secondly, some space is reserved for each Directory Header. The Index
occupies 2Kb, irrespective of the drive and filing system which, for my
1204 directories, amounts to 2.4Mb, increasing *Count to 24.7Mb.
However, SCSIFS reserves a larger allocation per directory, as noted by
several Archive readers, including Steve Drain (Archive 5.12). On the
A540, each directory is allocated 15Kb, of which only 2Kb is occupied by
the Index. Some of the rest may, if I am lucky, be occupied by small
files subsequently created within the directory. If I am unlucky, I lose
13Kb per directory. For my 1204 directories, this could amount to
15.3Mb.
7.2
Adding this 15.3Mb to the 2.5Mb noted above, gives a maximum wastage of
17.8Mb. The actual discrepancy, however, was 42.8 Ö 24.7 = 18.1Mb, so
there must have been something I hadnæt discovered. In order to
investigate, I considered my disc directories in three groups, as
identified in the table overleaf.
7.2

7.2
The largest is headed by a directory called Documents. This contains all
my Impression documents, plus a large number of drawfiles and several
hundred old First Word Plus text files retained for reference. When I
discovered the 13Kb per directory wastage, I realised that Impression,
which normally uses three directories per document, was wasting a great
deal of space.
7.2
I tackled this problem some time ago, by saving most of my Impression
documents as Text only. This Impression feature in fact stores the
Styles with the text, but does not store graphics or frame data. If I
drag one of the resulting text files onto the Impression icon on the
iconbar, this displays the text in its original fonts, sizes, etc. If,
instead, I drag the text of a letter into the document which contains a
Éblankæ letterhead, the letter is restored exactly as it was originally
createdáÖ provided it contained no graphics and no frames other than
those defined in the letterhead document.
7.2
I was thus able to store most of my Impression documents as Text only,
and recover several megabytes, without losing anything. This was done
some months ago, before the exercise I am describing here. At that time,
I also compressed all these Édocumentæ files, using Compression and they
are now read and written using Cfs. Some of the other directories on my
disc are also held in compressed form and are identified below as Other
Cfs. The rest (mainly fonts and software) are not compressed and are
identified as Non-Cfs.
7.2
The table shows the *Count for each group of files and the *Count
obtained via Cfs, which shows what the count would have been if the
files had not been compressed. For interest, I have also shown the sizes
of the backups for each category. These were obtained using by !Backup,
into a temporary directory on the same disc and noting the *Counts of
the backup data directories created (excluding the recovery software
stored with the backup data). !Backup uses !Spark compression which, we
can see from the figures, has some effect on the Non-Cfs files. For the
others, however, no further compression is possible and the backup
actually uses more space than the live files, owing to the directory
structures and other parameters stored by !Backup.
7.2
In order to assess the Actual Mb used for each group, I copied (by
dragging) each in turn into a temporary directory on the same disc and
noted the decrease in *Free bytes. Then I discovered that the three
figures obtained did not total the Used bytes given by *Free for the
whole discáÖáthe discrepancy being over 5Mb. After some experimentation,
I concluded that the copying process did not produce a precise Écloneæ
occupying the same space as the original. The only way to discover the
space occupied by a group of directories is to delete it and note the
increase in *Free bytes.
7.2
Hence I copied each group in turn, then deleted the original, rather
than the copy, and noted the change in total usage arising from the
deletion rather than the copying. The copies were then retained in place
of the originals. This process not only revealed the true original
sizes, but also gained 5.6Mb free space, because the copies occupied
less space than the originals!
7.2
Where did this windfall come from? The first point to note is that it
was all gained in the Documents directories. These have been very active
in the past. Apart from the usual process of addition and amendment of
documents, the filing system has also had to endure the process of
replacing most of the Impression documents with text files, the
compression of all the files and, recently, a major exercise of
restructuring the directories and renaming most of the files. Many of
the recent changes were made by copying files, then deleting the
originals, rather than by renaming. All this activity must have produced
considerable small-scale fragmentation of the free space, which is
perhaps not mapped and included in the *Free bytes. *Compact (which
should not be needed with this filing system) did produce a
simplification of the free space *Map, but did not change the number of
*Free bytes. Copying the files in sequence, however, produces a new
directory with no fragmented waste.
7.2
As a result of all this, I can now calculate the wasted space as 8.5Kb
per directory, instead of an apparently impossible 13.3Kb. If I could
recover all of this, I would save another 10Mb in total, but that seems
to be impossible. I could recover perhaps three quarters of it by re-
formatting the disc using a smaller File Allocation, except that I donæt
want to do that unless it is really necessary, and in any case, I donæt
appear to have the right Format program ...!á Colin Singleton,
Sheffield.
7.2
Å    Image enhancement Ö I think I can offer a solution to Cain Huntæs
request for a cheap image enhancer (7.1 p26). With hindsight, I might
have included the information in the notes on colour printing (7.1áp35).
Version 0.90 of Acornæs !ChangeFSI application comes Éfreeæ on the RISC
OS 3.1 Support Disc and its many facilities include most of the sprite
processing options I suggested; brightening and gamma correction for
example. It also accepts some foreign formats (e.g. TIFF), converting
them to sprites.
7.2
The documentation is not so hot. There seems to be nothing between the
rather sketchy notes starting on page 207 of the RISC OS 3 Applications
Guide and the detailed but very complex FSIinfo file in the !ChangeFSI
directory. However, this desktop application is intuitive to use, and
trial and error will often produce the desired result. Although it is
possible to apply two or more processing functions in parallel, I do
support the notesæ recommendation to operate on an unmodified file and
try changing only one parameter at a time.
7.2
The only process I would like to see added to !ChangeFSI is Chameleonæs
ÉWeakenæ function which, for me, seems to give more effective control of
colour sprites than Brighten.
7.2
I spotted a documented facility in !ChangeFSI which allows very large
output files to be built in Éstripsæ using the parameter ChangeFSI
<source address><destination address>28-max<n> where n is the desired
size of the strip, e.g. 512Kb. I wonder if some very clever person might
be able to use this as a basis for a utility to transfer large
TIFFáfiles between Archimedes/PCs/Macs, split between two or more MS-DOS
floppy discs?
7.2
As a further postscript to the colour printing notes, a reader has
recommended Hewlett Packard HP 92296U transparencies for my Canon LBP-4;
about 32p each. Iæve since tried them and the results, especially on 600
dpi graphics, are excellent.á Jim Nottingham, York.
7.2
Å    Indelible ink Ö At long last, there is an indelible ink refill
available for HP Deskjet cartridges. They are available from Misco
Computer Supplies, Faraday Close, Park Farm Industrial Estate,
Wellingborough, NN8 6XH. A two-refill kits costs ú13 plus postage.á Mike
King, Guernsey.ááA
7.2
Small Ads
7.2
(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)
7.2
Å    A3000 2Mb upgrade (Watford) ú17. Chips are soldered in, so upgrade to
4Mb impossible. Phone Gerald Fitton on 0793-723347.
7.2
Å    A3000 upgraded to 4Mb and RISC OS 3.1 with manuals and discs, no
monitor, ú500 o.n.o. Phone Dr Woodward on 0684-573098.
7.2
Å    A310, RISC OS 3, colour monitor, Epson LX80, software, computer desk,
swivel chair, ú500. Phone [phone].
7.2
Å    A410, 4Mb RAM, internal 40Mb hard disc, external 40Mb hard disc and
5╝ö 40/80 switchable drive, ARM3 upgrade, RISC OS 3.1, Watford hand
scanner, CC Colour Card, Taxan 775 multisync monitor, loads of software.
ú1200 pounds o.n.o. Phone Mick Cattell on 0742-745209.
7.2
Å    A410, 2Mb RAM, 20Mb ST506 hard drive, 14ö ITT-Nokia remote control TV/
RGB SCART monitor, Panasonic KXP1124 24 pin printer with A4 sheet
feeder, CC hand scanner, Impression II, Hi-Fi sound enhancer plus lots
of software and books. Everything in excellent condition, all for ú800.
Contact R. Bedi on 031-650-5655 or 031-668-3246 (late evenings).
7.2
Å    A410/1, 4Mb RAM, 100Mb SCSI hard drive, RISC OS 3.1, Eizo 9060S
multisync monitor, Hi-Fi adaptor, 5╝ö floppy drive interface, software,
boxed ú950. Phone Rainham, Kent 0634-360650.
7.2
Å    Ace ProDriver for DJ500C/550C, ú30. Phone Copthorne 0342-714905.
7.2
Å Acorn: DTP ú35, RISC OS 2 PRM ú35. Beebug: Star/Epson colour printer
driver ú5. Minerva: GammaPlot ú15, System Delta+ ú25. Digital Research:
DR DOS 5.0 ú20. Games: Cops, Nevryon, Plague Planet, Powerband ú6 each
or all for ú20. Phone [phone], eves.
7.2
Å    Acorn MIDI board (AKA16) ú50 (unregistered). Easiword 2 wordprocessor
ú35. GraphicWriter ú5. Paradroid 2000 ú10. Dropship ú5. RISC OS 2 PRMs
ú25 (minus index cover). Phone Gloucester 0452-525976 after 6pm.
7.2
Å    Archimedes A440/1 base unit (no monitor) upgraded to 8Mb RAM, ARM3 and
RISC OS 3.1. Includes manuals and Applications discs. ú800 o.n.o. Phone
Coventry 0203-715864, after 6.
7.2
Å    Beebug 5╝ö disc interface, 40 track drive, DFS reader software and 50
5╝ò discs. The lot for only ú40 o.n.o. +p&p. Phone Derby 0332-557751.
7.2
Å    Computer Concepts ScanLight Junior Ö ú75. Contact Richard Hallas on
0484-654186.
7.2
Å    Fun School 2 (under 6æs) ú5. Freddy Teddy ú5. Personal Accounts
(Apricote) ú10. Electronic Solutions Detour ú10. First Impressions ú10.
Mr Burnett, 135 Park Road, Enfield, EN3 6LN.
7.2
Å JP-150 FX850 Emulator Card ú50, PC Emulator 1.81 + DR-DOS 5 ú30,
System Delta Plus V2(unprotected) + Mailshot + Sigmasheet ú50, Printer
Lead ú6, Signwriter (Wight) ú6, Keyword ú5, DT-Talk ú5, Investigator2
ú5, Prog Ref Man RISC OS2 ú12. Phone [phone].
7.2
Å    Oak Recorder sound sampler, boxed with original software and ArcLab
sound processor, hardly used ú25. Phone Mr A Mothersole on 0344-55772,
eves.
7.2
Å    Original Software Impression 2.19 (unregistered) + borders ú90, Schema
ú50, PC Emulator 1.8 ú40, Midnight Express ú30, WorraCad ú50, Titler
ú60, Acorn DTP ú10, ROM/RAM Podule, battery backup ú20. Phone Tamworth
0827-330118, eves.
7.2
Å    Multistore II ú70, Archway 2 ú30. Phone Bath 0225 464313.
7.2
Å    Psion series 3, 256K and A-Link, ú145 complete (or will split). Phone
0494-522704.
7.2
Å    Psion series 3, 256K, with spreadsheet (compatible with Acorn Pocket
Book). 6 months old, still under Psion guarantee ú160 including
delivery. Phone [phone] evenings and weekends.
7.2
Å    RISC OS 3 PRM draft copy ú40, Revelation 2 ú50, First Word Plus II
unopened ú35, Acorn DTP unopened ú25. Phone [phone] after 1pm.
7.2
Å    Six SyQuest 44Mb cartridges ú50 each or ú256 the lot. Juki 5510
printer and some spare ribbons ú55, carriage extra. Juki 6200 A3 wide
carriage daisy wheel printer ú50, carriage extra. Keith Hodge 0244-
550803.
7.2
Å    SJ MDFS Fileserver and 20Mb hard drive. SJ tape streamer and several
35Mb tapes. Manufacturers support can be transferred. Will sell
separately. Any reasonable offer. Phone [phone].
7.2
Å    Wanted, A-Link for Psion 3. Phone Derby 0332-557751.
7.2
Å    Wanted, Z88, Z88 bits, broken Z88. I will buy any broken or damaged
Z88 computers for student project. Cracked cases, quirky keyboards, dim
displays, mauled manuals, power supplies that donæt, anything! phone me
with offers. Contact Bob Ames 071-477-8275 days, 0487-814227 eves,
weekends.
7.2
Å    Z88 computer with 512K RAM expansion, PC-link ROM, serial cable, mains
adaptor, manual, carrying case and original box. ú180 o.n.o. Phone 0602-
723379.
7.2
Å    Z88 with 128Mb RAM pack, mains unit, serial link to Archimedes,
parallel link to printer and manual. ú100 o.n.o. Phone evenings Germany
010-49-521-624723, daytime 521-681-440, Mr Gallie.
7.2
Å    Zoom Modem Ö V21,V22,V22bis, with fax send facility ú45 o.n.o. Phone
Mike Roscoe on 081-579-0607
7.2
Charity Sales Ö The following items are available for sale in aid of
charity. PLEASE do not just send money Ö ring us on 0603-766592 to check
if the items are still available. Thank you.
7.2
A3000 1-2Mb upgrade ú20, A3020 Welcome Guide ú2, A5000 Welcome Guide ú2,
Acorn Education Directory CD-ROM ú15, Archimedes First Steps book ú4,
Atelier ú15, Battle Chess ú18, BBC Basic Guide ú6, Desktop companion
book ú4, Desktop Folio ú8, Acorn DTP ú8, DR DOS 5.0 guide ú8, First Word
Plus 2 guide book ú4, Fun school ú4, Genesis Plus guide book ú5,
Interword ú5, Landmarks Civil War ú12, Landmarks Civil War ú12, Premier
3 text processor ú15,  Quest for Gold ú4, RISCáOS 3 User and
Applications Guide ú10, RISCáOS 3 Applications Guide ú6, RISCáOS 3 User
Guide ú5, Sigma Sheet ú4, Pacmania ú5, Yes Chancellor II ú12.
7.2
(If you have unwanted Archimedes software or hardware, please send it to
the Archive office. If you have larger items where post would be
expensive, just send us details of the item(s) and how the purchaser can
get hold of them.)ááA
7.2
Using RISCáOSá3.1
7.2
Hugh Eagle
7.2
Conversion of programs to RISCáOSá3
7.2
Ian Jeffray has offered to get (almost) any software running under
RISCáOSá3. (Presumably the offer only extends to Archimedes, and
possibly BBC, programs.) He says that öwith a little bit of ARM and some
patience, almost all programs can work under RISCáOSá3. Indeed, I have
not found a single program from my large collection that does not now
work with RISCáOSá3.ò For legal reasons, he will only accept original
discs to work on. His address is Field House, Sessay, Thirsk, N.
Yorkshire, YO7á3BE.
7.2
RFS software for ROM/RAM podule
7.2
Peter Prewett asks whether anyone has come up with an upgrade to the
software for operating the Computer Concepts ROM/RAM podule.
7.2
RISC OS 4 Wish List (Continued)
7.2
The following are from Chris Walker:
7.2
Å    Common templates available to all ù Templates for standard items such
as Save boxes could be stored in one file in ResourceFS, and made
available to all applications. This would reduce the time spent writing
programs, as Save boxes would not have to be designed; it would reduce
the space necessary for template files, by avoiding unnecessary
duplication; and it would ensure consistency for all programs that used
it. An Info window is another possibility, as it would be possible for
the program merely to write to the relevant icons. After all, I notice a
ÉGlobalæ directory in Resources:$.Resources, in which there is a
Messages file. Messages could also be just one large file with similar
benefits, although it might take longer for the application to find the
message if it was one long file.
7.2
Å    Pointer definitions ù More standard pointer definition files could be
incorporated in ROM with a CMOS bit to indicate which one is default. A
Vax has several pointer definitions offered at Boot time from which the
user selects one as default.
7.2
Å    More attractive appearance ù Icons could be made more attractive and
also be larger. (Look at some of the sprites in Windows Ö awful program,
but nice sprites, e.g. the Corel Draw sprite.
7.2
Å    Backdrop sprites ù The freed space which was used in ROM for template
files could be used for tiles in backdrops.    They could
also have a CMOS bit to indicate which one is default.
7.2
Å    Fonts ù More outline fonts in ROM.
7.2
Å    Printer manager ù Make !Printers truly multi-tasking with proper
background printing. In Windows, the time sharing is user-configurable
for some applications. If nothing else, then this should be done in OS4.
Also, if the print data is a file, give the option to delete the print
file after printing.
7.2
Å    !Edit ù Improve !Edit: it needs to be quicker. Look at DeskEdit and
StrongEd for ideas.
7.2
Å    Floppy discs on iconbar ù Show mounted floppy discs on the iconbar.
Dismount by clicking adjust on them. When the disc icon is shown but no
filer window open, click select on the disc icon to open the window.
(Chris sent in a version of the Filer modified by Neil Walker;
unfortunately we cannot include this on the program disc because it is
based on a program from Archimedes World: August 1991.)
7.2
Å    Multi-tasking BBC emulator ù A multi-tasking BBC Emulator would be
nice. If it can be done with the PC Emulator, why not the Beeb?
7.2
Å    !Paint ù Make deletion of multiple sprites in !Paint easier.ááA
7.2
Full Phase
7.2
George Barnett
7.2
Northwest SEMERC has launched Full Phase for the Archimedes, a talking
word processing package, designed to provide further support for
literacy in children from 4 years upwards. It is very reasonably priced
at ú28 +VAT +p&p.
7.2
Phases, the precursor of Full Phase, is a simple DTP program enjoyed by
both primary and secondary pupils and, in fact, I have seen teachers use
it to produce A4 leaflets for use in the classroom, albeit rather
amateurish productions. Draw and Paint files can be dragged into the
Phases screen, resized and positioned. Text can then be added in a
variety of fonts and sizes supplied in the program. There is also a
support disc containing a selection of pictures of interest to children
and, for those with video digitisers and hand scanners, personal
pictures can be produced and used where necessary. I have found it a
useful exercise to have pupils use two of the support disc pictures and
then, using !Draw or !Paint, execute a personal design. An appropriate
story can then be written which will flow round the three pictures.
7.2
The 73 page ring-bound manual is perfectly adequate, separated into two
parts, one for new users and the other for those with Phases experience.
7.2
Full Phase, the latest version, combines graphics and text with a
digitised speech facility which can be turned on or off. Letters and
words can be spoken as they are typed and full sentences can be read out
aloud again and again. Commands, such as changing letter size, font or
text alignment, can also be spoken as they are typed.
7.2
In the handout commenting on Full Phase, SEMERCæs Director, Martin
Littler said öRecent research has shown the value of talking word
processors to children with dyslexia.ò I quite agree Ö talking computers
for educational use are very valuable and serious aids to the partially
sighted as well as those with dyslexia. I feel, however, that unless
your normal tongue is ÉDalek speakæ, some other voice program could have
been used, thereby preventing the initial giggling which occurs when
pupils first hear the voice.
7.2
The organisations which care for the blind and partially-sighted supply
those in their care with talking computers, talking calculators, talking
clocks, etc and all those which I have heard have had serious, cultured
voices (mostly American) not the robotic voice supplied by Superior
Software.
