Archive Magazine 1996/ARCHIVE_96.iso/text/magazine/volume_09/issue_12

Text File | 1996-08-10 | 318KB | 6,435 lines

Products Available
9.12
586 Price Drop Ö The Acorn 586 card has dropped in price to ú299 +VAT
(ú351 through Archive) if you buy it at the same time as a RiscPC, or
ú399 +VAT (ú469 through Archive) if you buy it separately.
9.12
6502Em from Warm Silence, allows you to relive all those classic games Ö
Elite, Exile, Zalaga, The Sentinel, Repton, Monsters, Snapper, MrEE,
Strykers Run, Chuckie Egg, Citadel, Castle Quest, Defender, Starship
Command, Fortress, Hopper, Revs and many more! It runs far more software
than !65Host (a copy of !65Host is required to extract the ROM images
from it). The 6502EM even emulates BBC Master and Master Compact, though
you must source your own copies of the ROM images Ö Warm Silence can
supply programs that save images to disc if run on a Master or Compact.
6502EM costs ú15 inclusive from Warm Silence Software.
9.12
Archive (Internet) Glossary Ö We have a glossary of Internet terms which
is now 9,500+ words long. (This is in addition to our original glossary
which is 11,000+ words!) These two glossaries are available on a disc in
Impression, RTF and pure text format costing ú2 through Archive. This
disc was sold for ú5, as that included free updates as the glossary
expanded. However, it has now stabilised, so we have dropped the price
to ú2 in line with our Utilities Discs.
9.12
We have also put the text version, plus the one diagram, on this monthæs
program disc.
9.12
(To increase the effectiveness of the Archive Glossary, please let me
know if there are any missing definitions, or if you disagree with any
of the definitions. Thanks, Ed.)
9.12
Artworks Tools Ö A new tool for Artworks was released recently, called
Precision. It gives Artworks users the ability to position graphics
accurately, by specifying the XY position of the graphic to absolute
page co-ordinates or relative to their previous positions. Grouped
objects can be positioned, and more control over scaling is provided.
Also available for Artworks is Arranger. Arranger gives you a tool which
allows you to Émagnetiseæ layers. When a layer is magnetised, objects
created within or outside of that layer are attracted to other objects
within or outside of that layer. Itæs a bit like having an infinitely
variable grid that you can set up for yourself.
9.12
Precision costs ú12 +VAT, Arranger costs ú29 +VAT and, bought together,
they cost ú39 +VAT. These are only available from Computer Concepts.
9.12
Barcodes price change Ö Since our mention of the Barcodes software in
last monthæs magazine, the price has dropped. Barcodes now costs ú65
inclusive from Kang Software (no VAT). A full description of the
software, and sample drawfiles of the output, can be found on the web
at: http://www. argonet.co.uk/location/works/kang.html
9.12
Batch printing Ö If you want to print multiple copies of a document to
an inkjet or similar printer, and want to do it entirely in the
background, there is a Shareware program to do it, written by Mijas
Software. There is a copy on the Archive monthly disc. The registration
fee is ú10 inclusive which they ask you to pay if you use the program
for more than 30 days.
9.12
Big IDE drives Ö Cheap!! Ö I bought ten 1.2 Gb IDE drives from a company
called Merisel (other dealers, please note, if you also use them).
Unfortunately, these drives (1.2Gb Western Digital Caviar drives) do not
work as the master drive on the RiscPC, but only as the slave Ö which is
no good, as Iáwanted to use them to replace the ACB64æs own 540Mb drive.
(They will, however, work as the master on a Yellowstone RapIDE
interface.)
9.12
Merisel refused to take back the drive that I had tested (öItæs now
secondhandò) and wanted to charge a 20% Ére-stocking feeæ for the rest.
There was no way I was going to give them almost ú300 for the privilege
of Ére-stockingæ the drives. If Iæve got to lose that much money, Iæd
rather give it to friendly Acorn people rather than not-so-friendly PC
distributors.
9.12
So, we have a limited number (some were sold via the Internet) of Caviar
1.2Gb drives at ú149 inclusive, or Caviar 1.2Gb drive + RapIDE interface
for ú279.
9.12
BitFolio 7 CD-ROM Ö After our special offer, we have had a lot of very
positive feedback and have managed to sell enough to extend the special
offer: Full price ú95 Ö offer price ú75 through Archive. This collection
of 10,000+ vector graphics images has attracted unsolicited comments
from readers such as: öquite brilliant, knocking spots off other so-
called up-market offeringsò, and öif you havenæt got a CD-ROM drive, it
would be worth buying one just for this collection.ò
9.12
Canon printer prices down again Ö The latest Archive prices for Canon
printers are: BJC70 Ö ú240, BJC210 Ö ú190, BJC4100 Ö ú260 and BJC610 Ö
ú390.
9.12
Citizen mobile printer Ö Citizen, the printer manufacturer, has
announced that its PN60 portable A4 laser quality printer, is now
compatible with the Pocket Book palmtop computer. The two new Pocket
Book connectivity kits from Citizen will allow users to print to the
PN60 directly from their Pocket Books. The printer weighs 500g, and has
dimensions of 25.4 cm ╫ 5.0 cm ╫ 4.7 cm Ö the largest dimension being
the width of a sheet of A4 paper. It can print in black and white, with
a colour option, on a range of different paper types, labels and OHP
slides.
9.12
(If you didnæt already know, the Pocket Book is based on the Psion
Series 3a palmtop computer, and incorporates a word processor,
spreadsheet, database, calculator, clock and alarm, diary, spellchecker
& thesaurus, sound and voice recorder, Plotter which plots mathematical
equations and World which shows international time zones, dialling codes
and maps. Over 18,000 Pocket Books have been sold to education to date.)
9.12
The PN60 costs ú289 +VAT or ú270 inclusive through Archive. The Pocket
Book II (256Kb) costs ú241 through Archive, and the 1Mb version is ú335.
Also, we still have a couple of the discontinued 512Kb models at ú195.
9.12
Creator v2.00 is a complete and major rewrite. It can now read seventeen
image formats (AIM, CadSoft, Clear, Degas, GIF, IFF, IMG, Irlam, JPEG,
MacPaint, MTV, PBMPlus, PCX, Pineapple, QRT, Sprite, TIFF) and write six
formats (Clear, GIF, JPEG, PBMPlus, Sprite, TIFF). All the new sprite
formats are supported. Creator 2.00 consists of nearly 100% carefully
optimized ARM code, is Évery fast, very stable, and very easy to useæ.
Creator is Shareware, so if it serves you well, you are required to
register your copy.
9.12
Creator, from John Kortink, is the first application to use ImageIO, a
major piece of carefully optimized ARM code (400Kb of source and
growing) that provides a robust, easy to use, common interface to image
files. Current versions of ImageIO have been found to be very stable.
Private and commercial interest for ImageIO is welcomed. Creator 2.00 is
available by www from: www.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink or by email
from: [e-mail].
9.12
DIY RiscPC Ö We are still selling large numbers of RiscPC 600s along the
lines of the article in 9.9 p9 and the follow-ups in 9.10 p3 and 9.11
p3. The prices of drives and memory are improving all the time (although
not as dramatically as at first), and Acorn have now extended the öú99
StrongARMæ offer to the end of December, so thereæs now no rush to get
your orders in by the end of August.
9.12
One point which, I apologise, has not been made clear (although it was
mentioned in Products Available 9.6) is that the ACB64 which we are
using as the basis for upgrading does not include a backplane as
standard. In other words, if you want to add any expansion cards, you
either have to add ú35 for a two-slot backplane, or ú117 for a second
slice which includes the price of a four-slot backplane. This was taken
into account in the price table in the original article, and we always
try to mention it when anyone rings to discuss buying a computer, but I
regret that we forgot to put it in print until now. Sorry.
9.12
DrawAid is an application, and a suite of procedures, that allows Basic
programmers to produce specialist drawfile-generating programs for their
own needs, with the minimum of work, and with no knowledge of the RISC
OS wimp system. The application is particularly useful for parametric
design, in which a range of geometrically similar objects are required.
Users of Draw, for example, may find it difficult to obtain accurate
drawings where curves are used, or repetitive positioning is required Ö
the drawing of items like gear wheels or instrument dials is extremely
difficult. DrawAid is designed to overcome these limitations and allow
Basic programmers to generate complex and accurate drawfiles directly
from their own programs.
9.12
The software costs ú15 and is available from Carvic Manufacturing.
9.12
EADFS module Ö The Power-tec EADFS (Extended ADFS) module is a system
extension that allows you to use large hard drives on your existing IDE
bus, but allows partitioning as well. The module integrates fully and
transparently with ADFS, and can handle up to 4Gb (512Kb partitions on
pre-RISC OS 3.6 machines, and 1Gb partitions on RISC OS 3.6 machines).
It costs ú39.95 +VAT +p&p from Alsystems or ú46 through Archive.
9.12
Formulix has been updated to v2.10. It incorporates some requested
changes, and now supports horizontal and vertical kerning, as well as
offering greater control over the quality and size of brackets and
braces. There has also been an improvement in the way fonts are handled.
Upgrades are available from Computer Concepts for ú12.77 +VAT.
9.12
Helping Hand Ö Teaching grammar from text books can be dull and
lifeless, so Chalk Soft have produced a series of programs called
ÉHelping Handæ, to try and bring life to the process of learning
grammar.
9.12
Each program is a powerful aid to better written English, with thirty
sessions of short practical activities to give carefully graded and
linked help with typical language problems. Aspects of syntax, chosen by
practising teachers for their importance and frequency of misuse, are
presented in an enjoyable and short weekly session format. This makes
for steadily improving grammar without the need for constant and time-
wasting copy writing. The computer marks, and offers help to correct,
mistakes thus freeing the teacher for other demands!
9.12
Files for each child (from 1 to 24 children) in a class are kept by the
computer, to indicate progress and areas of weakness, and these files
can be viewed on-screen or as a print-out from the disc. The programs
have been designed around Key Stages 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum,
and Scottish and NI equivalents. They lend themselves to servicing the
differing levels of need and understanding found in any class of pupils,
leaving the teacher free to do other things! The software packs are
graded for individual weekly sessions with children from Year 3 to Year
8.
9.12
Helping Hand costs ú25 +VAT for each level, from Chalksoft Ltd.
9.12
HighWay price reduction Ö We first mentioned HighWay in July (9.10 p4).
We now have notice of a price reduction and network details.
9.12
The network version comes in two parts Ö the main ÉEngineæ and the
ÉUseræ part. In a network, the ÉEngineæ part is stored once on the File
Server for the whole network to Éreadæ, and is usually in the Library or
ArthurLib directory. On a Level 4 or similar network, a copy of the
Éuseræ part of HighWay is stored in each useræs root directory. This
enables network users to save their own setup procedures. Normally, the
network manager would set up a basic user set. e.g. !System, !Fonts,
favourite applications and directories etc. This setup can then be
copied to each useræs root directory, where the user would be able to
add individual requirements, etc.
9.12
Another program called !UserCopy is available to HighWay owners at no
extra cost. This enables the network manager to copy a HighWay Éuseræ
setup (or anything else) to many user directories. It can also be set to
ÉWIPEæ if required. (Useful if you want to delete something from
everyoneæs root directory). There is an updated full description of
HighWay on the WWW at: http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/bernard.veasey/
soft.html
9.12
Highway now costs ú15, and includes a site licence for up to ten
computers on one site. Add a further ú5 per additional ten computers for
use on the same site. For order details, see 9.10 p4.
9.12
Key Franτais is a package of datafiles, and photocopiable activity
Sheets, for use with Key Plus on Acorn computers. With the datafiles
available in the Key Franτais package, there are many activities for
students at years 7, 8 and 9 (Key Stage 3) of the National Curriculum
(England and Wales) and equivalent curricula. The eleven activities are
all detailed on activity sheets which can be printed out and photocopied
by purchasing schools. Cross-referencing to all the major language
learning programmes in UK classrooms is provided.
9.12
The units range from ideas which involve creating personal dossiers,
recording data on pets and daily activities, through to recording
favourite films, shopping, holidays, lost property and meals. The French
vocabulary used throughout is supported by pictures where appropriate,
and there are further ideas, including a mapping unit on French cities
and a spreadsheet module. There are over twenty Teacher Information
sheets and Student Activity sheets, all in Draw format which means that
they can be adapted if required. The activities draw out standard IT
activities such as searching, sorting and graphing information. Help is
given on typing accented characters on English language keyboards.
9.12
Key Franτais has been developed for Anglia Multimedia by an experienced
modern languages teacher, drawing on his years of knowledge of the
motivation provided by working with the computer and the need to develop
the use of modern languages in the IT context. The ideas included in the
package extend well beyond those of data handling, as results and
conclusions can be presented by the use of other computer-based tools,
such as a DTP program. To run the datafiles, users need a copy of Key
Plus or an equivalent package which recognises the Key Plus file format
Ö see Product News below for news about Key Plus and Datapower.
9.12
Key Franτais costs ú25 +VAT from Anglia Multimedia, or ú28 through
Archive.
9.12
Larger is a pinboard program with lots of extra features that go beyond
the one supplied with RISCáOS 3. It has a virtual desktop, window map,
enhanced iconisation facilities, multiple hierarchical backdrops, full
filer functionality, configurable menu, hotkeys, window management
functions, and much more. It costs ú10 inclusive from Warm Silence
Software.
9.12
Laserjet 5L price drop Ö With increased quantity, we have managed to get
the price of the Laserjet 5L down to ú450 inclusive.
9.12
Memory prices Ö Following the trend of the PC world generally, we have
been able to drop the prices of SIMMs again. They are now: 4Mb ú40, 8Mb
ú65, 16Mb ú125, 32Mb ú250. We also take old SIMMs in part exchange,
offering: 4Mb ú10, 8Mb ú30, 16Mb ú70.
9.12
Mice and joysticks Ö Stuart Tyrrell Developments have announced the
availability of Solo, a budget joystick interface, to complement their
existing ÉNæ Interface range. Solo offers an inexpensive entry into the
world of Acorn gaming. The interface allows the use of a single standard
joystick with any Acorn RISC OS machine, and is fitted to the parallel
port. The interface is supplied with comprehensive software, which
allows the joystick to emulate keys, the mouse, or to function with any
game which supports the Acorn joystick SWIs. The ÉNæ Interface allows
the use of two Super Nintendo style joypads on Acorn machines. It is
supplied complete with a printer-through connector, and easy-to-use
software.
9.12
PS2Mouse allows the use of any PS/2 type mouse (2áor 3-button) with
Acorn machines, and acts as an interface between them and the standard
Acorn mouse port. PS2Mouse also has support for Étap¡clickingæ on
mousepads such as the ALPS Glidepoint range. Other configurable options
include the ability to swap select and adjust buttons, and three levels
of acceleration.
9.12
Solo costs ú14.95, PS2Mouse costs ú24.95 and ÉNæáInterface costs ú24.95,
all prices including p&p. See Stuart Tyrrell Developmentsæ website for
more details: http://www.busacu.co.uk/stdev.
9.12
PipeDream Ö Colton are no longer supplying PipeDream4 as a product as
such. They will, however, continue to sell PipeDream4 at a special price
as an upgrade to PipeDream3.
9.12
Precise Mousing Surface Ö What? Itæs a fancy name for a mousemat, but
donæt skip straight to the next item. This is something special. If you
donæt believe me, turn to Tony Houghtonæs review on page 21. Itæs a
special mousemat from 3M Ö scientifically designed Ö and they cost ú10
each! Sounds a lot, but Iæve got one at home and one in the office, and
I wouldnæt swap them for anything.
9.12
Pscan provides high-quality reception and transmission of all the
popular colour slow scan television modes used by radio amateurs all
over the world. It also allows reception of weather charts such as those
transmitted by the Bracknell weather centre. A simple one-chip interface
is required which can be easily built by anyone with some experience of
electronics construction. Alternatively, a cheap ready-made interface
may be bought from a number of suppliers. Full interface details are
included on the Pscan disc. As well as the basic send and receive
functions, Pscan includes a large number of text and graphics
manipulation facilities which are not available in similar programs on
other platforms. Pscan makes full use of the graphics capability of the
RiscPC but will not run on earlier Acorn computers. Pscan is shareware
and registration is ú15.
9.12
To obtain a copy, send a formatted 1.6 Mb ADFS disc and SAE to: Paul
Turner G4IJE, 61 Primley Lane, Sheering, Bishops Stortford, Herts CM22
7NH. (01279-734482)
9.12
QuickTile v1.03 from Desktop Projects Ltd, allows you to print posters
from drawfiles and sprites. It works with any RISC OS application and
will automatically generate crop marks on the individual sheets that
make up the whole poster. It needs RISCáOS 3.10 or later, and costs ú29
inclusive from Desktop Projects, or ú27 through Archive.
9.12
Romans is a follow-up to Anglia Multimediaæs Vikings CD-ROM, and
transports students back to the 2nd century AD to take part in a ÉRomanæ
multimedia experience. Arriving at the quayside you enter the Romano-
British town of Sapientum. Using a specially commissioned 3D computer
model based on the latest archaeological evidence, Romans is, according
to Anglia, öone of the most advanced educational products for Key Stage
2 History ever produced.ò
9.12
The pupilsæ task is to gain Roman citizenship by playing one of four
roles within the town. Each role has a route to success, whether it be
collecting objects or making enquiries about Roman life and customs. As
the student seeks citizenship, they meet and can talk with the
townsfolk, bargain with them or seek advice. Each character will provide
vital and accurate information about this period of history. Pictures,
text and other information can all be saved out as they are collected,
providing the perfect opportunity to develop IT capability at the same
time!
9.12
Detailed activity sheets give the teacher a host of other learning
opportunities to build around the computer. Romans is also supported by
Angliaæs on¡line service, with further material for classroom use.
Although students need never know, the town is actually based on the
Roman settlement of Venta Icenorum, Caistor by Norwich. Ventaæs ground
plan was used as the base for a 3D reconstruction of the town, and
latest archaeological evidence used to construct the houses and the
forum, the temple and the farmhouse. Even the video of the Ermine Street
Guard was shot on the site of the original Roman settlement. With the
help of Past Forward in York, and the Norfolk Archaeological Unit, the
details were pieced together, and members of Time Travellers and other
volunteers became the people who inhabit the town.
9.12
Romans costs ú40 +VAT from Anglia Multimedia, or ú45 through Archive.
9.12
Tabby graphics tablet Ö The Acorn Driver for the Tabby graphics tablet,
from R-Comp, has been re-worked and now supports Photodesk. New sales of
the tablet will include the new driver, and existing users can upgrade
for ú5, direct from R¡Comp.
9.12
Teletext+ software Ö Your computer can now remind you when your
favourite TV or radio programme is about to start, thanks to the latest
version of Teletext+ from Octopus Systems. Teletext+ software could
always search TV and radio listings for keywords, but now version 6 can
extract the time and set an audible alarm (with a 5 minute warning). It
also has advanced cacheing algorithms that learn which pages you read,
and fetch them for you every day, so you will rarely have to wait for a
Teletext page, and even sub-pages are cached so you donæt have to wait
half an hour to find the latest Acorn share price!
9.12
It now has advanced keyword searching where matches are displayed in a
separate window which effectively gives a personalised magazine of
interesting news, events and programmes. Pages can be saved as Viewdata,
sprite or text files, either manually or under the control of a script
file, and there is an option to allow all sub-pages to be saved in a
single text file. Teletext+ will work with Teletext adaptors and cards
from Morley, Computer Concepts, Ground Control, Design IT, Irlam,
Solidisk and Octopus Systems. It will be particularly attractive to
Morley users as the Morley software doesnæt work in the desktop. It can
also log share prices in a CSV file, or in a special format for the
Apricote Studiosæ Shares program, and it provides a set of standard SWI
calls for use by other programs. (See 9.7 p57 for a review.)
9.12
Teletext+ is available for ú39 + VAT from Octopus, or ú45 through
Archive.
9.12
ToolKit 1 for Pocket Book II Ö ToolKit 1, from Purple Software, is an
application pack consisting of four different applications on a single
floppy disc or SSD. The four applications are: Convert, File Manager,
PicView and ScnPrint.
9.12
The first program can Convert between foreign currencies and the home
currency; between units of length, area, volume, liquid and weight;
between units of speed, pressure, temperature and energy; between
British, European and American clothes sizes. PicView allows users to
view pictures stored in PIC, PCX, BMP and GIF file formats. They can be
converted from one to another, and printed using the built-in graphics
printing sub-system. ScnPrint prints out any screen the computer can
display; itæs compatible with Epson, IBM Proprinter, HP Laserjet and
PostScript compatible printers. File Manager is a graphical file
management system that makes organising files and discs easy. Amongst
its features are: copy, name, format and back up for an entire SSD;
copy, delete, rename and move directories and files; change file
attributes, set file dates and locate files by name, size, date,
attributes or contents; tag files individually or by matching names,
dates or attributes across directories.
9.12
For an SSD, ToolKit 1 costs ú42.51 +p&p +VAT, or ú48 through Archive.
For a disc it costs ú34 +p&p +VAT, or ú38 through Archive.
9.12
TurboDrivers Ö Computer Concepts have released a new version of their
TurboDrivers, which support Canon bubblejet printers, the BJC-210 and
BJC-4100, and recent versions of !Printers.
9.12
The BJC-210 offers mono printing quality of 720 (with smoothing) ╫ 360
dpi, and an optional colour cartridge, so the printer can be used for
occasional colour printing. The BJC¡4100 is suitable for both high
colour quality and high speed mono printing. The colour is produced
using a four colour ink tank, and offers true 720 dpi colour as well as
720 (with smoothing) ╫ 360 dpi in mono. The new version of TurboDrivers
is 4.05 and now requires !Printers 1.45 or later.
9.12
The TurboDrivers software costs ú49 +VAT from CC or ú53 through Archive.
Upgrades from TurboDrivers 4.04 is free from CC and costs ú10 +VAT from
earlier versions, also from CC.
9.12
VRview Ö  Experience photorealistic Virtual Reality on your RISC OS
machines as never before! Explore famous buildings, walk in the country,
even stroll around the Starship Enterprise. Examine the objects you find
from all angles. VRview, from Warm Silence, is a Quicktime VR renderer.
Currently, it is an Éintroductoryæ version only (though it still looks
very impressive), hence an introductory price, and the lack of printed
instructions. The final version is planned in time for the October show,
with an improved interface, better support for older machines, lower
memory usage, and improved quality whilst zoomed.
9.12
VRview is like Replay; in itself it is fairly small, but it uses big
datafiles. It comes on floppy,  but is frequently found on CD-ROM
(VRview reads the CD), as well as being available on some Web sites.
Atáthe moment, Warm Silence donæt supply tools to generate Quicktime VR
scenes, but they may think of this later. Currently, it is RiscPC only,
but coming to older machines soon.
9.12
The introductory version of VRview costs ú20 inclusive from Warm
Silence.áuá
9.12
Product News
9.12
Alternative Publishing tell us that things are going well with their
vector graphics converters. According to Majid Anwar from AP, öI can
safely say that the WMF-loader is complete, and is very comprehensive
(there are very few files that it cannot convert), fast and accurate. It
provides simple drag-and-drop of WMFs into applications that accept
drawfiles Ö in many cases, we have found it to be more reliable than
many native Windows applicationsæ own loaders!ò
9.12
Anglia Multimedia have been well-known for their large range of Key Plus
datafiles, but Iotaæs Datapower package has now been upgraded to
ensureáthat it can read more of the Key Plus file structure,
particularly in respect of graphics within files. Over 50 different
datafiles, from Minibeasts to the Periodic Table, Weather Statistics to
the Birds of Britain and Ireland, can be bought from Anglia Multimedia,
and many more are being distributed from Angliaæs web site.
9.12
As many of Angliaæs datafiles include pictures in Draw or sprite format,
this development to Datapower greatly enhances the value of the
datafiles to Datapower users. The structure adopted includes matching
Key Plusæs facility to link the same graphic to a number of records, a
technique developed by Anglia to make best use of floppy disc space.
9.12
In addition to the developments made to Datapower itself, Iota and
Anglia are working together to ensure that files loaded into Datapower
will display appropriately. Anglia will gradually be upgrading the
datafiles so that they include a layout module which Datapower will
automatically recognise. According to Peter Stibbons, Director of
Development at Anglia Multimedia, öOur commitment to Key Plus continues,
as is seen from the latest upgrade of the Windows version, but this
cooperation with Iota will enable us to supply the datafiles themselves
to a wider audience. The new datafiles which we will be distributing
free on our web sites will, of course, be a major benefit to schools and
usable on many more sites.ò
9.12
Learning Through Computing Ö Following the success of the Doorway
Classroom Pack, which is already being used on Acorn Computers in
Primary Schools throughout Fife and Borders Region, Learning Through
Computing is pleased to announce its intention to release a Switch
Access Version of the Doorway Classroom Pack to be available in
September 1996.
9.12
The Doorway Classroom Pack (see 9.8. p4) includes ten programs covering
Time and Mathematics at Key Stage Levels 1 and 2 (Scottish 5Ö14 Levels A
to C), as well as a couple of Early Literacy programs. More information
about the Doorway Classroom Pack can be found in Learning Through
Computingæs new free catalogue.
9.12
The Switch Access Version of the Doorway Classroom Pack should enable
anyone using switches with their Acorn RISC OS computer to access these
new educational programs. Further information can be obtained from
Learning Through Computing.
9.12
TopModel is being developed at-a-pace. Gemini, the new graphic engine,
is now ready and is available as a relocatable module to all developers
interested in using it in their own applications. The module is fully
StrongARM-compatible. Its performance is enhanced over the standard
TopModel engine and the rendering process is 2 to 5 times faster. Many
new features have been added (like the awaited 16 and 32 bpp screen mode
support). A new version, to be released very soon, will support the
Hydra multi-processor card. Sincronia has licensed Gemini to Clares, for
inclusion in the next releases of Composition, and to Oregan
Developments for inclusion in CineWorks. A new VRML (and TopModel 3D
file) browser, based on the new Gemini engine, has been developed and
will be available shortly at a reasonable price.