7.2
The default speech can be altered somewhat and although the default
cannot be changed as such, the alterations can be saved if required.
7.2
There are five different fonts with six different sizes. Personally, I
would have preferred to see the Ghost font changed to Fancy dress, but
children seem to enjoy this font so perhaps I am wrong. Care has been
taken to make some of the operations rather complicated to prevent
accidental deletion and this is considered a good point.
7.2
There is a wordbank where, by the use of a mouse, words can be imported
into the text. An Overlay Keyboard can be used and a ÉCLOZEæ exercise
facility is available. For those new to ÉCLOZEæ, it is an exercise
whereby children add letters where blanks are left in printed words.
7.2
Printing is easy. Simply press <Print> or, for more control, use the
main menu print box.
7.2
Overall, I consider this to be a cheap and useful literacy package but
with the reservations mentioned above on the ÉSpeechæ.ááA
7.2
Debugging ARM Code
7.2
James Riden
7.2
This article is intended to provide someone who can already write some
ARM code with a few guidelines on debugging. I have outlined some common
mistakes and explained some error messages.
7.2
Explanation of terms
7.2
First of all, let me give an explanation of a few common terms that are
likely to be used regularly.
7.2
PC Ö The program counter, which points to the instruction being
executed. It is stored in the low 26 bits of R15 (because all
instructions are on a multiple of four bytes, the bottom two bits are
used for flags).
7.2
Pipelining Ö The ARM takes one clock cycle to fetch an instruction, one
to decode it and one to execute it. To speed things up, the three
processes are performed at the same time on different memory locations.
The instruction pointed to by the PC is being fetched, the instruction
pointed to by the PCÖ4 is being decoded and the instruction pointed to
by the PCÖ8 is being executed, all at the same time.
7.2
Crash, hang-up, etc. Ö The computer stops functioning until a reset is
performed. This may be accompanied by corruption of the screen, spurious
noise and locking of the pointer.
7.2
MEMC Ö The chip that interfaces the RAM to the CPU. Amongst other things
it converts logical addresses to physical addresses.
7.2
Physical memory Ö The RAM chips themselves. The MEMC can address up to
4Mb of RAM.
7.2
Logical memory Ö The computer arranges the physical memory into pages
and allocates a number of these to the RMA, the screen memory and to
application workspace. For instance, the application workspace is at
&8000 but the RMA starts at &1800000. If there were RAM allocated all
the way in between these values you would have a 16Mb computer.
7.2
Link Ö When a BL instruction is executed, R14, otherwise known as link,
is set up to point to the instruction after the BL. You can return from
the subroutine by using MOV PC,R14.
7.2
Fault finding
7.2
In my experience, by far the most common faults are due to careless
mistakes rather than fundamental misunderstanding. For example, I often
copy instructions from other parts in the program and forget to change
the instruction appropriately.
7.2
I might copy STMFD R13!,{r0-r12 ,R14} and alter it to LDMFD R13!,{r0-r12
,R14} and place it at the beginning and end of a subroutine. Of course,
the subroutine will not return because I havenæt changed the R14 in the
LDMFD to PC. Failing to do this causes the program to plough on through
the memory following the subroutines until it comes across an illegal
instruction.
7.2
To check a particular routine or compare instruction, you can use SWI
OS_WriteI. The number of the call is 256 plus the ASCII code of the
character, for instance SWI &121 will print an exclamation mark. If you
are not sure whether one routine is being executed you can place this
SWI in it. You can also use it with a condition to determine the outcome
of a CMP instruction. If, for some reason, your program suppresses text
then you can use SWI &107 to generate a beep.
7.2
Compilation errors
7.2
Bad immediate constant means that the value you are trying to use cannot
be encoded by the computer. Most instructions have 12 bits free for an
immediate value and these are divided up into 8 bits for the mantissa
and 4 for the exponent. For those unaware of such things, itæs worked
out as:
7.2
value = mantissa * 2^exponent
7.2
Considering the value as standard form in binary, if you canæt express
it in 8 bits, you canæt do it. For example MOV R0,#&F0000 (%1111*2^16)
works as does MOV R0,#&102 (%10000001 *2^1) but MOV R0,#&1234 does not.
To get round this, you can MOV a register to &34 and then add &1200 to
it to give &1234.
7.2
Bad address offset is similar but affects ADR, LDR and STR instructions.
When using the form LDR,labelname, labelname must be less than 2048
bytes away from the PC at that point. A signed 12 bit number is used to
encode this which allows Ö2048 to +2047 to be stored. Remember that if
you use a register instead of a label, this does not apply.
7.2
Fatal errors
7.2
These can be perplexing to beginners because the error message is
somewhat cryptic. However, they are often quite easy to work with when
you have a little more information.
7.2
Address exception means that the PC has been assigned a value (not
necessarily with a branch) outside the logical memory of the computer.
It can be caused by link being corrupted during a subroutine.
7.2
Abort on data transfer usually means that you have tried to load or save
a register outside the logical memory. Corruption of the pointer, or a
bug in a routine to calculate a pointer, can cause this. This error
frequently occurs when plotting directly onto screen memory if part of
the sprite goes off screen.
7.2
Undefined instruction means that the ARM processor has attempted to
execute an instruction which currently does not exist. This means that
the PC is either in some area of your data or is outside your program.
*Showregs will give the value of R15 at the point the error occurred. To
take account of pipelining, subtract 8 bytes from the value shown.
7.2
Branch through zero means that the computer has come across an
instruction telling it to branch to location zero of the RAM. Location 0
contains an instruction to branch to the routine that resets the
computer. This is inaccessible in user mode.
7.2
Debugging method
7.2
The best way to do this is divide the program up by using breakpoints
and then check each bit for errors. For example, does the subroutine
return the correct values? If it does, go on to the next bit in the
execution sequence. If it doesnæt then why not? Check the parameters
that are passed to it and the data that it uses. Remember to look at the
obvious first.
7.2
The debugger
7.2
*ShowRegs will list the contents of the registers at the time of a fatal
error. It also shows the flags which affect conditional instructions.
7.2
*BreakSet will set a breakpoint (surprise!) at the specified address.
This means that the instruction will be replaced with a branch to the
Debugger module. The Debug* prompt will then be given and you can check
on your code.
7.2
*BreakClear will remove all breakpoints. The branch instruction will be
replaced by the original contents of the memory location.
7.2
Other commands can be found by typing *Help Debugger and then *Help
<command name>
7.2
Quick check list
7.2
ÅáAre you returning from subroutines correctly?
7.2
ÅáCheck all MOVs and LDM/LDRs which will affect the PC.
7.2
ÅáHave you stored the correct value on the stack?
7.2
ÅáIf you have copied parts of the code,
7.2
ÅáHave you changed any label names and branches to these labels?
7.2
ÅáHave you altered register numbers and instructions as appropriate?
7.2
ÅáHave any registers been corrupted that are needed in other parts of
the program?
7.2
ÅáHave you DIMmed enough space for the code?
7.2
I hope some of the above information helps someone out there who is just
getting started in ARM code. Remember, if you canæt get it to work, itæs
better to start on something else and return to the faulty code after a
day or two.
7.2
If you have comments, ideas or questions, drop a line to me at the
Archive office.ááA
7.2
PipeLineZ
7.2
Gerald Fitton
7.2
It must have been the holiday which reduced the correspondence I
received in early August Ö thereæs certainly been a lot of it these last
four weeks. I think that all but a small handful of your letters have
been answered and everyone asking for help should have received a reply
by now.
7.2
Portability
7.2
Last month I wrote about portability Ö running software with the same
user interface on other Éplatformsæ. Whatæs happened since then?
7.2
Firstly Iæve received a lot of comment from you about the relative
merits of PC Windows and the Archimedes Desktop with most of you coming
down in favour of the Archimedes. However, some of my correspondents
remark somewhat wistfully that, at work, they have PC Windows and would
like a version of PipeDreamá4 that runs under PC Windows. Honestly, I
donæt think that that will happen.
7.2
Secondly, Iæve received copies of two official press releases from
Colton Software. The second press release includes öan ambitious program
of new product developmentò and öNew staff are being taken on to expand
..... the programming team...ò Perhaps more interestingly (in the
context of portability) is a remark from the first press release that
öColton (Software) has created a new range of software designed to
exploit the best features of the new generation of windowed operating
systems, including RISCáOSá3ò.
7.2
I found the phrase öincluding RISCáOSá3ò intriguing because it implies
to me that RISCáOSá3 was not the only Éwindowedæ operating system that
Colton Software (and their new staff) are working on. Mark Colton, the
founder of Colton Software, has personally written programs for many
platforms including the old BBCáB, the Z88 and the MSáDOS PC and he has
proved that he is well acquainted with the concept of portability. As I
said last month, one of the most interesting features of PipeDreamá2 was
that it presented the same user interface on three very different
platforms, the Z88, the PC and the Archimedes! This allowed users with
an Archimedes at home, a PC at work and a Z88 on the train (or on
holiday) to work on their personal applications Éanywhereæ and copy data
files from one environment to another with impunity. Let me repeat, the
user interface on the PC and on the Archimedes was identical and, on the
Z88, it was only the size of the monochrome lcd screen which was
different.
7.2
I must be careful not to repeat information which I have been privileged
to receive Éoff the recordæ but let me say that my interpretation of the
combination of these two press releases is that the new Fireworkz
package will be ported to at least PC Windows. The only other popular
windows environment that I know of is one with which Paul Beverley is
well acquainted Ö the Apple Mac! I am pretty sure that those of you who
want portability will find that PCáFireworkz (if it is produced and if
that is to be its name) and RISCáOS Fireworkz will have identical user
interfaces. Add to that the fact that RISCáOSá3 treats PC format discs
as if they were native ADFS discs and you will see that, if you have
both PCáFireworkz and RISCáOS Fireworkz, you will not only have the same
user interface but you can use the identical (PC format) floppy disc on
both machines. Like Stork and butter (in the old and not the new advert)
letæs hope youæll find it hard to tell the difference!
7.2
The next question is öWhen will PC Fireworkz be launched?ò I think that
the BETT Show in Januaryá1994 might be a bit early but I wouldnæt be
surprised if a Épreviewæ version was being demonstrated there. I think
that itæs more likely to be six to nine months before we see much more
than a Épreviewæ.
7.2
Another question which will be entering your mind is whether, as a
purchaser of RISCáOS Fireworkz youæll get a discount on the PC version!
Iæd like to know the answer to that one too but I will say that Mark
Colton, in his correspondence with me, keeps referring to users of
Colton Softwareæs öfamily of softwareò in a way which leads me to
believe that, if you have RISCáOS Fireworkz youæll be offered the PC
version at a discount during the two months after its launch.
7.2
What Iæd like to know from you is how many of you would be interested in
a PC Fireworkz so, if you have ideas on this then please write to me at
the Abacus Training address on the inside back cover of this magazine.
7.2
Fireworkz availability
7.2
In the first of the two press releases I received it says öFireworkz
will be available at the Acorn World Show ..... priced at ú169á+áVATò.
It looks to me as if that is the date they are working towards for its
launch. If you have registered your purchase of both Wordz and Resultz
then the press release implies that you will receive Fireworkz without
asking for it! In any case, I am assured that registered (öfamilyò?)
users of both Wordz and Resultz will get Fireworkz free of charge. If
you have both Resultz and Wordz but have not registered with Colton
Software, I suggest that you do so right away. Although, when you read
this, version 1.04 of Wordz will have been available for quite a while,
it hardly seems worth while upgrading to Vá1.04 when Fireworkz is so
near. Nevertheless, for the record, and for those of you with Wordz and
not Resultz, the upgrade to Vá1.04 is free of charge.
7.2
Acorn World 93
7.2
As usual, Colton Software have invited Jill and me to appear as Éguestsæ
on their stand (46/47). We are delighted to do so and, this year, weæll
be there for all three days of the Show. If you want to see what we look
like then Acorn World 93 is your opportunity. We have found (nearly!)
all of you interesting to chat to and you have some wonderful tales to
tell.
7.2
Rich Text Format
7.2
In answer to a common question, Fireworkz will load and save files in
PipeDream, ASCII, CSV, WK1 (Lotus 1-2-3) and RTF format. I have little
knowledge of Rich Text Format so, if thereæs anyone who does know and
who would like to be famous (by having their name mentioned), please
drop me a line or two of enlightenment.
7.2
My mistake
7.2
Last month I said that I didnæt know how to get legends into Resultz
charts. By the way, a Élegendæ is the name of the variable such as the
öYesterdayò and öTodayò from last monthæs article. I suppose the old
adage öWhen all else fails read the instruction manualò, which I quote
so often to others, applied to me!
7.2
David Crossley (amongst others) has written to me and explained how to
do it. The legend for the column takes its name from the text at the top
of each column so that, by including an extra row containing the
headings at the top in the marked block from which you made your chart,
the headings become the legends! The title for the chart and the units
are text in slots (put the picture to the back or make the background
transparent). The overall result is shown in the screenshot below.
7.2
David praises the ease with which he can create charts in Resultz. He
goes on to say, öCharts in PipeDream were not this simple to set up and
I never got around to sorting out how to use them properly. With
Resultz, I had set up six charts as I wanted them within as many
minutesò. David completes this paragraph with öReading the manuals
before starting saves a great deal of timeò!
7.2
Selecting a maximum or minimum
7.2
It was Denis Murray-Smith who first put this problem to me in the
context of finding the best shop in which to buy a particular item when
you know the prices of the items in each of many shops. However, the
problem is of wider significance. For example, you may wish to find out
which of many subjects are best for each pupil and then find out which
subject is best received!
7.2
The screenshot below shows a simple spreadsheet which Iæve called
[Shopping]. The names of the products appear in column A as Alpha, Beta,
Gamma and Delta. The names of the shops appear in row 6 as Shopá1,
Shopá2, Shopá3 and Shopá4. Of course, you could have many more items and
a much greater choice of shops.
7.2
The price of each of the four items in each of the four shops appears in
the range of slots B8E11. The formula in slot F8 is min(B8E8), and it
returns the lowest price in row B.
7.2
The slot G8 contains the formula lookup(F8, B8E8,B$6E$6). In
PipeDreamá4, the arguments of the lookup(,,) formula are: F8 Ö the key
field containing the minimum price, B8E8 Ö the range in which you hope
to find F8 (the minimum price), B$6E$6 Ö the range which contains the
value to be returned. Note the $ characters in this last range; these
ensue that, as you replicate the formula from G8 down through the column
G, the final argument of the lookup(,,) function does not change. For
example, in the slot G11 you will find lookup(F11,B8B11,B$6E$6).
7.2
The formulae in F8 and G8 have been replicated down the two columns
using one of the following techniques. Place the cursor in F8 and
execute <Ctrl-Z> to mark slot F8. Place the cursor in G11 and execute
<Ctrl-Z> so that the Éblockæ F8G11 is marked. Alternatively drag from F8
to G11 to mark F8G11. Execute <Ctrl-BRD> to replicate the formula down
through the marked block. You can extend the formulae down as many rows
as you wish.
7.2
In Resultz
7.2
When I ported the file [Shopping] to Resultz, I found a small problem.
If you have a look at the screenshot below, youæll see how I solved it.
7.2
I found that I had to modify the formula in G8 so that the horizontal
arrays b8e8 and b6c6 were seen by lookup(,,) as vertical arrays.
Transpose does just that! Am I making a mistake? Can it be done more
simply? Iæm sure that youæll let me know.
7.2
Text in Resultz
7.2
If you find that some of your largest worksheets appear to Éhang upæ
when you change the layout near the bottom of the sheet, the chances are
that you havenæt selected a suitable template as your starting point. It
hasnæt really Éhung upæ but it is just reformatting every page and, when
youære at the bottom of the sheet, you have to wait for all the work to
be done before you regain control of your computer!
7.2
Perhaps the most likely cause of the Édelayæ is that you have some text
slots and these have been selected to have the ÉFixed heightæ disabled
as in the screenshot above.
7.2
What you should do is redefine your Text style so that the ÉFixed
heightæ is fixed by the Base Style style. In your Resultz templates, you
will almost certainly find that the Base Style style fixes the height of
the slots.
7.2
If you need to allow some slots to be of different height in order to
allow multi-line text, you can do this either one row at a time or in
large blocks by loading an Overlay Template containing a Variable Height
style which is applied where required. The speed of reformatting (near
the end of a worksheet) depends upon the number of rows in which the
height is not fixed.
7.2
Finally
7.2
If you wish to write to me or if you want a Resultz or Wordz demo disc
(ú2.00 EC Ö ú2.50 Non-EC), then my address is that of Abacus Training
given on the inside back cover of Archive.ááA
7.2
Scanlight Video 256
7.2
Francis Aries
7.2
Following on from last monthæs article, öDigitising Printed Text and
Picturesò (Archive 7.1 p57), in which I compared a Scanlight 256, a Wild
Vision Greyhawk digitiser and an HCCS HiVision digitiser, I have now
purchased the CC Scanlight Video 256. This, in effect, combines the
Scanlight 256 and the Greyhawk on one expansion card with dedicated
connection socket for the scanner and a BNC socket to accept a lead from
the video image source.
7.2
In use as a scanner, it is operated exactly as for the Scanlight 256
requiring only the !Scanner software on the iconbar.
7.2
To use it as a vision digitiser with a video source connected, the
software !TakeOne must also be on the iconbar and clicking on this gives
a real time moving image on the screen of the source. ÉTakeOneæ can be
set to show either the full frame video image or about 60% (or so) near
the centre of the full frame. As for Greyhawk, the Scanner dialogue box
must be on the screen in order to grab and process an image. The
dialogue box offers three choices and (although not advised by the
manual) these may be chosen irrespective of the É!TakeOneæ setting:
7.2
Selection    Resolution    Size
Notes
7.2
FullFrame    768 ╫ 288     216Kb
Grabs whole of video frame
7.2
Cropped    512 ╫ 256     128Kb
Grabs centre 60% of frame
7.2
Interlaced    512 ╫ 512     256Kb
Grabs centre 60% of frame                at
higher resolution
7.2
Clicking on OK grabs the current frame of the image as an Original and
this can then be processed by the !Scanner software.
7.2
Although the facility is there to display and grab the cropped image, I
find it better always to select and grab the full frame to form the
Original image in the !Scanner software. I can then make my own
selection out of the frame using the Select area and Crop facility and
then process my selection as I wish.
7.2
If you possess the video source, I would feel it well worth while paying
the little extra for the Scanlight Video 256 to include the Video
facility if you are planning to buy a hand held scanner. You also save
yourself a podule slot.
7.2
Scanlight Video 256 costs ú220 + VAT + carriage from Computer Concepts
or ú245 through Archive.ááA
7.2
Mapmaking
7.2
Colin Singleton
7.2
The subject of mapmaking has attracted some interest recently among
Archive readers. I was particularly pleased when Cain Hunt explained how
to produce a street map using Draw (Archive 7.1 p32). The technique is
so simple, but I hadnæt thought of it. Briefly, having drawn the road
network using thin lines, he groups all the roads together, selects Grid
LockáÖávery importantáÖáand makes a displaced copy using <ctrl-C>. He
then changes the Style of the original to, say, 6pt line width, black,
and the copy to 5pt width, white, then moves the copy back on top of the
original, where it snaps into place Ö brilliant!
7.2
Cainæs extended procedure for producing roads of different widths on the
same map seems excessively laborious. You do not need to produce a
completely separate copy, nor do you need to ungroup all the roads.
Instead of collecting all the roads into one big group, collect them
into two or more groups, one for each road width. Then apply the copy-
and-overlay procedure for each group in turn. All the black lines will
be at the back, with all the white lines in front, so the junctions will
be drawn correctly.
7.2
When I read Cainæs hint, I had already drawn a map of my locality, using
Draw, with the roads represented by broad grey lines. It looked rather
uninspiringáand soáCainæs technique was just what I needed! I have now
completed my map of Bradway (a suburb of Sheffield), as you can see
opposite overleaf.
7.2
The map appears here at reduced scale, and the names of the minor roads
are a little difficult to read. Printed at 100%, the outer frame is
200╫180 mm which fits neatly on an A4 sheet, landscape. The text is
still small but is quite readable, and the effect looks very
professionaláÖáneater than the published map from which most of the
details were copied! Some comments on the production method may be of
interest to anyone contemplating printing their own neighbourhood map.
7.2
Certain features appear Énaturallyæ using Draw, with little effort. At a
road junction, the white line down the middle of the side road extends
to the middle of the main road, obliterating its Ékerbæ (assuming that
the original thin lines met at a point), so the junction is drawn
correctly, whatever the widths of the roads. The arrowheads which I have
used for roads which go off the map are equally easy. Just ensure that
the original lines representing the roads have triangular end-caps,
where appropriate. I have used ╫╛ width and ╫2 height. The road-drawing
procedure will then produce the results shown.
7.2
The road goes over the railway and the river. This is no problemáÖájust
ensure that the layers in the drawing are stacked in the right order.
They can be juggled from back to front afterwards if necessary. The
river also goes under the space between the road and the station (the
station car park), without appearing on the surface. This requires a
white patch, placed in front of the river, but behind all the other
details. The river, of course, is drawn same way as the roads, from a
suitably curved thin line.
7.2
The footpaths and railway tunnels are drawn using the Line Pattern
feature to produce dotted lines. This reveals an odd quirk of Draw. If
you specify a triangular end-cap on a dotted line, Draw produces an
arrow-head on each of the short line-segments! Hence my arrow-heads were
drawn separately, on short solid lines.
7.2
The grid lines were drawn first, and used to position the roads
correctly. Hence Draw keeps them at the back, behind the roads and other
details. Published maps usually have the grid lines printed over the
detailsáÖáif that is how you want them, they can easily be brought to
the front. I prefer them as they are.
7.2
The difficult part of the exercise is the positioning of the road names
down the middle of the roads. Mine are printed using Homerton font,
regular style. This is one application where block capitals look better
than lower case, largely because all the characters are the same height,
and fit neatly between the parallel lines. I have used four different
road-widths on this map, and chosen the widths after several
experiments. The one ÉAæ road is 10pt white on 12pt black, the ÉBæ road
is 8╝ on 9╜, and the others are 6╛ on 7╜ and 5╜ on 6. For the names, the
font heights are 8╜, 7╜, 6 and 5 pts respectively.
7.2
Mathematically, I have used a formula whereby if the widths of the black
and white lines are p and q pts, and the height of the text is r pts,
the ratios p/q and q/r are each 2p/48. The overall widths (p) of the
various roads have been chosen so that the widest is twice the width of
the narrowest, and the ratio of successive values of p is 3┌ 2.
7.2
I chose the road widths to be as narrow as possible, consistent with
being able to read the names fairly easily. If most of the map area is
covered by road, the actual layout is difficult to appreciateáÖáa
frequent problem with published town plans. My map certainly does not
suffer from this problem, but the smallest text I have used is the
smallest which is easily readable. Asáthe above copy shows, it is just,
but only just, practical to print it at reduced scale. The map scale of
the full-sized print, incidentally, is 10cmá=á1km, or 1:10000 (about 61/
î3ö to a mile).
7.2
For a straight road, positioning the text is no problem. The complete
name can be entered into Draw in one line, and then rotated through the
necessary angle. If you are using LaserDirect, the text must be
converted to path in order to print correctly, if for no other reason.
If the text has to fit around a curve, the process is more tedious. The
name must be converted to path, then ungrouped into individual
characters. Each character must then be individually rotated and
positioned. If the shape of the road permits, keep several consecutive
lettersáÖácomplete wordsáif possibleáÖágrouped together in straight
lines. Not only does this create less work, but it is easier to get a
neat result.
7.2
Talking of neat resultsáÖáif you are fussy about precision, and if you
have a number of small, tightly curved roads, you may find, as I did,
that the ╫8 maximum zoom offered by Draw is not really enough. There is
a way round this. Set up Draw with an A2 sheet instead of A4, and draw
everything double-size. A 5pt on 6pt road should be drawn as 10pt on
12pt. The 5pt text should be entered as 10pt. There is now no problem
manipulating even the smallest itemsáÖáexcept perhaps that, with maximum
zoom, only a very small part of the map will be on the screen at one
time. Keep your master copy on file at this size, for subsequent
amendments.
7.2
When you want to print the map on A4 paper, everything should be
collected into one group, which should then be magnified by ╜. The
resulting drawing should be positioned within the bottom left hand
quarter of the A2 sheet, in order to print on A4. Assuming you have the
right printer driver installed, Draw will, on request, show the outline
of the area which will actually be printed. It may be convenient to save
a copy of the map at the smaller scale for printing.ááA
7.2
PD Column
7.2
David Holden
7.2
Shareware clipart
7.2
I have recently been sent a few discs of Shareware clipart. This type of
material is common on the PC and Mac but is a fairly new development for
the Archimedes. Normally the Édistributableæ disc is full, or nearly so,
and upon registration the user receives more. This would seem a healthy
area into which Shareware could expand. There is quite a lot of PD
clipart and a moderate amount of commercial material but clipart is one
area where it is difficult to know what you need until you have it. This
makes purchasers reluctant to buy without seeing what they are getting
first so it is the perfect scenario for Shareware. It is also impossible
to employ any sort of software protection and this feeds upon the
protection paranoia of most software producers and discourages them from
entering this field.
7.2
Hopefully, the people producing this will profit from it and be
encouraged to produce more to the benefit of all users. So far I havenæt
seen any Shareware fonts but it would appear that there is plenty of
scope here too.
7.2
ÉFreeæ PD
7.2
There is a general consensus that it is Éwrongæ to use PD programs for
commercial gain. Most authors attach some sort of conditions of use to
their program and, as I have explained before, this actually establishes
their copyright and authority and negates any other statement to the
effect that the program is Public Domain. In general, such conditions
stipulate that the program may be freely used and distributed provided
that this is not done for profit. It is understood that libraries will
charge a Éreasonableæ fee for this distribution and this is normally
permitted.
7.2
However, there is a special type of PD which I have encountered from
time to time where the author insists that the program must not be
distributed by any source which makes any charge whatsoever for
distribution. They normally have no objection to their programs
appearing on BBSæs. This means that the average Archimedes user is
unable to obtain access to these programs or is obliged to pay
considerably more to BT to obtain them (assuming, of course, that he/she
has a modem) than they would otherwise have to pay to a PD library. It
would seem that these authors have no objection to BT (who have
absolutely no interest in the Archimedes) profiting from their work but
they object to a PD library making a sensible charge to cover its
running costs.
7.2
Most of these programs seem to originate in academic institutions and
are circulated via educational networks. These are certainly not Éfreeæ
but are simply paid for from public funds rather than directly by the
users.
7.2
I once had a telephone discussion on this subject with a teacher who had
written a program that I wished to include in the APDL catalogue. At
first, he insisted that he did not want his work to be distributed by
anyone making a charge, no matter how small. I was, of course, quite
prepared to abide by his wishes but then I raised some minor point about
the program. He said that he would look into it when he returned to
college because he didnæt have an Archimedes at home. It transpired that
the program in question had been written using the collegeæs facilities
and during his Éworkingæ hours. I pointed out that this meant he didnæt
actually own the copyright but, following usual practice, it belonged to
his employer. Furthermore, as he was employed, indirectly, by the state
and I was a taxpayer, that appeared to make me his employer and, as
such, I was already part owner of the copyright.
7.2
Luckily, he saw the funny side of the situation. That program, and
others he has written since, are now included in the APDL catalogue.
7.2
Profit?
7.2
It doesnæt take much mathematical ability to calculate that PD libraries
make a profit on the price of each disc. To those who have never
attempted to run a business, it would appear that the profit is simply
the selling price of a disc less the cost of a blank disc + a jiffy bag
+ postage. In fact, there are lots of other Éoverheadæ costs and this
means that the true cost of supplying a single disc is probably closer
to ú1.
7.2
Even after adding overheads, most libraries do still make a profit. The
better ones use most of this for the benefit of PD and Shareware authors
and Archimedes users in general. But even if they donæt, what is so
wrong with making a profit? I have often expressed the view that I have
a personal preference for Shareware, not only because I believe that it
is a good way of distributing and improving software, but because I
believe that those who work hard to produce something which is of use to
others are entitled to the fruits of their labours, i.e. a financial
return for their efforts. This same logic applies to libraries. If they
do a good job and provide a service to the public, why shouldnæt they be
permitted to make a modest profit for all the hard work that goes into
running them?
7.2
Without good PD libraries, the material produced by PD and Shareware
authors would not get the wide circulation it deserves. To run a library
well takes a great deal of time. No matter how much effort is put in, it
can never be highly profitable in the same way that a PC Shareware
library can be.
7.2
To those who might think that I am merely trying to justify making a
Éprofitæ from APDL, I should point out that I have always held these
views and had often expressed them before I was running a library. As a
PD and Shareware author and a customer of other libraries, both
Archimedes and PC, I learned that libraries which charge a reasonable
fee for their services not only give good service to their customers but
to authors as well. Most authors realise this and are happy for the
libraries to make a modest profit. Frankly, in terms of money per hour,
I can earn twenty times as much writing PC Shareware as I ever could
either from APDL or writing Archimedes programs but itæs not as much
fun.
7.2
Special offer
7.2
As Christmas is fast approaching, this monthæs special offer is a disc
of assorted clipart with a Christmas theme. The disc is full of assorted
items from Santa Claus to holly, secular and religious, modern and
traditional, suitable for all types of Christmas messages and greetings.
For a copy, send ú1 or four first class stamps to me at 39 Knighton Park
Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN.ááA
7.2
Education Column
7.2
Solly Ezra & Roger Nelson
7.2
In response to my appeal in the last Education Column, Roger Nelson has
written a description of the way he uses Genesis and Magpie with his
pupils.
7.2
What follows is an excellent description of the real business of
education and the work of an educationalist. As you read through his
article you will see that Roger has used many programs for his work with
his pupils. These include: Draw, Snippet, PipeDream and PenDown. This
leads me to reiterate what I have said before, that no one program can
ever be described as a complete educational program. Therefore, a
further word to software developers Ö compatibility is vital!
7.2
Roger writes: You asked for it, so here is a brief outline of how I use
Genesis and Magpie. If you want greater detail or to discuss this
further please do not hesitate to contact me at the above address Ö
sometimes itæs easier to talk than write! (If you would like to talk to
Roger, his phone number is 091-396-6696.)
7.2
Genesis
7.2
I have been using this since version 1 and was attracted to it
immediately, as it gave me the ability to provide a window environment
without needing to learn to program. Subsequently, I have started to use
the script language to help provide certain facilities and carry out
effects. The package also gave the facility to present information in a
new way Ö on a screen not in a text book or on a worksheet. This, it was
hoped, would prove to be a good way to present information to pupils who
would otherwise show little interest Ö and I think it has been
effective. Is it the power of the Éboxæ or the attraction of the
computer or not having to listen to the teacher (me!) drone on?
7.2
So far I have developed packages for use with year 7 (1st year of the
secondary school), year 10 and year 11 to help deliver specific parts of
each syllabus (e.g. Weather, National Parks and Glaciation). These
packages have not relied solely on the computer but also on task sheets
which guide the pupil in the use of the package and provide a series of
questions to help the pupil determine what information is needed to
fulfil their needs. To accompany the task sheets are outline maps for
completion as necessary, as well as references to books which will
encourage the most able to expand upon what is on the computer screen.
7.2
The tasks are part of the school way of working Ö resource-based
learning is used wherever possible. We have a Resources Centre with open
access for pupils to books, videos and computers. As part of their
induction to the school at the beginning of year 7, pupils are given a
task to complete in the Resources Centre researching information from
reference books and from a Genesis package on the computer. This task is
delivered through the geography curriculum. It provides pupils with an
introduction to the use of the Resources centre, an introduction to the
use of the computers and delivers part of the geography National
Curriculum.
7.2
One aspect of using Genesis and Magpie which does not always come across
is the need to be able to use other pieces of software. In order to make
the presentations in Genesis more effective, I have had to develop the
use of Draw, Snippet, PipeDream (for graphs), a digitiser and a scanner.
This inclusion of maps, diagrams and photographs makes the presentations
much more effective. The one thing I am very wary of is the use of
copyright material and so I use my own photographs and slides Ö recorded
using a video camera and then digitised. Is there anyone out there who
can clarify the copyright position over the use of scanned and digitised
material in multimedia presentations? Linked to this use of other
packages is the amount of time needed to prepare a successful package
including the planning that goes on beforehand, in my case on many
pieces of paper. Although it is easy to change links, it is much easier
if everything is planned.
7.2
Magpie
7.2
When the school was provided with a site licence by the local authority,
I investigated the use of Magpie for preparing the same type of packages
as with Genesis. The ease of use, however prompted me to think of
getting pupils to develop their own packages. I tried this by digitising
pupil portraits and getting a group to develop a package about
themselves. This was a simple package with few links to develop but the
concept still proved demanding for some of the least able pupils. The
amount of time used and the effort put into the package was high but the
finished article did not show this and was not very useful.
7.2
Further thought has led me to the latest attempt to use Magpie. This is
still ongoing but so far has proved much easier to manage and of greater
educational value for geography and I.T.
7.2
The latest package is a combined effort between myself and pupils! I
have provided an outline package based on a map of Europe. The map is
shown on screen and links are provided from each country on the map to a
blank screen. The pupilsæ task was to present information about a
selected country. The country for each pupil to research was selected by
me to ensure that there was some challenge for the most able and the
possibility of achievement for the least able. The guidelines provided
suggested that the pupils display a map of the country, the flag of the
country and some textual information about the country. To provide this
information, the most able pupils created their own map and flag using
Draw, Flare, Snippet, Revelation or whatever they were used to using.
7.2
They used books to find the textual information and then typed this
directly into Magpie or produced a text file using PenDown, Edit, etc.
7.2
For the less able pupils, maps, flags and basic text resources were
provided on disc ready to drag into Magpie and position. The pupils were
encouraged to produce sufficient for more than one screen about each
country so they learnt how to create new screens and how to link
screens. The completed package, when added to and edited by me, was used
by the pupils to research into European countries. So far, the project
has progressed well. The pupils have placed their own (or the prepared)
resources into the outline package.
7.2
The next step is to use the package for research. By providing the
outline, the pupils have been able to concentrate on collecting and
producing information rather than on learning how to use the Magpie
package. What they needed to know they picked up easily when creating
their information screen. The development of the package has given the
pupils experiences in I.T. and delivered part of the geography programme
of study. My problem now is to think of another possible outline package
for which the pupils can develop resources. Has anybody got any ideas?
7.2
I must mention one other venture using Genesis. With a colleague, a
package about the events of 1066 is being developed which provides both
the resources and the questions on screen. A menu screen leads to
information, diagrams and maps which are accompanied by tasks accessed
by clicking over a button. This is an attempt to do away with the task
sheets mentioned above and to provide everything on screen. This package
is almost complete but still requires the final links making and then
testing.
7.2
The use of Genesis and Magpie have enabled me to target specific parts
of a syllabus/scheme of work with a package tailored to what the pupils
need. Although I will continue to develop this type of package, I have
come to realise that the use of a multimedia package can help pupils to
present information in a new way. The production of graphics and text
require the use of information research and Information Technology
(computer) skills. The use of the multimedia package requires the pupils
to organise information in a limited space, i.e. the screen (yes, I do
realise that you can enlarge the space available and scroll it but I
donæt wish to complicate matters at present). It is a new way of working
for many pupils and, as such, is seen as exciting and it obviously has a
motivating effect. The only problem with using the software is the time
needed to prepare everything but then everything needs time.ááA
7.2
Desktop Diaries & Organisers
7.2
Andrew Rawnsley
7.2
Over the last few months a variety of desktop organisers have appeared
and, over the next couple, more areádue to appear in the Acorn market
place. In fact, it could almost be said that Acorn themselves started
the trend, since it was their omission of Agenda from the in-built
software on the Pocket Book that brought the lack of Acorn organisers to
the pages of the Acorn press.
7.2
The packages
7.2
This review will mainly concentrate on two packages recently sent to
Archive for review:
7.2
Event Ö ú24.95 inclusive Ö ExpLAN
7.2
Almanac Ö ú72.50 inclusive Ö Stallion Software
7.2
It should be noted, however, that a full comparative review of the two
pieces of software is not realistic, as the two products have a very
different aim and market.
7.2
Event is a desktop diary, and little more Ö hence the lower price. It is
in fact part of a larger package, Occasion, which should be released for
the Acorn World show.
7.2
ExpLAN say they do not intend Event to be in direct competition with
Almanac but Occasion certainly will.
7.2
Occasion was not quite ready at the time of writing, even in demo form,
but watch this space!
7.2
Pocket Book owners should watch out for Schedule, Acornæs version of the
much-praised Agenda in the Psion Series 3. Indeed, it may well offer
more, as it is being sold as a separate package.
7.2
The potential market
7.2
The big question with desktop organisers and diaries is, why pay a
significant amount of money for something that could be done with a
couple of books and a pen?
7.2
Itæs a very good question, and one that needs a proper answer. Neither
Almanac nor Event state clearly their potential markets and presume that
you will have your own use for the software if you have parted with your
money.
7.2
The answer is obvious for all those who use portable Acorn machines Ö
the A4 or the Pocket Book Ö you need to be able to access diaries,
address lists, appointments and the like on the move. A4 users have the
choice of Almanac, Event and, shortly, Occasion whereas Pocket Book
owners are limited to Schedule. However, I would suggest that Pocket
Book users with Acorn machines at home would also find a copy of Event
useful, as it can read and write Schedule and Agenda files.
7.2
Other uses which are not immediately apparent include quick entry of
addresses for mail-merging with other packages (not in Event), and
Almanac also provides links to Computer Conceptæs Fax Pack and David
Pillingæs Arc Fax, so it can be used as a telephone book too.