9.12
Work is in progress for the next release of TopModel, a completely
rewritten program offering full animation capability, advanced rendering
algorithms, complex construction and editing tools, multi-processor
support and much more. An upgrade scheme will be offered to all TopModel
users who will be able to to buy the new release simply for the
difference in price. Last but not least, a CD-ROM with over 600Mb of
TopModel objects, textures and utilities will be released late summer.
For further information, contact Rachelle Smith at Spacetech.áuá
9.12
Review software received...
9.12
We have received review copies of the following: ÅDrawAid (u), ÅHelping
Hand (e), ÅKey Franτais (e), ÅQuickTile (e), ÅVRview (u). (e=Education,
u=Utility)
9.12
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.áuá
9.12
Abacus Training  29 Okus Grove, Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wilts, SN2 6QA.
(01793¡723347) [01793¡723347]
9.12
Acorn-by-Post  13 Dennington Road, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2BR.
(01933¡279300)
9.12
AcornáComputeráGroup  645áNewmarketáRoad, Cambridge, CB5á8PB.
(01223¡725000) http://www.acorn.co.uk/
9.12
AcornáNC + Acorn OM  645áNewmarketáRoad, Cambridge, CB5á8PB.
(01223¡518518) [01223¡518520]
9.12
AcornáRiscáTechnologies  645áNewmarketáRoad, Cambridge, CB5á8PB.
(01223¡577800) [01223¡577900] <[e-mail]>
9.12
ARTáCustomer Services  01223¡577876 <[e-mail]>
9.12
Alsystems  47áWinchesteráRoad, FouráMarks, Alton, Hampshire, GU34á5HG.
(01420¡561111) <[e-mail]>
9.12
AlternativeáPublishing  Suiteá1, PentagonáHouse, 38áWashingtonáStreet,
Glasgow, G3á8AZ. (0141¡248¡2322) [0141¡248¡3638]
<[e-mail]>
9.12
AngliaáMultimedia  AngliaáHouse, Norwich, NR1á3JG. (01603¡615151)
[01603¡631032]
9.12
APDL  39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London, SE26 5RN. (0181-778-2659)
[0181¡488-0487] <[e-mail]>
9.12
ARMedáForces  38áMaináRoad, Littleton, Winchester, SO22á6QQ.
(01962¡880591)
9.12
AudioáDynamics  22áBroughamáEnterpriseáCentre, BroughamáTerrace,
Hartlepool, TS24á8EY. (01706-341989)
9.12
BeebugáLtd  117áHatfieldáRoad, StáAlbans, Herts, AL1á4JS. (01727¡840303)
[01727¡860263]
9.12
Carlton Software  Felmersham Road, Carlton, Bedford, MK43 7NA. (01234-
721448)
9.12
CarvicáManufacturing  MorayáPark, FindhornáRoad, Forres, Moray,
Scotland, IV36á0TP. (01309¡672793)
9.12
ChalksoftáLtd  P.O. Boxá49, Spalding, Lincs, PE11á1NZ. (01775¡769518)
[01775¡762618]
9.12
ClaresáMicroáSupplies  98áMiddlewicháRoad, Rudheath, Northwich,
Cheshire, CW9á7DA. (01606¡48511) [01606¡48512]
<[e-mail]>
9.12
ComputeráConcepts  GaddesdenáPlace, HemeláHempstead, Herts, HP2á6EX.
(01442¡351000) [01442¡351010]
9.12
DesktopáProjectsáLtd  Unitá2A, HeapridingáBusinessáPark, FordáStreet,
Stockport, SK3á0BT. (0161¡474¡0778) [0161¡474¡0781]
9.12
Eidos plc  The Boathouse, 15 Thames Street, Middlesex TW12 2EW. (0181-
941-7899) [0181-941-7895] <[e-mail]> http://www.eidos.com.
9.12
ESP  21áBeecháLane, WestáHallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7á6GP.
á(0115¡929¡5019) [0115¡929¡5019] <[e-mail]>
9.12
ExpLAN  StáCatherineæsáHouse, 20áPlymoutháRoad, Tavistock, Devon,
PL19á8AY. (01822¡613868) [01822¡610868] <[e-mail]>á
9.12
FabisáComputing  48áCharlesáStreet, ChurcháGresley, Swadlincote,
Derbyshire, DE11á9QD. (01283¡552761) [01283¡552761]
<[e-mail]>
9.12
HCCSáLtd  575¡583áDurhamáRoad, Gateshead, NE9á5JJ. (0191¡487¡0760)
[0191¡491¡0431]
9.12
iSVáProducts  86, Turnberry, HomeáFarm, Bracknell, Berks, RG12á8ZH.
(01344¡55769)
9.12
KangáSoftware  LocationáWorks, 42áOldáComptonáStreet, LondonáW1Vá6LR.
(0171¡494¡0888) [0171¡287¡2855] http://www.argonet.co.uk/location/works/
kang.html
9.12
LearningáThrougháComputing  3áRelugasáRoad, EdinburgháEH9á2NE.
(0131¡662¡1881) [0131¡662¡1881] <[e-mail]>
9.12
LOOKsystems  Unitá1, TheáGablesáYard, PulhamáMarket, Diss, IP21á4SY.
(01379¡608585) [01379¡608575]
9.12
MijasáSoftware  WinchesteráRoad, Micheldever, Winchester, SO21á3DG.
(01962¡774352) <[e-mail]>
9.12
OctopusáSystems  9áRandwelláClose, Ipswich, IP4á5ES. (01473¡728943)
[01473¡270643] <[e-mail]>áhttp://www.octosys.co.uk/
9.12
OreganáDevelopments  36áGrosvenoráAvenue, Streetly, SuttonáColdfield,
B74á3PE. (0121¡353¡6044) [0121¡353¡6472] <[e-mail]>
9.12
PurpleáSoftware  EustonáHouse, 81-103áEustonáStreet, LondonáNW1á2EZ.
(0171¡387¡3777)
9.12
R-Comp  22áRobertáMoffat, HigháLegh, Knutsford, Cheshire,
WA16á6PSáá(01925¡755043) [01925¡757377] <[e-mail]>
9.12
ReallyáGoodáSoftwareáCompany  39áCarisbrookeáRoad, Harpenden, Herts.,
AL5á5QS.
9.12
Repair Zone  421 Sprowston Road, Norwich, NR3 4EH. (01603¡400477)
9.12
SibeliusáSoftware  75áBurleigháStreet, Cambridge, CB1á1DJ.
(01223¡302765) [01223¡351947]
9.12
Spacetech  21áWestáWools, Portland, Dorset, DT5á2EA. (01305¡822753)
[01305¡860483] <[e-mail]>
9.12
StuartáTyrrelláDevelopments  P.O. Boxá183, Oldham, OL2á8FB.
<[e-mail]>
9.12
WarmáSilenceáSoftware  StáCatherineæsáCollege, ManoráRoad, Oxford,
OX1á3UJ. (0585¡487642) <[e-mail]>á(RobináWatts)
9.12
WECC c/o KudlianáSoft  8áBarrowáRoad, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8á1EH.
(01926¡851147) <[e-mail]>
9.12
Xemplar Education  The Quorum, Barnwell Road, Cambridge, CB5 8RE.
(01223¡724724) [01223¡724324] http://www.xemplar.co.uk/
9.12
Archive Monthly Disc Ö ú2
9.12
 (Now on 1.6Mb, but available as two 800Kb discs if you ask
specifically.)
9.12
I hope that all these items will make it onto the disc, but itæs going
to be a bit of a squeeze! Ed.
9.12
u !BatchPrint Ö Shareware program from Mijas Software Ö see Printing,
page 41.
9.12
u Electronic clippings Ö Acorn news items from the Net, including an
excellent interview with HH!
9.12
u Assembly language program from Francis Crossley Ö see page 14.
9.12
u Files from Gerald Fittonæs Column Ö page 57.
9.12
u Archive Internet Glossary Ö 9,500+ words of explanation about Internet
terms.
9.12
u Scientific software (wave functions) from Chris Johnson Ö see page 13.
9.12
u SwiftJPEG and Pathway programs sent by Stuart Bell Ö see page 19.
9.12
u Operating Systems Column items from Ian Beswick Ö page 53.
9.12
u Pocket Book Column: various PD programs and screenshots Ö see page 72.
9.12
u Various items from Dave Floydæs Printing Column Ö page 41.
9.12
u Starting Basic programs from Ray Favre Ö see page 63.
9.12
u Modify your Welcome banner Ö PD sent by Sudipta Sarkar Ö see page 28.
9.12
The following is about the Christian faith, not specifically about
computing.
9.12
First of all, an apology. I have had a lengthy, but very helpful,
correspondence with a lady who is an expert in philosophy and
psychology. She has made me look again at some of the things I have said
in this Godslot and, having seen them with different eyes, it has made
me cringe at some of the things I have said.
9.12
First of all, I have implied, more than once, that those who donæt
believe as I do, are somehow being less than honest, or they are being
stupid and önot facing up to the factsò. If what I have said has come
over in that way, I can only say that I am sorry. That is certainly not
what I think. Of course, there are honest, sensible, intelligent people
who look at the evidence, and come to a very different conclusion from
me, and I respect that. In future, I will try to look at the things I
write from both sides of the fence, to avoid coming over as arrogant.
9.12
Secondly, she has shown me that some of my Élogical argumentsæ are by no
means as logical as I first thought. However, I am less repentant on
this issue. I accept that I have got some of my arguments wrong in a
technical sense, but I have been studying the Christian faith, and
defending it by logical argument, for 28 years now, and I have come,
very strongly, to this conclusion: The Christian faith, based on the
prophecies of the Old Testament, and the claims of Jesus, plus the
teachings of the apostles in the New Testament may not be true!
(Yes,áthatæs right, I said it may not be true.) However, I believe it to
be logically self-consistent. The IF statements may, as my friend points
out, go round in circles, but IF what Jesus said is true then itæs all
true.
9.12
What is more, the experience of Christians for almost 2,000 years has
been that once you Éhave faithæ, you find that Éit worksæ. Let me expand
on that. No, you cannot prove that Jesusæ claims are true, but what I
did, 28áyears ago, was to say, öLetæs work on the assumption that it is
true and see what happensò, and over those years, my personal experience
of öknowing Godò, i.e. as a person rather than just studying him and
knowing about him, has lead me to the deep, deep conviction that Jesus
really was telling us the truth.
9.12
So how do you Éhave faithæ? To me, itæs simply a case of testing it out
Ö as a scientist would. Someone has formulated a theory, and we have to
put it to the test. The trouble is, thereæs only so much you can test if
you are an outsider looking in Ö you can only really test it from the
inside Ö you have to trust Jesusæ word.
9.12
This is why (yes, sorry, I am going to say it again!!!) the Alpha course
is proving so effective. It is designed mainly for those who would class
themselves as Éoutsidersæ to the Christian faith, to give them a chance
to have a look and see what they think. As I always say, why not go and
have a look? Youæve got nothing to lose!
9.12
There is now an Alpha web site at http://ds.dial.pipex.com/htb.london/
alpha/index. Soon, they hope to have a list of participating churches
there, so that you can find your nearest Alpha course.
9.12
P.B.
9.12
Paul Beverley
9.12
Wot, no major announcements from Acorn?!?!
9.12
Itæs a sign of the times that the Énewsæ this month is that Acorn have
not made any major announcements for at least four weeks! The Éonlyæ
news is that Psion have committed to using ARM7100 and StrongARM in
their handheld computers. (See the article on page 34.) They are also
going to license this technology to other companies, so the Acorn
technology web is spreading further and further around the globe.
9.12
Domestic news...
9.12
NCS said goodbye to James Taylor this month, who is moving back to
London, this time to work for Eidos (another up-and-very-much-coming
Acorn company!), so we say thanks for his year at NCS and good luck in
the future, oh, and HELP we need a replacement!! The trouble is that
Acorn are gobbling up all the good people who have Acorn knowledge and
skills Ö they still had 15 vacancies when I last heard. But Norwich is a
wonderful place to live Ö and much less expensive than Cambridge! If you
know anyone who would be able to help us out, do get in touch, and
please bear with us Ö normal service will be resumed as soon as
possible!
9.12
Your harassed editor,
9.12
Fact-File
9.12
Key: (phone)áá[fax]áá<net>
9.12
Norwich Computer Services    96a Vauxhall Street, Norwich, NR2 2SD.
(01603-766592) [01603-764011]
9.12
<[e-mail]>  OR  <[e-mail]>  OR
<[e-mail]>
9.12
http://www.cybervillage.co.uk/acorn/archive/
9.12
Acorn Stock Clearance!
9.12
Acorn are clearing their warehouses, and there are a number of items on
special offer, while stocks last:
9.12
A5000 (2Mb/HD80) Ö ú580
9.12
A5000 (8Mb/HD120) Ö ú650
9.12
A7000 (2Mb/HD425 + CD) Ö ú650
9.12
A4 (4Mb/HD60) Ö ú990
9.12
Please ring to check availability before ordering.
9.12
Pack of 40 HD floppy discs Ö ú18
9.12
Pocket Book I Ö ú98
9.12
Pocket Book II 512Kb Ö ú195
9.12
A3010 (2Mb) Ö ú225
9.12
A4000 (2Mb/HD210) Ö ú540
9.12
Sales Engineer required
9.12
Norwich Computer Services has a vacancy for a Sales Engineer to start as
soon as possible.
9.12
The work is very varied, including dealing with technical sales
enquiries and post-sales support, mainly on the phone but also face-to-
face, collation of technical information and some work on the magazine,
such as writing up hints & tips.
9.12
Itæs a small, friendly team, so you will have the opportunity to do most
of the different jobs around the office!
9.12
Person Spec
9.12
Good general knowledge of Acorn systems Ö essential
9.12
Good interpersonal skills Ö very important
9.12
Sense of humour Ö you wonæt survive without one!
9.12
Technical writing skills Ö moderately important
9.12
Hardware/electronics knowledge Ö not essential
9.12
Programming skills Ö not essential
9.12
Age Ö candidates of any age will be considered
9.12
Salary Ö Subject to experience/negotiation and the level of
responsibility you are prepared to take on.
9.12
Send CV and/or apply for more details.
9.12
Acorn Software Engineer/Programmer
9.12
AFE Computer Services Ltd is a fast growing provider of screen based
real time financial information services in Hong Kong. With the
objective of providing the best quality service to our customers, we
invite good calibre to join our Technical Development team in Hong Kong.
9.12
The successful candidate will report to the Head of Technical
Development Department and work with other software specialists in
producting new products as well as enhancements to existing product
range. The individual for the position of Acorn Software Engineer should
possess the following qualities:
9.12
Å At least 2 years solid experience in C Programming.
9.12
Å A good broad experience in writing software on Acorn platform, with
emphasis in areas of windowing, and RISC OS.
9.12
Å Experience in data communications and real time system.
9.12
Å Knowledge of RISC assembly and C++ would be an added advantage.
9.12
Å Must be able to work independently and possess good initiative.
9.12
Interested parties, please email to [e-mail] with information on
your education background, experience, present and expected salary, and
contact telephone.
9.12
Club News
9.12
Wakefield Acorn Computer Group
9.12
West Yorkshire Sports and Social Club, Sandal Hall Close, off Walton
Lane, (A61) Barnsley Road, Sandal, Wakefield. The doors open at 7:10pm,
with the event starting at 7:30 approx. till around 9:30.
9.12
There is free car parking at the venue, and there is a Bar available.
Entrance fee is ú1 at the door. (Membership facilities are available
including corresponding membership.)
9.12
The Wakefield Acorn Computer User Group has been around since 1983. This
year has been a landmark year since we organised the new Northern Acorn
Show, the ÉWakefield Acorn Spring Showæ, in association with Acorn User
and ART on Sunday 19th May. Other events coming up are:
9.12
Wednesday, September 4th Ö Alex van Someren from ANT
9.12
Wednesday, October 2nd Ö PETER BONDAR, Technical Director of ART
9.12
Wednesday, November 6th Ö Nick Evans of Longman Logotron
9.12
Wednesday, December 4th Ö Annual Bring & Buy
9.12
Membership costs ú8 for full membership (including Corresponding
members), Juniors at ú4.
9.12
If you require further information, please email:
9.12
Chris Hughes: [e-mail] or Mike Wilson:
[e-mail]
9.12
Or phone [phone] (Mike) or 01924-379778 (Chris).áuá
9.12
Small Ads
9.12
(Small ads for Acorn 32-bit computers 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.)
9.12
6x TEAC CD-56E CD-ROM, with cables, two months old, works with a RiscPC
700 ú75. SCSI 2 to SCSI 1 cable, new, unused, suitable for Power-Tec
board ú16. Eddie Lord, 72046.251@compuserve .com or 01342-714905.
9.12
A310, RGB colour monitor, Panasonic KX-P1081 printer, Watford 40/80 disc
drive, loads of software, magazines etc ú500 o.n.o. Phone [phone].
9.12
A3020, 2Mb RAM, 120Mb HD, RISC OS 3.1, AKF50 hi res monitor, Citizen
Swift 24-pin printer ú450. Phone [phone].
9.12
A4000, 2Mb RAM, 80 Mb hard disc, AKF18 monitor; software includes
Easiword, some games, many fonts, PD and shareware discs ú350 o.n.o.
01473Ö328582
9.12
A420/1, 2Mb RAM, 20Mb hard disc, RISC OS 2, Acorn Monitor, Epson LQ400
24-pin dot matrix, software including: PC Emulator, Genesis, 1st Word
Plus, DTP ú250 o.n.o. Phone Andrew on 01785-817465.
9.12
A5000, 4 Mb RAM, 212 Mb HD, 486 PC card with coprocessor, numerous PD
programs ú650 negotiable. Address: Jean Richard, 28 ch de la Vuachere,
1009 Pully, Switzerland, phone: [phone], email:
[e-mail].
9.12
A5000LC, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, 40Mb HD, Eizo 9060S-M multisync monitor,
boxed with manuals and software ú625. Phone [phone].
9.12
A5000, 4Mb RAM, 120Mb hard disc, AKF18 monitor, A5 scanner, much
software including Artworks, Impression, Pro Artisan, Euclid plus 120
PD, shareware and magazine discs, several volumes of Archive and Risc
User, ú750 o.n.o. 01473Ö328582.
9.12
A5000, 8Mb RAM (Simtec 4Mb upgrade), 25MHz, RISC OS 3.1, 120Mb and 330Mb
IDE HDs, manuals, Colour Card Gold, Samsung SyncMaster III SVGA (or a
hardly-used Acorn AKF11 monitor), PC Emulator 1.8, Squirrel, ú950 o.n.o.
Peter Bond [e-mail] or 01524-701623.
9.12
A5000LC, 8Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, 40Mb and 120Mb HDs, AKF50 monitor, FPA,
PC Emulator 1.8, fan quietener, external double speakers and adaptor,
various software ú750. Phone [phone] or [e-mail].
9.12
Acorn C/C++ in perfect condition. ú99 o.n.o. Alex on 0181-660-5353 or
a.singleton@ukonline .co.uk.
9.12
Acorn JP150 printer, with double capacity HP inkjet cartridge, sheet
feeder and Epson emulation card ú50. Phone [phone] or
[e-mail].
9.12
AKF60 Ö 14in colour monitor ú160 + carriage, 425 Mb IDE hard drive ú50
inc., Citizen 120D+ 9¡pin dot matrix ú50 inc. Phone [phone].
9.12
Alone in the Dark ú20, Animator ú50, Premier manager ú10 o.n.o., second
hand 800Kb discs 25p each or 5 for ú1, second hand 1.6Mb dics 50p or 5
for ú2, all cover discs and CD-ROMs from Acorn User and some from Acorn
Computing 30p each. Ask for Richard on: 01223-363545, fax [phone]
or [e-mail].
9.12
ARM710 processor kit ú75, Econet clock box ú25, Econet FileStore E40S
ú25, 2 ╫ A400/1 1Mb RAM sets ú25 each, 3╜ö external drive case ú25.
Richard on 01642-656271 or [e-mail] .com.
9.12
Calligraph/Qume laser printer 300 dpi, with expansion card (does not run
in a Risc PC Ö hence the sale, but you can buy one for ú130), very fast,
genuine 5ppm, newish drum, two toner refills, minor problem ú150. Peter
Bond on 01524-701623 or [e-mail].
9.12
Canon BJC 600 colour printer, new print head, 6-months on-site warranty,
plus TurboDrivers vá4.04 with cable, boxed ú249, CCæs Scanlight 256
complete ú58. Phone [phone].
9.12
Cumana SCSI-1 card, latest ROM ú75, lots of games ú5 and ú10 each, all
in original packaging. Phone Dave on 0121-745-2423.
9.12
Econet cards for RiscPC ú25 each, for Archimedes ú10 each, SJ Econet
clock box ú20, SJánew bridge ú50, Acorn and SJ used econet outlet boxes,
about 50m of unused 4-core network cable plus oddments, spares including
network driver chips. Phone [phone].
9.12
External Morley CD-ROM, 1 year old, with podule, cables and software for
A5000,  ú75.  TurboDriver for Canon Inkjets ú15. CC Colourcard Gold,
32,000 colours on A5000, allows enhanced Multimedia and graphics
performance ú50.  MráR.Bishop on 01865-62688.
9.12
HP LaserJet II printer ú150, HP 550C ú100, Irlam Replay Board ú80,
multisync monitor ú80, digitiser ú60, 486 card ú70 (trade this in for a
586 card and save ú100!), CC TurboDrivers for HP and Canon ú25 each.
Phone Russell on 0131-658-1225.
9.12
Integrex Colourjet Ö 132 colour printer for sale ú120 o.n.o. Ask for
Brian on 01625-575052.
9.12
Prolog Tutor Ö Solves convoluted logic problems with simple logic
entries in shareware Prolog. A start in artificial intelligence. Disc
obtainable for ú5 from Jim Davis, Shiptonette, Bridge Road, Downham
Market, PE38 0AE. (01366-385824)
9.12
Panasonic KX-P1081 Ö Fine on all Acorn computers. Presently fitted with
RiscPC lead, almost any offer accepted. Satisfaction guaranteed. Also
splendid A540 computer going cheap. Phone Jim Davis on 01366-385824
9.12
Philips 14ö Multisync CM8873, 0.31mm dot pitch, RGB linear & TTL, owners
and service manual and lead for A310 ú50.  Buyer collects or arranges
carriage. Phone Mike on 01293-528137.
9.12
Software, PC Emulator Shareware Collection 1 & 2 ú15, GammaPlot v2 ú15,
System Delta+ v2 ú25, Genesis v2 ú20, Investigating Local Industry ú20,
The Art Machine 1 & 2 ú20, Cheat It Again Archie ú3, Sporting Triangles
ú5, Word Up Word Down ú3, InterChart ROM ú10, InterSheet ROM ú15,
SpellMaster ROM ú20, all originals with documentation etc. Phone 01737-
832159 eves.
9.12
Surf the NET with an A3000 LC, ARM3, RISC OS 3.1, 4Mb RAM, 210Mb HD,
serial port, 1770 DFS interface, PRES monitor stand, PSU + 5╝ö drive bay
for int. CD-ROM, 2nd 3╜ò bay, two exp. slots, Colour Card Gold, USR
Sportster 14.4k fax/modem (gæteed to Dec æ99), software, manuals, boxed.
Total cost ú2,173 Ö accept ú485. Phone [phone].
9.12
Wanted Ö A540 front fascia panel (it houses the hard disc busy light and
power supply on light), also wanted 4Mb RAM card for A540. Phone John on
01257-275950 after 6.
9.12
Wanted Ö VIDC-enhancer to connect a multisync monitor to A3000, SCSI-
Minipodule (HCCS), SCSI via ECONET-socket, new or second hand.  If you
have one or know how to get one, please fax R. Geisder, Berlin, 0049-30-
3-92-40-18 (fax & phone).
9.12
Wanted Ö Working Armadillo 448b mono sampler. I already have one but
would like a spare. Stereo considered. Les May on 01706-32119.
9.12
Wanted urgently Ö A4 scanner. Less urgent but also, 17ö monitor. Phone
0116-268-53774.áuá
9.12
Help!!!!
9.12
Almanac Ö One of the programs I use quite a lot is Almanac, but it seems
that Stallion Software who produced it have disappeared. Is anyone
supporting it? My copy works fine, and I use it for bookings, personal
accounts, and as an address book, but I am worried about StrongARM
compatibility. Can anyone shed any light on this?
9.12
Colin Randall <[e-mail]>
9.12
BMFÖ>Draw Ö Does anyone know how to convert PC Corel BMF files to
drawfiles, so I can use them from Corelæs Gallery CD on my A3000.
Iápresume they are a type of Metafile.
9.12
Brian Cocksedge, W.Sussex, 01730-812-341 eves.
9.12
File encryption Ö Does anyone know of a seamless file encryption system
for the RiscPC?
9.12
Paul De Luca <[e-mail]>
9.12
Greek/Hebrew scholar wanted Ö Weáneed someone to review the Greek and
Hebrew modules for the ExpLAN Holy Bible. We had a reviewer, but he ran
out of time before going abroad, so we really need someone as soon as
possible. These modules take Bible software (and the Acorn platform) way
ahead of the opposition, so if someone were willing, they could do a
review for Archive and then offer it (perhaps in a slightly modified
form) toásome of the Christian newspapers and periodicals. I asked Paul
Richardson at ExpLAN about the qualifications of such a reviewer, and he
wrote...
9.12
öWhen selecting a reviewer, you will have to check that they actually
understand Greek or Hebrew or both. They should also understand the
difficulties raised in simultaneously using multiple languages. Ináother
words, a native English speaker running a HolyBible UK Base Pack (and
presumably an English word-processor) must know that he canæt just set
the Acorn Territory Manager or Keyboard configuration to Greek!!
9.12
öIn fact, there has been a lot of work put into the multi-lingual/
phonetic keyboard overlay system of HolyBible, in order to enter search
words, and it is this that puts us light-years ahead of the competition.
(On other platforms, I presume he means.)