7.2
It would probably be true to say that computer-based organisers give out
what you put in Ö the more you think about the software, the more uses
you find.
7.2
You should first think how much you use your Acorn machine. If it is
only used occasionally Ö  once a week or less there is really no need to
look at such a program. On the other hand, if you use your machine
almost every day and donæt want to miss any vital appointments, you
really ought to invest in some form of desktop organiser. It is a pity
though that neither program has an Éalertæ or Éalarmæ option built in to
remind you of appointments, etc whilst you are using the machine.
7.2
Event
7.2
ExpLAN do not claim Event to be anything other than an attractive
desktop diary. They felt that Acorn machines had been sadly lacking in
the diary area, so they took steps to fill the niche. In doing so, they
have also provided an entry-level version of Occasion which should whet
the appetite of many a potential customer.
7.2
The software comes on one disc with a fairly thin manual which lacks an
index (a feature noticeably missing from so much of todayæs quality
software). However, the software requires little in the way of
instructions as it is intuitive to use and has been sensibly put
together.
7.2
The presentation of the software is superb and knocks spots off many
desktop programs. Three dimensional buttons and icons are used
throughout, even on RISC OS 2 machines. Outline fonts are used to
display all the text, except for the window title bars. This can be
forgiven as I know from experience that if you replace the RISC OS 3
toolsprites with your own, even in accordance with Acornæs NewLook
desktop, the whole title bar ends up getting corrupted.
7.2
I expect more software to follow in the footsteps of Event in terms of
presentation, as it really does set a trend.
7.2
The software can be configured quite substantially, with a large or
small main window (large displays the previous and next months, plus the
previous and next years), progress windows can be turned on and off, and
the method of loading data can be specified. Data can be loaded and
accessed from memory, or loaded from disc when required, reducing memory
requirements.
7.2
The program allows you to set up birthdays, anniversaries, reminders,
appointments and day notes for any day. You can then view them on a
daily basis, or as a weekly appointment viewer, as blocks which
correspond to the time and duration of the appointment. My only
criticism was that it was not possible to add appointments from the
appointment viewer Ö they had to be added from the day dairy window.
7.2
There are comprehensive repeat options, including a pattern option which
allows you to specify your reminders to occur only on certain days. Most
events can be specified to repeat. You can also search your diary for
any event, and export as much or as little data as you wish as CSV,
Occasion, Agenda and Schedule files. Their are also excellent print
options.
7.2
The standard diary includes a variety of birthdays and anniversaries for
important historical events and places. For example, I now know that I
share my birthday with Margaret Thatcher (should I have admitted to
this?) and Paul Simon and on my birthday in 1943, Italy declared war on
Germany.
7.2
Finally, as stated earlier, Event is compatible with Agenda and Schedule
on the Psion Series 3 and Acorn Pocket Book, making it an excellent
partner program for users of either program.
7.2
Almanac
7.2
Almanac offers considerably more than Event but as it is around three
times the price, you would expect this. The program attempts to provide
all the features of a Filofax in one computer program. In fact, it even
comes as a Filofax with the manual taking the first 68 pages. All you
have to do is remove these pages and you have your own yuppy Filofax.
(Will later versions come complete with a red Porsche?!!)
7.2
This does mean that the amount of information contained within the
manual is relatively small. Compare the size of a filofax page with a
standard A5 page, and then remember that around 75% of the pages in the
Almanac manual have illustrations on them. Yet again, there is no index
and the tutorial was quite hard to follow, particularly as it refers to
version 1 and Almanac is now on version 2. Perhaps the manual would be
better if it had been a separate A5 volume and the Filofax included as a
free gift?
7.2
Anyway, Almanac offers the following functions: Address Book, Company
Address Book, Anniversary Records, Correspondence Records, Diaries Ö
Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Yearly, To Do lists and Sticky Pads for
linking in external files.
7.2
However, each one of these functions can be linked to any other Ö even
to another record of the same type. Thus you could have a name in the
address book, linked to anniversaries, birthdays and correspondence with
that person. A picture of the person could also be loaded into a sticky
pad from outside. As you can imagine, this makes Almanac far more useful
than it might appear at first glance, and it beats a paper-based
alternative. Almanac also allows you to password-protect private
information.
7.2
The software is not particularly intuitive but this is fairly inevitable
with a product so brimming with features. The emphasis is consistently
on providing the user with as much versatility as possible so that he
never feels restricted. Unfortunately, this can result in the novice
user feeling swamped by so many options.
7.2
For example, take exporting data. The program comes with some export
formats set up (e.g. labels for Impression) but you may wish to export
in a slightly different format. Almanac provides you with a complete
export format definition system. This allows you to include printing
effects such as bold and italics. You can also set it to ignore blank
lines (important in addresses!), set the order in which the fields are
exported and keep fields together (allowing the Forename & Lastname
fields to be on the same line, for example). There are options for use
with Impression and even options for setting label height, etc.
7.2
The power of the system is clear but the entire export system is
controlled from just three complex windows. Fortunately, the version 2
release notes explain how to use the import and export options fairly
clearly.
7.2
The most surprising thing about version 2 was that there was less space
in the address box than in version 1. This was because postcode and
county boxes had been introduced. In the tutorial file, this field was
used to include information about a company, not its address, so it was
very hard to read the text under version 2!
7.2
This brings me to another criticism. The address section is squarely
aimed at UK addresses, as most foreign countries do not attach
importance to counties in addresses, nor do they have the postcode as
the last line of the address as in the UK. Most countries use a ZIP code
before the town name.
7.2
Appointments and reminders can have many repeat options set, and the
reminders can be marked urgent and/or completed. Priorities can be set
up in reminders.
7.2
The correspondence records allow you to keep track of what has been sent
to whom and when and by what means! You can state what you sent to a
person, or have received, including a brief description of what that
concerned, the date and time that the item was sent/received and whether
it was sent by post, fax, telephone or email.
7.2
Many things are represented by icons in Almanac, and the software comes
with an extensive icon library to start with. For example, in the
correspondence window, there is a category icon which can be set to the
method of sending/receiving the item, or any other icon appropriate to
the correspondence.
7.2
The address books both allow you to set up two each of telephone
numbers, fax numbers and email numbers, which can be selected by
clicking on the appropriate icon.
7.2
Filters can be set up so that only certain events are displayed within
the program, and these are very flexible. You could, for example, set it
to only display the birthdays of those people between the ages of 20 and
50 whose first name was John!
7.2
The more you explore Almanac, the more you find, and a complete review
of every feature would fill nearly half an issue of Archive on its own!
7.2
The user interface has been made partially three dimensional in version
2, by the use of 3D buttons, but the whole look and feel is still a long
way behind Event and, hopefully, Occasion. Almanac looks as if it has
been designed by the programmer, whereas Event looks like the programmer
has commissioned an artist to design the look of the interface. This is
the way things should be done.
7.2
Acorn now agree that an attractive interface is an important part of a
good piece of software, and even employed a special graphic artist to
design their new RISC OS 3 textured toolsprites.
7.2
It may seem that I have been rather hard on Almanac but I feel that
potential purchasers need to know exactly what the program does and
doesnæt do before parting with over ú70, especially in view of the
fairly imminent release of Occasion. Almanac is a super product which is
very flexible and powerful, provided you accept the limitations on the
interface and the fact that it is not particularly intuitive.ááA
7.2
Squish
7.2
Hutch Curry
7.2
Squish, from HoneyPot, is one of those wonderful utilities that you
didnæt know you needed until you had it Ö then you wondered how you ever
managed without it. Squish is a transparent sprite compactor and
decompactor that allows sprite files to be saved to disc in compacted
form while still allowing existing applications to use these files
without additional user intervention.
7.2
Honeypot developed Squish as a utility to assist them in the production
of their educational software Ö which uses lots of sprites. They found
that they were constantly struggling to fit more and more sprites onto
one disc. Unlike other currently available compressors and archivers,
Squish was developed in such a way that existing applications would be
able to use these files directly.
7.2
Squish works by compressing the sprite file and then storing it back in
a sprite file as a very long and thin sprite. This means that the file-
typing is retained. When the decompactor module is loaded, all sprite
files are examined before they are loaded into any application. If the
sprite has previously been Ésquishedæ, it is expanded before the
application receives it. This all happens automatically without any user
intervention Ö and is therefore said to be transparent.
7.2
To use Squish to compact sprites, you double-click on the filer icon to
load the application onto the iconbar. During the loading process,
Squish loads a module called SquishMod that does the actual work of
compaction/decompaction. The iconbar menu allows the user to set Squish
to perform either compression or decompression. The decompaction option
is provided to allow the user to restore the sprites to their original
format if so desired. Having set the option to compact, the actual
compaction is performed by dragging a sprite file onto the Squish icon.
When the compaction is complete a standard save box appears with the
same name as the original sprite for replacement.
7.2
Once the sprites are compacted, they can be used as normal provided that
the SquishMod module is loaded Ö if the SquishMod module is not present,
the sprites will load into !Paint, for example, but will appear
incorrectly as one long thin sprite. Therefore, if one wishes to use
Squish fully, it would be essential to ensure the module was loaded at
machine start-up.
7.2
It should be noted that the degree of compression provided by Squish is
generally not as great as that provided by other compression techniques
and, as such, should not be considered an alternative to more standard
archiving techniques. Nonetheless, the sprite file illustrated in the
figure shrank from 170Kb to 56Kb Ö which is a reasonable saving on disc
space. I think that the transparency of Squish is illustrated well in
the discrepancy between the disc space usage reported with the ÉFull
Infoæ option set on the Filer and the ÉCountæ option. By the full and
proper use of operating system vectors, the SquishMod module
decompresses the sprite file before reporting its size to ÉCountæ. The
degree of RISC OS integration that Honeypot have been able to provide
for Squish is remarkable. Observing Squish in operation leads me to the
conclusion that Acorn should look very closely at Squish to see if they
would be able to incorporate something similar in future versions of the
operating system.
7.2
In extensive testing, I found Squish very easy to use and extremely
helpful for my work which involves handling a large number of sprites in
the programs I write. I did discover one area of incompatibility with
Computer Conceptsæ ArtWorks which the authors of Squish are now looking
into. The price of Squish has not yet been firmly decided but will
probably be around ú30.00. If it were not for the one problem with
ArtWorks, I would be able to wholeheartedly recommend Squish to anyone
who has need of handling a large amount of sprite data.ááA
7.2
Compuserve and the Archimedes
7.2
Richard Proctor
7.2
(I am publishing this article on the understanding that part of it is,
in a sense, advertising. i.e. Richard talks about his own product,
ARCTIC. Ed.)
7.2
Modems and electronic mail mean many things to many people. To an
American friend who was studying without access to a decent library, or
to another who needed accurate information for a meeting the next day,
CompuServe Information Service (CIS) meant access to 850 databases with
up-to-date detailed information from hundreds of magazines and journals.
7.2
For some, it means a chance to discuss computer issues with others who
use the same machine or software Ö there are support areas for most
major computer firms. For my wife, it provides a chance to discuss Star
Trek with a friend in Hawaii or to play Monopoly with three Americans
and a German. It allows our postal gaming customers to avoid postal
delays and send us orders that we can receive the next day.
7.2
Letters can either be sent directly and privately, or posted in one of
the thousands of special interest forums for everyone else to read and
comment on. The forums are a bit like a discussion in the pub, lots of
conversations going on, and you can join in whichever ones interest you.
Before you know what has hit you, you have new friends who share your
own interests. Essentially, having a modem can put you into a new world
that can be used for business or pleasure or both.
7.2
In the realm of E-mail and BBSs, there are hundreds of systems and
levels of service. But for worldwide coverage, only Internet and
CompuServe need be considered. I started on CompuServe to communicate
with a group of international Play By Mail gamers on there (we are
mainly a PBM games business). As a service, CIS is enormous. If you
started today examining all the subjects and forums, it would take you
years to find all that is available and by then there would be so much
more...
7.2
But what software to use? You could use terminal-based programs such as
ArcTerm or Hearsay but with the way CIS charges you for online time,
this is bad news. CIS supply their own terminal-based online programs
for the PC and the Mac. They are pretty but, being designed and promoted
by CIS, are not very cheap to use. However, there are a number of
shareware programs around, notably for the PC, that are very well tuned
to do everything you want online in a very short time and then let you
operate offline. I started using the most popular of these (TAPCIS) on
my PC laptop, but although the software was reasonable at keeping costs
down, its user interface was bad (even by PC standards!!!). Only having
an A3000 at the time without a hard disc, running the PC emulator was
not really a serious option.
7.2
So, what to do? There is a small Archimedes community on CIS and after
chatting to them, I started writing an application. After a few months,
I released ARCTIC (ARChimedes Terminal Interface to Compuserve). I used
it myself and let others have free access to it and, as a result,
features have been added to it continuously. It is shareware (with a ú15
registration fee) that can be downloaded from CIS, Arcade, etc. The
program now offers more than TAPCIS and is currently used by at least 35
people on CIS, including Archimedes users from New Zealand and Hong
Kong.
7.2
Along with the development of ARCTIC, the Archimedes community on CIS
has grown. We now have our own section of a forum (Section 5 of UKCOMP)
for support of ARCTIC and anything else Archimedes related. Come and
join the fun.
7.2
What is Compuserve?
7.2
CompuServe is a worldwide network that supports mail, as well as
thousands of forums on different topics, from computer support, through
games, sport, news, gardening, travel, gossip... The list grows every
week.
7.2
Although CIS is based in USA, it operates worldwide and has offices,
computers and access nodes in this country. Direct access is now
available in London, Reading, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham, with
other nodes due to open in the future. You can also access CIS through
BTæs GNS (PSS) service and Mercuryæs 5000 Packet service, though it is
usually cheaper using CIS direct.
7.2
CompuServe is mainly divided into forums on subjects, each forum having
three parts Ö The Message Board, the Library and the Conference Rooms.
Each of these parts is divided into sections on individual subjects.
Usually, the sections in each part are related, e.g. for Acorn matters,
we have section 5 of the message board, section 5 of the library and
conference room 5.
7.2
The most important part of a forum is the message board. Here you can
read and reply to messages. Messages can be public or, in most forums,
private (just between two individuals). Messages survive on the messages
board in most forums for about a week, though on some very heavily-used
forums, they can scroll in a day.
7.2
The Library allows long-term storage of files. Anybody can download the
files but restrictions apply to up-loading and, usually, files are
checked before being released to the general public.
7.2
The third part is the conference rooms. These permit real-time ötalkingò
between participants in an  open or closed group. Be careful though Ö
they can be expensive.
7.2
As well as the thousands of forums, the other principle area is mail.
You can exchange mail with other people on CIS or across Internet to
just about anybody. Mail remains for 3 months, if not read, so is more
secure than a forums message board. You can also mail files and mail to
more than one person at once.
7.2
There are many other specialised parts of CIS including: online
shopping, registering software, access to other networks.
7.2
What is Arctic?
7.2
Arctic (ARChimedes Terminal Interface to Compuserve) supports messaging,
mail, conferencing and libraries. The program is fully RISCáOS compliant
and should run on any machine with at least 2Mb of RAM and one floppy.
7.2
Arcticæs features currently include:
7.2
Å    Navigates through downloaded messages by forum, session, section,
thread, parents, replies, your own marks, search on subject or whole
text
7.2
Å    Most actions may be driven by keys, mouse clicks or menus
7.2
Å    Messages may be read, printed or saved for later use
7.2
Å    Editor uses split screen operation to allow you to look at a message
while writing a reply
7.2
Å    Editor based on Edit with enhancements
7.2
Å    Address book Ö captures user identities from messages with comments,
searched and simply selected when writing messages. A recent history
maintained on each forum to allow quick selection of frequently used
entries.
7.2
Å    Reply to a message via mail or any other forum and/or section
7.2
Å    CompuServeæs B+ protocol for file uploads and downloads
7.2
Å    Full offline support for catalogue browsing, uploads and downloads
7.2
Å    Request library information by keyword, age, library or name
7.2
Å    Downloaded files may be read and printed directly from the browser
7.2
Å    A log is maintained to relate library files with files you have
downloaded
7.2
Å    Split screen conference operation
7.2
Å    Scrolling of the Éfrom CISæ window back through 50,000 characters
7.2
Å    Read announcements, section, library and conference names
7.2
Å    Sections can be read, scanned or ignored or read by keyword
7.2
Å    Messages to you can be read whatever the section state
7.2
Å    Incoming private messages automatically deleted
7.2
Å    Support for gateways to non CIS forums
7.2
Å    Very extensive context-sensitive help on most windows and menus
7.2
For further info
7.2
Ring CompuServe on 0800Ö289458 for info on CompuServe and for a startup
pack.
7.2
Arctic is available as shareware from Waveney Games, 28 Diprose Road,
Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3QY. Arctic copy on disc Ö ú5,
registration ú15, disc copy and registration ú17. Free CompuServe
startup pack included if requested. Help from Richard Proctor 100031,604
in section 5 of UKCOMP. (Internet: 100031.604 @compuserve.com) Arctic
may also be downloaded from CIS, Arcade and a number of other places.ááA
7.2
Beauty and the Beast Ö The Story of Clipart
7.2
Gabriel Swords
7.2
You would have thought that writing a review about clipart was a fairly
simple thing to do. Not so Ö it seems to be a fairly controversial
subject! How, for example, do you reconcile one article which says brand
X clipart is no good; another which says itæs brilliant, and yet another
which strongly criticises it for both cost and quality? The answer is
that you canæt. As they say, Ébeauty, is in the eye of the beholderæ.
7.2
While it is legitimate to make judgements about the quality and artistic
merit of individual pieces of clipart, these judgements say nothing
about the useability or value of the material. One manæs bad bit of
bitmapped banality is another manæs ideal piece of artwork. Thatæs the
thing about clipart Ö good, bad or indifferent, thereæs usually someone
who can find a use for almost anything anyone wants to churn out. The
trouble is that unless you know exactly what you are buying, before you
buy it, you could spend up to ú30 or more on material, most of which
will be of no use to you.
7.2
So, before you buy, there are a few questions itæs worth asking:
7.2
Å     Does the supplier have a catalogue of all of the clipart in his
collection? Having a catalogue means you can see the material before you
buy it and provides you with a visual index of materials after you have
purchased something.
7.2
Å     In what format are they supplied? Drawfiles are instantly useable
because Acorn machines come with Draw installed. Drawfiles are more
flexible and will print at any size without loss of quality. Sprites, on
the other hand, begin to look ragged with large increases in size, and
canæt be altered unless you want to dabble with paint programs. Artworks
files arenæt much good unless you can read them!
7.2
Å     Copyright? Suppliers have different expectations as to how their
clipart will be used. For example, if I include a piece of artwork in
something which is later published, will I be infringing someoneæs right
to an acknowledgement or payment? Some say yes, some say no.
7.2
Å     Coloured or black and white? I prefer all my clipart to be
monochrome. That way, if I send a full colour document to a bureau for
processing, I donæt need to check to see if thereæs a colour lurking in
the clipart that will reproduce where I donæt want it to.
7.2
At the end of this article, thereæs a summary of what the suppliers
under review say about these questions, plus information about price and
addresses.
7.2
The material
7.2
Thereæs a lot of clipart about for the Archimedes and this review is by
no means exhaustive. What I have done is to look at eight suppliers of
clipart which Iæve been using for the last three months. So far, I have
had no problems with printing any of them Ö they print satisfactorily at
300 dpi as well as at higher resolutions. The only slight hiccup Iæve
had was with Micro Studioæs Magpie archiving Ö it didnæt always work
properly.
7.2
Software 42
7.2
The material I looked at was made up of a mixture of cartoons, fantasy
figures, animals, electronics and people. They are supplied on disc as
drawfiles, and most of them have some coloured elements in them. On the
whole, the material was well drawn Ö the animals looked like animals and
the cartoons were... well, cartoons. What you donæt get is a lot of
complex artwork type graphics. What you do get are some good, simple,
and at times humorous, illustrations of things which look exactly like
what there are meant to be. The fantasy collection Ö made up of Goblins,
Orcs and fairy-tale figures Ö get a bit more complex with the use of
graduated tints. These are compressed using ArcFS. Thereæs also a
collection of electronic components and diagrams which could be very
useful for putting together your own circuit diagrams.
7.2
TopicArt
7.2
I suppose if I could only afford one collection of clipart discs
TopicArt might be the ones Iæd go for. They have a good selection of
very useable material. There are discs on transport, costumes, bugs,
entertainment, road signs, sports equipment, sports figures, dinosaurs,
symbols, tools and some general items. The quality of the drawings were
usually high, especially with things like animals and dinosaurs Ö the
bugs were horribly realistic! The road signs were good in that you get a
coloured copy as well as a monochrome one.There was a wide selection of
period costumes from the Romans to the 60æs Ö though some of the figures
inside the costumes left a little to be desired! One annoying feature of
the general symbols disc is that because none of the drawings are
properly labelled Ö only numbered Ö you donæt know what you are about to
get until you open it. That seems to be good reason for having a visual
record! Each title comes on a separate disc as either compressed or
uncompressed drawfiles.
7.2
Christian Clipart
7.2
These images started life as monochrome scanned images in PCX format on
PC discs. They have been converted into sprites, and some are repeated
as Étracedæ drawfiles. All are monochrome except for a few which have
been coloured in Artworks. Although the selection is called Christian
ClipArt, thereæs a lot that will be of general interest, so donæt be put
off by the title. Thereæs a catalogue which covers about a third of the
collection. Titles include: Christmas and Christian symbols; Easter;
Harvest; Money, poverty and war; environment; banners; borders and a
whole lot more. They also have, under licence, the collection of
illustrations from the Good News Bible. As to the quality and style of
the material, most of itæs OK though Iæd probably only use it for news
sheets and in-house magazines Ö but then thatæs what itæs designed for.
7.2
Dec Data
7.2
More Christian clipart providing images of churches, church furniture,
Christian images, maps, messages and events. The designs are more Éhigh
churchæ in style Ö a bit too conservative for me, but none the less
acceptable! The collection is called ÉParish Magazine Clipart
Collectionæ and consists of four discs, three of which are clipart, the
fourth is the King James New Testament. The collection costs around
ú20.95 inc. VAT and postage.
7.2
Micro Studio
7.2
Micro Studio produce a wide range of images in different styles, from
silly cartoon people to historical figures in full period costume. Some
of their material comes archived in Magpie as either sprites or
drawfiles, while others come as straightforward sprites. The beauty of
having images archived (even when they donæt always work because of an
Éinvalid cap specificationæ or Épage does not existæ error) is that you
can skip through the collection easily and quickly. In this collection,
you click on an image to reveal a Ésave asæ dialogue box of either a
drawfile or sprite, you then drag the icon to a directory or into an
application Ö simple! Because they produce material in different styles,
from the silly to the sublime, thereæs a good chance of finding
something to suit your needs.
7.2
The collection I looked at contained historical figures, plant life,
wildlife, cartoons of animals, objects, toys, transport and characters.
7.2
ABC of Art
7.2
This is a novel way of producing clipart. Each disc is based on a letter
of the alphabet with the designer attempting to cover a range of
different subjects. Of course, because of their complexity, there is a
limit to the number of images you can get on one disc, even in
compressed form. The average so far seems to be about nine Artworks
files. Having said that, there are some files which contain more than
one picture. For example, thereæs a wide selection of arrows, arches and
capital letters. Purchasers are encouraged to supply suggestions for
subjects to be included in future discs, so thereæs scope for getting
what you really need. All the images are brilliantly drawn Artworks
files with lots and lots of detail. They print well but because of the
complexity of the images, they lose much of their impact when reproduced
in monochrome. Even so, if you donæt mind the limited number of images
and the fact that thereæs still a long way to go in the alphabet, they
are well worth having.
7.2
Image Club (distributed by Matt Black)
7.2
For me, these are the most professional looking and most useful of all
the clipart collections reviewed. Now I know that may be a bit
controversial, especially after the comments of Jim Nottingham in last
monthæs issue (7.1 p28). Because of that, Iæd like to start by answering
some of his points.
7.2
1. Cost of the catalogue. Jim rightly says that the cost of the
catalogue is ú7 plus ú2 p&p. What he doesnæt say is that you get ú5 off
your first order. Considering the quality of the catalogue, I think
thatæs pretty good.
7.2
2. He says that, for the price, he was expecting something akin to the
clipart you get bundled with Artworks. While I agree that the Artworks
stuff is very high quality and nice to look at, it is too complex for
the kind of work most people do. Sure, Iæve impressed my friends with
8,000 times enlargements of the tax disc on the Artworks mini, but when
a client asks me for a picture of a car for a publicity leaflet, I donæt
need that kind of detail. What I do need is something which looks like a
car and which is professionally drawn. Image Club gives me that.
7.2
3. What about the Étransatlantic flavouræ to things like signs and maps?
I agree with Jim when it comes to the maps Ö there are plenty of the USA
but none of the UK. I donæt agree with the symbols criticism. Volume 17
contains 629 symbols, 80 of which could be said to be Étransatlanticæ
but that still leaves 549 very useable symbols.
7.2
4. The price. Most of the volumes cost ú29.95, with a few at ú34.95.
That makes the Image Club collection the most expensive clipart
available for the Archimedes. On the other hand, itæs half what I paid
for the same collection when I used a Mac! So Matt Black are to be
congratulated there. Having said that, I do wish they were cheaper,
because then Iæd buy a lot more.
7.2
As Iæve already said, I think the collection is very professional
looking and comprehensive. The fact that you can look at all the clipart
before you buy means you shouldnæt end up with loads of stuff youæd
never use. Titles include cartoon people, symbols and headings, various
miscellaneous volumes, business and industry, food and entertainment,
office and education, celebrity caricatures, science and medicine and a
very interesting Éfabulous fiftiesæ selection, plus lots more. In all,
thereæs about 4,000 images in the collection.
7.2
Vanguard Graphics (Matt Black)
7.2
Vanguard Graphics are Matt Blackæs own original designs. They are more
complex than the Image Club collection and cost roughly half the price Ö
so thatæs good news! The impressive thing about this collection, apart
from some very good designs, is the way the collection is packaged.
Along with the discs, you get a brochure, showing all the images, and
some useful ideas about how to use them. Take, for example, the picture
of the artist. Because of the way they layer their images, you can
easily ungroup them and use various bits in other ways. There are also
examples of how to use the images in publicity and information sheets.
7.2
Pack 1 is a miscellaneous collection of cartoons, stationery elements,
tools and figures. Pack 2 is something else altogether! Entitled Cowboys
and Indians, itæs a collection of cartoon characters designed for making
your own cartoon strips on computer. Included in the pack is a booklet
containing a picture index, a step by step guide to creating comic books
and ideas on how to use the graphics in education and design. If the
collection proves successful, they will probably develop the idea
further.
7.2
Conclusion
7.2
Archimedes users are in the very fortunate position of getting software
and clipart on the cheap (compared to Mac and PC users). Letæs hope this
cheapness doesnæt lead to an increasing amount of cheap looking
material. It seems to me that if the Archimedes is going make an
impression on the Éprofessionalæ design market, there has to be a
commitment to high levels of quality both in software and in things like
clipart. Itæs for this reason that I like the kind of material that
people like Matt Black, ABC and TopicArt are producing. The really
interesting thing for the future will be to see how the Archimedes is
marketed to satisfy professional and non-professional users Ö the
designers and the home enthusiasts. So far, the Mac and PC platforms
arenæt as accessible as the Archimedes, but neither is the Archimedes as
professional as Macs and some PCs. In this respect, the Archimedes has
got some catching up to do!ááA
7.2

7.2
Name:
7.2
Catalogue: ááááá
7.2
Format:    áááááááááá
7.2
Copyright:    ááááá
7.2
Colour:
7.2
Cost:
7.2
Address:
7.2

7.2
Image Club (Matt Black)
7.2
Yes Ö costs ú7.50 with ú5.00 refund on first order. Very impressive cat.
7.2
Draw Ö some bitmapped images available
7.2
No restrictions  áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Monochrome
7.2
ú29.95 Ö ú34.95
7.2
P.O. Box 42, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 2TZ
7.2

7.2
Software 42
7.2
No. PD demo available free, includes a selection of clipart  áááááá
7.2
Draw. All hand drawn, no scansáááá
7.2
Acknowledgement for profit making publications
7.2
Mixed, but mostly colour
7.2
ú8.50 each.
7.2
109 Ferry Road, Hullbridge, Hockley, Essex SS5 6EL
7.2

7.2
Vanguard Graphics
7.2
Booklet supplied with each disc Ö also gives suggestions for using
clipart
7.2
Mostly Draw, some Artworks  ááááááááá
7.2
No restrictions on clipart useá  áááááá
7.2
Mainly colour
7.2
ú15
7.2
P.O. Box 42, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 2TZ
7.2
MicroStudio
7.2
No info
áááááááááááááááááááá áááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Draw and Spritesááááááááááááááááá        ááá
7.2
No info     ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Mono
7.2
ú19 Ö ú27
7.2
22 Churchgate Street, Soham, Ely, CB7 5DS.
7.2

7.2
Name:
7.2
Catalogue: ááá
7.2
Format:    ááá  ááááá      ááááááá    ááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Copyright:    ááááá
7.2
Colour:   ááááááá
7.2
Cost:   ááááááááááá
7.2
Address:
7.2

7.2
Christian Clipart
7.2
Partial, contains about a third of images
7.2
Scanned images, converted to sprites Ö some also drawfiles. Small
proportion of AW
7.2
Commercial use requires permission and acknowlæment
7.2
Mainly monochrome Ö some colour
7.2
ú7.99 per disc; ú59 for 10; ú149 for 30. p&p ú2.50
7.2
18 Larksfield, Covingham, Swindon SN3 5AD
7.2
Dec_Data Ö Parish Magazine
7.2
No     áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Draw  áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá  á
7.2
No info     áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Mono     ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
ú20.95 inc. VAT P&P    áááááááááááááááá
7.2
P.O. Box 97, Exeter EX4 4YA
7.2

7.2
ABC of Art
7.2
Sheet of artwork supplied with each disc
7.2
Artworks  áááááááááá                                 ááááááááá
áááááááá  ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá     ááááááááááá
7.2
Major commercial use requires permission +  acknowlæment
7.2
Colour  áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
ú8  ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Tideways, South Road, Brean, Somerset TA8 2SE
7.2

7.2
TopicArt
7.2
No   ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Draw áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá  áááááááááá
7.2
No info     áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá áá
7.2
Colour and mono        ááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
ú8 per disc     ááá ááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá
7.2
Bright Ideas, Unit 2A, Heapriding Business Park, Stockport SK3 0BT.
7.2
Software 42
7.2
TopicArt
7.2
Christian Clipart
7.2
Parish Magazine by Dec Data
7.2
MicroStudios
7.2
ABC
7.2
Image Club (Matt Black)
7.2
Wimp Programming for All
7.2
Geoff Scott
7.2
The book Wimp Programming for All, written by Lee Calcraft and Alan
Wrigley and published by Risc Developments, is written as öan
explanation of the techniques involved in programming Acornæs Window
Managerò.
7.2
From the start, it is assumed that the readers will have a knowledge of
writing programs in Basic and that they understand many of the major
concepts, including parameter blocks and SWI calls. An understanding of
the graphical abilities of Basic and a fluent use of procedures and
functions is also essential.
7.2
The book begins by explaining some of the terminology associated with
the wimp, and introduces the idea of using SWI calls, task
initialisation/termination, the wimp poll loop and application structure
on the disc itself.
7.2
Building blocks
7.2
At the start, a small sample program which works in the desktop is
created, but this doesnæt actually do more than initialise. On this
base, each technique is built, clearly showing a practical use for the
methods discussed in the text.
7.2
The creation of windows is dealt with in great detail. As well as an
explanation of the functions of all parts of a window with the
alternatives, there is an in-depth discussion about passing data
directly to the wimp to create windows from Basic.
7.2
A chapter of the book is devoted to explanations of the polling
mechanism and the reason codes returned by the wimp, along with details
for handling these. The masking out of events is also covered.
7.2
Icons are the subject of quite a large section of the book and, as in
the window creation section, they are explained very thoroughly. The
meaning of each of the possible flags is explained briefly and exclusive
selection and radio icons are covered, along with reading and changing
an iconæs state, once defined.
7.2
Handling menus is well covered Ö all the concepts seen within the
desktop are explained. Submenus and dialogue box handling finally became
clear to me, along with the idea of allowing more than one menu
structure.
7.2
All you need to know?
7.2
At this point, you are told that, having covered windows icons and
menus, you know everything needed to write your own programs, at least
simple ones. The remaining sections continue in the same way but
covering the less essential, and more complex, aspects of wimp
programming.
7.2
The user redrawing of windows is explained concisely and several
techniques of achieving smooth redraws are demonstrated. As you are
mainly using Basicæs graphics commands, you are really free to draw what
you like, although the book recognises that you will face problems that
are beyond its scope.
7.2
The wimpæs message system itself is detailed quite thoroughly, although
only a very few messages are described. The idea of receiving and
sending messages is covered adequately and a useful program is created
from the original sample, covering many of the ideas explained. The data
transfer protocol is explained and a standard save box is demonstrated
to show how object-dragging and data-transfer work.
7.2
The final chapter of the book is all about printer drivers and outline
fonts. Handling these fonts is covered briefly but effectively. It is
the description and explanation of the printer drivers which use most of
the space, and I found it quite enlightening. The example here is well
worth it.
7.2
There is a section on using FormEd to create your windows rather than
passing the data to the wimp, and various appendices cover the use of
indirection operators, sprite areas and the associated disc.
7.2
Overall
7.2
The book appears to be a collection of articles originally published in
Risc User. I found that sections of the book matched the magazine
exactly with small sections rewritten (usually the öthis month...ò
piece!) and more detail added. Other sections were completely different
and usually written in more detail.
7.2
I found the book was well-written and the information was presented
clearly throughout.
7.2
If you have read the series of articles in Risc User, there is little
new material in the book, although certain topics are dealt with more
thoroughly. If you are new to programming the wimp, it is a very good
book which will help you a lot. If you are an advanced programmer who
can already use the wimp proficiently, this is no replacement for the
PRMæs.
7.2
Wimp Programming for All costs ú12.95, or ú13 inc carriage from
Archive.ááA
7.2
Hatchback from 4Mation
7.2
Hutch Curry
7.2
Hatchback is a utility program to allow the use of Éhatchedæ fill
patterns in both Draw and Poster files. The basic idea is that the fill
colour of any defined object (with the exception of single lines of
text, text areas and sprites) can be replaced by a patterned fill. The
most usual reason for wanting to do this would be to increase the visual
separation between areas when printing in black and white.
7.2
Hatchback is supplied on one disc which must be initialised before use.
After initialisation, the software can then be run from the floppy. At
this stage, the software can be copied for backup purposes and can be
installed on a hard disc without difficulty. The supplied manual runs to
only 16 pages of A5 but is very well illustrated and tells you
everything you need to know about the software in a very concise and
effective fashion.
7.2
Being fully RISC OS compliant, Hatchback is extremely easy to use for
anyone used to the Archimedes. When Hatchback is run, it installs itself
on the iconbar awaiting a suitable file to be delivered. Pressing <menu>
over the iconbar icon reveals the usual entries of Info and Quit plus a
Choices submenu. In this submenu the user can set a number of useful
options controlling the way in which Hatchback works. The choices are
whether or not Hatchback should respond to a double click on a file icon
of the appropriate type, whether the default save file format is Draw or
compressed Draw, the size of the margin and the size of the Undo buffer.
The Undo buffer is a very useful facility as it allows the user to
retrace his steps (and to subsequently reinstate them if so desired) up
to the limit of assigned memory.
7.2
When you drag a drawfile onto the iconbar, Hatchback opens a window
displaying that file. To the left of the display window is a toolbox
pane which controls the operation of Hatchback. From the toolbox, the
user can select the fill pattern, the foreground and background colours
of the fill and the extent of fill operation. There are nine hatched
patterns provided that should encompass most requirements. There is also
the ability to fill with a solid colour. Additionally, each of the nine
fills can be altered in terms of the foreground colour, the background
colour, the angle of rotation, the density and the frequency to produce
thousands of variations.
7.2
From the toolbox, the user can decide whether the fill will be applied
only to the object clicked upon, to all objects of the same colour as
that clicked upon or to objects either within or outside of a user-drawn
bounding box.
7.2
All of the toolbox options are also available from the main menu which
is obtained by pressing <menu> over the draw window. Most commands have
also been given function key shortcuts.
7.2
In general, I found Hatchback extremely easy to use, quite flexible and
capable of producing good quality output. On the negative side, I found
that filling with dense patterns was quite slow and produced files of
quite substantial size. For example, the original drawfile produced by
Graphbox Professional shown above was 6Kb. After processing by
Hatchback, the file length has increased to 153Kb Ö above right.
7.2
Despite the tremendous flexibility of Hatchback, I have to admit that I
was unable to get the software to cope with one of my needs for hatched
fills. I generate a lot of charts and graphs as part of my work and most
of these are done as 3-D bar or column charts. These graphs use
perspective and shading along the Z-axis to give the appearance of
depth. I found that it was not possible to satisfactorily use Hatchback
to hatch these 3-D shapes as none of the supplied fills use either
perspective or differential density to give the illusion of depth.
Despite this limitation (which will probably not affect many potential
users), I am very impressed with Hatchback.
7.2
To my mind Hatchback is good value for money if you need patterned fills
in drawfiles. One of the nicer policies of 4Mation is the provision of
demo versions of their software for the price of a blank disc and SAE,
so if you think that Hatchback might be useful to you Ö send for a demo.