9.12
öWhen you Élocateæ a suitable reviewer, we need to know if their copy of
HolyBible is a single-user or site-licensed copy, (b) if they require
fonts as well, and (d) if they need HD or DD discs.
9.12
Paul Richardson <[e-mail]>
9.12
So is there anyone out there willing to give this one a go? Remember
that, at the very least, you get the Greek and Hebrew modules for your
trouble.
9.12
Ed <[e-mail]>
9.12
Hints & Tips Ö Since James Taylor left, we have lost various hints and
tips that he was working on, so if you sent in any H&T comments, and
they have not been published, please could you send them again? Thanks.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
9.12
Ed. <[e-mail]>
9.12
PIC chips Ö Does anyone know of a PD RISC OS-based cross-assembler, or
simulator, for PIC chips? Is anyone programming these using an Acorn
machine?
9.12
Les May, 20 Crescent Road, Rochdale, OL11 3LF. (01706-32119)
9.12
Quantum 120Mb IDE hard disc available to first good cause to offer to
pay the postage. It is known to work in an A5000, on its own, or with
the original 40Mb Connor disc supplied.
9.12
Email me or write to me at: 8 Vicarage Lane, Wing, Leighton Buzzard,
Beds. LU7 0NU.
9.12
Seßn Kelly, [e-mail].
9.12
RE software Ö Liz Leydenæs plea (9.9 p54) for information about software
for RE in secondary schools has set us off on a quest to find out as
much as we can about whatæs available. This will then lead us to a
series of articles later in the year. So, if you are a developer, or
have used RE materials in education, Iáwould like to hear from you.
9.12
If you have developed materials for your own use, do let us know too,
because someone else may be able to benefit from your work, and/or take
what you have done and develop it further. Copies of materials and
information can be sent to the office address, or just email me.
9.12
Gabriel Swords <[e-mail]>
9.12
RTF facilities? Ö Please can anyone tell me where to find information
about the word processing format ÉRTFæ which I think is commonly
available on PC word processors. I have looked in the bibliographies of
most of the Acorn magazines, with little success. The only mention was
with ÉImpressionæ, which I do not have, and do not want to buy, since I
prefer TechWriter and, as far as I can tell, it does not allow input of
RTF files.
9.12
Iæd like to know where to find the definition of the RTF format, and
also what Acorn programs (preferably PD) are available to read/write it.
9.12
Kate Crennell, <[e-mail]>
9.12
Here is some information that might help... First of all, TechWriter Pro
will now read and write Microsoft Word files. Icon Technology had to do
this as part of their WP for the network computer. They were working on
the RTF capability when the NC work came along, so they had to do the
Word translation first, but they hope that TechWriter Pro will also have
RTF capability within about a month. Ed.
9.12
Scientific software Ö I have sent Paul a chemistry application called
WaveFunc for inclusion on the Archive monthly disc. This is a simple
application that displays graphically either wave functions, or the
square of the wave function, for the first ten vibrational levels of a
harmonic oscillator. Aávery simple demonstration of wave function
overlap is also available in this application.
9.12
As usual, this software will also be available on my Web site. ftp://
avogadro.che.hw.ac.uk/pub/
9.12
Chris Johnson <[e-mail]>
9.12
StrongARM compatibility Ö As soon as the StrongARM cards start to
appear, it would be helpful to begin to build up a compatibility
picture. Specifically, for each application, it would be helpful to know
whether the various versions (a) wonæt work at all, (b) work with minor
problems, (c) work with no problems or (d) are StrongARM aware, i.e
positively take advantage of the StrongARMæs architecture.
9.12
Would anyone be willing to collate this sort of information for Archive?
It will involve quite a lot of work but could be quite interesting.
Anyone offering to help, really needs to have Internet access. If youæd
like to help, drop me an email.
9.12
Ed <[e-mail]>
9.12
Screen Dump for ESC/P2 Printer
9.12
Francis Crossley
9.12
I use my RiscPC to receive weather facsimile broadcasts on short wave.
It is very useful to have a hard copy of some of these charts for
further study. There used to be a hardcopy module for Acorn computers
but it does not seem to work with the RiscPC series of machines and it
is tedious to have to save the screen image as a sprite and then use
Paint to print it out. Also, since the size is increased by printing,
the clarity of the image is decreased. Iátherefore decided to write my
own, originally in C, but I ran into difficulties regarding reading the
contents of screen memory. I know about pointers but this problem has me
beaten. If any reader has a solution, I would be pleased to hear from
them. Iáwrote the program instead in Assembler, although the available
speed is rather pointless with a printer!
9.12
My printer is an Epson ESC/P2, having 24 pins. For this series of
printers, there are two types of graphics printing available. These are
(a) bit image graphics, also present on all other Epson printers and (b)
raster graphics, only available on the ESC/P2 models.
9.12
Bit image graphics
9.12
To understand the work to be done by the program, imagine that the
memory containing the image is a rectangular array matching the paper on
which the image is to be placed. Now let the array be marked out in
columns 1 pixel wide and 8, 24 or 48 lines tall, depending on the number
of pins in the print head. Every 8 rows in the column is then coded into
a number to be sent to the printer. This process is repeated for every
column of pixels until the whole width has been sent to the printer.
Send a linefeed and carriage return and repeat for a set of lines 8, 24
or 48 lines further down the image. Writing this program represents
quite a lot work for the programmer, not to mention clarity of thought!
9.12
Better method Ö Raster graphics
9.12
This is a better method developed for the more modern range of printers.
In this mode, data is read from the memory in groups of 8 pixels
horizontally, coded into a byte and sent to the printer. This is
repeated until one line has been read, coded and sent. This is followed
by a linefeed and carriage return and then data for the next line. The
printer looks after driving the pins with the correct data. Note that
now, the programmer has a simpler job by making the printer do more work
Ö and why not?
9.12
Design of the program
9.12
I will start with the programming of the printer, which is the harder
part to understand, then describe how to find the starting address of
screen memory and the screen size.
9.12
To program the printer, it must be reset to ensure that it starts from a
known state Ö the reset command is ÉESC @æ. Next, it must be switched to
raster graphics mode with ÉESC ( G 1 0 1æ. At this stage, Iámust make a
comment on exactly what must be sent to the printer. ÉESCæ has the code
27, and this is the value which is sent. Then @, (, G are sent as their
ASCII codes (64, 40, 71 respectively), while 1 0 1 are sent as three
separate bytes having the values 1, 0 and 1, not their ASCII
representations. The ASCII values above are given in decimal.
9.12
We must now decide on the x (horizontal) and y (vertical) resolution. We
can have 180 dots/inch horizontally and vertically, 360 dots/inch for
both, or 360 in x and 180 in y. I use 180 dots/inch for x and y. The
line spacing unit must be set for this resolution using ÉESC ( U 1 0 20æ
(note that the last 3 figures are sent as these values)
9.12
The printer permits us to send data from 1, 8 or 24 lines between
linefeeds. I chose to send one line at a time. This is slightly slower
than using larger numbers of lines but requires less extra memory. (It
also worked!) The command needed is ÉESC + 2æ (note that the 2 is sent
as is).
9.12
Initialising the command
9.12
If n is the number of data bytes, then nl = n MOD 256 and nh = n INT
256. This means that nh is the whole number part when n is divided by
256 and nl is the remainder. Édataæ represents the n bytes to be sent
before a linefeed. These two values are only known at run time and must
therefore be stored in the appropriate memory locations which are
Écode_6+7æ and Écode_6+8æ, to be read before each line is processed.
9.12
Sending the command
9.12
Finally, sending the data is accomplished using ÉESCá. 0 20 20 1 nl nh
dataæ. This command has its parameters set for 180 dots/inch in x and y,
the data is sent in uncompressed form and there will be only one line of
pixels sent per linefeed. To obtain each data byte, eight pixels must be
combined and sent, followed by the next eight, until the whole line has
been sent. To avoid problems with remainders, the program assumes that
all screen modes have their horizontal resolutions divisible by eight.
If this is not true, the results, although predictable, will not be
pretty! It is obvious that several loops will be required in order to
produce the data, and the ÉESC .æetc command must be given before
starting each line, except for the data part. The data follows at the
end of the inner loop. The whole program, in Assembler, is on the
monthly disc but a fragment is given within the article.
9.12
Finding the screen memory and size
9.12
The start of screen memory can be found using an SWI Ö
OS_ReadVduVariables. This requires that the address of a list of code
numbers of the variables is in register R0, and the address of the list
of values is in register R1. The variable wanted has the number 149 and
the list is terminated by Ö1. The use of this SWI is explained in the
article ÉReceiving Weather Chartsæ, Archive 9.2 p25. To find the screen
width and height, another SWI is used Ö OS_ReadModeVariable . This SWI
needs 0 in R0 and 11 in R1, and calling the SWI returns the widthÖ1 in
R2. The height is found by putting 0 into R0, 12 into R1, and calling
the SWI puts the heightÖ1 in R2.
9.12
Writing to the printer
9.12
One way to send data to the printer is to open the printer as if it were
a file called Éprinter:æ. The SWI to use is OS_Find with &83 in R0 and
the address of the file name in R1. After calling the SWI, R0 contains
the file handle or, if the printer cannot be opened, 0. We must check
for this and terminate the program with an error message if the file
opening fails.
9.12
To send data to the printer, the SWI OS_GBPB is used. To write R0=2, R1
contains the file handle, R2 holds the address of the data to send, and
R3 has the number of bytes to send. Note that R4, after calling the SWI,
contains the new value of the file pointer, and this corruption must be
remembered if R4 is supposed to contain an important value.
9.12
Closing the file is simple. SWI OS_Find with R0=0 and R1=0 to close all
files on the current filing system, or R1 can hold the file handle to
close just the one file. If the program fails or is terminated with the
Esc key, the printer will probably not be closed, causing difficulties
next time you try to open it. To close it from the command line, type
Éprinter: closeæ.
9.12
The program consists of the blocks outlined above. There are a number of
points of interest which I will now describe.
9.12
Sending commands, many bytes
9.12
To make the program as general as possible, I devised a system in which
the number of bytes was part of the group of bytes stored in memory. The
SWI OS_GBPB needs to know the number of bytes to be transferred and the
start address of the bytes. An example will be helpful.
9.12
The command to enter the raster graphics mode is ÉESC ( G 1 0 1æ which
is stored as the numbers, É27,40,71,1,0,1æ. There are six values, so I
actually store, É6,27,40,71,1,0,1æ Ö I have called this Écode6æ. The
contents of the address of Écode6æ will be the number of bytes to send,
and the address of Écode6æ+1 will be the address the SWI wants. Exactly
the same coding will work for any number of bytes to be sent if the
number of bytes precedes them.
9.12
A macro could be written to simplify coding. A macro is a group of
commands which can take parameters, rather like a subroutine, and can be
referred to by name. In Assembler, a macro is expanded into the code in
the macro, unlike a subroutine.
9.12
Sending raster graphics data
9.12
The command needed at the beginning of each line is ÉESC .æetc. This
must be sent in parts Ö the preamble at the start of each line, followed
by the actual data after every byte, until the end of line is reached,
when hopefully the printer will agree that the correct number of bytes
has been sent.
9.12
Black or white
9.12
The program asks for a threshold value which serves two purposes: a) if
it is less than &80, any point on the screen whose value is less than
the threshold will appear as black on the printer. This is used for the
fax pictures which are black on white; b) if threshold is greater than
&80, any point on the screen whose value exceeds the threshold will
appear black on the printer. This would be useful if the screen is white
on black, since it is easier to read as black on white when on paper.
The code used is shown below.
9.12
mováá R2, #1ááááááá;preset the value                         ;to be
added
9.12
cmp threshold, &80
9.12
eorge R2, R2, #1ááá;invert value in R2
9.12
cmp value, threshold ;if threshold >=&80
9.12
eorgeááR2, R2, #1áá;invert R2 if value
9.12
*áááááááááááááááááá;   >= threshold
9.12
Processing the 8 pixels
9.12
The actual value of the pixel is only important relative to the
threshold. If it should be black on printing, it must be 1 when read by
the printer. To build up the byte sent to the printer, the first pixel
will be the most significant bit and the 8th will be the least
significant bit. This is achieved by adding 1 to the pixel accumulator,
which must be set to zero before the loop starts, then when the next
pixel is processed, double the accumulator and add the appropriate value
(1 or 0) for the latest pixel. This is continued until eight pixels have
been considered. The code follows:
9.12
mov R8,#0     ;set accumulator to zero
9.12
mov R6,#7     ;set counter for 8 bytes
9.12
ldr R4,threshold ; get threshold value
9.12
loop:
9.12
code shown above goes here
9.12
add R8, R2, R8, lsl #1
9.12
              ;new value=old value*2+R2
9.12
subs R6,R6,#1 ;decrement counter, set á
flags
9.12
bge loop      ;go to loop if R6 >= 0
9.12
mov R0,R8     ;byte to send
9.12
ldr R1,handle ;handle of file
9.12
SWI OS_BPut   ;send it
9.12
Sending a byte
9.12
To send one byte, SWI OS_BPut is used when R0=value-to-be-sent, and R1
contains the handle. When a line has been processed, a linefeed is
needed, and the same SWI is used with 13 in R0 and the handle in R1.
This is the code for a carriage return, and I rely upon the printer
supplying its own linefeed. If it does not, the program must send one,
i.e. R0=10, R1=handle and use SWI OS_BPut. See the last three lines in
the code fragment above for an example of sending a byte.
9.12
Testing for a keypress
9.12
I frequently want to have the ability to terminate a program early, and
to close all files cleanly. SWI OS_Byte with 145 in R0 and 0 in R1
returns with carry flag set if no key has been pressed. If a key has
been pressed, the carry flag is clear and the ASCII code of the key is
in R2, which can be checked, and action taken as appropriate.
9.12
Improvements
9.12
To obtain an image with the correct aspect ratio, it is necessary to
enlarge the image in one direction or shrink it in the other. Both
techniques tend to spoil the clarity of the image. I have not so far
developed a way of avoiding this. Although mixed resolution can be
applied by the printer, it is the wrong way round, making images longer
and thinner! Having just written that, it does occur to me that if I
turned the image from portrait to landscape, I might be able to do what
I want.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
This article has described a hardcopy program which reads the mode
variables, and prints an image of the screen, and it should work with
any legal mode. I use it only with OS 3.6. The image can be black on
white, or inverted, and the program can be stopped early if desired. The
complete program is on the monthly disc as a text file and will need to
be assembled and linked. The conventions are those of the Wingpass
Assembler Vs2.11. (Is there a later version?)
9.12
If you have any comments, please write to: Dr.áFrancis Crossley, 4
Bollin Drive, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 3SJ. If an executable version is
wanted, a formatted disc would be appreciated.áuá
9.12
Network Computer Column
9.12
Richard Bradbury
9.12
Richard has agreed to try to keep track of things on the network
computer front for us. There will obviously be cross-links with various
other columns such as: Internet (Dave Pantling), Online Media (Paul
Irwin), Operating Systems (Ian Beswick), ARM Ltd (Alex Singleton) and
Networking (Chris Johnson). All the editors of those columns are on the
net so, hopefully, theyæll keep in contact, and weæll avoid duplication!
Ed.
9.12
I recently saw a letter in the Acorn press in which the correspondent
made the point that he had never even heard of the Oracle Corporation
and Larry Ellison (its Chief Executive Officer) before the deal with
Acorn. Perhaps, then, Oracle has already reaped one reward from the NC
project Ö that of raising its own profile in the marketplace. Unless you
are involved in corporate computing, it is entirely possible that youæve
never come across what is, actually, one of the worldæs software giants,
second in size only to the inevitable Microsoft.
9.12
So what, you may well ask, does Oracle get out of this Network Computer,
particularly in light of the fact that it wonæt actually be making any
of the beasts itself? Oracleæs traditional markets are in large
corporate databases, and the servers on which they run. If the NC
concept takes off in the business world, companies are going to require
pretty hefty servers to feed the NC terminals with information, and
theyære going to want programs to run on them. Clearly, the suppliers
best positioned to provide the hardware and software stand to make a
killing, and Larry Ellison is keen that Oracle should lead where others
will follow.
9.12
Itæs funny, in a way, that with the Network Computer, the industry
appears to be turning full circle. Over the past decade, companies
across the world have been pulling the plugs on their mainframes and the
VT100 Églass teletypeæ terminals which were as ubiquitous in offices at
one time as the desktop PC is today. The trend has been away from
centralised dinosaurs and towards personal computing power on the
desktop.
9.12
Having lots of shiny PCs connected to a local area network is all very
well, of course, but when a business is shelling out to revitalise its
fleet of aging computers for the umpteenth time, with yet more memory or
the latest Pentium processor, the board of directors might wonder if
there is a better alternative.
9.12
The success of the client-server paradigm has only served to highlight
the massive over-engineering behind todayæs office PCs. A Pentium-class
multimedia PC with CD-ROM, SoundBlaster card, 24-bit graphics and Égo
fasteræ stripes may be what it takes to play Doom at home, but it smacks
of overkill when all you want to do is dash off a letter to a customer,
or turn your latest sales figures into snazzy pie charts. Ironically,
many office PCs are now relegated to running terminal emulators like DEC
Pathworks for central database access!
9.12
What the Network Computer offers businesses is a no-nonsense graphics
terminal which will run common office productivity software like word
processors, spreadsheets and the like. It will allow databases to be
browsed and updated through easy-to-use graphical interfaces and will
support communications applications like electronic mail.
9.12
To cut away the hype, the NC is an updated VT100 with nice graphics and
a mouse. But because there is now a microprocessor under the bonnet, the
power and flexibility of the NC far exceeds what was capable on a dumb,
character-based terminal. The software runs locally, but is downloaded
from the network on demand. This is basically a marriage of convenience:
the technologies behind it are not new. The clever part is assembling
the pieces to make it work.
9.12
The odd couple
9.12
The next question, then, is why a big fish like Oracle chose a small fry
like Acorn to build the prototype Network Computer. Experience of ROM-
based operating systems with modest memory requirements was quite handy.
In a product like the NC, waiting several minutes for the box to boot up
every morning is dead time, and time costs money. Acornæs high quality
graphics systems are pretty impressive too, especially the anti-aliased
font technology which makes text readable, even on low resolution
television screens. Even today, this is still way ahead of the
competition.
9.12
Acorn also has expertise in programming the ARM microprocessor, a low-
cost, low-power device with a rosy future, thanks to the StrongARM.
Early developments in set-top box technology at Online Media must also
have boosted Acornæs attractiveness. The STB was a clear demonstrator of
Acornæs ability to deliver the goods, given time and money.
9.12
The Acorn prototype NC is based around the ARM7500, previously seen in
the A7000 and the OM set-top box. This is a highly integrated chip with
memory, video and peripheral controllers, in addition to the ARM7
processor core. The ARM7500 has justifiably been termed a Émultimedia
system on a chipæ. In fact, itæs this high level of integration which
will help Acorn keep manufacturing costs down to a minimum, and stay
well below the magic $500 line. This, of course, is all thanks to those
clever chaps at ARM Limited who seem to churn out ever more complex
designs at such reasonable prices.
9.12
And, as usual, ARM hasnæt been resting on its laurels. March 31st saw
the announcement of ARMæs new road map for the next couple of years.
Aimed squarely at the fledgling NC market, the ARM7500FE adds floating
point hardware to the ARM7500 and is due to be available some time in
the autumn. Its successor, the ARM8500 will offer the same low-cost
single chip solution, but with the added power of the ARM8 processor
core. The floating point hardware is so standard that they donæt even
bother with the ÉFEæ suffix!
9.12
These new chips will be at the heart of Acornæs NC production models,
where floating point performance will prove increasingly important. They
will, at long last, enable Acorn to fight on a level playing field with
the big boys like Intel, and perhaps beat them at their own game. And
for the ultimate in computing power, just imagine what could be achieved
with the StrongARM core at the heart of a multimedia microprocessor!
9.12
The hard sell
9.12
We have already glimpsed the Acorn Network Computer in press photographs
(Archive 9.10, p.19), and it certainly looks the part. Since the
excitement surrounding the international launch of the NC specifications
in May, the provisional name NetSurfer has been quietly dropped in
favour of NetStation, the reason being that the old name could not be
developed as a global brand Ö presumably it doesnæt translate well into
foreign languages! Personally, Iáthought the prototype looked a bit
tacky, and am pleased to see the logo has been peeled off on more recent
pictures.
9.12
At the moment, Acorn has a clear technology lead, having been the first
to demonstrate a working NC prototype in May. As reported in Archive
9.11, a new company, NChannel, has been set up jointly by Acorn and one
of its founders, Hermann Hauser, with the mission of marketing the Acorn
NetStation worldwide. Key licensing deals mean that NChannel has
international distribution rights for ten years (but only until the end
of 1997 in the USA). This is a low-risk investment for Acorn, which has
a decidedly chequered history as far as marketing goes, and will
hopefully pay off if NChannel hires the right people.
9.12
In light of the potential market for the Network Computer, it seems a
little odd that Acorn will not be aiming its NC product at big business:
öAcorn will not be approaching the corporate market at this timeò.
Instead, NChannel will be targeting the consumer market, and Acorn will
have access to education through Xemplar. True, there could be a big
market in employees working from home, but why is Acorn shying away from
the juicier cherries on the corporate tree? Perhaps this is lack of
confidence in the Acorn brand, particularly when competitors like Intel
and Sun are eager to get a slice of the action.
9.12
(Thereæs an extremely interesting interview with HH on the New Zealand
IDG web site at http://www.idg.co.nz/interview/Hauser.html which gives
some of the answers to this. Iæve put a copy on the monthly disc. Ed.)
9.12
As always in the computer industry, things will become clearer with
time, as speculation gives way to hard fact. I know Iæm not the only one
eagerly awaiting the product launch this autumn. Between now and then, I
hope to look into some of the technologies which make the Network
Computer tick. And, naturally, you can rely on Archive to bring you all
the very latest news at this exciting time. If you have comments on any
of the issues Iæve discussed this month, please do not hesitate to
contact me as Richard Bradbury <[e-mail]> or through the
Archive office.áuá
9.12
JPEG Revisited
9.12
Stuart Bell
9.12
This article is written as an update to the JPEG Column series of
Archives 6.9 to 8.3, and the öJPEG in Actionò piece in 8.12, and it
outlines recent developments in the use of the JPEG image storage system
on Acorn computers.
9.12
It is commonplace to differentiate the two generations of RiscPCs by
referring to them as RiscPCs 600 and 700 respectively. While it is true
that the ARM 710 processor was the Éheadlineæ development when the
second generation RiscPC was announced, it is arguable that the other
changes were just as noteworthy and, in any case, either processor is
currently available. Apart from improvements to the sound capabilities,
the second tranche of machines brought RISC OS 3.6. In addition to many
applications being restored to ROM (Draw, Paint, etc) and the addition
of ATAPI CD ROM drivers, this latest version of the operating system saw
the introduction of built-in support for JPEG files.
9.12
ChangeFSI
9.12
Originally, the ChangeFSI utility only allowed JPEG compression and
decompression via the command line interface (i.e. you had to hit <f12>
and then type in a string of Écomputereseæ), but later versions of the
utility handle JPEG files as simply as it does sprites. In addition to
increasing the ease of use, the additional functionality of ChangeFSI
with regard to JPEG files has meant that many other applications now
routinely call it to perform file compression and decompression for
them. Thus, there is no need to Ére-invent the wheelæ each time JPEG
conversion is required. This improved capability is not limited to those
with RISC OS 3.6, although users of machines without 16 or 24-bit colour
displays will find that such files canæt be displayed using ChangeFSI.
9.12
Draw
9.12
A notable development with the arrival of RISC OS 3.6 was that Draw
would handle JPEG files without them needing to be converted to a sprite
first. However, Draw doesnæt convert the file at all, but rather renders
it on the screen as it is displayed. That is, it converts it Éon the
flyæ, and doesnæt actually store the converted image in memory. Thus, if
the image window is moved, it has to be re-rendered again. With
ChangeFSI or similar JPEG de-compression utilities, this would have
taken many seconds for a typical image, and this would have made the
facility quite unusable. However, what the software people at Acorn
managed to do with RISC OS 3.6 was to write routines which render JPEG
files so quickly that the whole process takes typically two seconds for
a 768á╫á512 pixel JPEG. It really is quite amazing! (And thatæs before
StrongARM! Ed.)
9.12
Whereas, within Draw, you donæt need to be able to alter a bit-map
image, thatæs the whole purpose of Paint, so in that application, if a
JPEG file is loaded by dragging it to Paintæs iconbar icon, the file is
converted into sprite format. Again, the time is only a couple of
seconds, depending on the number of colours being displayed.
9.12
In short, RISC OS 3.6 for the first time makes JPEG file handling almost
as easy as it is for sprites, with the massive saving in disc space
which JPEG offers.
9.12
SpriteExtend
9.12
The key to Drawæs new-found functionality is a routine added to RISC OS
3.6 and located in ROM, and called SpriteExtend. It is this module which
renders JPEG files on the fly, and which has so far restricted the
facility to users of the latest version of the operating system.
However, the presence of that module made possible the writing of
applications which would allow the very rapid display of JPEG files
without the need to load them into Draw each time. The classic example
of this is:
9.12
SwiftJPEG
9.12
The application is the answer to those who, like me, wanted the new-
found speed of Draw at rendering JPEG files to be available for the
quick display of such files without having to load them into Draw or
Paint. The consequence is the display of JPEG files in two or three
seconds rather than the twenty or more which the fastest JPEG
applications take. At its simplest, SwiftJPEG can be thought of as a
very neat front end to the SpriteExtend module, allowing JPEG files to
be dragged to SwiftJPEGæs icon, and displayed very quickly indeed. But
the author, Andrew Hodgkinson, has added much more functionality to
SwiftJPEG, offering all sorts of user-selected display options,
including a slide-show facility.
9.12
For users of RISC OS 3.6, SwiftJPEG is a quite remarkable piece of
software. However, because it is dependent on the SpriteExtend module,
it could not, until recently, be used on any earlier machine. Various
users had Éunofficiallyæ found the module in question which had appeared
by accident on the Acorn Éftpæ (File Transfer Protocol) site, and had
downloaded it in breach of copyright so that they could use SwiftJPEG on
earlier RiscPCs. However, Andrewæs attempts to persuade Acorn to allow
him legitimately to distribute the module with SwiftJPEG met with no
success.