7.2
Hatchback version 1.0, May 1993 costs ú35 +VAT (including a site
licence) from 4Mation or ú38 through Archive.ááA
7.2
ProCAD Update
7.2
Richard Fallas
7.2
Since the appearance of my review of ProCAD in Archive 6.10, Minerva
have sent me an updated pre-release version of ProCAD (1.52). This has
undergone a major amount of improvement and I have to say that I am
impressed by what has been achieved. My review was fairly positive, with
one or two niggles, particularly in the area of creating tangents to
large radius arcs, which gave rise to some concern and comment from
potential users and the software house alike. Other problems had become
apparent during more extended use and virtually all of these have now
been attended to plus many more. The önew featuresò text file for
changes since V1.02 is 25Kb long! I shall therefore only be able to
mention a few of the more notable.
7.2
Firstly, tangents to arcs are now created via the Circle & Arc options
and are created using a form of extended precision, before being stored
in the normal precision format. This still does not give floating point
type accuracy for extreme cases but it does get much closer and is now
acceptably accurate. The function also now works predictably as
intended.
7.2
Other improvements include: Snaps may be varied from the status bar
during editing; multiple editing points; mid-point snaps have variable
sub-divisions; CSV file output of file or selection is possible;
perpendicular extensions may now snap accurately to the end of the base
line; user arrow style (or symbol) for dimension lines; reflections now
available; break points selectable at fillet intersections; partial
implementation of IGES import; page positioning option via coordinates;
parallel option for Beziers (but producing a line object as apparently
the parallel to a Bezier is not a Bezier!); Squash file import and plot
direct; import text from WIMP writeable icons into ProCAD icons;
improved distance measurement and scale transformations (using floating
point, hence slower); improved screen rendering and speed of large arcs;
and many others.
7.2
I have used the program out of choice on a number of different types of
drawing since the review, and there is still much to learn and I havenæt
even tried out all of the above. Suffice it to say that I am
increasingly impressed with ProCAD. It is certainly the most convenient
CAD program to use that I have come across, and with the niggles and
bugs removed and a better understanding of its capabilities, it must be
worth a look for all serious CAD users.
7.2
The single user price of ProCAD is ú495 +VAT (ú535 through Archive) and
a site licence for up to 30 machines is ú1580 +VAT from Minerva.ááA
7.2
WorraCAD Update
7.2
Richard Fallas
7.2
Since WorraCAD was reviewed by Mike Hobart in Archive 4.8 p43, it has
undergone a number of detail changes and recently has had a significant
face-lift in the form of a new User Interface consisting of a series of
3D icon-based menus. Regular readers of Archive will have seen Oak
Solutions adverts showing a screen shot, together with a list of
features, which give a good indication of the new appearance.
7.2
I bought a copy of WorraCAD several years ago when it first came out,
hoping that it would compliment my copy of the considerably more
expensive Parametric Design Tool. In the event, I have to admit to not
feeling at home with the menu structure in the original and never really
became proficient with it. Certain looked-for features turned out to be
too limited, e.g. fills: no double rule fills were possible, and
certainly no pattern or discontinuous line fills. I also felt it was a
little lacking in menu short-cuts and with my then ARM2 based machine,
screen redraws and displaying the current selection at the cursor were
rather slow, so despite various manipulation options not available in
PDT, my use of WorraCAD languished.
7.2
The program, priced at ú99 (with upgrades costing ú30) does not attempt
to be a full blown, state-of-the-art CAD package, but it does have a
fairly comprehensive list of basic features. It is probably aimed at
users who want something better than Draw, for technical drawing
production, but who donæt expect to be using it as the nucleus for a CAD
oriented business. Having said that, I shall no doubt hear from many
such users! It does maintain very good accuracy in the various
constructs which can be achieved, with full floating point data
handling, and virtually infinite zoom potential.
7.2
How does the new program differ and is it a significant improvement on
the original? As well as the new icon-based interface, the features
which are new include Ellipses and construction Ellipses, Scales,
enhanced Dimension styles, Grouping, Monochrome printing and various
detail improvements to plotter control, point creation, scaled text and
group naming/database information facilities to be used with the
(forthcoming?) ÉDesign Processoræ. Interestingly, the program no longer
requires a dongle Ö does anyone want to buy a cheap redundant decoding
appendage?
7.2
The program has also benefited from a lot of refinement, user feedback
and de-bugging, although these improvements are more subtle. One feature
which has not been changed in concept is the separate Translator
application, which converts DXF files into WorraCAD format. Older
versions of Translator were pretty unstable and repeated use was
virtually impossible. This has now been corrected and no doubt other
refinements added. The öconvert to PDTò option was greyed out on the
review example, which I suppose is reasonable, but disappointing. In
use, I preferred Minervaæs integration, with its scaling facility before
entry. Also mildly frustrating is WorraCADæs persistence with the
imported file, as it is retained for further copies according to the
cursor position until another task is selected. I donæt think that this
default behaviour is based on a very common requirement, but it seems to
echo the action of selected items ready for dropping multiple copies.
7.2
In essence, the functions and features of the program are substantially
unchanged in use from the original version. So does the new icon menu
system give better control over the original text based arrangement
(which is still available via the icon bar menu if required)? I have to
say that I couldnæt see a lot of difference, although at least it is now
possible to go back up the tree structure one step using the adjust
button, which (still) doesnæt happen with the text version. It may be
that the structure is user-configurable but this is not evident in the
documentation. In consequence, one is constantly backing out of menus to
change function, as the most commonly used options (for any one user)
are not grouped together. ProCAD does much better than this, and
changing function (in mid element if need be) requires much less effort.
On the plus side, the WorraCAD menu box is smaller, thus taking up less
screen space.
7.2
I also found the snap options pretty spartan after using ProCAD (which
is five times the price however!) and no significant additions to the
key short-cuts were available. Nor were the fills enhanced apparently.
Unfortunately, the documentation still consists of the original manual,
with additional features listed in text files. I suspect that there are
all sorts of little improvements which are not listed but which only
extended use will reveal. It is pleasing to see that Oak Solutions are
still upgrading the program, so users may have confidence of continued
support.
7.2
Itæs a pity that PDT has not had any similar recent support because, in
my view, it has always been a much better package and could have been
enhanced to make it a lot more productive. I gather Oak Solutions are
actively working on products for PCs now, which probably explains this
lack of support for PDT. It is probably worth any frequent user getting
the upgrade for the increased reliability and enhancements but I think a
lot more could have been done with menu structure flexibility.ááA
7.2
Landmarks Ö Civil War & Elizabeth I
7.2
Chris Price
7.2
These two programs from Longman Logotron are, technically speaking,
identical. I shall therefore attempt only the one review Ö of the Civil
War program Ö with references to Elizabeth I. Unless specifically
stated, comments I make may generally be taken to apply to both pieces
of software.
7.2
There have been reviews of several Landmarks packages. Like all the
others, these two have, as their central character, a young child of
approximately 10 years of age. Although this does suggest to the teacher
an öidealò age range, I do not feel that this is critical. I have used
other programs in the series with eight year olds with no appreciable
difficulties.
7.2
Firstly, I would echo Joe Gallagheræs remarks (Archive 6.10 p59) that
the computer work should be only part of topic work. An attempt to ödoò
the English Civil War solely through Landmarks 1645 would, I am sure, be
very restrictive. In any case, this is not at all how it was intended to
be used.
7.2
Preparation
7.2
Before I started using the other Landmarks programs (Egyptians & World
War 2), I went searching for some clipart to support the topic. I have
yet to find any on a Civil War or Elizabethan topic (though Micro Studio
do a limited amount of the appropriate fashion files) and I would be
grateful if someone could advise me of a source (preferably through
Archive Ö then we can all benefit from the knowledge). I say this
because, good though the pictures which accompany the series are, they
do not print out well, nor can they be extracted from the parent disc Ö
being some kind of compressed sprite file Ö and adapted so that they may
be dumped to printer. I have tried screen grabs but the results are not
convincing, hence the need for a good source of clipart. A separate
resources disc, from which to print pictures for classwork and wall
displays, would have been a good idea.
7.2
My final preparation was to explain to the children that they would have
to use very simple phraseology as the character(s) would not understand
complex questions.
7.2
Documentation
7.2
The documentation is, as ever, excellent and would seem to cover
absolutely every eventuality. This said, I have also heard criticism
about the goals set for children being too narrowly defined. My answers
to that criticism are: (1) You donæt have to use them if you donæt want
to Ö although I think youæd be a fool not to Ö and (2) They are very
useful if youære team-teaching with a self-confessed technophobe (as I
have done!) who barely knows one end of an Archimedes from the other.
You help the children with their computer work. Your technophobe
colleague concentrates on other aspects of the work Ö an ideal division
of labour!
7.2
The program
7.2
The story revolves around a 10 year-old boy called John and it takes
place in the year 1645, shortly before a minor skirmish around his home
town, towards the end of the Civil War. My main reservation here is the
use of language. Being 1645, John uses the archaic ötheeò and öthouò
forms of address which may cause problems for some children. Like all
the Landmarks characters, John is an obliging young fellow who will do
all he can to show you the wonders of Langport, the town where he lives.
7.2
There are some neat touches here which allow children to examine most
aspects of Johnæs life. (For example, John was amused that I did not
know what a öchamberò was and explained as exactly as he could!!) We
learn about his friends Ö especially his best friend Joshua. (Joshuaæs
Dad is a Puritan, but John doesnæt mind, which is the biggest clue to
Johnæs allegiance that Iæll give you.) When you want to quit the
program, the usual procedure is to key in öGoodbyeò, at which John will
reluctantly bid you farewell. Events take place in real time and if you
do have to quit and come back, you will be greeted cordially and
informed of what has gone on in your absence.
7.2
As with all Landmarks programs, you can move around by using the arrow
keys to indicate North, South, East and West. Three function keys are
also used. Key <f1> types öWhat can you see?ò, <f2> types,öWhere are
you?ò and <f3> writes öDescribeò permitting you to enter such requests
as öDescribe a chamberò.
7.2
Shortcomings
7.2
I have corresponded with the program author, Stephen Grand, and even he
admits that the programs are showing their age Ö mainly in the way they
are constructed. It is technically very difficult to cater for all the
possible options that the average 9/10 year old may want to explore, and
fit the whole lot onto a single floppy disc. However, the programs make
a good stab at this, although there are one or two minor önigglesò.
7.2
Unless you can see a character, it is generally not possible to describe
him. This can be rather irritating when John mentions a character whilst
describing a location. If you then ask him to describe that character he
will usually only give a description of the previous scene. As this is a
fairly natural thing for children to do, they find it irritating not to
get an answer to a straightforward question.
7.2
I must echo Joe Gallagheræs comments on the öteletextò style.
Nonetheless, the children that used the Landmarks programs had no
problems with this. The problem I did find in a classroom context was
the fact that, once asked a question, John often went into quite a long
monologue. This meant that children had to scribble at a great rate in
order to write down all they were being told. Because they write more
slowly than an adult, quite a time passed before they had finished and
the next thing they knew they were informed curtly that it appeared that
önobody wants to talk to me.ò Not surprisingly, the children found this
attitude rather harsh. After all, they were only trying to record the
Great Oneæs pearls of wisdom! (Saying öSorryò usually put things right!)
7.2
It is a good product but, as I said earlier, it is now showing its age a
bit. This is especially apparent when it is put alongside something like
Sherstonæs ArcVentures which makes much better use of the Archimedesæ
facilities. (Having spoken to Mr Grand myself, I gather that this is
because the same packages have to run on other computer platforms so we
end up with the lowest common denominator. Ed.)ááA
7.2
Two CD-ROMs reviewed
7.2
Bob Ames
7.2
I am going to be dealing with two CD-ROMs Ö ÉWoodlandsæ and Acornæs
Educational Directory. First of all, though, here is some technical
background about CD-ROMs.
7.2
CD-ROMs are small polycarbonate discs containing data. They look
remarkably similar to the digital audio CD you might play in a domestic
CD player.
7.2
They are very similar and, indeed, the same disc is sometimes used in
both systems. They are both made in the same ways, either by öprintingò
and etching aluminium onto a polycarbonate disc via a high-accuracy
glass master (usually made by Pilkington, who else?), or by direct
(magneto-laser) recording onto a recordable disc. The latter method
obviously only gives one copy at a time Ö rather like copying onto a
floppy disc, one item at a time. The first method will give a virtually
unlimited supply of identical discs and is suitable for bulk sales.
7.2
The cost of multiple CD replication is now down to under ú1 per disc.
For large quantities, you would get the jewel case thrown in and the
printing of the info sheet/ booklet is usually a few pence in these
quantities.
7.2
For digital audio, there are two alternatives: (The reason I mention
audio is the similarity of the media, the methods and the duplication
costs.) (1) Buy a recordable CD machine. There are models available from
Marantz, Philips and Studer, varying in price from ú2,500 to ú6,000. (2)
Go to one of the number of sound studios who have purchased these and
who offer a service of transcribing your (preferably digital) tapes onto
CD for as little as ú25 a go! Blank recordable 60 minute discs cost
around ú16 each. Data can be written onto the disc in several sessions,
prior to öfix-upò when the table of contents (the map which tells the CD
player where to go) is written and the disc can be played in any CD
player.
7.2
According to CD Revolution (the company set up by Kodak to market
recordable CDs), if you had a single CD made from your hard disc
contents (the most expensive way, and only for huge databases which are
relatively fixed) the cost would be of the order of ú20 per disc.
7.2
The one-time recordable disc will hold differing amounts of data
depending on the disc purchased Ö there are 60 and 74 minute discs
equating to 500 or 700 Mb of data. (700 Mb is equivalent of 470 high
density floppy discs or the contents of up to 340,000 pages of text.)
The system is very similar to that for audio CD duplication and the
costs are similar Ö the CDR recorder CDD521 from Philips costs around
ú5,000.
7.2
The real problem with CD-ROM software (and drives) is one of pricing.
Itæs a real Échicken and eggæ situation, i.e. without cheap software,
there will be very few drives sold, thus few copies of the software will
be sold and so the price stays high, and so on.
7.2
Woodland CD-ROM
7.2
APA MultiMedia have produced a fascinating collection of pictures and
sounds, together with facts and figures on many of the species found in
British woodlands. The Woodland CD-ROM comes in a huge box, with a mono
photograph on the front. Inside is a CD in jewel case (no CD-ROM caddy,
which will cost you ú7, at least until the new cheap versions become
available) and a brief manual which is notated to the effect that a full
manual will be sent on completion of the guarantee card. I sent off the
card and waited.
7.2
The application runs on a 1Mb RISC OS 3 machine Ö attempting to run it
on a RISC OS 2 machine brought up an error box and no further progress
could be made, so I upgraded (with ill-founded trepidation) to RISCáOS
3.1.
7.2
Once the controls have been mastered and the principles understood, the
system is very easy to use. Lisa (now 5╜ years) took to it very quickly
and discovered all sorts of birds and trees, butterflies and deer, and
had a great deal of fun with it. For instance, one Saturday afternoon,
after listening to the birds singing in the garden she went to the
computer, switched it on, started up Woodland and identified our
resident blackbird from the disc!
7.2
The rook calls must rate as the best use of the Archimedes sound chips
yet Ö it really startled us with its realism. The most impressive sounds
are from the deer collection but, unfortunately for us, we live in the
Cambridgeshire fens and we donæt have many rutting deer in our woods!
7.2
Lisa is now looking for all the butterflies depicted on the disc Ö a
great pity we didnæt have this CD a few weeks earlier, as her class has
just completed a project on butterflies.
7.2
The sound samples are well-recorded but, if anything, they are too
realistic in the sense that they suffer from being played at the
relative levels as found naturally. Perhaps it would have been better to
put some form of volume control on the system, for I am sure that the
quieter sounds would get swallowed up by classroom noise Ö or even a
noisy hard disc fan! There is a lot of background noise on most of the
samples, which is very realistic, and is as found in real woods.
However, this can create distractions for the younger child.
7.2
The first introduction page gives way to a öMap pageò where further
choices can be made from eight sections. There are sections on
Introduction (85+ pages); 16 animals; 50+ birds; 28 trees; 22 types of
other plants; öminibeastsò (16 butterflies, 8 moths, ants); 7 types of
fungi; and 28 pages of Éthings to doæ. The sound directory has 48 sound
samples.
7.2
The instructions indicate that you should scroll through the pages with
<select> on the forward arrows but that leaves the previous page on
screen and eventually leads (quite quickly on a 1 Mb machine) to the
öToo many windowsò error box. A far better way is to use <adjust>
because this closes the previous window as it opens the new Ö rather
like a book! (Remember books? They were made of a renewable resource
and, usually, had indexes!) Of course, <select> can be used when the
previous window is needed for, say, comparison.
7.2
Later on (at-the-last-resort-read-the-manual!) I investigated the Info
icon. This gives a better series of instructions, including the use of
<adjust> to scroll forwards Ö this should have been copied to the
introduction page.
7.2
The display font is difficult to read on the Acorn colour monitor. The
system font is far easier to read at the sizes used Ö itæs the choice of
size which creates problems, e.g. in the heading which shows the word
BIRDS, the middle horizontal part of the S is invisible!
7.2
The lack of an index is the really worrying aspect, although there is a
very comprehensive search facility. I really like browsing through the
index of a book as it gives me a real feel for the contents. I
constantly find things that I didnæt know anything about. The old
problem arises: how do you find out about (say) the buzzard if you donæt
know its name! The CD has a file called Index.Wordlist but that is over
5Mb long, and so wonæt load into any other application. (Unless you have
an 8Mb A5000 or an expanded A540!)
7.2
If a session is interrupted, you cannot go back to, say, page 30 of the
many pages of introduction. The only way I have found is to go through
all the previous 29. This is very time-consuming Ö there ought to be a
way of going to an individual page in the öIntroò or öThings to doò.
7.2
There are many different aspects to the search routine. For instance,
entering the word OAK will produce a list of entries which includes the
four types listed, the fungi which grow on it or under it, and the fauna
which live in Oak woods. However, you have to be careful because, if the
result of the search yields more than 25 pages of references, an error
box appears and a refined search parameter is requested.
7.2
In the tree or plant sections, there are no diagrams of leaves, only
part-screen photos of tree outlines Ö I was always taught to identify
trees by looking at their leaves. In any case, if trees are in a wood,
the outlines are not easily visible. There is also a shortage of textual
description of the tree-shape and leaf-shape Ö only öbroad-leavedò or
conifer. (I donæt think broad-leaved is the usual description of a
willow!) The only photos of leaf shape given are the oaks but there is
no full tree-shape picture!
7.2
Minor grumbles
7.2
Spelling ought to have been checked before producing the CD, e.g. the
buzzard, is said to have a ödistinciveò sound.
7.2
The entry for Robin has two spurious data pages (pages S2 & S3). They
have no information, just a curious, non-functional, Smile icon.
7.2
All bird entries have the sound icon but some (e.g. Kestrel, Sparrow)
have no sound. (I learned later that itæs the caption which denotes
whether a sound is available Ö i.e. sound icon but no caption = no
sound.) A few of the animals have sounds and, as I said, the deer are
particularly impressive. Here the availability of sounds is indicated by
the presence of the icon only. (No icon = no sound.)
7.2
The Map icon is far too close to the Next icon, so young, untrained
hands can easily miss the Next icon and click on the Map icon. This
means that they lose their place (in, say, the 80-odd pages of Intro
text) and have to scroll through all the pages again to get back to the
same point.