9.12
Acorn support
9.12
That is, until Tim Caspell at ART learned of the desire of many members
of the Acorn community who use the Internet, to obtain legal copies of
SpriteExtend for use with RISC OS 3.5. After an email or two from me and
a little negotiation, within a few days, SpriteExtend appeared
officially on the Acorn ftp site, and may be downloaded from there.
9.12
One further warning: the module has not been fully tested for use with
RISC OS 3.5, and is used at your own risk (no pun intended). Also, it
must not be distributed between users. If you want a copy to use with
SwiftJPEG, you have to download it yourself, but itæs well worth doing
if you can get Internet access. Thank you, Mr Caspell.
9.12
SwiftJPEG manual
9.12
Unlike so much shareware, SwiftJPEG is extremely well documented.
Initially, this was as a text file and also as an Impression Junior
document. (Junior was given away on the first Acorn User CD-ROM.) Soon,
however, Andrew recognised the value of documentation using the ÉHTMLæ
mark-up language as used for pages on the World Wide Web. The major
advantage is that words can be marked with Éhot linksæ to other pages,
so that, for example, clicking over ÉJPEGæ can load a page which
explains what that term means. After being a little dubious, Iáwas soon
converted to this approach, and when Andrew agreed that I could put
SwiftJPEG on the Archive monthly disc, I realised that it ought to be
accompanied by the HTML manual. In turn, this meant that an HTML reader
would need to be part of the Épackageæ.
9.12
Pathway
9.12
An obvious candidate was Webster, a PD application written by Andrew
Pullan. He readily agreed to my request for permission to include
Webster, but then offered a new application, Pathway, written
specifically for off-line displaying of HTML pages, and hence smaller
than applications which are used online to access pages on the web. Itæs
very elegant and compact. So, with sincere thanks to Andrew and Neutral
Net Design, holders of the copyright to PathWay, as that too is on the
monthly disc.
9.12
Hence, there are two major applications for this monthæs disc. First is
SwiftJPEG, the JPEG file display application. Its manual, in HTML
format, is in the Émanualæ directory within the application. Second is
Pathway, which enables you to read the manual. Load Pathway onto the
iconbar, and drag to it the CONTNT_HTML file from the manual directory.
9.12
Sadly for users of older machines, SpriteExtend uses Dynamic Areas in
memory, and so it and SwiftJPEG are therefore not usable on machines
other than RiscPCs.
9.12
Other developments
9.12
Iæve been using The Big Picture from Longman for several months, and
find it an excellent and highly intuitive bit-map editing package. It
doesnæt have all the Ébells and whistlesæ of the top-end applications,
but it doesnæt have their price, either. Significantly, whilst it will
import and export a wide range of image formats using the Éliteæ version
of ImageFS which comes with it, JPEG files are supported as a major
option alongside sprites and the top level of the user interface. Iæm
completing a major project using about 350 scanned images variously
touched up, enhanced, colour-corrected and titled using The Big Picture
and JPEG files, and Iæm very impressed.
9.12
Thatæs all my JPEG news for now. The arrival of the StrongARM processor
upgrade in September should, by its sheer power and speed of conversion,
open another chapter in the use of JPEG file storage on Acorn machines.
I hope to report the reality of that in the not too distant future!
9.12
Finally, thanks again to Andrew Hodgkinson, Andrew Pullan, and Tim
Caspell at ART, without whom this article would not have been
possible.áuá
9.12
3M Precise Mousing Surface
9.12
Tony Houghton
9.12
In my quest for the perfect mouse and mat, I heard of 3Mæs Precise
Mousing Surface, claimed to be the first mouse mat designed to enhance
performance, and so I decided to give it a try. They turned out to be
rather elusive, so I made a deal with Paul that if he could get me one,
I would review it for him. He managed to track it down, so here is my
part of the bargain.
9.12
First impressions
9.12
I was a little disappointed at the size of the mat: only about 20cm by
18cm at its widest points. However, the matæs good points make it worth
getting used to making smaller movements with the mouse, even if it
means increasing the mouse speed configuration.
9.12
The whole thing is less than 2mm high and it has a curved front edge, so
you have nothing digging into the heel of your hand. Another advantage
of the low profile is that if you do run out of space on the mat, the
mouse can carry on working on the desk. The overall shape is quite curvy
and looks slightly asymmetric, but that has not turned out to be a
problem for my left-handedness.
9.12
The mat is made of two layers, the bottom being of a very soft and
sticky compound, so there is no way it will slide around the desk. This
is a good point, because I recently made the mistake of polishing my
desk, and even the foam rubber backing of more common mouse mats can
slip if Iæm not careful. The top layer consists of millions of
microscopic pyramids designed to grip the mouse ball as well as possible
without causing too much drag overall.
9.12
It claims to keep the mouse clean, but thatæs what they all say.
However, there may be some truth in it this time, because your hand
tends to make less contact than with thick, rectangular mats. On the
other hand, the rough surface might make it more difficult to clean, and
the pattern makes dirt hard to spot.
9.12
In use
9.12
The mat lives up to expectations very well. Itæs comfortable, and the
mouse moves very smoothly with a reassuring feeling of feedback that the
ball is rotating. Iæve tried it with a number of different mice, but
mainly with the Logitech-built RiscPC mouse. There is little to choose
between using the light mouse ball supplied and the heavier type of ball
you can buy separately. The light one deposits far less dirt on the
mouseæs internal rollers, but is more prone to skidding; the 3M surface
makes this rare though. Another disadvantage of the heavy ball is that
if you sweep the mouse very rapidly from left to right or top to bottom,
the ball somehow gets wedged against the inside of the mouse and stops
moving.
9.12
I also tried a Clares mouse, but it felt far less positive than the
Logitech one. This is probably nothing to do with the mat, but because
that particular mouse has had a long, hard life. I even tried a
Microsoft mouse that I rescued from some junk. Its Éfeelæ on the mat is
the best of the mice Iæve tried, probably due to its extra large ball,
but I canæt use it regularly. The lack of a middle button and the fact
that I need my only serial port for my modem are the main factors, but
there is also the problem that using a serial interface for mice is a
typical PC bodge that doesnæt work very well; the pointer tends to move
in jerks, due to the quantisation effect of the serial interface.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
I prefer this mat to any other Iæve tried. Itæs considerably more
expensive than most ordinary mats, but I think itæs worth every penny.
Its sophisticated design alone makes it good value, but more
importantly, the design features are not just design for designæs sake;
they serve to make the 3M Precise Mousing Surface more effective and
ergonomic than any other mouse mat.
9.12
It is now available through Archive for ú10 inc VAT and carriage.áuá
9.12
I thought Iæd try one myself, but when I found they were in sealed
packs, I decided not to risk wasting ú10 if Iádidnæt like it. Then I
read Tonyæs review and decided that maybe I should try one. Iæm glad I
did Ö itæs certainly staying on my desk! The best thing for me is the
way the mouse just glides effortlessly across the surface. My mouse is
one of the old-fashioned wedge-shaped Logitech mice (I prefer it to
these modern RiscPC mice!) and it works beautifully with the PMS mat.
9.12
At first I thought I wasnæt going to like it because it was a bit
sweaty! The cloth mat I used to use tends to absorb the sweat but, of
course, that means that the mat discolours, the glue degrades, and the
cloth lifts off in due course, so I probably go through a mat a year Ö
thereæs nothing to degrade on the PMS as far as I can see.
9.12
Also, it looks to me as if Iæm going to find it more restful than the
rectangular cloth-top mat, simply because I find I rest more weight on
the heel of my hand, and move the mouse with finger-tip pressure. Itæll
be interesting to see if I avoid the mousing elbow which I seem to get
from time to time Ö like tennis elbow, but I donæt play tennis!
9.12
The small size of the mat isnæt a problem because Iágenerally keep the
heel of my hand still and, as Tony says, you can easily go over the edge
of the mat on the odd occasion that you want to go from extreme to
extreme of the screen. The shape of the mat has obviously been designed
with this in mind, because itæs longer in the directions in which my
fingers can push the mouse further. However, to get this right, I did
find that I have to position the mat with the writing across the bottom
of the mat at about 30░ to the edge of the table.
9.12
The Precise Mousing Surface (what a pretentious title!!) is a winner as
far as Iæm concerned, and Iæve even taken one to use on my machine at
home! Thanks, Tony, for finding this excellent new product.
9.12
I tell you what, in case you think this is all just sales hype, Iæll
give an unconditional money-back guarantee. If you buy one and donæt
like it, send it back and Iæll refund your ú10, even though the pack is
then unsealed! Ed.áuá
9.12
Comment Column
9.12
Acorn news items Ö Here are a number of brief news items that you may
find interesting. If more information becomes available, weæll keep you
up-to-date.
9.12
OEM magazine place Acorn in top 20 of all OEM manufacturers Ö OEM, a US
monthly magazine for OEM  manufacturers, has published a (long) article
about the top 100 OEM manufacturers in the world, and has identified the
key 20 öConvergence OEMsò as being: Acer, Apple, Cisco, Compaq, DEC,
Fujitsu, General DataComm, HP, Intel, Matsushita, M$, NEC, Netscape,
Newbridge Networks, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Sun, Thompson Consumer
Electronics, and Acorn.
9.12
Olivetti reduce shareholding Ö Olivetti have reduced their shareholding
in Acorn to 31.2% (selling 14.7%). This fits with Acornæs stated
intention of broadening its shareholder base and allows Olivetti to meet
the targets for their asset disposal programme. (This is what accounts
for Acornæs recent share price drop. Ed.)
9.12
ART has Wild Vision for the future Ö ART has acquired Wild Vision from
Computer Concepts. The exclusive two year contract, encompasses Wild
Visionæs top designer, intellectual property rights and the rights to
Wild Vision products.
9.12
Acorn Online Mediaæs set top box offers ATM over Westell ADSL interface
Ö Interactive Television takes another step forward thanks to Acorn
Online Mediaæs latest development with their second generation
interactive set top box (STB2). Acorn Online Media has joined forces
with Westell to develop an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL)
network solution for the STB2.
9.12
Acorn Network Computing Ö The work for Oracle continues apace, and ANC
have been recruiting people to ensure that the project deadlines are
met. Many prototypes have been delivered to plan, the reference design 1
is nearing completion for delivery to manufacturing sites, and Oracle
are busy signing up licensees.
9.12
StrongARM Ö ART update Ö As you know, Acorn offered StrongARM upgrades
to the Acorn community on a first-come first-served basis and, as a
result of this, have thousands of orders (with ú50 deposits) for the
product which is to be shipped in September. StrongARM is certainly
being very well received by the market, and Xemplar have also announced
that they will be selling a StrongARM Risc PC in January.
9.12
Two new customers of ART are:
9.12
CueMaster Ö a professional teleprompter for use on Acorn RISC computers:
öCueMaster can be used to drive a Émirror deviceæ, or an Éon-camera
unitæ displaying the text on a one-way-mirror, so that the speaker can
look straight into the camera when reading the text.ò
9.12
Raytheon Corporation Ö ART have signed an agreement with Raytheon
Corporation to participate in the development of a next generation,
RISC-based, product range. (A tantalising bit of news!! Ed.)
9.12
Ed <[e-mail]>
9.12
Circle in perspective Ö I am sorry, but Iádonæt see the point of John
Mitchellæs article (Archive 9.11 p 22). If a circle in perspective is
not an ellipse Ö what is it? Johnæs diagram shows a rather Ébottom
heavyæ shape, but that is only because he has drawn it freehand, with
inevitable loss of accuracy. The shape you require, surely, is an
ellipse, produced by conical projection, as Iáhope I can demonstrate.
9.12
Start by drawing Johnæs isosceles trapezium representing a square in
perspective, ABCD in my diagram. Now draw a rectangle EFGH whose height
equals that of the trapezium, and whose width is the geometric mean of
the horizontal sides of the trapezium Ö that is EFîAB = DCîEF. You can
calculate EF, or, for this exercise, you can cheat by choosing a
trapezium which gives a convenient size for the rectangle!
9.12
Now inscribe an ellipse in the rectangle. !Draw will do this
automatically much more accurately than you can freehand Ö click on the
centre and one corner of the rectangle. Hey Presto! The ellipse touches
the four sides of the trapezium, and is the perspective view of a circle
inscribed in the square. You can now, if you wish, complete the
perspective octagon, as described in Johnæs article and shown in my
diagram. The fraction 0.41 in Johnæs diagram is, more accurately, ┌2Ö1,
i.e.á0.4142. If you draw the diagram on a full sheet of A4, the
discrepancy of 0.0042 is definitely visible. If you draw it carefully,
all the sides will be tangents to the ellipse.
9.12
This, however, is only half the story! Any group of horizontal parallel
lines converges in artistic perspective to a vanishing point on the
horizon. A square therefore exhibits two vanishing points, not one, and
the drawing is generally not symmetrical. John has shown a special case,
in which the square is viewed square-on to one of its sides, and one of
the vanishing points has vanished!
9.12
A more general example is shown in my second diagram. The square (shown
bold) has become an irregular quadrilateral, and the 0.41 intercepts no
longer apply. The lines parallel to the sides of the square meet at two
vanishing points on the horizon. The other sides of the octagon meet the
diagonals of the square at two more vanishing points, one of which is
far to the right and is not shown. This diagram must be drawn very
carefully to show the guide lines intersecting in all the expected
points, and the eight lines tangential to the ellipse. YesáÖáit is an
accurate ellipse!
9.12
Draughtsmen who read Archive may wonder what this is all about. Why have
parallel lines become convergent? Engineering drawings in perspective
use isometric projection Ö parallel, not conical Ö and a grid is
provided by Draw. My simple example of a block composed of cubes shows
that a cube in perspective is symmetrical (three ways) and parallel
lines remain parallel. Lines parallel to the three axes retain their
correct scale length (but lines in other directions do not).
9.12
Looking at this diagram, you might be deceived into thinking that the
far end of the block is bigger than the near end. It is an optical
illusion Ö but it is for precisely this reason that artists use
convergent lines. An object in the background is drawn smaller than a
similar object in the foreground. For the engineer it is more important
that parallel lines on the object be parallel in the drawing, and, where
possible, lines be the correct scale lengths. He doesnæt have a
background to worry about!
9.12
A bonus for Puzzle Corner addicts. Given a symmetrical trapezium (e.g.
ABCD in the first diagram), can you find a simple geometrical
construction for the length GH of the required rectangle, without
measurement and calculation?
9.12
And finally Ö an enigma (if Paul has room to print the drawing) Ö can
you explain these steps which lead nowhere? Every brick is correctly
drawn in isometric projection, but the result is clearly nonsense.
9.12
Colin Singleton, Sheffield
9.12
Copyright Ö Further to Nigel Caplanæs comments öShakespeare and Siliconæ
(9.11 p27), it is worth pointing out that the copyright period is no
longer 50 years but 70 years, with effect from 1/1/96. This is part of
the Éharmonisationæ of the laws of the member states within the EU.
9.12
Michael Wright, Teignmouth
9.12
EZ135 drives Ö The IDE version of the EZ135 arrived last week. The
fitting did not take long. Since I have an early RiscPC, there is quite
a lot of cutting of the case to do to open up the 5╝ö slot. Iáfind a
number of gentle scribes with a sharp craft knife soon does the job.
9.12
Since I have the Acorn IDE fully populated with the standard HD and an
Eesox 8╫ CD-ROM drive, the SyQuest was being attached to a Rapide32
interface. The mechanics were soon completed. The SyQuest was installed
as Éslaveæ to the Quantum 850Mb drive already fitted. Here was the first
problem. I spent the next couple of hours assembling and disassembling
the computer, and modifying the !boot sequence, since the machine would
not boot with the SyQuest fitted, but just hung as soon as the boot
sequence tried to access the Quantum.
9.12
I have since found that the only way to get my system to work is to make
the SyQuest the master and the Quantum the slave. With this arrangement,
everything seems to work correctly. Is this a problem with the Quantum
drive not recognising the SyQuest, or is it the Rapide32 interface?
9.12
(The NCS engineers reckon that itæs simply that IDE is not a terribly
standard Éstandardæ. In our experience, with all sorts of different
pairings of drives, you just have to suck it and see Ö try each in turn
as master/slave and see if it works! Ed.)
9.12
There have been a number of comments in PC magazines, that the faster
device should always be the master on the bus, or performance will
suffer. However, I rechecked the speed of the Quantum, using the simple
tester supplied with the Rapide32 interface, and the results were
essentially identical to those obtained when it was the only drive
attached.
9.12
Since then I have fitted an external SCSI SyQuest EZ135 to my machine at
work, via a Cumana SCSI2 interface. This was a real doddle, and it
immediately recognised media initialised on the IDE interface at home.
9.12
I thought I would do some comparisons between the two systems. Both
RiscPCs are the same early 30MHz ARM 610 versions. SyQuestæs own figures
for the two drives (not surprisingly) are identical, with a burst rate
of 4Mb/s, and 2.4Mb/s sustained, and an average access time of 13.5ms. I
used the same cartridge for the tests (the testing application has to be
on the drive it is testing), so there are no differences due to reading
and writing to different parts of the drive. What were the results?
9.12
Using the Rapide32 interface, the test routines came up with speeds of
1.1 Ö 1.4Mb/s, and on the Cumana SCSI2 interface, the corresponding
speed values were 1.5 Ö 1.6Mb/s. Both cards are in a DMA slot, so are
using the faster access. Whether the differences between the two types
of interface mean anything, Iádo not know. However, what can be said is
that the speed of the SyQuest compares very favourably with the speed of
the standard Risc PC IDE interface and 420Mb drive, which tests at 1.4 Ö
1.6Mb/s (see my other figures in Archive 9.10 p35).
9.12
In use, the Cumana interface deals with the removable media type device
better, since there is an Éejectæ option on the iconbar menu, which
actually causes the disc to spin down, and the release lever operates.
The name under the icon changes to SCSI X, depending on what drive
number the SyQuest is configured to. The Rapide32 does not allow this Ö
the disc must be dismounted and then spun down using the manual button
on the front of the SyQuest.
9.12
In my limited use so far, I have been impressed with the performance of
the EZ135.
9.12
Chris Johnson <[e-mail]>
9.12
Inkjet refills Ö I have recently read in more than one magazine (not
Archive) that BubbleJet printer manufacturers have said that, under no
conditions, should you use refills in their printers, because you will
get all sorts of problems.
9.12
My BJC-600e was purchased last year, round about November, and I use it
mainly to produce a monthly Norfolk Chess magazine. A conservative
estimate of the number of pages I have printed is at least 10,000 (yes,
ten thousand).
9.12
When producing my 75 magazines, which are seven A4 pages fully printed
on both sides, all printed with no photocopying, the printer runs for up
to three whole days, twenty four hours a day. I even get up in the
middle of the night to replenish the paper!
9.12
Now to the point. I have never purchased a new cartridge for it, ever
since day one, I have used refills which I find easy and quick to do,
and although Iáthink the black may not be quite as black as an original,
you can see from this letter that it is perfectly acceptable. (Yes, it
was fine! Ed.)
9.12
The other point is that, if I had to buy new cartridges all the time,
there is no way I could afford to produce my magazine in full colour as
I do; I would have to resort to photocopying.
9.12
When they say öDonæt use refillsò, it makes me really angry, but then,
öThey would say that wouldnæt they?ò
9.12
John Charman, Fakenham
9.12
iSVæs good service Ö I read the review of DrawWorks 2 in the last
Archive, and was impressed. On Tuesday I rang iSV to place an order, and
was a little disappointed to get an answer machine. However, within 2
hours, I had a return call from them and they were offering to send a
copy out that day, even without taking my credit card details.
9.12
The following day, the program arrived and, within minutes, I was using
it. At this point, I must agree wholeheartedly with your reviewer. It is
a superb little program that any Draw user should buy forthwith.
9.12
I rang iSV again on the Wednesday because I had a problem. Again, it was
the answer machine, but again, within hours, I got a return call. The
net result was... no problem apart from my lack of understanding.
9.12
This company should be congratulated on the way they operate, and be
wished well for the future. No wonder the Acorn community is so nice to
be associated with, in these days of horror stories in other areas!
9.12
P.S. I have had excellent service from NCS too over the years.
9.12
Steve Harratt <[e-mail]>
9.12
NCs versus PCs? Ö Iæm sorry to admit that this article is written on a
Pentium 120 running Windows95. I Édefectedæ about six months ago, and
although I donæt regret it, I wouldnæt be surprised if my next machine
is a StrongARM / RiscPC / Acorn. The two things which, for me, are
amazingly good about using Windows95 are (1) the online help / wizards /
automatic setup for beginners and (2) the fact that you are joining a
community of tens of millions of users. The two worst things are that
(1) underneath the cuddly exterior Windows95 is very, very messy and (2)
it all runs on very expensive (and not terribly fast) Intel processors.
9.12
People talk of Java and NCs as though they are knights in shining armour
who will rescue us from the dominance of the Windows/Intel monopoly.
However, if Microsoft were in charge, why did they come up with a hybrid
16/32 bit operating system like Windows95 rather than shifting everyone
to Windows NT? The reason is that the real dictators are the 50+ million
Windows users who would have just refused to upgrade because it would
mean throwing away all their 16 bit applications. I believe it is
ludicrous to think that all these same users are going to see StrongARM
powered NCs and then junk their commitment to Windows.
9.12
How are NCs going to replace PCs? According to the NC pundits, the speed
of communications is going to increase exponentially until you can load
applications as fast off the net as you can currently from a local hard
drive. The problem is that the speed and size of hard drives are also
increasing exponentially, as is the size of applications and the amount
of memory in the average PC. Therefore, I think that the people who
currently use PCs will continue to demand more power than NCs can
provide. NCs will be for consumers who canæt be bothered to learn how to
use Éproperæ computers. Sure, large corporations may buy a pack of NCs
and a big file server Ö if only to stop their employees from introducing
viruses onto their networks Ö but the people in small businesses and at
home will still need stand-alone PCs.
9.12
The problem with Windows95 machines is that they use a lot of resources
being superficially friendly to the user. There are wizards and
automated help, and tips, and plug æn play, which all made it easy for
me, even though I didnæt know a WIN.INI file from an AUTOEXEC.BAT.
However, once you have got everything working you really donæt need all
this help Ö it would be nicer if the machine ran faster and used less
memory. Worse still, if you get beyond the friendly layer, and want to
do things like get rid of the RAM drive, or a badly behaved piece of
shareware installed, then you can get into real trouble.
9.12
So why will my next machine be an Acorn? Windows machinesæ strength (and
failing) is that they are designed to be used by office staff who
require integration and reliability but who donæt often tinker with the
software. Try comparing Acorn office software capabilities with those of
(say) Microsoft Office Professional and I guarantee you will be stunned.
However, I am not an office worker. I want my computer to run
unreasonably fast (I donæt want to see the hour-glass at all!). I
delight in the power and flexibility of Impression and Artworks (I would
love to see them running on a StrongARM machine!). I am quite prepared
to do a little programming and fiddle with my machine until all is
running perfectly. In short, I suppose, Iæm an enthusiast.
9.12
I donæt actually believe that Acorn will convince all (or even a
significant proportion) of the Windows users to use ARM machines. What
they can do, however, is produce high-end performance at mid-range
prices. As long as there is sufficient software of the calibre of
Impression and Artworks, StrongARM machines are going to eat Pentiums
(and even Pentium Proæs) for breakfast. I for one am impressed with the
new direction that Acorn have taken and Iáhope they continue to produce
exciting machines.
9.12
Cain Hunt <[e-mail]>
9.12
Patterns, HTML and CD-ROMs Ö One of my hobbies, some would say
obsession, is that of tiling patterns (see the puzzle on tiling in Colin
Singletonæs corner, 9.10 p62). By such a pattern, Iámean filling the
plane with polygons according to some rule. The topic is a curious
mixture of mathematics, art, graphics and computing. It all started when
I realised that, on my old A310 without a hard disc, trying to compute
and store Mandelbrot or other fractal patterns was too difficult in both
time and storage space. In contrast, my patterns are generated quickly
from a text file description which only require hundreds of bytes of
storage.
9.12
My main program takes a description of the edges of each polygon and how
the edges fit together, and draws the pattern on the screen. The best
way to produce high quality images is by writing a drawfile, which turns
out to be very easy. Of course, the program draws the polygons in colour
which produces beautiful results Ö the samples here are in black and
white but the monthly disc contains some in colour.
9.12
Producing a publication of this material is rather difficult. I have
around 3,000 patterns, and even a selection of 300 would hardly do the
topic justice. Unfortunately, even the idea of 300 colour plates gets a
quick refusal from book publishers. Hence the CD¡ROM is the ideal
medium.
9.12
CD-ROMs are recorded at the hardware level according to an ISO standard
which implies that any computer that can read CDs at all, can read any
CD written to this standard. Hence, it is possible to produce a CD which
will work with Windows, the Apple Mac or any RISCáOS computer (of
course). Obtaining files off a CD is one thing, but presenting the
material it contains, in a usable fashion, is another. The solution is
HTML.
9.12
HTML is the standard used by the World Wide Web and is therefore
platform independent. It allows text and graphical information to be
displayed. The user can navigate their way through the information
provided by means of hypertext links (and that just means clicking on an
item to select it, which causes the HTML window to change to the
requested item).
9.12
For my application, recording HTML on a CD¡ROM seems the ideal solution.
However, one difficulty arises. HTML uses either file addresses, or the
addresses of objects located via the Internet. In my case, the Internet
is not relevant. (Indeed, my home computer has no such connection, but
HTML is very useful without!) Hence I need to use file addresses, but
these addresses are system dependent Ö the same CD is addressed
differently by RISC-OS and Windows on a RiscPC (say). The easy way round
this is simply to duplicate the textual information. This duplication
can be done automatically, and need not result in a significant loss of
space, since the largest percentage of the storage is for graphics in
JPEG or GIF format.