7.2
The information is really not all that plentiful Ö a total of 150
species are described. Even so, Woodland takes 110 Mb of storage in 3910
files.
7.2
Is it worth ú150 +VAT? I reckon that about ú49 inclusive would be
appropriate for this product Ö that would be on a par with most
educational CD ROMs for other platforms such as PC and Mac. There are
the Tropical Rainforest, Full Bloom and Deep Voyage CDs available from
Aris for PC & Mac for ú29+VAT with roughly comparable amounts of
information. For Archimedes, the packed Interactive Space Encyclopedia
CD from Andromeda which has 2,000 colour photos, 150 3D full screen
animations and films, and 1,000 text documents costs ú75+VAT; the
Hutchinsonsæ Encyclopedia (see last month) with even more information
costs ú150+VAT. The free Next demo CD has 110Mb and 28 minutes of audio.
7.2
It is financially sound to sell high quantities of anything; selling
1000 at ú10 unit profit yields better than selling 50 at ú100 Ö the
company benefits financially and also becomes much better known.
However, if CD ROMs were to be sold at, say, ú10 then the flood of sales
of CD ROM players would achieve the öcritical massò and bulk sales would
ensue. Commercial CD replication is priced under ú1 each in 1,000 lots.
7.2
Acorn Educational Directory
7.2
Itæs interesting to compare the previous product with the Acorn
Educational Directory (issue 4), also published by APA Multimedia. The
Acorn dealer adverts take 3Mb in 1,025 files. The actual Education
Directory comprises 8,575 files and takes up 150Mb.
7.2
The dealers are displayed on a map of the relevant county which is
chosen from an alphabetical list. The names are displayed with acorns on
various parts of the county map although the position of the acorn does
not necessarily correspond to the actual placing of the dealer within
the county. Clicking on the name brings up a page of address details and
öa few words from the sponsorò indicating specialisms.
7.2
I would say that the catalogue at ú30 +VAT is still high cost for a
reference book which has a great deal of advertising in it. The previous
edition printed in A4 paper-back book form, came to me free of charge
for the cost of a phone call.ááA
7.2
Insight
7.2
Mike Samworth
7.2
Insight is a suite of software designed to link up with data-logging
hardware, supporting the most popular data-logging interfaces used in
schools. It goes much further than mere collection of data, however,
allowing quite sophisticated analysis of data.
7.2
Peter Thompson gave a comprehensive review of the software (Archive 5.9
p60) in which he made some valid criticisms. There have been a number of
improvements since that version (1.05) and I had intended to see if
these had been attended to in version 1.31 as sent by Paul. Some initial
problems meant that the version actually reviewed here is 1.38.
7.2
Insight is written by a team at Leicester University led by Lawrence
Rogers and is published by Longman Logotron. The price is ú69 +VAT.
7.2
Insight was used on an A3000 with serial chips fitted. The hardware used
was Sense and Control (SaC) from Educational Electronics, together with
a range of dedicated and undedicated probes, the latter connected via
the ADC input of the interface.
7.2
What is data-logging?
7.2
Data-logging is using a computer to interface with sensor devices and
thereby capture the data so produced. There are many different sensors
available and obviously this has a large bearing on the usefulness of
data-logging. Sensors currently available include temperature, light
intensity, humidity, pressure, magnetic flux density, pH and oxygen.
These measure physical quantities and relay this information to the
computer as a voltage via the hardware or interface. Other sensors are
called digital sensors and merely relay a state condition as on or off
and are used to count or measure the speed of an object passing through
two light gates, for instance.
7.2
Why use data-logging?
7.2
Experimentation, the measuring and controlling of variables, is the main
technique for testing theories and hypotheses. One of our
responsibilities is to try and teach science as it is actually done in
real scientific situations. We must also teach it in such a way as to
make it easily understood. In both respects, data-logging has a valuable
contribution to make. Firstly, science research carried out by
industrial and academic researchers involves computers extensively to
log experiments. This is done for a number of reasons:
7.2
1.    routine tasks are automated to save unnecessary work
7.2
2.    less chance of human error
7.2
3.    allows very slow or very fast events to be followed
7.2
4.    data can be analysed quickly
7.2
Secondly, as well as being an essential part of modern science, data-
logging has many other educational advantages:
7.2
1.    pupil motivation is often increased
7.2
2.    limited competence at measuring or maths does not stop
experimentation
7.2
3.    concepts can easily be understood
7.2
4.    data can be manipulated easily, saving time
7.2
5.    printouts of results save needless repetitive plotting of data
7.2
What is needed?
7.2
An interface is needed which connects the sensor or probe to the
computer. There are many different models available, which confuses the
user somewhat. In some versions, the probe must first be connected to a
box which is then connected to the interface. Software is needed, of
course, to control the collection of the data and then analyse and
present the data in some suitable form (e.g. graph, table). It is also
possible to build your own probes and interfaces or even write your own
specific software. This is obviously quite labour-intensive.
7.2
The Insight package
7.2
Insight comes in a colourful box containing two A4 guides, a set of
laminated work cards in addition to the usual envelope containing the
disc. The Usersæ Guide is very clearly written including many
screenshots and would be easily followed by those not too familiar with
RISCáOS conventions. My only criticism is that, where the reader really
needs more help, such as the analysis section, the guide tends to fall
short. Ideally, I would have liked to have seen a real example worked
through in context to illustrate the features available. The Teachersæ
Guide is intended to give background information and to set the context
for which Insight was designed. It is an excellent introduction to data-
logging and would be a useful publication in its own right. The people
who wrote it obviously have a knowledge of the National Curriculum in
Science Ö no mean feat!
7.2
The pupil workcards consist of good-quality laminated cards depicting 20
possible investigations using Insight in combination with a data-logging
device. They are extremely well written without being too prescriptive,
always giving the necessary apparatus, inputs, timespan, etc. There are
even suggested follow-up investigations. In addition to these very
useful resources, there is a resource file on the Insight disc
containing more examples, contact addresses and references.
7.2
The software
7.2
Insight consists of two distinct applications !Analogue and !Digital.
Before looking at each separately, there have been a few improvements
since the earlier version reviewed that apply to both. Firstly, the
number of interfaces supported has increased. The Unilab range of
interfaces are now supported, as is Sense from Educational Electronics.
It is important that prospective users think very carefully about what
hardware they have or are considering. Sense IT, Sense and some of the
Unilab range require an I/O podule to be fitted, whilst the others use
the serial port.
7.2
I have used Insight almost exclusively with Sense and Control (SaC).
This is for two reasons. First is the simple fact that, whilst we have a
LogIT at school, we do not have the serial cable for an Archimedes and
Griffin and George would not send one out on approval. Secondly, SaC
provides a parallel port, user port and ADC port. The latter then allows
connection of such sensors as the ÉBlue Boxæ range from Philip Harris.
This range is probably the most popular in schools and colleges and thus
allows the use of existing hardware that may have been built up over
many years. Insight will also now allow the calibration of new sensors
to be added to the list.
7.2
Analogue measurement
7.2
Rather than repeat much of Peter Thompsonæs comprehensive description of
the facilities of the Analogue application, I shall give a brief resumΘ
followed by any improvements.
7.2
A maximum of four analogue measurements can be made from sensors over a
timespan of between two seconds and seven days. Recognised sensors are
calibrated automatically but others have to be calibrated and saved to
the list. Alternatively, a set-up file of the whole data can be saved to
avoid having to repeat this.
7.2
Remote operation is now much easier and will, for instance, support
sleep mode for SaC which allows remote operation for the maximum time
period of seven days. This makes use of the internal clock in SaC to
switch off measurement circuits inbetween readings thus extending the
battery life beyond the usual 4-6 hours. Peter had problems with LogIT
and though I am unable to confirm this, the update file in Insight
claims that this has been corrected. According to this, auto-log is
fully supported, as is simultaneous real-time and auto-logging. I think
the biggest improvement is that set-up files are no longer necessary
before remote fetching, a most irritating feature of the original
version.
7.2
There have also been improvements to the scaling of axes, zoom display
and printing of graphs. Certainly, where the printing of graphs is
concerned, this is very much enhanced when an outline font is selected
from the icon menu. Graphs can now be exported as drawfiles. The program
scores heavily over some competing packages in the ease of data analysis
with gradients, averages, trial fits, ratios as some of the useful
features. Many of these are particularly useful in a teaching situation,
though they are mainly confined to the higher end of secondary education
or further education.
7.2
Digital measurement
7.2
This handles two digital inputs, for instance from light gates. Possible
experiments include those with trolleys that would normally involve
miles of ticker tape scattered around the science laboratory. Possibly,
as a non-physicist, I must confess that this half of Insight is not as
user-friendly as the Analogue program. Data collected is displayed in a
variety of ways, perhaps most usefully as a table that can have columns
added and calculations carried out on it. This feature has been enhanced
in this latest version and acts very much like a simple spreadsheet
albeit with far fewer functions and less flexibility. The table also
allows manually obtained data to be added. Unfortunately, there is still
no facility to count pulses from a Geiger tube or other pulse sensors.
7.2
Conclusion
7.2
Insight is unlike most data-logging software in that it is designed to
work with a number of interfaces. Most interfaces are supplied with
dedicated software, some at extra cost. For the Archimedes, this can
range from rewritten BBC software to fully RISCáOS compliant software.
Insight, I believe, scores on two counts. Firstly it means that whatever
myriad collection of interfaces and hardware a school or college
possesses, once students have become familiar with Insight, they can
begin to make use of it and, with practice, use it to its full
potential. Secondly, it is just that potential that makes Insight stand
out from other software of this type that I have used. It has been
designed with science teaching in mind and this shows in both the
features and the way they are implemented. I for one have enjoyed using
Insight to experiment and would recommend it fully.
7.2
Footnote
7.2
Version 1.31 had a Readme file that said Insight supported sleep mode
with SaC. This proved not to be true. However, the very helpful
technical staff at Educational Electronics contacted the author,
Lawrence Rogers, who kindly sent me a copy of version 1.38 which does
support sleep mode. Their help is much appreciated.ááA
7.2
StrongED
7.2
Dave Wilcox
7.2
StrongED has been around for some considerable time, originally in a
shareware form, and it has now matured into a commercial package. It is
written by Guttorm Vik from Norway and is marketed by Stallion Software
Ltd. The package is presented in the usual video type box, containing
one disc and a 48 page manual.
7.2
The manual
7.2
The manual has been prepared using Impression and printed out,
apparently, on a bubblejet printer. In my opinion, the manual for a
piece of software needs considerable thought and, I would suggest, as
much time and effort as the program itself. This is important as the
potential customer obtains his first impressions from this manual.
7.2
I hope that the copy supplied with the review software is a draft
version. If not, a little bit of attention needs to be paid in this
area. Throughout the booklet there are large gaps Ö it looks as if it
was intended to put screenshots into these spaces. This said, the actual
content of the manual takes you through each menu option in a clear
concise manner, followed by detailed listings of all shortcuts available
in various modes of use.
7.2
The disc
7.2
On the disc, you have !StrongED, the main application, and !StrongHlp,
an interactive help package still being developed but set up to work
with StrongED. Then there is a keystrip in Draw format and !System and
!Scrap directories. StrongED is currently on version 2.54, but should be
version 2.60 by the time you read this. The first thing to do is to make
yourself a backup or install onto hard disc. There is no copy
protection, so this can be done via the OS.
7.2
The program
7.2
StrongED is now fully desktop compatible. Double clicking on its icon
loads the program onto the iconbar as a clenched fist icon. From this
icon, you obtain various configuration choices, such as the choice of
flashing or steady cursors of Éblockæ or Écaretæ type. You can also
configure throwback actions, for C program development. The Basic option
to strip line numbers is configurable. It is also possible to keep a
list of texts currently loaded in a separate window and then by clicking
on one entry in this list, it is easy to bring your choice to the front
for further work, removing the need to step through layers of windows.
From this menu you can also select the type of work window you require,
i.e. creation of the usual Text, Obey, Exec files through to language
files like Basic, C, Pascal, etc.
7.2
To use StrongED, simply click on its icon and this opens a text window
as in Edit. With StrongED, there is one noticeable difference Below the
horizontal scroll bar, you have an additional info bar. This contains
basic information showing cursor position from the top left corner or
offset position, insert or overwrite mode, tab setting, markers Ö if
used, mode, word or character wrap setting and the newline character.
These can be changed by clicking to toggle or using menu selections over
the appropriate item.
7.2
Block manipulation in StrongED works as you would expect, not as we have
become used to. Once a block is selected, it can be extended or reduced
by clicking with <adjust>. This block can then be copied, moved or
deleted as in a wordprocessor package, but can also have the case of the
characters changed to upper or lower case throughout the block, in one
action. Blocks may also be indented or un-indented (by using a negative
number) at will. There is a versatile and quick search and replace
facility which also allows searches for control characters now more
commonly called Magic Characters. It also allows you to move backwards
and forwards through the resulting finds by use of the arrow keys.
7.2
For programmers, there is a facility to list all procedures and
functions in a separate window. If you then wish to move within the
program to a specific function or procedure, simply click on its name in
the list window and the cursor will move to that area of your program.
Another nice feature of the search facility is the ability to list all
finds. This opens a window showing all lines with occurrences of the
search string. A quick word of caution though, if you do several
searches and list the occurrences, there is no indication as to which
window represents which search, perhaps in later editions this will be
corrected.
7.2
At the present time, the magic characters are the same as in Edit. So,
for example, if you wish to search for a Hex character, the search field
should read \xXX where XX is the Hex coding. This is not documented at
all. On several occasions, using the search and replace, I have had this
program crash with a machine reset being necessary following multiple
search and replace operations. However, the search and replace facility
is apparently one area to be enhanced in the next version. There is also
the facility to set different colours for foreground text, backgrounds,
control codes and so on. This helps when searching through for control
codes.
7.2
If you are frequently involved in converting the likes of PC text files
to the Archimedes, StrongED has a built in feature which enables you to
change from one end of line character to another or combination of the
same at the press of a button, without going through the laborious
search and replace method we are now so used to.
7.2
Nearly all menu options have a corresponding keyboard equivalent, and it
is also possible to record keypress sequences for repetitive operations
and play them back when needed.
7.2
Summary
7.2
I feel sure that this overview of the software does not do it full
justice, I have only really scratched the surface of the programæs
capabilities. As with all software, practice and use will show its full
capacity. On first impressions and use I can recommend this package to
anyone. However, I would stress to Stallion Software that the manual
needs some attention.
7.2
For those who prefer to use StrongED in place of Edit, simply include
the following two lines in your boot file and anytime you double-click a
text file, StrongED will load in preference:
7.2
Filer_Boot  <Full path to !StrongED>
7.2
Filer_Boot  <Full path to !StrongHlp>
7.2
Also, if you have used the task manager to save your !Boot file, delete
any Filer_Boot references made to !Edit. The line usually reads:
7.2
Filer_Boot Resources:$.Alps.!Edit
7.2
StrongED costs ú30.55 inclusive from Stallion or ú27 through Archive.ááA
7.2
SPEX
7.2
Bob & Lisa Ames
7.2
Spex from Explan (who hail from Tavistock, Devon) is a room-designing
program aimed at children from 5 to 18 or so. There are four stages in
the design:
7.2
1)    Planning (choose the room and dimension it)
7.2
2)    Wall fittings (place doors, windows, etc)
7.2
3)    Choice and position of furniture
7.2
4)    Final 3D view of results (including paper modelling)
7.2
The main program comes on a floppy disc, with resources, called items,
(doors, windows and furniture, etc) on another Ö and an extra disc of
example 2D and 3D views. There are also comprehensive worksheets for
activities away from the computer. These involve completing part-
drawings in perspective and plan and elevation, work on costings of
various room settings and so on. The review copy came with two similar
sets of worksheets, one aimed at secondary schools and one for primary
groups (key stages quoted as 1 & 2).
7.2
The sets of worksheets were provided as photocopy masters Ö permission
is given for the school to copy as required. These sheets are presented
in a loose form of perfect binding (lightly glued down the back) but
perhaps they should have been contained (unglued) in a ring folder
similar to ESMæs Time Traveller series which had one for each of the
program instructions and resource pack.
7.2
The program is very easy to use Ö the sections are presented on a 4-
square ömenu pictureò, each describing the function with the help of a
vignette Ö e.g. the furniture section depicts the view of a removal van
and furniture, complete with a öMr Shifterò.
7.2
When a room is planned, yards, feet, inches, metres, centimetres or
millimetres may be used, the next section may be accessed. This is where
the fittings (the doors, windows, curtains and so on) are decided. This
is done on an elevation of the wall in use Ö any of the walls may be
equipped but the south and east walls are transparent on the 3D view.
The height of the room seems fixed.
7.2
At first, the restriction of designing just four domestic rooms
(bedroom, kitchen, lounge, bathroom with no study, dining or utility
room, etc) seemed a great pity but chats with the very helpful guys at
Explan tell me that there are three extra discs in preparation which
will each be öof modest costò. These will include kitchen extensions Ö
i.e. all the missing views of the furniture, and some more items
besides. There is, by öpopular requestò, a disc coming which will
contain the classroom environment. There are also plans afoot to provide
partitions for various rooms, which will get round the problem of
regular 4-sided rooms. Most houses have at least one room which is not
rectangular, e.g. L-shaped or worse.
7.2
It seems that views were left out to enable a complete set of items for
the 4 rooms to be fitted on the one supplied disc without compression.
(It was a very good idea to omit compression Ö I hate it!) However, I
feel quite strongly that as the omissions are so random, there ought to
have been extra discs supplied with the package so that complete sets of
components for each room would have separate discs, e.g. one master
program and individual discs for kitchens, bedrooms, etc. That way, it
would be relatively easy to add extra environments in the future Ö there
would be spare space on each disc for common components and for extra
items when designed or purchased.
7.2
It appears that the forthcoming Explan program ÉArchitectæ will allow
individual rooms to be created. I particularly like the idea as this
will allow me to design recording studios with the essential non-
parallel wall format. I would like to be able to design my own wall-
fittings and furniture as I require some very specialised fittings Ö
e.g. double doors for equipment access, loudspeakers, tape recorders,
etc. And, of course, I would like to change the height of the rooms. I
hope the two programs will be fully interlocking. It should be the first
use of the Archimedes to give a full walk-through design and display of
a building (at reasonable cost, at any rate).
7.2
Minor grumbles
7.2
Most of the items of furniture can be placed on any wall but there are a
number of items which will only face two ways, the most surprising being
the kitchen sink, bath, toilet and shower. (Strangely, while the person
and the fireguard can only face two ways, Teddy and the fire place face
all four ways!)
7.2
There are some perspective problems. A couple of the kitchen units and
the freezer look square when E or W facing, but appear oblong when
facing N or S. When deciding the kitchen furniture, the table should be
placed after the chairs, otherwise chairs appear on top of the table on
the plan views. However, warnings about this sort of thing are given in
the manual.