9.12
The cost of CD writing devices and the relative cheapness of reproducing
CDs implies that home publishing is now relatively straightforward.
Using HTML provides the means of delivering large quantities of data to
anybody with a fully-equipped PC.
9.12
Brian Wichmann, Woking
9.12
PC Exchange Ö I recently purchased Acornæs PC Exchange. I have found it
to be very useful for converting across the platforms, particularly as
the formatting of ASCII files tends to be preserved. Iáhave found this
very helpful when converting files from the Lion PC Bible Handbook for
use with ExpLANæs HolyBible. However, it may be worth pointing out to
other readers, that PC Exchange is no use for DOS programs.
9.12
Now this may be obvious to most people, but I had naively assumed that
PC Exchange would enable me to convert all PC text files, which would
have been wonderful with a DOS program such as WorshipMaster. I wonder
if anyone is working on a DOS equivalent of PC-Exchange? In the
meantime, ifáyou are thinking of purchasing PC-Exchange, please be aware
that this is a ÉWindows onlyæ piece of software.
9.12
Colin Randall <[e-mail]>
9.12
StrongARM Support from CC Ö öComputer Concepts, developer of some of the
most popular titles for the Acorn range of computers, has announced that
is working on StrongARM versions of its main titles.
9.12
öCC has been working in co-operation with ARTæs technical staff and is
now aiming to have StrongARM versions of the Impression family of
products, ArtWorks and the TurboDriver printer drivers, ready in plenty
of time for this yearæs Acorn World Show at Olympia 2, where CC will be
exhibiting.
9.12
öCharles Moir, CCæs Managing Director, is notoriously concerned (sic)
with squeezing the maximum performance from software, and expects CCæs
traditional customers to be impressed with the StrongARM upgrades: ÉWe
are excited about the dramatic improvements in performance that we
expect to obtain from our software running under StrongARMæ, said
Charles. ÉTests on the ArtWorks Renderer suggest a five to six fold
increase in performance, and since speed is still often the limiting
factor when creating graphics on a computer, this will be a real bonus.æ
9.12
öDetails on how to obtain upgrades from CC will be announced in the next
few weeks.
9.12
öFor more information, contact Kate Moir at Computer Concepts on 01442-
351000, fax 01442¡350010 or email [e-mail]. Details on the
company and all products can be found at http://www.cconcepts.co.uk/ò
9.12
David Matthewman <[e-mail]>
9.12
StrongARM tactics? Ö Iæd like to offer a comment in response to Nigel
Caplanæs item in the Comment Column in Archive 9.11 p28.
9.12
Firstly, in reply to Nigelæs statement that he had never heard of Oracle
or Larry Ellison until the deal with Acorn, Oracle are the worldæs
largest database company, bar none!! Their database (also called Oracle)
runs on just about everything with a CPU: Digitalæs VAX and Alpha-AXP
platforms; Unix; DOS/Windows. Iæm a freelance computer programmer, and
if I had experience of using Oracle, I could virtually name my fee!!
Digital even sold their own relational database product, RDB/VMS to
Oracle a few years ago. If members of the Acorn fraternity show such a
lack of knowledge of the Érealæ world of computing, they will do nothing
to improve the Éstreet credæ of Acorn or its user-base. This would be a
shame because, in my professional opinion, the only computer company
whose products come even close to Acornæs, in terms of functionality,
usefulness and overall quality, is the aforementioned Digital Equipment
Corporation (and theyæve been on a downward slope for the last six
years).
9.12
Secondly, I think that both Nigel and our illustrious editor have missed
the point about Bill Gates. What he thinks of (or rather, says about)
the Network Computer concept, at the present stage of the game, is
neither here nor there. You need to look at the past record of Gates/
Microsoft to see where the reality lies. There are plenty of instances
of products which Gates pooh-poohed when they started out... and then
bought lock, stock and barrel when they became money-earners. He has a
record of building his companyæs product base by merger/acquisition.
Indeed, I wonder exactly how many products Microsoft has actually
designed and built from scratch? FoxPro was acquired from the company of
the same name, Windows NT was mostly the work of the man who designed
VMS for Digital, and even MS-DOS was originally an acquisition from
another company and was jointly developed by IBM.
9.12
Acorn should take note of this point and beware: if the Network Computer
really does take off, and if Acorn should turn out to be the major
player in the game, then it can expect to be the subject of a hostile
takeover bid by Microsoft. If it wants to avoid this possibility, then
it ought to be planning its countermeasures right now. Make no mistake,
if Microsoft did take over Acorn, it would immediately stamp its own
mark (i.e. of McDonalds-like marketing and MFI-like quality) on every
product which Acorn produced. RISC OS would become Windows 99 (or
whatever), and would be turned into a Windows lookalike with Microsoft
trademarks all over it. Acorn-oriented 3rd parties would suddenly be
thrown into the shark-pool with the other Éindustry standardæ
developers. Worst of all, the mutual help which so characterises the
Acorn world, and on which you have commented so positively in the past,
would evaporate almost overnight.
9.12
David Hazel <[e-mail]>
9.12
TechWriter review Ö Some while ago, Iásent TechWriter Pro and EasiWriter
to someone for review. I cannot find a record of who it was and
Iáhavenæt had the review through. Could the reviewer contact me, please?
Thanks.
9.12
Ed. <[e-mail]>
9.12
Welcome banner customisation Ö Iánoted the comment last month, 9.11 p24,
of someone pretending that RISC OS 3.6 was in fact a beta-test of
Windows 97, having revamped the banner. I thought that readers might be
interested in customising the welcome banner for their own uses.
9.12
WelcomeA (on the monthly disc), by Cy Booker, will take any sprite as
input, and will output a relocatable module. If this is loaded before
the desktop starts, it will kill off the standard RISC OS 3 welcome
banner, and replace it with the sprite you have supplied it with. It can
even do an attractive animation with it (attractive, that is, on a
RiscPC, otherwise itæs ponderously slow).
9.12
The module is actually produced by running an Obey file called !Compile.
This can easily be customised in a text editor, such as Edit, and allows
you to specify the pathnames of the source sprite and module output, the
number of frames in the animation (just one frame gives no animation),
buffering to remove flicker, and the amount of memory the program will
use when compiling.
9.12
I can see this as being rather useful to schools (and companies) who
would like to see their school crest (or company logo) on screen as
their computers start up, bolstering the Écorporate identity/imageæ, not
to mention people who might want to try to fool PC users into thinking
RISC OS is the next Windows!
9.12
However, there was a snag. When I attempted to compile a module using
the nicely textured banner shown below, with its dithered crest, I found
it necessary to abandon those two particular design features because the
resulting banner always became slightly corrupted, usually at the
bottom. I have not yet been able to track down the fault, or whether or
not it is actually connected. (Having said that, it doesnæt happen with
the Windows sprite texture. Read the !Help file inside !WelcomeA for
more details.áuá
9.12
Sudipta Sarkar, Birkenhead
9.12
Puzzle Corner
9.12
Colin Singleton
9.12
Some readers clearly detest polyominoes and their ilk, whilst others
tackled the noniamonds with relish. Aáfew, confusingly, appear to belong
to both camps at once! That puzzle is now closed Ö sorry for the lack of
warning. This monthæs puzzles also have a geometric look to them Ö but
appearances can be deceptive!
9.12
The latest winner ...
9.12
(71Ö73) Ninety-nine Ö Multiple Primes Ö 1000000! Again
9.12
Several readers solved all these puzzles, and the prize goes to Geoffrey
Brown of Hermitage (Nr Newbury). Geoffrey did not offer the longest
calculation of 1000000! Ö that distinction goes to Clive Semmens who
calculated the first 23477 digits! Definitely not a quickie.
Unfortunately, a small gremlin crept into Stirlingæs Formula, published
last month Ö it should be n!ᣫá┌(2p)á╫áeÖná╫ánn+╜. Does anyone know how
Stirling discovered this formula (early in the eighteenth century)
without modern computation facilities?
9.12
... last monthæs answers ...
9.12
(70) Noniamonds
9.12
One Classics scholar suggested it should be Nonamonds. Whatever they
are, this puzzle was held over for a month, because I expected readers
might appreciate more time. I can now publish contributed solutions to
all eight tessellations, though there may be others. The winner will be
announced next month.
9.12
For each tessellation, the diagram shows a Ésupertileæ comprising two,
four or eight copies of the basic tile, suitably oriented. The infinite
plane can, in each case, be covered with repetitions of the supertile,
without rotation or reflection.
9.12
(74) Backing the Horses
9.12
This is an Egyptian Fractions puzzle Ö see issue 8.6. If there are six
horses with odds-to-one of 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 23, these satisfy the
Utopian requirement because 1î3á+á1î4á+á1î6á+á1î8á+á1î12á+á1î24á=á1, the
denominators being one more than the primes. This is the only solution
with six prime numbers. The puzzle asked for a prime number of horses,
so there must be seven, with odds of 2, 3, 5, 7, 19, 23, 29, or 2, 3, 5,
7, 13, 23, 83. If odds of 2:1 are not allowed, there must be 17 horses,
one possible combination of odds being 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29,
31, 41, 47, 79, 83, 89, 139, 223.
9.12
(75) Wrestling
9.12
It is well known that a knock-out tournament with N entrants requires
NÖ1 matches, irrespective of the system of byes, to determine the winner
(and the runner-up), because each match eliminates one contestant. A
Wrestling tournament with 567 entrants would need 547 bouts to determine
Gold and Silver winners in the 20 classes (two styles, ten weights
each). However, the Bronze medallist is determined by a play-off between
the losing semi-finalists, so we need N matches to determine all three
medallists from N entrants. The Wrestling tournament therefore requires
567 bouts, and you did not need to know the numbers of styles or
weights. I assumed, and perhaps should have stated, that there are at
least four contestants in each class. The Olympic Boxing tournament,
incidentally, does not have Bronze Medal deciders Ö they award two
Bronze Medals in each class. I hope this did not confuse you!
9.12
(76) Declining Multiples ...
9.12
Pencil and paper trial and error, I think. The unique answer is
3816547290.
9.12
(77) ... of Seventeen
9.12
The clue is in the question Ö more precisely the link back to declining
multiples. The answer is No, you cannot find such a number! To prove it,
assume that there is a number 7777....7774 which is a multiple of 17. We
can then subtract 34, and be sure that 7777....7740 is a multiple of 17,
then divide by 10 and deduce that 7777....774 is a multiple of 17. This
is the same form as the original number, but one digit shorter. We can
therefore repeat this process and eventually deduce that 74 is a
multiple of 17. Since this is not true, our original assumption must be
wrong Ö hence there is no number of the form 7777....7774 which is a
multiple of 17.
9.12
... this monthæs prize puzzle ...
9.12
(78) Flexatube
9.12
Now for something completely different Ö with a hint of Blue Peter. A H
Stone was a member of the Trinity Mathematical Society team at
Cambridge, which solved the famous Squared Square problem. He had moved
on to Princeton when he discovered the Flexatube, but I was introduced
to it by his successors in the TMS. You will need 16 triangles of very
stiff card Ö four squares each cut into four diagonally. I suggest
squares with about 15 cm sides. Fasten them together using Sellotape to
form a hollow square tube, as in the diagram. Leave gaps (say, 5 mm)
between the cards, so that at least two layers can be folded together.
Finally, mark the outside surface to distinguish it from the inside.
9.12
Now turn it inside out! You must only fold the taped hinges, not the
card. That is all there is to it. (Well, not quite Ö you then have to
describe in print how you did it.) Back at Trinity, I found two
solutions. Martin Gardner told me that he had been told there are three
ways to do it, but his informant kept them secret. Gardner only knew two
solutions. Good luck!
9.12
... and the quickies ...
9.12
(79) Prime Hexagons
9.12
If I tell you that a particular hexagon has each of its angles 120░, and
the lengths of its sides are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, but not in that
order, you will find that there are two possible solutions.
9.12
Now suppose I give you another six numbers, all primes, for the lengths
of the sides, and you again find that there are two possible
arrangements Ö what is the smallest set of six numbers I could have
named?
9.12
(80) Pandigital Sums
9.12
On Countdown (Channel 4) recently, Geoffrey Durham posed a question so
cryptically as to be almost incomprehensible. It came down to finding
two pandigital numbers whose sum is pandigital e.g.á135024679 +
2839506147 = 4197530826. Aápandigital number contains all ten digits,
once each. For this purpose, a nine digit number may be considered to be
ten digits including a leading zero, so 0123456789 is pandigital. Can
you find three (or more Ö as many as possible) different pandigital
numbers which total another pandigital? There are many solutions Ö you
donæt need to find them all.
9.12
(81) Square Package
9.12
What is the area of the largest thin rigid square plate which can be
packed inside a unit-cube box?
9.12
... And finally ...
9.12
Another four new names were added to the League Table this month Ö
welcome all! Because the Noniamonds puzzle was held over, I will publish
the updated Table next month.
9.12
Please send solutions (by Friday 13th September), contributions and
comments to me, at 41 St Quentin Drive, Sheffield, S17á4PN.áuá
9.12
Font Directory 2 and EasyFont 3
9.12
Alex Singleton
9.12
Iæm not a hoarder, but I have several thousand fonts on my computer.
Doing vast quantities of desktop publishing, I need variety ù Trinity
looks very done-on-a-home-computer, and using it every day is downright
tedious.
9.12
The trouble with all these fonts is that I find it difficult remembering
what Bracknell and Jessica look like, and whether they are from
Monotype, iSV, EFF or converted from a PostScript CD. Also, having to
select a typeface in my word processor is frustrating when I have to
scroll large distances down a pop-up menu, and it would be useful if I
could somehow compress the fonts so that they take up less space on my
hard drive without compromising the computeræs speed. Enter two products
which aim to do just this: Font Directory from LOOKsystems and EasyFont
from Fabis Computing. Initially, the former was the superior, until
Fabis launched EasyFont 3. But now that LOOKsystems has released version
two of Font Directory (previewed in Archive 9.8), have the cards been
reversed?
9.12
Font Directory 2
9.12
Font Directoryæs manual is instantly magnetic: it is not of the boring,
by-the-way type that plagues the computer world. Rather, LOOKsystems has
really gone to town with appropriate and flashy illustrations: it is
jargon-free, and is certainly the best software handbook I have ever
come across ù even though Iáam only using a laser-printed pre-release
edition. The installation program is utterly childæs play to use, even
if upgrading from a previous version.
9.12
Adding new fonts
9.12
Font Directory is made up of a number of different applications, and
each can either be run by itself or from the Font Directory applications
launcher. When this launcher is run for the first time (in a boot
sequence), it loads a module into memory, which allows word processors
and the like to access the fonts stored inside Font Directory without
any of the actual Font Directory programs being loaded.
9.12
When the launcher is run subsequently, the launcher window appears in
the middle of the screen (see picture). Adding fonts is done by clicking
on the Font Directory Filer button, which produces an icon on the
lefthand side of the iconbar. This operates just like a hard disc ù a
click on its icon produces the root directory. The filer actually gives
access to a hard disc partition hidden inside the launcheræs application
directory. This partition can store fonts more efficiently than ADFS,
thereby saving disc space without compromising speed.
9.12
In the root directory of the partition, you can create directories and
drag fonts into them. These directories act as categories from the main
Font Manager application, which we will look at later.
9.12
Certain font suppliers ù such as iSV Products ù provide a feature with
their installers to copy fonts directly into FontFS. Unlike EasyFont,
the partition does not automatically expand or contract ù it is
necessary to set exactly how big it should be, which is a little
inconvenient.
9.12
Once everything has been set up, it is necessary to quit the filer icon.
At this point, Font Directory compiles a list of the available fonts and
what categories they are in, plus creating WYSIWYG information.
9.12
The main program
9.12
The main Font Directory application, which also loads an attractive
pictogram to the left end of the iconbar, is used to control the
availability of fonts. Essentially, this consists of a window containing
a list of every font, and can be customised in a number of ways. For
example, I can choose just to view the fonts in all the categories,
none, or just some. Then I can decide in some categories just to view
the name of each font family, or to have listed each individual weight.
9.12
The display, assuming you want it to be, is now fully WYSIWYG, like
EasyFont ù in other words Sassoon is displayed in Sassoon. What is more,
it is possible to opt for individual fonts or weights to be displayed in
the desktop font (useful for symbol fonts).
9.12
The modular nature of the package works exceptionally well. From time to
time, I want to find a font for a particular headline, and to compare
fonts before making a final decision. With Font Directory, this is a
breeze, as all I have to do is to toggle on the FontView icon on the
button bar. And, as if by magic, Font Directory loads the FontView
utility and opens up a viewing window (assuming it is not already
loaded). FontView is actually very powerful indeed and, unlike
EasyFontæs, does not require reading of the manual.
9.12
EasyFont 3
9.12
I must admit to being an early fan of EasyFont, despite it never being
totally bug-free, mainly because all of its functionality is provided
from a single application, and I always found it easier to understand
than the first version of Font Directory.
9.12
Adding fonts is a simple process of dragging them into a dialogue box,
although Font Directoryæs filer is more in tune with RISC OS.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to add weights for typefaces stored in
ROM.
9.12
The main display is similar to Font Directoryæs, although it can only
display the names of font families, rather than individual weights ù
whether this is a disadvantage is debatable. A toggle is provided to
turn the WYSIWYG display on or off, but it isnæt possible to have some
fonts in WYSIWYG and some not. Usefully, there is a facility to produce
a printed brochure of all the typefaces.
9.12
One major feature of EasyFont is its ability to create new weights of
fonts. So it is possible to take Pembroke and create Pembroke.MegaBold.
Although these weights are never going to be up to the standard of those
produced by, say, Monotype, some users find being able to create bolds
of some typefaces useful.
9.12
In order to write this review, I deleted EasyFont before installing Font
Directory. Absent-mindedly, Iáforgot that EasyFontæs recently
implemented copy protection uses the increasingly popular system whereby
you are only allowed one functioning copy of the software. Why should
honest paying users, like myself, have to go to the trouble of
persuading Fabis to supply a new copy, when with other software we only
have to re-install it?
9.12
Intercepting files
9.12
When I said that Font Directoryæs module allows access to the fonts
stored inside it, I was perhaps overly brief. It offers a number of
facilities that can be issued from the command line, but it also has the
amazingly useful facility to intercept files. If you load a document
into TextEase, full of typefaces that havenæt been switched on, Font
Directoryæs module will intercept the file and turn on all the
appropriate fonts on the fly. The module can be made to intercept any
selection of filetypes automatically, and will operate on any file that
is run with <Alt> pressed.
9.12
EasyFont does not offer this facility as such, but if a file (with a
Épopularæ filetype) is dragged onto its icon, the fonts used will be
turned on, albeit more slowly. With filetypes that Font Directory
understands, it will, like EasyFont, turn on the fonts used. However, it
scores over EasyFont because, if the filetype is not understood, it will
do a Éblind searchæ whereby it takes every font installed in its
partition and sees if the name is used anywhere in the file. This will
cause an overkill if, say, you use the word öHayleyò in the text and
have a font with the same name, but nonetheless, it works a treat.
9.12
Categorising typefaces
9.12
There are pros and cons of each packageæs method of categorising fonts.
Assuming they are placed in different groups, Font Directory allows more
than one font of the same name to be stored in its partition. Thus, you
can install Baskervill from both Monotypeæs Classic Font Library and
Computer Conceptsæ ArtWorks, which, to me at least, is an essential
feature. EasyFontæs method permits a font to be placed in several
groups, even though only one copy of the font is in the partition,
although this is only really useful if you decide to categorise fonts by
use rather than company. It also allows, theoretically, an infinite
number of font families per category, while Font Directory is limited by
seventy-seven as well as Éonlyæ seventy-seven categories. Another minor
niggle with Font Directory is the inability to name categories with more
than eleven characters. All of these niggles would be instantly removed,
says LOOKsystems, if ART were to remove these limits from RISC OSæs
filecore module.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
Font Directory 2 is simply the most sophisticated font management system
on any personal computer. I still believe EasyFont 3 to be an excellent
piece of software ù itæs just that Font Directory now, again, surpasses
it in almost every aspect. LOOKsystems is also planning a cut-down
version entitled Font Directory Lite for schools with low specification
machines.áuá
9.12
Psionæs Future
9.12
Alex Singleton
9.12
öNew products?!ò exclaimed Peter Norman, the young, dynamic Managing
Director of Psion UK. öWell, we spend about 7% of our annual turnover on
research and development, so I certainly hope we can generate some new
products with that level of expenditure!ò
9.12
ARM-based machines
9.12
The next major handheld product will be ARM¡based, as has been predicted
by industry analysts for some time. Although Peter Norman was not
prepared to confirm the date, it is most likely to be sometime in 1997.
This is also the date that Archive has been given for the release of the
Psion 4, so theyære probably one and the same. Also, Norman stated that
he didnæt expect sales of the ARM-based Psion range to become
significant until the year 2000, because it takes around three years for
a new Psion platform to become established.
9.12
When asked about speech recognition on the Psion 4, Norman suggested
that it was highly unlikely. To explain why, he said that he would never
want to buy a Newton because the handwriting recognition isnæt correct
100% of the time. Similarly, although Psion is certainly working on
speech recognition, it needs to be 100% reliable before it is released,
and thatæs still some way off. However, it will, eventually, feature in
the product line-up.
9.12
Psion Software
9.12
During July, Psion formed a subsidiary, Psion Software, to license its
core technology. What this means is that a company could come to Psion
and say, for example, öIæd like to license these bits of your operating
system, along with a basic chipset, so that Iácan make a combined
palmtop computer and mobile telephone.ò
9.12
The intention is to provide an ART-like service, to assist other
companies to bring a variety of products quickly to market. These could
include palmtops, sub-notebooks, smartphones, intelligent terminals and
mobile web browsers. Norman revealed that Digital Electronic Corporation
is one of the first licensees; but what about Acorn? In the past, Acorn
has merely sold re-badged Psion computers. Conceivably, Acorn could now
produce its own variants. However, whether they are re-badged or
licensed, Peter Bondar wants to sell ARM7100-based models, although this
very much depends on whether Xemplar would be prepared to sell them (or
if Chris Cox believes that the enthusiast market is large enough).
9.12
One thing I am pleased about is that Psionæs increasing market share
hasnæt, up until now, stifled innovation and, according to Peter Norman,
it is unlikely to do so in the future. öWe donæt look at ourselves
becoming the standard but a standard. Thereæs scope in any large market
for a diversity of standards. We are opening up our technology to other
people to allow a wider base of devices to use the technology ù you get
economies of scale that way. Itæs about getting lots of software and
resources. From that you obtain a huge diversity of devices which will
not all be competing in the same markets.ò
9.12
Some would argue that when palmtops become powerful enough to run
Windows or RISC OS, that is what they will run, but I think that is very
unlikely. If Iæm on the phone, and I want to enter an appointment into
my palmtopæs diary, the last thing Iáwant is to do is to wait twenty or
thirty seconds for it to boot up. I want to press ÉOnæ and have the PDA
ready for me Ö it has to be fast. Moreover, it has to be 100% reliable
(I donæt want to miss any important meetings), and can that be said of
Windows 95?
9.12
Amstrad
9.12
As many of you will know, Psion was recently approached by Alan Sugar to
see if they were interested in acquiring Amstrad. Although Psion entered
into talks, a price couldnæt be agreed, so the deal didnæt take place.
For Psion, this would have given it the GSM mobile phone expertise that
is in the hands of one of Amstradæs subsidiaries. Despite this,
according to Peter Norman, Psion öremain committed to using GSM
technology in our products.ò
9.12
Nokia produces a combined PDA and mobile phone called the Communicator
9000. However, Norman dismisses this on the grounds that itæs too heavy
and costs ú1350 +VAT, making it the öworst of both worldsò.
9.12
Electronic banking
9.12
Psion has joined up with Lloyds Bank to pilot an electronic banking
system. With a Psion 3a, you will be able to:
9.12
Å  Write and send Éelectronic chequesæ to anyone with a UK account
(credited same day, if to a Lloyds account)
9.12
Å  View statements
9.12
Å  Obtain balances, and forecast balances, on up to four accounts
9.12
Å  Transfer money between accounts
9.12
Å  Pay bills and salaries electronically (same day if Lloyds)
9.12
Å  View the latest interest and exchange rates
9.12
According to Psion, öinformation can be sent and received on the Psion
from anywhere in the world using a portable 3Fax modem, plugged into any
telephone socket. Details of regular payments, such as bills, can be
stored in the Psion and called up at any time to amend or send. Payments
are sent electronically to the recipientæs bank. The Psion keeps a full
audit trail of all payments, and paper records can be produced either by
connecting to a printer, or by printing to a fax machine.ò
9.12
There is also, apparently, a similar scheme taking place with CityBank.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
Psionæs turnover used to be increasing by around 35% per annum. In each
of the last two years, it has risen by about 50%, and the same rate of
growth is predicted for this year. Clearly, it is a successful company
and not because of marketing (which Peter Norman rates at two out of
ten) but because, like Acorn, it has leading edge technology.áuá
9.12
Ovation Pro Review Ö Part 2
9.12
Gabriel Swords
9.12
Last month we looked at Ovation Pro from a Éfirst impressionæ point of
view; this month we continue by looking at some of the features not
covered last month.
9.12
Styles
9.12
Most DTP packages use the concept of styles for applying a variety of
attributes to large or small areas of text. The idea is that you can
maintain consistency of appearance without having to apply each
attribute separately, and it also means that once a style has been
applied to an area of text, any changes made to that style will be
reflected throughout a document. When you choose Edit style in OPro, you
get the main edit window, plus three buttons for text, format and tabs.
To this extent, OPro is much the same as everybody else. However, there
are a few features that Iæve not seen before on the Acorn platform.
9.12
Scope is one. Most DTP packages allow you to apply styles to a selection
of text and/or a paragraph. OPro goes one step further and gives you the
option of applying a style to a word Ö as long as the caret is somewhere
in the word, a keypress will give it the defined style. This is useful
where you need to make a single word bold or italic, for example. I know
this may not be a Ébig dealæ, but itæs a small touch which suggests that
thought has gone into it.
9.12
Something I really like is the way that the style choices are displayed.
Instead of having to open different windows to see what has been
selected, OPro displays a summary of attributes in the lower half of the
main edit style window (see overleaf). Once you understand what the
abbreviations mean, it makes sense to display the information this way,
to say nothing of it being more efficient! Not everyone will like this,
of course, but you still have the option of opening the individual
windows if you want to.
9.12
One other interesting feature of the Text and Format windows is the way
some of the attributes can be implemented. For example, italic, can be
set to one of three states: a tick sets it to on; a blank sets it to
off; a cross means it has no effect. This takes a bit of getting used
to, but it means that, if you have a bit of text that is set to bold/
italic, and you apply a style with bold crossed, italic blank, and small
caps ticked, you will get a piece of text which turns out to be: small
caps/italic. This is because small caps has been turned on (tick), bold
has been turn off (blank), and italic has not been affected (cross).
This, like many other things in OPro, gives you more flexibility in the
way you use the program; it means the present style doesnæt just add a
new attribute to the text, it can actually change existing ones. One
small gripe, however, is that it would have been better if the cross had
been used to switch attributes off rather than leave them unaffected Ö
it seems more logical.
9.12
Finally on styles, the style menu displays a list of any keypresses to
which you have given a style (which is very useful). One thing that
would be nice would be to have the style menu as a Étear-offæ menu, one
that you could place somewhere on the page for a quick reference guide
or for applying styles that do not have a short cut.
9.12
Text
9.12
This is where you choose: font, size, background & foreground colours,
horizontal scaling, tracking, vertical shift, rotate, skew, bold,
italic, underline, super & subscript, strikeout and reverse. In addition
there is a ÉSmall capsæ option; this sets a sentence to all capitals
with the start of the sentence set to a Ébig capitalæ, the rest to
Ésmall capitalsæ. A Case menu can also be used to set the text to
Normal, Title (this sets the start of each word with a capital letter),
or All caps.
9.12
Format
9.12
This sets up the left and right indents, first line indent, alignment,
space before and after a paragraph, leading, auto kerning, auto
hyphenation, and lock to grid. Additionally, thereæs provision for a
variable height drop cap, and enhanced justification. This last function
not only gives you control over how word spacing is applied when text is
fully justified, but it also gives you control over how letters should
be spaced Ö this gives more control over how justified text is formatted
in narrow columns.
9.12
Tabs
9.12
Tabs available include: left and right, centre and decimal. They can be
set manually on the ruler or via a writable field, and include a field
for a leader character.
9.12
Leading
9.12
Leading can be set in the edit style window, but there is an additional
menu option available from a text submenu. This lets you set the
vertical space between lines of text to single (20% of the text size) or
double space (120%). A writable field at the bottom of the menu allows
you to specify other values using one of three methods: absolute,
relative and incremental. Relative is the one most of us are familiar
with, and sets the leading to a percentage of the size of the text. For
example, the default leading in Impression is set to 120% of the text
size (therefore 12pt ╫ 120% equals a leading of 14.4pt). In OPro, the
default is 20%, which is the equivalent of Impressionæs 120%. Absolute
leading sets the leading to a fixed figure regardless of the text size,
and is set as a point size rather than a percentage. This makes it
possible to have text of varying sizes, within the same paragraph, but
with leading set to one size. Incremental leading is similar to absolute
leading, in that the spacing doesnæt depend on the size of the text, it
differs in the way it is implemented. Here a plus or negative figure is
entered; the leading then becomes, say, 12pt + or Ö whatever figure is
entered, e.g. 12pt + 5pt.
9.12
Master pages
9.12
When I began to use the master pages in OPro, Iáthoughtáthey seemed
quite limiting. You donæt, for example, get the collection of master
pages that come with Impression; instead you get one default page. Then,
the more I used the program, the more master pages seemed to appear
without me creating them. Em! I thought, this is a bit strange, maybe
itæs to do with bugs or something. Not so! It is, in fact, a deliberate
feature of the way master pages are created. Each time you create a new
chapter, OPro creates another master page, based on the current one, but
individual to the new chapter. This means, for example, that new
repeating chapter headings, etc, can be written to the new master page
without affecting any of the other chapters in the document. It also
means that there is no need for repeating frames to be created locally Ö
they can all be placed on the individual master pages. One other very
useful feature is the ability to make master frames Élocalæ, as per
Impression, but also, unlike Impression, make localised frames master
again.
9.12
You can also have new master pages, with or without headers and footers,
and new chapters can also be set to have headers and footers either
present or absent from the first page. A master page doesnæt have to
have any frames on it Ö they can all be created on the local page.
9.12
Colour
9.12
Although this version of OPro doesnæt have any support for colour
separations, it does have some good colour features. First impressions
are, however, disappointing because when you open the colour picker
window, there doesnæt seem to be much to it. Itæs only when you click on
an inconspicuous little button marked ÉChartæ that you begin to get
excited by the colour choices. Chart opens the Écolour chartæ, which is
made up of colour definitions, rather like those you would find if you
were using a Pantone colour chart.
9.12
There are over 900 colours in a group called ÉGenericæ Ö based on the
CMYK model Ö plus several hundred more defined by HSV. The definitions
for the colours are kept in a directory called
!OvnPro.Resources.Colours. These are no more than text files created in
Edit, so they can themselves be edited and entirely new ones can be
created. Appendix G of the manual tells you how to do this. Sooner or
later, someone is bound to define the entire Pantone range and make them
available Ö if they havenæt already done so! (Err, isnæt there a
copyright issue here? Ed.)
9.12
More miscellaneous things
9.12
Among some of the miscellaneous features Iæve found useful are:
9.12
Å Hold down <ctrl> while importing a text file, and single return
characters in it will be converted to spaces, and pairs of returns will
be converted to single returns Ö useful for importing text from email
files and other foreign file formats.
9.12
Å Undo <F8> cancels the last operation performed Ö in fact, you can keep
undoing right back to the start of your work session providing you set
the undo buffer large enough. You can even decide to save the undo
buffer so that, every time you load a document, it remembers what you
did last time.
9.12
Å Revert to saved, restores the document to the most recently saved
version.
9.12
Å Pressing <enter> on the numeric key pad adds another page and places
the caret at the top of it.
9.12
Å Stylesheets describe the format and style of a document; these can be
saved and loaded to create a new document based on an existing one.
Information saved in a stylesheet includes: defined styles and colours,
master pages and objects on them, view options, grid and zoom, toolbox
and info palette position, and preferences.
9.12
Å Styles you always want in a document can be created and saved as a new
default document of your own.
9.12
Å FontDirectory 2. My version of OPro doesnæt work properly with FD2,
but the next update will include support for it.
9.12
Future plans for Ovation Pro
9.12
We spoke to Beebugæs Éman-in-the-knowæ about what we can expect from
Ovation Pro in the future and, in particular, the question of its long-
term development. According to Beebug: öWe have every intention of
developing Ovation Pro after the autumn and have a very long list of
planned features. It is likely that most of the new features will be
implemented as applets, thus allowing users to pick and choose the
features that they require, without making the main program too big.ò
This is good news. OPro is good as it is (lack of separations excepted),
and if they do have a Élong listæ of planned features, the Acorn
platform could end up being the platform for DTP! The only drawback is
that if other developers do not respond to OProæs challenge, we will be
left, again, with just one provider of professional DTP software.
9.12
Coming up in the future
9.12
1. A free bug-fix update for all registered users by the end of August.
9.12
2. A free full release before the end of the year. Planned features
include:
9.12
Å   Full colour/spot colour separations and associated facilities
9.12
Å   Image processing
9.12
Å   Auto paragraph numbering and bulleting
9.12
Å   Local OPI i.e. handling of big images by generating lo-res versions
9.12
Å   Contents and Index generation
9.12
Some of this has already been written and will probably be implemented
as applets, so can be optional for those users whose memory is limited.
They also hope to develop the import/export filter system by adding some
additional filters.
9.12
3. They intend to write smaller useful extensions which may be sold
separately or freely distributed. Extensions come in two forms:
9.12
Scripts Ö These are written using the embedded script language. They can
be used to add simple features to Ovation Pro and can be developed by
anyone with a few programming skills. They can add new menu entries, or
can be accessed from keypresses or the button bar. Some examples are
provided on Disc 5, but they have more of them, and lots of other ideas.
9.12
Applets Ö These are proper extensions that can add tools, dialogue boxes
etc. Beebug say ögood programming skills are needed to write applets and
we will need to supply C libraries and documentation to anyone
interested. We hope third parties will be interested. We will certainly
write some applets ourselves (in fact, we already have!), so we can
guarantee that some extensions will appearò.
9.12
My personal Éwishlistæ
9.12
Iæve been using Publisher Plus for a few years now, and before that, I
used Pagemaker on an Apple Mac. When you get used to programs like those
two, there are things about them you dislike, things you like, and
things you wish they could do but canæt. So, for OPro, I would like to
see the following additions:
9.12
From Publisher, I would like the abbreviations dictionary, search and
replace on styles, and smart quotes from the keyboard. From Pagemaker, I
like colour trapping, force justify, printing of thumbnails, export of
pages as EPS files which can then be imported as graphics (maybe it
would be possible to export a page as a drawfile). I would like to be
able to print to PostScript from the menu, rather than having to set up
separate printer drivers.
9.12
For now, I think we should congratulate Ovation Proæs creators on a well
thought out, logical and open program which I hope will go from strength
to strength.
9.12
The future of DTP
9.12
What does this say for the future of DTP on the Acorn platform?
9.12
The Acorn market is well supplied with programs that can do basic DTP Ö
anything from word processing to simple page layout. With Publisher Plus
came a different level of DTP Ö itæs not what I would call seriously
professional DTP, but it is a start. With OPro, we could be entering a
new era. And so we should! With the imminent arrival of StrongARM cards,
with Photodesk 2, with image conversion from Alternative Publishing and
the like, Acorn machines should be able to compete seriously with the
professional design market. Of course, this requires serious marketing
by Acorn. It also means more stability and fewer crashes. It would be
such a waste of the RiscPCæs potential if more canæt be done to support
professional designers. To confine such power to schools, netservers and
enthusiasts would be a real shame.áuá
9.12
Complex Numbers in C
9.12
Peter Chambers
9.12
Complex numbers are one area in which the C programming language has
been weak. Users of Fortran still point to certain applications which
are more easily implemented in that language. This situation might
eventually change because work is going on to extend C to cope better
with numerical problems.
9.12
Complex numbers?
9.12
But first, what are complex numbers, and how do they appear within
computer languages?
9.12
Complex numbers are the invention of mathematicians. They are the
generalisation of Érealæ numbers to include a concept of the square root
of negative numbers. Just as real numbers are represented as floating-
point numbers, complex numbers are represented as pairs of floating-
point numbers. An example of a real number might be 1.141..., a complex
number would have a Éreal partæ and an Éimaginary partæ. Presumably, the
latter is the imagination of the mathematicians. They denoted the square
root of minus one by the symbol Éiæ, while engineers know it as Éjæ.
This is confusing, but engineers started to use the letter Éiæ for
current, a long time ago, and we are stuck with it.
9.12
So our complex numbers have two components, each a floating point
number. Usually, this is represented in what is called the Cartesian
form (after Descartes) as a pair of numbers such as (x, y) or (i, q) or
(a, b). When plotted on graph paper, an equivalent form can be drawn Ö a
length plus an angle. This is often called r-theta, after the common
symbols used for radius and angle.
9.12
These numbers are useful in some fields to represent quantities which
have both size and some sort of angle. Electrical current is a typical
example. In electrical engineering and signal processing, calculations
must preserve the mathematics of phase as well as angle. Colour
television, wireless LANs, high speed modems and long distance
transmission of electrical power would not be possible without such
calculations.
9.12
For instance, a signal arriving at a modem might be represented as:
9.12
  c = a + j.b
9.12
In this form, the carrier frequency is implied. The magnitude and phase
of the signal are:
9.12
  sqrt(a^2 + b^2)
9.12
  atan2(b, a)
9.12
However, in software, the numbers are normally stored as the pair (a,
b). Addition of such numbers is easy:
9.12
  c1 + c2 = a1 + a2 + j.(b1 + b2)
9.12
However, multiplication is not so easy. Consider the difference between
function mulc and mulr. Function mulc is written in a version of C which
supports complex numbers directly. Function mulr is written in ANSI C.
The latter also needs a user-defined structure type called complex, to
define the storage required.
9.12
complex mulc(complex a, complex b)
9.12
{b) ;
9.12
}
9.12
complex mulr(complex a, complex b)
9.12
{c ;
9.12
    c.i = a.i * b.i Ö a.q * b.q;
9.12
    c.q = a.i * b.q + a.q * b.i;
9.12
    return(c);
9.12
}
9.12
Function mulc hardly exists at all. In fact, with such a version of C,
many programs handling complex numbers are much shorter than would be
necessary with ANSI. The compilers that I used for checking the programs
for this article were GNU C/C++ 2.45 and Acorn/Norcroft C v4.0. There
are more modern versions of both available. In the GNU case, complex is
defined as:
9.12
typedef __complex__ float complex;
9.12
In the ANSI case, complex is defined as:
9.12
typedef struct
9.12
{i ;
9.12
    float q;
9.12
}complex;
9.12
In both cases, the complex number is based on a floating-point type. A
double precision variant could be used if needed.
9.12
Already we can see that dealing with complex numbers is hard work with
ANSI C. Yet we would not wish to give up the benefits of ANSI
standardisation. We may examine a case where some C is actually doing
some work. The next example is of the so-called Finite Impulse Response
(FIR) filter. Modern modems make extensive use of these, and programmers
spend much effort on getting them to run as fast as possible. When using
new processors, it is a great help if the C compiler can generate the
best object code from existing source files.
9.12
complex firc(void)
9.12
{i ;
9.12
  complex result = ZERO;  /* macro for
9.12
 complex zero */
9.12
  for (i = 0 ; i < N ; i++)
9.12
  {+ = tapData[i] *
9.12
 tapWeight[i];
9.12
  }
9.12
  return(result);
9.12
}
9.12
The function calculates the sum of products of things called tap-weights
and data. It is not obvious how such a structure manages to filter
things. A good textbook on Digital Signal Processing will explain the
theory for those who are both curious and not afraid of a little matrix
algebra.
9.12
The important thing from the programming point of view, is that a
competent C programmer can immediately see what is supposed to be going
on. And if you can understand it, you can test it, review it and sign it
off as workable.
9.12
The code for doing the same thing in ANSI C is below. This is more
involved. Note that the two components have to be processed in different
statements. This means longer code, more room for error, less
readability and less scope for an optimising compiler to do a really
good job. Note particularly, the plus and the minus in the two
expressions. Are they in the right place? They are, but it needs extra
checking. Also note how the Éiæs and æqæs are all over the place. Are
they all correct?
9.12
complex firr(void)
9.12
{i ;
9.12
  complex result;
9.12
  result.i = result.q = 0.0;
9.12
  for (i = 0 ; i < N ; i++)
9.12
  {+ = tapData[i].i *
9.12
 tapWeight[i].i Ö tapData[i].q * tapWeight[i].q;
9.12
    result.q += tapData[i].i *
9.12
 tapWeight[i].q + tapData[i].q * tapWeight[i].i;
9.12
    }
9.12
  return(result);
9.12
}
9.12
We can see that, for those people with a valid use for complex numbers,
C is not as helpful as it might be. C is very useful for strings,
characters, integers and floats. An extension to the definition of the
language would be needed to fix the above problems.
9.12
One group of people are trying to do just that. The GNU C compiler
project, and some companies involved in Digital Signal Processing, are
proposing a set of extensions called Numerical C. This project would not
lead existing C programs to Ébreakæ on new compilers. Non-numerical
programs that are compiled on Numerical C-aware compilers would behave
as normal.
9.12
Naturally, compiler vendors whose customers do traditional C projects
are not very interested. Thus far, interest seems polarised between
those who have the technology and think it valuable, and those who do
not have it and tell me that no one wants it. Possibly, too few people
want it to sway the argument. However, signal processing is very popular
lately given the surge of interest in the Internet Ö and Intel wishing
to soak up all those spare cycles on Pentiums. Numerical C would be a
natural complement to the Native Signal Processing capabilities we hear
about.áuá
9.12
Printers and Printing
9.12
Dave Floyd
9.12
HP Laserjet 5L
9.12
E Griffiths from North London writes in response to the problem with
accessing the internal fonts for this printer. He states that, by
editing a DOS file, DEFAULTS.PJL in !Edit and sending to the printer
with the command:
9.12
*copy DEFAULTS/P PRINTER:
9.12
the printer will then default to the selected font until it is switched
off. I have enclosed a copy of DEFAULTS/P for inclusion on the monthly
disc, along with a couple of other files that Mr Griffiths sent to me,
in case they may be of use to readers.
9.12
PostScript printing
9.12
Following Richard Sillarsæ problem with PostScript printing, Mike
Williams from Akalat Publishing wrote with some information which may be
of use to anyone who is experiencing problems.
9.12
Prior to version 1.52 of !Printers, it was possible to output an
oversized A4 sheet to file from Impression. Impression would pop up a
dialogue box highlighting the fact that the print area was larger than
A4, offering you the option to either override the default or crop the
image.
9.12
Since version 1.52, however, the warning message no longer appears and
the PostScript image created was limited to exactly A4. Mike contacted
ART who informed him that the method of handling paper sizes had been
changed. Previously, they relied more on luck than judgement but now use
files held in the directory !Printers.ps.Paper to dictate page size. The
files are named A0, A1, A2 etc, and provide PostScript definitions for
the corresponding paper sizes. The printer driver incorporates the
relevant information from these files into the PostScript file generated
for the document.
9.12
The official solution is to write your own definition files for
inclusion in this directory, to suit other sizes. If anybody out there
has any success in writing their own page size files, please pass them
on to me for inclusion on the monthly disc.
9.12
Mike suggests a less technical solution, which is to set the output
paper size to A3 as usually you can output a document larger than the
output device. The page will then be trimmed by the physical dimensions
of the output device.
9.12
TurboDrivers 4.05
9.12
P Boxall from Farnham is currently using TurboDrivers 4.03 with
!Printers 1.28c. He is tempted to upgrade to !Printers 1.53 and
TurboDriver 4.05 but has heard of problems regarding this combination.
If anybody has any experience of using both these versions together, and
can give any comments, positive or negative, please let me know.
9.12
Star LC24-10/Canon BJC600
9.12
N Griffiths from Gloucester has a Star LC24-10 dot matrix printer and a
Canon BJC600. He has a copy of TurboDriver for use with the Canon, and
uses the Acorn driver for the Star.
9.12
He spent many hours trying to get the software for both printers into
one program but, in the end, had to give up. The TurboDriver software
and the Acorn driver are each now kept in separate directories. It seems
that when he had both printer details loaded in one program, and loaded
the bubblejet first, the Star produced garble, whereas, if the Star was
loaded first, it would print OK and so would the bubblejet. By
separating the driver programs, all has been well for some time. Could
there be a module from the TurboDriver software which, when left loaded,
somehow interacted with the Star software?
9.12
He also uses ÉUltilabelæ from Le Computer, and ÉImpact2æ from Circle
Software but in each case has experienced printing problems when going
through Turbo Drivers. There are no problems when using Acorn Driver/
Star printer. The problem on Turbo Driver/BJC600 can be overcome by
printing to file and then from file to printer. All works well, but if
you try going direct to printer then garbage/incorrect positioning of
printing will result.
9.12
Any ideas?
9.12
Which colour inkjet?
9.12
Ian Morrison from Wirral is considering replacing his Canon BJ230 with a
colour model. The question is, which one?
9.12
From his letter, he appears to have narrowed down the options to either
the Epson Stylus II or the Canon BJC4100. He states that he was
favouring the Epson at one point, but as that would mean buying another
version of TurboDriver (he already owns one for the Canon so would only
have to upgrade) and Computer Concepts seem to be keener to develop
their drivers for the Canon rather than the Epson, he has now started to
sway towards the BJC. Whilst he could use the Acorn driver, he suspects
that it would be disappointingly slow, especially in colour.
9.12
Ideally, Ian would like to find somebody who owns both these printers
and is willing to do him some sample prints of the same image for
comparison in normal and high resolution, and on both coated and
uncoated paper. He states that if any dealer can offer this then his
money is waiting.
9.12
Small dealers in the Acorn market are understandably reluctant to
perform this kind of service as they would be left with one used machine
that they could no longer sell as new. It occurs to me that it may be
easier to find two Archive readers with the same combination of
!Printers and TurboDriver versions who would be willing to help. If so,
please let me know, not forgetting to include details of which versions
you are using, and whether you have an Stylus II or a BJC4100.
9.12
Printer test sheet
9.12
Dave Burridge sent me an interesting drawfile which can be used to
compare the capabilities of different printers. I have sent it in for
inclusion on the monthly disc, as it could prove useful to anyone who
cannot make up their mind which model to buy and who has access to more
than one, through friends or whatever. As well as Daveæs original file,
I have adapted it slightly and included another one entitled PrintTest1.
See the ReadMe file accompanying them for more information.
9.12
Multiple copies on inkjets
9.12
John Evans from Mijas Software writes in response to his own problem.
Regarding my comments about being able to print multiple copies directly
from Impression etc, he confirms that it is possible, but that it takes
so much time and computer power to produce 300 copies, that it is not
feasible.
9.12
After delving around in a text example that comes with the C package, he
came across a snippet of printer programming which he describes as Énot
a lot, but just enoughæ. From this, he has written a short utility which
will batch print any number of copies of a Printout file in the
background, leaving you to get on with other things (unless you are
still using dongled versions of Impression or Artworks which wonæt be
usable whilst the printing process is in progress).
9.12
In order to use !BatchPrnt, create a single copy Printout file, change
the printer driver back to parallel, load !BatchPrnt, drag the Printout
file into the window and select the number of copies you need. Could it
be easier? I enclose a copy of the program for inclusion on the monthly
disc.
9.12
Automatic background printing
9.12
Thanks to Edward Naish for bringing my attention to a useful printing
module entitled SpoolMod. Once loaded, the module provides two commands.
9.12
*Printfile <filename> will print a named Printout file in the
background. It is the other command which may be of more interest,
however.
9.12
Typing *PrintWatch <filename> makes the module Éwatchæ the named file.
If the file is ever closed, it will automatically print it in the
background. If the command is included in your boot file, you will only
ever have to print to file, as PrintWatch will take care of sending the
completed image to the printer in the background, which saves redefining
the printer driver and dragging the file to it.
9.12
Owing to copyright restrictions, I cannot include a copy of SpoolMod for
the monthly disc, but it can be found on either the March 1994 Acorn
User cover disc or the Acorn User CD Volume 1.
9.12
Internal laser memory
9.12
Following my theory on how to guesstimate the amount of memory you will
need in a laser printer, John Evans of Mijas Software wrote to add his
opinions on the subject. It seems that for printers containing the PCL5
language or above, the length of the Printout file will not be a
reliable guide because the file contains internal compression. For
example, a maximum size border on A4 with Impression and Acorn drivers
at 300dpi gives a printout size of 77,013 bytes. With an Artworks
picture in the same border, it is 277,493, and with a grey background,
883,354 bytes. In the laser printer, the graphics area would be
identical in all cases and presumably require the same amount of memory,
which John calculates to be 830Kb for the printable area in Impression.
9.12
John suggests that 2Mb is just enough for duplex printing. He uses 3Mb,
but 4Mb would give enough for two duplex (double-sided) sheets to be
held in the printeræs memory. Additional memory is not wasted, however,
as it can sometimes speed up printing by allowing the next page or set
of pages to be loaded while the current one is being printed, thereby
easing the bottleneck.
9.12
Epson GT-9000 with Twain
9.12
Many thanks to David Pilling who, after reading my comments on using the
Epson GT-9000 scanner with Irlamæs ProiMage software, thought to send me
a copy of his Twain driver to allow me to make a comparison. Twain
provides a link between the scanner and Image Master, ArcFax or any
other Twain-compatible software, allowing you to scan an image directly
into the package, avoiding the scan, save and drag combination. The
Twain control window is split into five different sections, each
selectable by clicking on a radio button at the top, which changes the
options available in the centre of the window.
9.12
The first choice you are offered on loading is that of type. There
appear to be fewer possibilities here than with ProiMage. Twain allows
you to select mono-chrome, monochrome dithered, grey, 8bpp colour or
24bpp colour. While this does answer my criticism of the Irlam software,
in which you had to change mode to dictate the number of colours
scanned, it does not allow you to scan in 4 or 16 greys and 4, 16 or
32,000 colours and is consequently less flexible.
9.12
The next radio button allows you to adjust the quality of the scan, by
way of sliders, for sharpness and brightness. As has already been noted
in the Comment columns of Archive 9.9 and 9.10, this is not particularly
well implemented, and David Pilling is currently looking into providing
a more intuitive interface for these functions that relates more
obviously to how the Epson scanner works.
9.12
The next option is area, which gives you the opportunity to modify the
area of the original you want to scan. Whilst easy enough to use, the
method used by the Twain driver requires you to read the dimensions of
the area from the rulers in Image Master, then input them either by
typing or clicking arrow icons. The graphical method implemented by
Irlam, in which you drag a bounding box into place on a preview image,
is far superior.
9.12
Resolution is next, and here Twain wins hands down. Having radio buttons
for both the x and y-axes from 100 to 600 in 100dpi increments, plus a
writable icon for other resolutions, is a marked improvement on the
ProiMage choices of 100, 1200 and 2400dpi plus a writable icon. Although
I do not think there is any support given within Twain for resolutions
higher than 600dpi using interpolation, this will not affect the vast
majority of users who are unlikely ever to use resolutions over 600dpi
anyway. Another nice touch with the Twain software, is that the writable
icons default to 90dpi which is, of course, the highest resolution
displayed by the monitor and saves typing if you are scanning in an
image that you will only be displaying on screen.
9.12
The final option is gamma. I am not completely certain as to what it is
meant to be used for, because although I have briefly played around with
it and been rewarded with some interesting (weird and wonderful!)
results, the option was not covered in the version of the manual that
accompanied the package. This was a shame, as it was the only part of
Twain that I actually needed documentation for, the rest being
reasonably easy to work out for myself.