7.2
The öplugsò (electric power sockets) cannot be installed above the base
units in the kitchen, because their height is fixed Ö Lisa wanted to do
a replica of our kitchen and it has many power sockets. Neither could
she do an island or breakfast bar which came out properly on the 3D view
Ö probably because the perspective views are not complete. The drag and
drop positioning requires great accuracy. It is all too easy to place
one kitchen unit too close beside another, when the 3D view will show it
on top!
7.2
When printing out a plan on A4, a very odd scale was shown, quoted as 1/
29.66, and the length and depth were shown incorrectly. For a 16 ╫ 13 ft
room, the dimensions printed were 4.876190476ft ╫ 3.961904761ft, and the
area was 19.31900226 feet (also note the omission of öSquareò). I
suppose these strange decimal places and scalings are the results of a
pre-production bug!
7.2
When working with a small scale window (e.g. 1:400 Ö for convenience
when filing operations were carried out), when the window closes down,
so does the tool (menu) bar along the bottom of the window. This means
that some ╛ of the options are not available until the scale was
increased, but the scale option is not visible! Fortunately, the
magnifying glass icon returns the display to 1:50. This fault really
should be addressed in future versions. I suggest following !Drawæs
example where the whole of the iconbar is available regardless of the
size of the window.
7.2
Lisa loved the program and its ability to show a 3D view of the room
that she had enthusiastically designed. Her first attempt was full of
doors and windows but no furniture Ö she was so eager to get to the 3D
part! Later on, the verdict was öfantasticò (a judgement rarely given)
but that must be tempered by her motheræs view that the section on öbill
of quantitiesò was poor. She couldnæt see what practical use this part
had. This is the section available after the 3D view which displays the
quantities of each item used, e.g. 1 door, 1 toilet, 1 bath, 1 basin and
so on. This information is displayed in a choice of bar chart or
pictogram format. In a real setting, for most rooms, quantities would be
1 or 2  of each Ö which makes for a very boring bar chart! The kitchen
is really the only room where substantial quantities are present and
which warrants pictograms and similar displays. These quantities would
be transferred to a worksheet and activities away from the computer
would then involve pricing and similar work.
7.2
Printing
7.2
Iæm glad to say that facilities are available to print out via your
choice of printer driver. The walls may be printed out complete with
side ötabsò for gluing together to form a model of the room. The plan
view may also be printed and used as a base for the model. The pages are
best stuck onto stiff card first. The 3D view may also be printed, as
may the pictogram of quantities.
7.2
Conclusion
7.2
The program is surprisingly easy to use, the principle being the usual
drag and drop. There a few restrictions as to the number and positioning
of the objects and these are being addressed. The real benefit is in the
set of work sheets which allow the work to continue away from the
computer. The perspective drawing task is something I have not seen
before. The costings tasks are real attempts to appeal to other
disciplines, e.g. maths and art, and it also tries to get children
thinking about the design of their home environment with critical eyes.
7.2
I think that when the extra items are available (hopefully included in
the cost) öSpexò will become a really useful introduction to planning
and perspectives, using maths and drawing skills along the way. I look
forward to Explanæs öArchitectò which is due ölate summerò it seems. The
cost of öSpexò is a bit on the high side Ö but a site licence is
included Ö ú59 for primary sites, and ú99 for secondary sites. I am
aware of no other difference between the programs.
7.2
P.S. If you leave the Program Info window on screen for long enough, you
are treated to a scrolled message, credited as John 10: 24-28 Ö a nice
touch!ááA
7.2
The Taxan 787 SVGA Monitor
7.2
Stuart Bell
7.2
The first part of my account of the personal quest for a very economical
upgrade path for my standard resolution monitor on my A310 was published
in Archive 6.11 p58. I had purchased the Watford Electronics SVGA VIDC
enhancer, agreed with a previous writer about the high quality of the
software, but noted that installation on old A300 and A400 series
machines required the fitting of two headers to the main circuit board
of the computer. I looked forward to obtaining an SVGA 800╫600 monitor.
The saga continues...
7.2
Technical support?
7.2
But first, the headers. Deciding to fit them myself, I rang Watford for
details of the Étwo tracksæ which the manual says have to be cut on the
circuit board. öThereæs only one, actuallyò came the reply. öWhich one?ò
I asked. öI donæt remember exactly, but itæs between two pins of one of
the headers, and quite obvious,ò was the answer. Thank you!
7.2
First, the board must be completely removed from the case. Itæs a job
that requires care more than technical ability. But if you are doubtful
about your own competence, donæt risk it; take it to an Acorn Service
Centre. If you DIY, donæt forget that youæll lose all data stored in the
battery-backed CMOS RAM, and that means all your configuration options
That includes things such as how you make the system boot from your SCSI
disc, and especially if you canæt locate the SCSI manual, it can take an
awfully long time to re-configure your machine. If you think Iæm
labouring this point, then donæt ask why! Make sure you know now what
youæll need to do later.
7.2
As the Watford man said, the track between two pins of Link 11 is fairly
obvious, and can be cut with great care. A three-pin header (strips of
headers are available from Maplin Electronics, part no. JR74R) must be
inserted. The Ébookæ way is to extract the solder from the holes and
then solder the header in place. Manual solder-suckers are rather
violent and problems arise if you apply a little too much heat and the
sucker removes part of the plated-through hole as well as the solder. I
heated each hole gently in quick succession, pushing the header gently
at the same time, so that it inched its way into position gradually.
Link 12 is a three-pad link in which a two-pin header is to be
installed, to which one pin is connected to the VIDC enhancer. But which
pin? Since the signal is ÉVSYNC outæ, and the centre pad goes straight
to the previously un-connected pin 5 (VSYNC) of the 9-pin video socket,
thatæs the one to receive a single pin header.
7.2
Re-build your machine, re-set the configuration(!), install the VIDC
enhancer and all should be well. All that remains is to buy (ú12 from
Archive) the 15 to 9 pin adaptor to use a VGA monitor on an older Acorn
machine.
7.2
The Taxan 787 SVGA Monitor
7.2
My criteria for selection of a monitor were; SVGA (800╫600) capability,
0.28mm dot pitch; recognised manufacturer (who might be around in seven
yearsæ time for repairs or spares) and low cost.
7.2
Septemberæs Computer Shopper showed three suppliers listing the Taxan
787 (not the LR version) at about ú209 + VAT. Ringing one ù Powermark
PLC ù on a Saturday morning revealed that their normal price had already
gone up to ú249 (and this was still in August!), but that their price on
Saturdays was ú209. Hmm! I accepted the price and placed an order,
whatever marketing gymnastics produced it.
7.2
The Taxan 787 is the lower-cost Ébrotheræ of the 789LR available from
Archive. Whilst the later offers non-interlaced displays of up to
1024╫768 (with a separate display card), the 787 only goes non-
interlaced to 800╫600 ù hence the SVGA designation ù and displays
1024╫768 in interlaced mode. In this mode, the flicker caused by each
line on the screen only being refreshed every other cycle of the display
makes long-term use rather unpleasant.
7.2
Physically, the 787 looks much like the 789LR, and comes with a tilt and
swivel stand. The screen is described as ö14ö 0.28mm non-glare, dark
tintò, and measures some 248mm across. Below the screen are controls for
power, contrast, brightness, horizontal and vertical position, and
vertical size. A note in the manual warns that this last control is only
operative in SVGA and IBM 8514/A (1024╫ 768) modes and that in standard
VGA modes the vertical size cannot be adjusted manually.
7.2
The SVGA enhancer and Taxan 787 in use
7.2
The first thing to say is that, following the enhancer manual, the
monitor worked at first attempt in VGA and SVGA modes. A major benefit
claimed for the SVGA VIDC enhancer is that it will display Énon-VGA
modesæ on (S)VGA monitors. As Appendix D of the RISCáOS 3 User Guide
points out, Acorn machines display standard resolution modes on VGA
monitors in Életterbox modeæ with, typically, the 256 Éverticalæ pixels
being displayed centred in the 352 raster line display. The Watford SVGA
enhancer does the same, and modes 0 to 15 are shown in the centre 60% of
the screen. Such modes are Éuseableæ, rather than practically useful.
7.2
As supplied, the standard 640╫512 multisync modes 18, 19 and 20 are
displayed centred in an 800╫600 SVGA screen, with massive borders all
round. However, it was found that the Taxan 787 would happily display
them in the 640╫480 VGA mode, thus using the whole screen. Also, the 256
colour mode 21 could be defined and displayed in a similar manner.
However, the main point of the SVGA enhancer is to use the SVGA modes
29-31 and the stretched VGA modes 78 (960╫384) or 82 (896╫352 ù
equivalent to the multisync mode 39).
7.2
The list of modes for SVGA monitors supported by the enhancer software
runs to 36 entries but the most useful 16 and 256 colour ones are as
follows.
7.2
Most useful 16 and 256 colour modes for SVGA monitors, as amended for
the Taxan 787.
7.2
In comparison with the displays provided by enhancers on multisync
monitors, notably lacking with SVGA screens, are the 16-colour modes 75
(1056╫416) and 102 (1152╫448). This latter one soon became the
definitive enhancer-produced mode and it is interesting to read in old
issues of Archive correspondents (and the Editor!) being as rapturous
about that display as they are now about the 1600╫600 offered by the new
video cards.
7.2
Remember that when displaying high-resolution 256-colour modes, the VIDC
takes the majority of bandwidth of the memory, with a consequent severe
degradation of performance that is quite obvious in use, even on ARM3-
powered machines. With the price of ARM3s now at an all-time low, I
would recommend that ARM2 users upgrade that first, before seeking to
improve their monitor. The ARM250s in A30x0s and A4000s are roughly half
as fast as ARM3s, but their memory runs 50% faster than on older ARM2
machines and so bandwidth shouldnæt be quite as much of a problem.
7.2
I expected that software that assumes certain standard modes and/or
attempts to drive the VIDC directly would not work. Happily, both E-type
and Pacmania worked perfectly, in a Életter-boxæ mode, which is quite
acceptable for such games.
7.2
However, Minervaæs SigmaSheet is a problem, in that it requires modes 12
and 16, the first of which is a Életterboxæ mode and the second a 132-
column mode which cannot be displayed on an SVGA screen. It wonæt even
start up, because mode 16 is unavailable. Since SigmaSheet was
originally written for Arthur, and will run under RISC OS 3 with the
right monitors, I canæt complain but I think that a move to Eureka is
called for!
7.2
HCCSæs !Vision application (the earliest standard resolution, monochrome
version) ù which always requires one of modes 12, 15, 20 or 21 for
screen-grabbing ù worked perfectly in mode 20.
7.2
Conclusions
7.2
The impression one gets from adverts for SVGA monitors is that itæs a
case of 640╫480 or 800╫600, and no other option. However, even the basic
VGA standard is more varied than that, and the programability of Acornæs
VIDC coupled with Watfordæs software give a surprising degree of
flexibility. Whilst they are not Émultisyncæ in the sense that they will
synchronise with almost any display mode, neither are they Ésingle-syncæ
single mode displays.
7.2
The final result is a decent 640╫512, 256-colour, or 800╫600 or 960╫384,
16-colour display for about ú310 including the enhancer, 15-9 pin
adapter, and VAT. It is clearly better than the current pair of Acorn-
badged colour monitors. However, please remember that this combination
wonæt match the flexibility, resolution and quality of, for example, the
ColourCard + Taxan 789LR combination (Archive, 6.10 p6) at about ú720.
Also, its inability to support certain modes can be a problem. If you
can afford the extra cost of the better display, it may well be worth
it.
7.2
The best way to achieve an improvement in screen display varies from
machine to machine. Please donæt assume that this article proves
anything other than that the A310 (and, one presumes, A4x0 and A3000
machines), the Watford SVGA enhancer and the Taxan 787 monitor will work
happily together! On its own, the 787 may well be cost-effective for the
most recent machines. Matching monitor to enhancer is made more
difficult if that monitor is not commonly used on Acorn machines, and
most cheap Ébox-shiftersæ will be no use at all in advising you about a
suitable display for an Acorn computer. I would recommend that for A300,
A400 and A3000 series machines you get an enhancer before buying your
monitor. Watford produce both a multisync and an SVGA enhancer and NCS
sell the ex-Atomwide multisync model. I know which supplier will give
the best technical support! For A30x0æs, A4000æs and A5000æs, buy the
ex-Atomwide Ésupermodesæ software first (Careware disc 18). That way,
youæll know what displays they claim to support, and you shouldnæt end
up with an unuseable monitor.
7.2
I hope that my account demonstrates that you can get a much improved
display on your Archimedes without spending a lot of money. If you are
interested in exploring the world of VIDC enhancers further, the
following Archive articles and notes are worth reading: 3.8 p4; 3.10
p21; 3.11 p10; 4.3 p8; 4.4 p23; 6.3 p68; 6.11 p58.ááA
7.2
Fact-File
7.2
(The numbers in italic are fax numbers)
7.2
4Mation     11 Castle Park Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32
8PA. (0271-25353) (0271-22974)
7.2
Abacus Training    29 Okus Grove, Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wilts, SN2
6QA.
7.2
Acorn Computers Ltd    Acorn House,
Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB4 4AE. (0223-254254) (0223-254262)
7.2
Alpine Software     P.O.Box 25, Portadown, Craigavon, BT63 5UT. (0762-
342510)
7.2
Angelsoft Educational     35 Heol
Nant, Swiss Valley, Llanelli, Dyfed, SA14 8EN. (0554-776845)
7.2
Anglia Television      Education
Department, Anglia House, Norwich, NR1 3JG. (0603-615151) (0603-631032)
7.2
APA Multimedia     Unit 8, Henley Business Park, Trident Close, Medway
City Estate, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4ER. (0634-295222) (0634-
710193)
7.2
Cambridgeshire Software House    8 Bramley
Road, St Ives, PE17 4WS. (0480-467945) (0480-496442)
7.2
Clares Micro Supplies     98
Middlewich Road, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7DA. (0606-48511)
(0606-48512)
7.2
Colton Software (p16)    2 Signet
Court, Swanns Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LA. (0223-311881) (0223-312010)
7.2
Computer Concepts (pp8/22)    Gaddesden
Place, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 6EX. (0442-63933) (0442-231632)
7.2
Cumana Ltd      Pines Trading Estate, Broad Street, Guilford, GU3 3BH.
(0483-503121) (0483-503326)
7.2
Davyn Software      The Workshop, off Princess Street, Sandal, Wakefield,
WF1 5NY. (0924-254800)
7.2
DEC_dATA     60 Danes Road, Exeter EX4 4LS. (0392-221702)
7.2
Desktop Projects Ltd    Unit 2A,
Heapriding Business Park, Ford Street, Stockport, SK3 0BT. (061-474-
0778) (061-474-0781)
7.2
Digital Services     9 Wayte Street, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3BS. (0705-
210600) (0705-210705)
7.2
EMR Ltd     14 Mount Close, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8HG. (0702-335747)
7.2
ExpLAN     34 Drake Gardens, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 9AT. (0822-613868)
7.2
GamesWare    Unit 26, The Bartletts, Hamble, Hants., SO35 5RP.
(0703Ö456523) (0703Ö456523)
7.2
HCCS Ltd     575-583 Durham Road, Gateshead, NE9 5JJ. (091-487-0760) (091-
491-0431)
7.2
Honeypot     Exeter Road, Wheatley, Doncaster, DN2 4PY. (0302-340331)
(0302-328735)
7.2
Honormead Software Solutions    The Grange,
Hospital Lane, Mickleover, Derby, DE3 5DR. (0332-512848) (0332-512867)
7.2
IL-Soft     16 Langdale Gate, Witney, Oxon, OX8 6EY. (0993-779274) (0993-
702048)
7.2
Irlam Instruments     133 London
Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 4HN. (0895-811401)
7.2
Lambda Publications (p15)    194 Cheney
Manor Road, Swindon SN2 2NZ. (0793-695296)
7.2
Longman-Logotron     124 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4
4ZS. (0223-425558) (0223-425349)
7.2
Matt Black     P.O.Box 42, Peterborough, PE1 2TZ. (0733-315439)
7.2
Micro Studio Ltd     22 Churchgate Street, Soham, Ely, Cambridgeshire.
(0353-720433)
7.2
Minerva Systems     Minerva House, Baring Crescent, Exeter, EX1 1TL.
(0392-437756) (0392-421762)
7.2
Morley Electronics     Morley
House, Norham Road, North Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE29 7TY. (091-257-6355)
(091-257-6373)
7.2
Mystery Software     421 Sprowston Road, Norwich, NR3 4EH. (0603-400477)
(0603-417447)
7.2
Northwest SEMERC     Fitton Hill CDC, Rosary Road, Oldham, OL8 2QE. (061-
627-4469)
7.2
Oak Solutions (p7)    Broadway
House, 149-151 St Neots Road, Hardwick, Cambridge, CB3 7QJ. (0954-
211760) (0954-211767)
7.2
Oregan Developments     36 Grosvenor
Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, B74 3PE.
7.2
PGL Adventure     Alton Court, Penyard Lane, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5NR.
(0989-764211) (0989-765451)
7.2
PTW Software     72 Frosthole Crescent, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 6BG.
(0329-281930)
7.2
Really Good Software Company     P.O.Box 60,
Ashton-under-Lyme, OL5 9WW.
7.2
Really Small Software Company      Olivers
Hill, Ashburnham, Battle, Sussex, TN33 9PE. (0435-830467 - eves & w/e)
7.2
Rebecca Shalfield     51
Swallowfield Road, Charlton, London, SE7 7NT.
7.2
Risc Developments     117 Hatfield
Road, St Albans, Herts, AL1 4JS. (0727-840303) (0727-860263)
7.2
Sherston Software     Swan Barton,
Sherston, Malmesbury, Wilts. SN16 0LH. (0666-840433) (0666-840048)
7.2
Sigma Press     1 South Oak Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 6AR. (0625-
531035)
7.2
SJ Research     J1 The Paddocks, 347 Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge, CB1
4DH. (0223-416715) (Tech Help 0223-414532) (0223-416440)
7.2
Software 42     109 Ferry Road, Hullbridge, Essex, SS5 6EL.
7.2
Spacetech     21 West Wools, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EA. (0305-822753)
(0305-860483)
7.2
Stallion Software Ltd     Arundel
House, Arundel Road, Camden, Bath, BA1 5JX. (0225-339090)
7.2
Tekoa Graphics     16 Murray Road, Rugby, CV21 3JN. (0788-571434) (0788-
546376)
7.2
The Serial Port     Burcott Manor, Wells, Somerset, BA5 1NH. (0749-670058)
7.2
Topologika     P.O. Box 39, Stilton, Peterborough, PE7 3RL. (0733-244682)
7.2
UK Software     38 Midlands Estate, West End, Southampton, SO3 3AD. (0703-
474681)
7.2
Wild Vision     15 Witney Way, Boldon Colliery, Tyne & Wear NE35 9PE.
(091-519-1455) (091-519-1929)
7.2
Wyddfa Software     3 Preswylfa, Llanberis, Gwynedd, LL55 4LF. (0286-
870101) (0286-871722)
7.2