9.12
As an example, I have just scanned a cover of Archive (a blue one). By
moving a control point to give full saturation for blue, the scan
emerged in shades of blue, including the white which had a light blue
tint to it. By moving the control point to the other extreme, the scan
came out in shades of green except for the parts that were originally
blue which now appeared as dark grey. With time and patience, it would
no doubt be possible to work out the subtleties of this function, but at
present I cannot think of any use I would have for it, so I cannot
justify taking too long on experimentation. It may be the kind of thing
though, that once explained to me, I would probably wonder how I managed
to survive without it. In a similar vein, one thing that I would like to
be able to do, is to automatically produce four colour-separated scans
of an original. Colour separation can be achieved by manipulating the
scanned image in certain graphics packages, but how much easier it would
be to have the scanner software do it for you. I have not yet seen a
scanning package on the Acorn which can perform this trick.
9.12
Advantages of ProiMage
9.12
Both Twain and ProiMage work in the background, allowing you to be
getting on with other tasks whilst scanning. Twain does take more
processor time, however, which may be important to you if the other
tasks you want to be getting on with are processor intensive. To put
this in perspective though, just having Impression loaded on the iconbar
slows the machine down more than either of these packages do when they
are scanning, so it is probably an irrelevance.
9.12
I had a preference for the quality of scans from ProiMage using the
default settings. While this can be rectified by adjusting the
brightness etc, in Twain, if all I want to do is quickly scan in an
original to drop into an Impression document, the less fiddling about
Iáhave to do, the better.
9.12
I also find that I rarely scan in the whole of a page. The graphical
method that Irlam have built into ProiMage to select an area of the page
to scan, is far more intuitive.
9.12
The control panel for ProiMage stays on screen until you remove it. This
may not matter if you are just scanning in one or two documents, but
when you have a large pile to scan and save, it begins to grate on the
nerves having to keep pressing <f10>, or negotiate the menu structure
for Image Master, between scanning each one using Twain.
9.12
Also on the subject of the control panel, once you have the ProiMage
panel fully open, all options available to you are visible. Where Twain
flips between five different windows, this is not the case. Iáaccept
that Twain does more, and that to have all the options visible in one
window could be confusing, but I would like the options in Twain to be
available through separate windows, of which all or some could be
visible simultaneously, depending on the useræs preference.
9.12
The image brightness controls are more intuitive in ProiMage.
9.12
ProiMage gives a greater choice for number of greys and colours,
although you do have to change mode to one that matches what you want,
if scanning in colour.
9.12
Higher resolution scans up to 2400dpi are possible using interpolation.
9.12
ProiMage has better documentation.
9.12
Advantages of Twain
9.12
If you are scanning in images which you need to save in more than one
graphics format, the combination of Twain and Image Master allows you to
do this with just one scan. ProiMage will allow you to save in a variety
of formats, but you have to specify which one you require before
scanning, thus forcing you to scan in the image separately for each.
9.12
The selection defaults for dpi are far more logical with Twain,
minimising the need to ever use the writable icons.
9.12
Twain allows you to scan in 16 million or 256 colours without having to
change mode.
9.12
Twain will automatically reduce the size of a 600dpi scan (for instance)
to fit onto an A4 page, if required. It is also possible to set up
custom sizes and defaults to suit numerous requirements.
9.12
If you are scanning in an image for use with a Twain compatible package,
it cuts out the saving and dragging process. I find this especially
useful when using ArcFax.
9.12
If my SCSI card ever developed a fault, Twain will also operate the
scanner through the parallel port. Irlam only supply either the SCSI or
the parallel software with the scanner, despite the Epson being fitted
with both interfaces as standard.
9.12
The Epson GT-9000 packaged with Image Master and Twain is cheaper.
9.12
Conclusions
9.12
The best option would be to buy the scanner with the Irlam software and
buy Twain and Image Master separately, as you will then have the best of
both worlds. Both packages are worthy and complement each other.
Frustratingly, wherever I have a quibble with one, the other performs
that particular task as Iáwould like it to be.
9.12
If I were forced to choose between the two, it would not be easy, as
both succeed in doing the job they set out to do. Most of my minor
gripes are related to the user interfaces, in one way or another, and
perhaps reflect the way I prefer to work as much as anything else. On
balance, I think I would go for the Irlam ProiMage software. I prefer to
have all the options that are available to me, visible at once, and the
graphical method of selecting an area to scan is so convenient that I
wouldnæt want to be without it. I am glad that itæs not a decision I
have to make, though.
9.12
Finally
9.12
Nothing to do with printers, but a couple of people have asked in their
letters how I work out the processor time taken by a piece of software.
I use JFUsage, a PD utility by Justin Fletcher. I enclose a copy for
inclusion on the monthly disc, should there be room.
9.12
Any printing-related problems, or suggestions for future articles,
should be sent to Dave Floyd, c/o PO Box 2795, London, NW10 9AY.áuá
9.12
Internet Column
9.12
Dave Pantling
9.12
Upgrades!
9.12
Argonet have been working on Voyager 1.08, which will have significantly
improved mail and news. The next project they intend to undertake is
frames, but itæs too early to say when it will be ready.
9.12
They have also just released a new package which gives Acorn machines
full voice mail facilities at last! Using a US Robotics Sportster Vi
modem, your computer can answer the phone and take messages in your
absence. It will be available free to existing Voyager subscribers, or
can be purchased separately for around ú20 Ö ú25. Please note that it
will not work with Sportster fax modems Ö you must have the ÉViæ
variant.
9.12
Doggysoft have done a lot of behindÇ-the-scenes work on Termite
Internet, which is now on version 1.22. The new version is much more
stable that 1.20, and a number of minor niggles have been fixed. Their
telnet client, which was by far the best on the Acorn platform, is now
even better! Scrolling has been dramatically improved, and the annoying
terminal type bug, where if the default was ANSI youæd have to remind
it, for example, has been fixed.
9.12
Cable vs. BT
9.12
I recently moved house to an area that is covered by a cable franchise.
Having a choice of who I give my money to, I investigated the pricing
structures...
9.12
CableTel, my local cable supplier, is typical of most companies in that
they charge BT rates minus 20%. This is like receiving all the discount
packages without having to pay for them.
9.12
I signed to CableTel in June.
9.12
The first notable difference was the quality of the line. I have fibre
optic cable running all the way to the distribution box at the end of
the road, about 15 feet away. From there, two co-axial cables run into
the house Ö one for telephone and one for cable TV.
9.12
I have a Sportster 28,800 modem which, on my old BT line, would usually
connect at 9,600 or 14,400 bps. On this line, it connects at 19,200 or
better!
9.12
CableTel have a Éconnectæ charge (i.e. when your call is answered) of
1.5 pence, which compares very favourably against BTæs 5 pence. During
the day, 1.5ápence is 30 seconds on CableTel, and 5 pence is about 1
minute forty seconds. As I can consistently log on, collect 5 or 6
emails and log off in 30 seconds, I save 3.5 pence every time.
9.12
My final reason for choosing a cable operator over BT is the great
potential of cable modems. These operate at the same speed as a 28,800
bps modem for outgoing data, but can manage rates of 2 MBytes a second
for incoming data. Cable modems are currently very expensive, but are
falling in price all the time.
9.12
I am led to understand that I will need an ethernet card to operate at
the speeds that the modem is capable of, and would like to hear from
anyone who might know anything more about this! The Risc PC serial port
is totally inadequate for the job because it can only operate up to
115,200 bps!
9.12
PC cards
9.12
I received a small response to my request for people accessing the
Internet using PC software on PC processors in their Risc PCs.
9.12
The reports were encouraging, however. Three people are successfully
using CompuServe, and one person is using AOL. All experienced no
particular problems as a result of using a RiscPC.
9.12
I am now looking for comments from people using Acorn software with
Service Providers like Demon, Dircon, Zynet, Argonet and other. If you
could describe how easy or difficult it was getting online, the level of
service and support you receive, and the way you use your software, Iæll
be able to compile a chart which should greatly simplify the range of
choices for new subscribers.
9.12
The future...
9.12
The Internet holds much promise, and must be seen as a system which is
currently in an embryonic form. I could write about it for months and
barely scratch the surface. Making it relevant to Acorn users is less
easy!
9.12
I would, therefore, like some feedback on what you would like to see
here. If you would like to maintain a page or section relevant to Acorn
users, please contact me so we can discuss how it will fit in.
9.12
The Archive web site has been redesigned and updated, and will now be
updated weekly, or immediately if some newsworthy event occurs. Iáwould
like it to become the first place to which people go for current
information about anything Acorn-related.
9.12
I will now also be updating the Éfor saleæ page weekly, on a Monday. If
you have anything for sale which you would like placed on the page,
please contact me.
9.12
You can email me, [e-mail], or you can write to me care of
the Editor.áuá
9.12
RSDFS Full-FS
9.12
Tim Nicholson
9.12
RSDFS Full-FS is a full filing system implementation of the RSDFS file
transfer package as reviewed in Archive 9.4 p75. It is a system for
networking two (or more) RISC OS computers via their serial ports,
either by cable, or by modems and standard telephone connections. To the
file transfer facilities offered by the previous version is added full
filing system functionality, which includes operations such as copying,
renaming, filetyping, deletion etc of remote files, as well as the
ability to double click on remote files, and run applications held on
the remote machine; in fact, anything you can do with a filer window
normally. The main limitation is the speed of transfer of data over the
serial link.
9.12
It is a client/server system where one machine (the Remote) is
essentially dumb, and all operations are initiated by the client (the
Control). This differs from the peer-to-peer system in which file
transfer etc can be initiated from either end, and both ends can Éseeæ
each otheræs files.
9.12
A computer fitted with extra serial ports, such as are offered by
Intelligent Interfaces or Atomwide, can act as a server for several
client machines simultaneously. However, it should be remembered that
since it is serial ports that are being used, the data transfer rate is
significantly lower than could be achieved using more conventional
networking techniques, e.g. ethernet, and cable lengths are much more
restricted.
9.12
(AF Software have a parallel port version in development, which promises
to be faster still for newer machines with bi-directional printer
ports.)
9.12
Although RSDFS Full-FS can support multiple users with individual access
rights etc, you are restricted, on the basic system, to two known users,
plus anonymous access. This simplifies the setting up required, and
those wishing to have all the bells and whistles, can purchase the
Multimedia option as an extra.
9.12
What you get
9.12
RSDFS-full FS is supplied on a single 800Kb floppy together with a brief
manual in a small library case. The software consists of the server
application (RS¡Remote) which replaces the old RSDFS-M, the client
application (RS-Control) which replaces the old RSDFS_S, and a number of
utilities including the Public Domain SerialDev application. The old
(nonáfull-FS) RSDFS_S is included for completeness. As purchased, you
get a licence for a single copy each of the Remote and Control
applications, and the older RSDFS_S control application which is freely
distributable by owners of the full system.
9.12
A suitable serial lead is not supplied, but available as an extra at a
nominal cost which depends upon the length required (up to 10 metres).
9.12
Installation
9.12
RSDFS Full_FS is one of those applications where installing and setting
up is probably the hardest part of using it. This is not, I hasten to
add, because it is at all difficult to set up, but because once it is up
and running, it can virtually be forgotten about. It is, after all, one
of those utilities which is a means to an end. The manual leads you
through the processes for both ends in a straightforward manner, which
is much as for the previous version. However, the RS-Control application
is slightly different and includes Username/Password settings and a
phone list of up to 20 numbers for modem/phone line connections.
(RSDFStemp is no longer required.)
9.12
The system can be used on a floppy disc only machine, although this is
only really sensible for the RS-Control end. There is no requirement for
either !System or !Scrap at either end and, once running and configured,
RS-Control does not require to see its own disc again, unless call-
logging is enabled.
9.12
The software is supplied pre-configured for a basic setup, and should
work without further adjustment using the internal serial port and
accessing the root partition of ADFS::4. Adding extra drives and setting
access options is straightforward enough, with the manual leading the
way. The only slight problem Iáencountered was that some of the
templates are not style guide compliant, in that <Cancel> buttons are
not provided, but <Restore> instead. However, these restore all the
defaults, not just those of the window you are working on, which can be
confusing.
9.12
Also, the templates have not been designed with the system font in mind
which leads to some overlapping icons ifáit is used. I also found that
the status of the öUser name and passwordò flag was ignored, and the
system always demanded these from RS-Control, although the old RSDFS-S
could be used anonymously. AF Software are aware of this bug, andáintend
to fix it. At least it is stuck in the secure position!
9.12
RS-Control requires a modest 48Kb of RAM with an additional 64Kb of
space in the RMA, so it will not unduly strain machines with limited
memory.
9.12
The Remote has a slightly greater RAM requirement of 192Kb, but again
not excessive.
9.12
In use
9.12
For local use, it is only necessary to connect the two computers, and
run the respective RS-Remote and RS-Control applications Ö both will
install themselves on the lefthand side of the iconbar. For remote use,
it is necessary to invoke the ÉDialæ option from the RS¡Control menu to
kick the modem into action, and ensure that the RS-Remote modem is in
the correct configuration. There are a couple of utilities supplied to
assist ensuring a correct configuration, but I could not make these
work. The manual suggests possible problem areas, but does not go into
great depth.
9.12
The status window can be used to monitor the progress of the connection.
Once a connection is established, by whichever means, clicking on the
Control icon will cause a window to open above the iconbar, listing the
available RSDFS drives on the other machine, and it will then open the
root directory of the first drive. These drives will, in fact, be
Évirtualæ drives which may represent only part of the actual disc space
on the server computer, depending upon the filepaths set up in the RS-
Remote application.
9.12
These Édrivesæ may then be clicked upon to open standard filer windows,
which may be used for all normal filer operations, including a free
memory display if <menu> is used over a Édriveæ. The only way that the
user will be aware of the fact that the windows do not relate to files
on the useræs own computer is the ÉRSDFS::æ filepath prefix on the filer
window title bar, and the speed of access.
9.12
It is perfectly possible to run an application over the link, but
downloading a sizeable RunImage file is not for the faint-hearted. The
system really works best for accessing data files of modest size. For
example, transferring a 100Kb file from RiscPC to RiscPC using the
115Kbaud serial port speed, took around 27secs. However, this compares
favourably with the 40secs it took to copy it from the hard drive to a
floppy, move the floppy to the other machine, and copy it back to the
hard drive.
9.12
With high speed serial cards, these times should at least halve,
although I have not had the opportunity to test the software using them.
9.12
Using the 19200 speed of an older machine, the transfer time increased
to about 1min 30secs, which although slower than doing a copy via
floppy, was a lot simpler. The system seemed quite happy running on a
variety of machines from an A3010, through an old A440, to a RiscPC 700.
9.12
As an experiment, I loaded up RS-Control on an A3010, removed the disc,
and then ran an entire session of ÉLemmings the Tribesæ from the hard
disc of an A440. Starting up was very slow as there are lots of
graphics, but once running, only modest file access is required to move
from tribe to tribe etc, and it all happened quite transparently.
9.12
Limitations
9.12
The limitations of the system are almost entirely related to the speed
of the serial link. For example, since the system is a full filing
system implementation, opening any directories containing applications
will cause them all to be Filer_Booted with loading of IconSprites etc Ö
this can all take quite a time. The manual warns to use <ctrl>-click on
unknown directories to suppress this action.
9.12
In order to avoid unnecessary data traffic down the serial line, RS-
Control caches directories, much like ADFSDirCache. As a side effect of
this, if any filer operations are carried out on the remote machine on
directories that the Control end has cached, the filer windows on the
control machine will not be updated and this can lead to an error
message as, for example, you are trying to access a deleted file. The
way round this is to flush the cache.
9.12
Unfortunately, the only way to do this is via a rather unfriendly
command line string. It would be nice if this could be achieved via a
menu option which listed cached directories and gave the option to
refresh. Having said that, the situation is unlikely to arise in simple
one to one connections, although it is much more likely if the server is
connected to several clients who wish to send files to each other via
the common remote in, for example, a classroom situation.
9.12
Alternatives
9.12
There are cheaper ways of transferring files from one machine to another
via the serial ports. At the simplest level, you can use the PD terminal
program Connector and Z-Modem transfer, but this requires transfers to
be initiated at the sending end and you then have to move files to the
required directory at the receiving end. Then there is QuickLynk (See
the review on which follows immediately. Ed.), which bears a remarkable
similarity to early versions of the old RSDFS system. Both these options
cost around ú35á(ú32 through Archive). Remote FS from Atomwide used to
be available and provided full filingásystem functionality, but it is no
longer actively supported. Lastly, there is RSDFS Full-FS at ú45
(upgrade ú15,áextra RS-Control ú15) which, although the most expensive
of the current offerings, is certainly the most fully-featured, is
backwardly compatible with the non Full-FS version, and promises more
than just filing system connectivity between RISC OS machines.
9.12
Conclusions
9.12
Without a doubt, RSDFS-Full FS works well. It is largely bug free, apart
from the slight templates problem and the password issue. There are some
features available on RS-Remote which are more appropriate to BBS use
than for a simple system. Theámanual simply mentions that these exist,
and says that some can be used with Full-FS and some canæt, without
going into any detail. This leaves me wondering what else ought to work,
and what to ignore. I felt that the manual could have been more
comprehensive, with proper explanation of some of the extended features,
such as call-logging and the monitoring windows.
9.12
The system obviously has room for lots of exciting development beyond
filing system operations, and this is reflected in the changes of name
of the applications. I had the chance to try out a version which
included the ability to reset the remote machineæs clock to that of the
controls, and even reboot the remote machine!
9.12
For anyone requiring to connect two RISC OS computers together without
the expense of a couple of Ethernet cards, RSDFS Full-FS should
certainly be on their shortlist. The system deserves to do well. Given
the current interest in network computers, here is an easy, and
affordable entry into just that kind of world. I would hope that
everyone would buy a copy if only to fund further development, and prove
just what can be achieved under RISC OS, with a modem and a phone line.
9.12
RSDFS-Full FS costs ú45 through Archive, and the original RSDFS is
ú38.áuá
9.12
QuickLynk
9.12
John Laski
9.12
When we acquired our RiscPC, the old A300 Archimedes was still going
strong. We put it on the other side of the table from the new machine,
and started using it as a resource for when the two of us both wanted to
use a machine, and for mutual backups of files.
9.12
At first, using floppies to transfer files from one machine to another
was OK, but soon we wanted something better. We thought about a little
net, but that would cost some ú300, which could be far better spent.
Then we found out about QuickLynk (öa serial port file transfer
utilityò) which precisely meets our needs, albeit with some reservations
described below. It enables transfer between two RISCáOS machines, with
a direct wire connection between their serial ports, and also via modems
and dial-up lines.
9.12
Essentially, you connect the serial ports on the machines by a suitable
cable (5m and 10m cables are supplied for an extra charge), and
configure the port on one machine, in !Quicklynkæs configuration window,
to the maximum baud rate that each of the two computers can handle. Then
you use a floppy to carry the software to the other machine, run
QuickLynk, connect, and you will get a QuickLynk window giving a
directory display of the other machine Ö and vice versa on the first
machine. Dragging files to and from these windows will copy files to and
from the underlying directories.
9.12
Describing QuickLynk is made difficult by the fact that the two machines
and two users can operate symmetrically, so it is always necessary to be
clear from whose point of view things are being described. Therefore, in
what follows, I shall assume that there is a machine (which I shall call
the Distant machine) from whose drives are being accessed from my
machine (which I shall call the Local machine). However, the user on the
Distant machine can equally well access the data on the discs of the
Local machine. The screenshot below shows QuickLynkæs windows on the
Local machine.
9.12
On your first run, in order to make the data on its various drives
available, the Distant machine user must tick these drives in the
SetDrive subwindow of the Choice window. Then, working at the Local
machine, I have made available to the Distant machine the drive
adfs::4.$ under the name John. However, I have not forced a name on
adfs::0.$, so that the Distant machine will be presented with the name
of the floppy disc that is currently in the drive. You can see this in
the SetDrive window in the screenshot.
9.12
Look now at the little Drives window. This shows that data is available
on two drives on the Distant machine: Scsidisc4 and Wk90 (the name of
the floppy in Drive 0). Clicking on Wk90 will replace ÉOn Lineæ by
ÉWk90æ in QuickLynxæs iconbar icon, and clicking on this will open a
window displaying the root directory of the floppy named Wk90. By
clicking on any subdirectory icon, I can replace this window by a window
displaying the associated subdirectory. Alternatively, I could have
clicked, in Drives, on Scsidisc4 (which had not been given a pre-emptive
name like John), and accessed instead any one (sub-)directory of the
hard disc on the Distant machine.
9.12
It is important to understand that these windows on directories are not
themselves directory displays. In particular, you can only use the icons
for the actions provided by QuickLynk, not the general uses provided by
RISCáOS. If you click <menu> on an icon in these windows, you will not
get the familiar RISCáOS Display, File,... menu, but just access to an
Info box, and a facility provided by QuickLynk, to send a message to the
other machine. Another difference is that applications show only the
blue APP sprite, not their own.
9.12
The principal use you would make of an icon in a Quicklynk window is to
drag the file/directory/application in order to copy it across the
serial link to a directory on the Local machine. Similarly, if you drag
one of your files to the QuickLynk window, it will be copied to the
Distant machine. However, changes in the Distant directory do not update
the corresponding QuickLynk window on the Local machine unless it is
closed and reopened. Note that you cannot delete files on the Distant
machine, although you could overwrite them.
9.12
An additional facility, that I have not so far tested, is that the
machines connected by QuickLynk need not be on the same site, but could
be connected via a pair of modems and a telephone wire. You can see from
the Modem window that you can configure it to supply the control strings
your modem needs.
9.12
These transfer facilities, together with the message facility referred
to above, are, essentially, all that QuickLynk provides. However, they
are certainly sufficient to make it a very valuable utility.
9.12
How QuickLynk behaves
9.12
Between an A310 and a RiscPC 610, the maximum transfer speed I achieved
in mode 43, with the port speeds set to 19,200, was reported to be some
16,600 bits per second. Short files and the end of long files slowed
things down.
9.12
I found this speed very convenient for exchanging short files, and
although long files or directories took quite some time, it didnæt
bother me, because I donæt often need to transfer large files.
9.12
QuickLynk has so far been fully reliable in use, and files seem to have
been transferred without error. However, if I do something improper,
like dragging to a window that belongs to a funny filer like Black Hole
or Memphis, I get a numbered error message. Also, if the Distant machine
crashes, the Local machine does not report this, and, more seriously, if
it goes down without leaving QuickLynk properly, if I then try to leave
the desktop, my machine freezes, and I have to use <alt-break> several
times to clear this.
9.12
Desirable extensions
9.12
QuickLynk is restricted to copying files etc, between directories on the
Distant machine, as displayed in QuickLynk windows, and directories on
the Local machine. It would be particularly useful if files on the
Distant machine could be dragged to the Local !printers application
directly, without stashing them in an holding directory in the Local
machine. Indeed, I see no reason, in principle, why a file in the
Distant directory should not be able to be dragged to an application in
the Local directory.
9.12
A final moan
9.12
The QuickLynk window uses large icons, and therefore a lot of desktop
space. Could we not have small icons? It has a vertical slide-bar, but
not a horizontal one, so you cannot squeeze it horizontally, without
hiding the rightmost icons, although, of course, the window can be
squeezed vertically to a single row. Directory windows, as they are
gradually squashed horizontally, rearrange all the file icons into one
fewer columns. The command *Filer_OpenDir should have been used by
QuickLynk to provide its image windows. !Spark is a model of how this
can be achieved.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
Finally, I recommend this application, but only to those who need the
facilities it provides now, and cannot wait for a better user-engineered
and more flexible version, or an alternative, PD for preference.
9.12
QuickLynk costs ú28 + VAT from Desktop Projects or ú32 through
Archive.áuá
9.12
Hints and Tips
9.12
C++ Operator Summary Ö Itæs a bit late to go with my series, but C++
programmers who read Archive will probably find this information handy.
Itæs a cut down version of the table that appears in Bjarne Stroustrupæs
ÉThe C++ Programming Languageæ (2nd Edn) 1994, Addison Wesley.
9.12
::  scope resolution
9.12
::  global
9.12
.  member selection
9.12
->  member selection
9.12
[]  subscripting
9.12
()  function call
9.12
()  value construction
9.12
++  post increment
9.12
ÿ  post decrement
9.12
sizeof  size of object
9.12
sizeof  size of type
9.12
++  pre increment
9.12
ÿ  pre decrement
9.12
~  complement
9.12
!  not
9.12
-  unary minus
9.12
+  unary plus
9.12
&  address of
9.12
*  dereference
9.12
new  create (allocate)
9.12
delete  destroy (de-allocate)
9.12
delete[]  destroy array
9.12
()  cast (type conversion)
9.12
.*  member selection
9.12
->*  member selection
9.12
*  multiply
9.12
/  divide
9.12
%  remainder
9.12
+  add
9.12
-  subtract
9.12
<<  shift left
9.12
>>  shift right
9.12
<  less than
9.12
>  greater than
9.12
<=  less than or equal
9.12
>=  greater than or equal
9.12
==  equal
9.12
!=  not equal
9.12
&  bitwise AND
9.12
^  bitwise exclusive OR
9.12
|  bitwise inclusive OR
9.12
&&  logical AND
9.12
||  logical inclusive OR
9.12
?:  conditional expression
9.12
=  simple assignment
9.12
*=  multiply and assign
9.12
/=  divide and assign
9.12
%=  modulo and assign
9.12
+=  add and assign
9.12
-=  subtract and assign
9.12
<<=  shift left and assign
9.12
>>=  shift right and assign
9.12
&=  AND and assign
9.12
|=  inclusive OR and assign
9.12
^=  exclusive OR and assign
9.12
throw  throw exception
9.12
,  comma (sequencing)
9.12
Each box holds operators with the same precedence and has higher
precedence than the box below.
9.12
Unary and assignment operators are right associative.
9.12
All other operators are left associative.
9.12
Tony Houghton, <[e-mail]>
9.12
Bitfolio clipart Ö The Bitfolio Edition 7 CD¡ROM, reviewed in Archive
9.6 p9, has quite rightly come in for many plaudits. The high quality of
the images and the sheer value for money, in my view, really puts all
other collections well in the shade. Some problems have come to light
but, fortunately, aásimple workround seems to apply to nearly all cases.
A few drawfiles on the CD wonæt load (a few out of 10,000? I think we
can live with that!). However, others hit problems when dropped directly
into applications such as Artworks, Impression, Ovation, etc.
9.12
Fortunately, applying what appears to be a universal workround, is a
trivial task. Simply double-click on the drawfile icon to load the image
into Draw, call up a Save...File dialogue box and drag the Save as icon
to its destination (Artworks, Impression etc). Hey presto! Ö no Artworks
crashes, and the graphic loads into the DTP frame at exactly 100% scale;
problem solved.
9.12
Jim Nottingham <[e-mail]>
9.12
Cumana SCSI 2 upgrades Ö Whilst browsing on Acornæs FTP site, I
discovered two upgrades for the Cumana SCSIá2 card, versions 2.00 and
2.01. I tried version 2.00 first and then 2.01 Ö dated 7 June 96. Both
worked fine. However, when Iácame to use the SCSI manager program to
format and partition a new 650Mb Panasonic cartridge for my ProTeus
drive, I discovered, to my amazement, that I could obtain 8 (yes eight!)
partitions Ö the original SCSI4 to 7 plus SCSI0 to 3. There is no
mention of this in the read me files. I phoned Cumana support, who
confirmed that eight partitions were now available, in spite of !Help
and other documentation still insisting that, because of RISCáOS
restrictions, only four partitions out of a possible 64 can be obtained
with this card. Anyway, Iáhad a device, partitioned into eight sections,
running for several days without any problems.
9.12
Later, however, I encountered a small problem when switching on my
machine. It started to hang, and Iáneeded to switch on and off two or
three times before I could get the !Boot running from my ADFS HardDisc4.
After a lot of trial and error, I found a small item in the Read Me file
mentioning that some SCSI hard drives did not like SCSI resets on power
up. From the SCSI manager screen, I selected the Host and then clicked
on Set Host ID. Under SCSI Reset, I changed the selected button from
Enabled to Delayed Ö problem solved.
9.12
The upgrades can be found on the Acorn FTP site ftp://ftp.acorn.co.uk/
pub/riscos/thirdparty/cumana. Any members, who are not on the Net, can
get a copy from me at 50 Cornwall Road, Southampton, SO18 2QZ, sending a
blank formatted disc and return postage.
9.12
Ted Lacey <[e-mail]>
9.12
New TurboDrivers Ö Following an email exchange between James Taylor of
NCS and Kate Moir of Computer Concepts weæve acquired the following
information about the new versions of the TurboDrivers:
9.12
New versions of Computer Conceptsæ TurboDrivers have recently been
released.
9.12
The latest shipping version of TurboDriver (4.05) will only install to
versions 1.45, 1.52 and 1.53 of !Printers. The TurboDriver installer has
to upgrade the !RunImage file of !Printers, and Computer Concepts are
limited Ö by disc space Ö to the number of replacement !RunImages they
can offer. They decided that as versions 1.45Ö1.53 constituted the
latest versions of !Printers, it made more sense to support them and
drop support of the previous versions.
9.12
The TurboDriver uses !Printers as a öfront endò but uses its own
rendering and queueing system. The rendering system is quite different
from the standard Acorn system, and the queueing system complements and
interacts with the Acorn system, actually improving printout times from
applications which do not use the Acorn graphics output mode (i.e. Edit,
First Word Plus, etc).
9.12
As to a comparison of quality, Computer Concepts feel that the
TurboDriver is better, and certainly, the full control of halftone
angles, that the TurboDriver offers, provides the user with much greater
control over the output quality. However, assessing quality of output is
very subjective.
9.12
All the TurboDrivers have been upgraded (Epson, Canon and HP). An
existing user of, say, the Canon TurboDriver can purchase the Epson and/
or HP printer engines and definition files for an additional ú11.75each
(inclusive) from Computer Concepts.
9.12
It is possible to have two (or more) different types of TurboDriver
resident in !Printers at one time. The only requirement is that the
TurboDriver definitions be the same version, i.e. Epson TurboDriver 4.05
and Canon TurboDriver 4.05. Epson TurboDriver 4.04 will not work with
Canon TurboDriver 4.05.
9.12
When using a non-TurboDriver printer definition files with a copy of
!Printers which has had the TurboDrivers installed into it, RISCáOS
printing is via Acorn code, and queueing via TurboDriver code.
9.12
Recent improvements in speed and quality have been made to !Printers.
There has been speculation that !Printers has closed the gap, or even
overtaken, the TurboDrivers in terms of speed.
9.12
Speed of output is dependent upon too many variables to quote specifics.
An additional 100Kb of free memory can make a significant difference in
the time to output.
9.12
Computer Concepts claim that the TurboDriver is still significantly
faster than !Printers 1.53 in most areas of printing. Multiple copies of
multi-page documents will always be faster via the TurboDriver, as will
ArtWorks images and RISC OS text documents. Single bitmap (and JPEG
bitmaps) may be faster via the standard Acorn drivers.
9.12
Alex Allen <[e-mail]>
9.12
Upgrading PC cards Ö Readers who install 486-100 or pentium processors
may like to be warned; if you have already upgraded your software to
!PCx86, do not be tempted to skip installing this when you receive your
new processor package. There are bits and pieces in the latest version
without which you will have trouble, so install the lot (!PCx86, PCDos7
and all).
9.12
Colin Buckland <[e-mail]>
9.12
Operating Systems Column
9.12
Ian Beswick
9.12
Last monthæs column looked at two new pieces of hardware for extending
Operating System functionality (Hydra and ISAdaptor). This time Iæm
going to take a look at some related software issues, including some
extensions to RISCáOS.
9.12
Parallel processing
9.12
Itæs all very well having a computer with many processors capable of
running together, but itæs of no use unless we can write software to
take advantage of them! There are problems with parallel processing
which I will briefly outline before looking in more detail at the APIs
for programming the Hydra.
9.12
Design considerations
9.12
When starting to write a traditional program, the first step may be to
draw a flow chart showing the steps involved in carrying out the overall
task. Each step can be broken down into further sub-tasks, each of which
can have its own flow chart.
9.12
This process is more difficult when designing programs for parallel
processing, since several sub-tasks will be taking place together. We
need to have a means of determining which sub-tasks can be potentially
performed together, and how they can be synchronised.
9.12
Various algorithmic languages exists to enable this process to be
written down as formal equations. Mathematical rules can be used to
manipulate these equations, and can even be used to convert the
equations into code which can be compiled directly.
9.12
Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP)
9.12
One such example is the CSP design language which has many parallels
(sorry!) with the OCCAM programming language. It makes use of two main
building blocks: processes, which may run either sequentially (denoted
by ╬ ) or concurrently (denoted by || ), and events, for communication
between processes. The details of the CSP language are beyond the scope
of this article, but the following example illustrates the main
features.
9.12
Consider a process P consisting of two sub-processes (A & B) which run
in parallel, synchronising through an initial event e. This can be
written in CSP as:
9.12
 P = ( e ╬ A ) || ( e ╬ B )
9.12
This can be rewritten as:
9.12
 P = e ╬ ( A || B )
9.12
Whole pages of such equations may be written down and analysed to
determine the overall behaviour.
9.12
Deadlock
9.12
When considering complex systems of parallel processes, it is important
to ensure that the events are properly synchronised. The consequences of
incorrect synchronisation are dire, as we shall see. Rather than
illustrate the point with complex CSP equations, a nice example is that
of the ÉDining Philosophersæ:
9.12
A group of philosophers spend their days thinking deep philosophical
thoughts in their own little rooms. From time to time, they get hungry,
and go out into the communal dining room which has a large bowl of food
at the centre of a round table. Each philosopher has a large golden fork
to the right of his place mat, but the philosophers require two forks to
take the food from the bowl. They must therefore Éborrowæ their
neighbouræs fork in order to eat. When they have had their fill, they
replace the forks and return to their study...
9.12
Consider the situation when all the philosophers try to eat at the same
time. They rush to the table, pick up their own fork, and then wait for
their neighbouræs fork to be available Ö unfortunately, it never will
be. The table is in a state of deadlock, and so the philosophers will
starve! Various solutions exist to this problem, such as introducing a
coordinating Usher into the room, who will only allow the philosophers
to sit down when at least one extra place would remain vacant.
9.12
Each of the items within the room, including the philosophers, the
forks, and the usher, can be represented by CSP equations (Iæve put
these on the monthly disc). These can be manipulated to prove that the
deadlock has been removed Ö this is left as an exercise to the reader...
9.12
The Hydra API (HydraLib)
9.12
The basic API provided with the Hydra doesnæt include any special
facilities for handling deadlock (nor its more serious relation,
livelock). Instead, it provides means of allocating chunks of memory, as
Dynamic Areas, which may be shared between processors. It is left to the
programmer as to how this memory is used to coordinate the tasks. The
other purpose of HydraLib is to enable tasks to be scheduled for
execution.
9.12
The API lends itself well to several independent programs all using the
Hydra at the same time. The main problem is that it is necessary to
program it directly in ARM machine code, since the C compiler will not
produce suitable code and nor will the existing C libraries run on the
slave processors.
9.12
More information on the Hydra module, including the API specification,
can be found on the web at: http://www.wonderworks.co.uk
9.12
Multi-threading
9.12
I considered various analogies to explain the conceptsábehind multi-
threading, and eventually settled on that of sewing; almost every wall
in our house has one of my motheræs tapestries or cross-stitches on it,
so I have had plenty of opportunity to observe the process! This
requires a piece of fabric, silk thread, a needle, and a hand (or
machine) to move the needle. The material is analogous to the code being
executed, the needle is the processor, the silk represents the Éthreadæ
of execution, and the hand is the operating system running the show.
9.12
Consider the following simplistic method of sewing: thread the needle
with coloured silk; tie in to the fabric to get started; make stitches
for (say) 30áseconds; tie off the silk; unthread the needle; repeat with
next colour. This is effectively pre¡emptive multitasking Ö the
operating system decides to change tasks on a time-slice basis. Examples
include WindowsNT and Unix.
9.12
In order to improve efficiency, larger quantities of stitches may be
worked with a single colour, possibly over a wide area of the material,
without tying off and restarting. This is cooperative multitasking Ö it
is left to the thread to decide when to switch to another task, rather
than the operating system deciding. This is how both RISCáOS and
Microsoft Windows behave.
9.12
Both these methods share the same inefficiency, namely having to keep
tying off the silk every time the colour is changed. This could be
avoided by leaving the ends of the silk dangling at the back of the
fabric whilst working on other colours. I am reliably informed that this
would not be a sensible strategy with real needlework, because it would
lead to a big tangle! However, this would be analogous to a multi-
threaded application.
9.12
This latest method still requires the needle to be rethreaded with silk
when switching colours. It would save further time if several needles
were used and left dangling on the ends of the thread, although this
would be somewhat dangerous! This is like a multi¡processor system
running several threads simultaneously.
9.12
Having stretched the analogy to almost breaking point, let us quickly
move on to examine the forthcoming multi-threading library for RISCáOS.
9.12
The threads library
9.12
This is a more sophisticated means of programming the Hydra than using
HydraLib. Quite apart from all the extra features, two major advantages
it offers are that it will work without the Hydra hardware fitted (all
threads run on the single processor) and that it can easily be
programmed in C, rather than having to resort to machine code.
9.12
The SWI calls offered by the threads library provide facilities for
communications between threads, either by means of messages or
semaphores. Messages are very similar to their WIMP counterparts Ö each
thread has its own message buffer, from which it receives messages. A
thread may post a message into the buffer of another thread, thus
allowing data and synchronising information to be passed between
threads.
9.12
A semaphore is effectively a status flag, having a single (integer)
value. Semaphores are normally used to guard particular resources
against being used by several threads at the same time Ö a thread can be
made to wait until a specific semaphore becomes available. For example,
in the case of the dining philosophers, a semaphore could be used to
restrict the number of philosophers that are allowed to sit down
together.
9.12
Each thread may start new sub-threads by means of the Éforkæ instruction
Ö a new thread is started which is a child of the original. The parent
is notified (by means of a message) when all of its children have
finished.
9.12
The business of writing a multi-threaded application is a complex one,
but this module holds the promise of making that task as painless as
possible. I will certainly be using the module myself in my own
programs! As and when the module is released, I will bring you some code
examples and information on its performance.
9.12
More information on the threads module, including the proposed API
specification, can be found on the web at: http://
www.rmcs.cranfield.ac.uk/~carson/thread
9.12
Inter-application communication
9.12
Whereas multi-threading allows several parts of the same application to
work together, it is also desirable to have a way of enabling several
separate applications to cooperate. Under RISCáOS, this is accomplished
by the passing of WIMP messages, andáat present, the main protocol used
in this way is OLE (Object Linking and Embedding). This enables data to
be exported from one application, to be editedáin another, so that, for
example, a photograph may be displayed in a desktop publishing package
(e.g. Impression Publisher), but exported to a dedicated photo-
retouching package (e.g.áPhotoDesk) for editing.
9.12
Two new protocols for such inter-application communication have recently
been announced:
9.12
Plug-in Compliant Architecture (PCA)
9.12
PCA, at its simplest level, is an extension of OLE. Under OLE, each
application stores its own copy of the shared data, and the protocol
provides a means of copying it between them. With PCA, only one copy of
the data is held, in a shared dynamic area, and the protocol provides
facilities for coordinating which application has control over the data
at any time. To consider the previous example, a PCA-aware Publisher (if
such a beast were to exist) would always show the latest version of the
photograph as it was edited in a PCA-aware version of PhotoDesk (if one
existed). When working with large bitmaps, the potential for saving
memory is clearly enormous.
9.12
It doesnæt stop there though; PCA also provides for in-place editing.
Thus the editing (or Éremoteæ) application would actually use the same
region of the screen as the original (or Élocalæ) application. Taken to
its logical conclusion, this encourages the production of many mini-
applications, each of which provides specialised services to any PCA-
aware application.
9.12
Sounds familiar? Well, it certainly has more than a little in common
with the concept of Java applets, and later versions of PCA may even
include support for Java. The whole basis of the new Network Computer
(NC) is that software should be small and modularised, so that it can be
quickly loaded from a central server. PCA would therefore be an ideal
protocol for use on the NC.
9.12
The first PCA-aware application will be Claresæ Composition Ö hardly
surprising since PCA is the brainchild of Rob Davidson, the author of
Compo Ö and an early version of this was demonstrated at the Wakefield
show. Other early adopters of PCA include the TopModel and DaVinci 3D
editors. Desktop publishing applications (such as Impression Publisher
and Ovation Pro) would make ideal candidates for PCA, but only time will
tell whether this will actually happen...
9.12
More information about PCA, including the draft specification, can be
found on the web at:                http://www.stcoll.ac.uk/clares/
support/PCA.html
9.12
ART TimeCode
9.12
Just as multi-threaded applications must carefully synchronise
themselves, so it is useful if several separate applications can
synchronise with each other. For example, a multi-media setup might
require sound, animation, video, interactive questions etc, but this
would require them all to be in synchronisation with each other. Rather
than having all these facilities built into a single complex
application, there would be advantages to having many separate
applications, each being specialised at performing its own particular
task.
9.12
TimeCode provides a system-wide concept of the passage of time. The time
may be regulated by one of many sources, such as the internal clock, an
audio CD, or an external piece of MIDI or SMPTE equipment. Any
applications wishing to synchronise with the timecodes can do so to a
very high degree of precision. The real power of the system is that the
passage of time can be stopped, slowed down, or even reversed, and all
the applications will remain in step with each other.
9.12
The screenshot shows a simple ÉKaraokeæ application displaying the words
in step with an audio CD. Other applications could be used to
simultaneously display music (e.g. Sibelius), video (e.g. CineWorks,
Empire), or even control external equipment (e.g.ástage lighting). The
possibilities are practically endless!
9.12
The Skynetæs the limit
9.12
TimeCode is just one part of the ongoing Skynet project being undertaken
by ART. Other Skynet modules provide facilities for the new multi-
tasking Replay (V3). This will be completely modular and extendable to
cater for new video formats, probably including QuickTime, CinePak,
Intel Indeo, etc.
9.12
STOP PRESS:  RISCáOS 3.7 announced
9.12
Details have finally been announced of the new version of RISCáOS. The
two most significant changes over 3.6 (other than SA compatibility, of
course!) are improvements to the font manager and networking stack.
Fonts will now be anti-aliased to blend in with the actual background
colour, rather than to a fixed colour. Many network improvements are
promised, including a revised !Internet in the boot system, and an all-
new configuration application for the various networking components.
Thank you ART! Roll on September...
9.12
Full details can be found on the ART web site: http://
www.art.acorn.co.uk
9.12
(Also on the monthly disc. Ed.)
9.12
Next time...
9.12
...a more detailed look at some of the developments in store for our
favourite operating system Ö RISCáOS.
9.12
I can be contacted by email at [e-mail] or by snail-mail at 58
Eden Vale, Worsley, Manchester, M28 1YR.áuá
9.12
Geraldæs Column
9.12
Gerald Fitton
9.12
I am still getting many requests for more detail instructions for the
creation of graphs from data held in spreadsheet packages. In this
monthæs article, Iáshall try to explain how to create the type which you
find most difficult, namely a multiple Line Graph from columns of values
of X and Y. Iáhave only enough space to show how to do this using one
spreadsheet package, so Iáshall use my favourite package, PipeDream.
Iáshall demonstrate how to create similar graphs using other packages on
another occasion.
9.12
Another pair of topics which has led to much correspondence is the
mathematical concept of Infinity and its time-related counterpart,
Eternity. Itápleases me that so many of you are so interested ù
itásurprises me that Iáhave had no negative comment (perhaps it has gone
directly to Paul). Anyway, this month the philosophical bit comes at the
end, starting at the section headed ÉAcknowledgementsæ.
9.12
The infinite in a point
9.12
If Iáwere to ask you to specify your favourite function, it is very
likely that you would give me a formula for the function. With such a
formula, e.g. yá=ásin(x), you could calculate the value of y for any
value of x that Iámight care to choose.
9.12
Whilst that is a perfectly good way of specifying your function, there
is another way. Instead of having a formula which specifies directly
(through the function) the value of y for any given value of x, we can
concentrate on just one value of x and find out lots of things about
that one point. For my example, Iáshall concentrate on the single point
xá=á0.
9.12
Have a look at the fourth row of the table below. It contains everything
there is to know about my chosen function (have a look at the title and
guess the function) at the point xá=á0, and it contains nothing about
any other point. Although Iæll explain the interpretation of the numbers
in that row later, for now, Iámust tell you that Iæm cheating a bit
because, to get an accurate result for extrapolation to all possible
values of x, Iáneed a fourth row which contains an infinite number of
columns! Of course, Iácanæt have an infinite number of columns on my
computer (and neither can you on yours) so weæll have to make do with
just a few (Iæve used fifteen) and accept that the answers will be
approximate!
9.12
So, hereæs my claim: using only information about the function at xá=á0
(the information in the fourth row), plus the assumption that the
function is Éregularæ (smooth), we can use a spreadsheet to find the
value of this function for any value of x between minus infinity and
plus infinity.
9.12
The series generated from the data in row 4 is shown in the column
below. Iæll explain how the sums are done later. Only part of the table
is shown in the screenshot. The table extends to row 58 so that values
of y are calculated from xá=á0.00 to xá=á7.50.
9.12
It is said that a picture paints a thousand words (and Iánotice that
Paul is asking for more of them in Archive) so letæs delay some of the
explanation and jump to the graph of this function for values of x from
0.00 to 7.50.
9.12
The graph, produced in PipeDream but saved as a drawfile, is shown
above. Iáwould like you to note that the function appears to have a
maximum value of 1.00, a minimum value of Ö1.00 and crosses the axis
where xá=ápi. Iáwill explain how to produce this graph in some detail
later.
9.12
The swing
9.12
You may doubt the validity of the process of using lots (an infinite
amount!) of information about a point on a curve to calculate (with a
simple spreadsheet) the value of the function at any other point. Let me
try to convince you.
9.12
As an example, let me help you to construct a mathematical model of the
action of a swing. In this model x is time and y is the position of the
swing. When the swing is in the middle yá=á0; when the swing is in its
most forward position yá=á+1; and when it is as far back as it will go
then yá=áÖ1. We start the clock at xá=á0 with the swing in the yá=á0
position.
9.12
The conventional way of constructing the mathematical model is to
specify the function which allows us to calculate the position of the
swing at any time. A good approximation for this function is yá=ásin(x).
A better one would be a damped oscillation, but letæs keep it simple;
letæs choose to have our swing oscillating forever between the same
extreme positions, yá=áÖ1 and yá=á+1. It will be travelling at it
highest speed, +1 velocity units, when yá=á0. It will be subject to
maximum acceleration when yá=áÖ1 and when yá=á+1 but zero acceleration
at yá=á0.
9.12
I would like you to consider the following alternative method of
creating the mathematical model using only that information which can be
gleaned at the time xá=á0. Where is the swing? Answer, yá=á0; it is in
the middle of its swing. Now please refer back to row 4 of the original
spreadsheet; in column D (under ná=á0) you will find the value 0. The
meaning of this 0 is that yá=á0 when xá=á0. Next, how fast is it going
as it passes through the point yá=á0? Well, weæll suppose it to be +1 in
our arbitrary velocity units. Refer to column E of the spreadsheet where
youæll find the value 1. This 1 means that the velocity at time xá=á0 is
1 unit. Next, let us ask whether the swing is speeding up or slowing
down? In fact, there is no horizontal force on the swing at the lowest
point, so it is neither speeding up nor slowing down. Youæll find a 0 in
column F. However, although the acceleration at the lowest point is
zero, it is in the process of change. Yes! Iáknow this is a hard concept
to grasp but, as the swing goes through its lowest point, the force on
it changes from a Éspeeding upæ force (pulling the swing towards the
middle) to a Éslowing downæ force (being exactly zero at the lowest
point). Please accept from me that this rate of change of acceleration
is Ö1 in our rate of change of acceleration units; hence the Ö1 in slot
G4. We could continue this discussion but it does get harder to conceive
as we get to higher order Érates of changeæ.
9.12
For those of you into differential calculus, you will recognise that the
values in row 4 from column E onwards, are the first, second, third, etc
derivatives of the function yá=ásin(x) evaluated at xá=á0. You could
continue this process of evaluating higher order derivatives for ever
but you donæt need to because the pattern of 0, Ö1, 0, +1 repeats
indefinitely ù so you donæt have to keep working them out forever.
9.12
The series approximation
9.12
Whether you are into calculus or not, Iáhope that youæll recognise that,
if you know such things as position (yá=á0), speed, acceleration, rate
of change of acceleration, etc, at just the one point, xá=á0, you do
know quite a lot about what will happen to the swing in the future.
Indeed, the more you know about the situation at xá=á0 (the more columns
of row 4 you can fill in), the further into the future you can predict
the motion of the swing. Our chosen mathematical model of the swing is
that it never stops swinging; the values in row 4 keep repeating the 0,
Ö1, 0, +1 pattern infinitely.
9.12
If Iáknew everything (an infinitely long row 4) about a function at one
point, xá=á0, then (with the additional assumption of smoothness)
Iáwould be able to predict future values of y for all values of x up to
infinity! Ofácourse, if the smoothness condition is violated by somebody
interfering with the swing, pushing it harder or stopping it, or if the
rope breaks (!), then smooth extrapolation from xá=á0 breaks down.
9.12
What Iáwant to show you now is how you can use a spreadsheet to feed the
values of the derivatives in row 4 into a calculation which finds the
values in column C from which the graph is plotted. However, before Iádo
that, first let me show you a graph of yá=ásin(x) and a graph of the
function which is produced by approximating the infinitely long row 4
with just fifteen terms.
9.12
The graph below shows the Éoriginalæ function and its fifteen term
series approximation. You will see that the approximation is a fairly
good one up to about xá=á5 or 6. It would extend further if more terms
were included in row 4.
9.12
From a point to a function
9.12
The spreadsheet shown in the screenshot below is the one Iæve used to
calculate columnáC from the values in row 4. As Iáwill show you later,
you can change the values in row 4 so that row 4 represents a different
function. If you do this, all the dependent values below row 7 will
change and, if you have a live graph which plots columnáC, then the
graph will change automatically to display the new function.
9.12
The formula in slot E2 is D2+1. The formula in slot E3 is D3*E2. Both
these formulae are copied (Éreplicatedæ or Éfilledæ depending on the
spreadsheet youære using) to the right as far as you want to go. Iáhave
extended my spreadsheet to columnáS. You will see from the screenshot
that the formula in E8 is $A8^E$2/E$3*E$4. This formula can be copied
into the whole block D8S58 with the exception of D8 into which it is
better to enter the formula 1/D$3*D$4 because of the difficulty some
spreadsheets have with 0^0. The formula in C8 is sum(D8S8) and this can
be copied down the whole of columnáC.
9.12
Using the notation that fn(0) is the nth derivative of the function
yá=áf(x) evaluated at xá=á0, and that n! is factorial n (e.g.
7!á=á7*6*5*4*3*2*1), the mathematical formula for converting from
derivatives (row 4) to values of the function (column C) is:
9.12
yá=áf(0)á+áxá╫áf1(0)/1!á+áx2á╫áf2(0)/2!á+áx3á╫áf3(0)/
3!á+á.á.á.á.á+áxná╫áfn(0)/n!á+á.á.á.
9.12
Drawing the graph in PipeDream
9.12
The graph headed öA Series Expansion for Sin(x)ò has been produced using
PipeDream.
9.12
To produce a graph in PipeDream, you must first mark a block. Mark the
block C8C58. Execute the command <ctrl-CHN> (CHartáNew). You will find
yourself with a bar chartáùánot exactly what you want. Never mind; we
can easily change it.
9.12
Place the pointer over the bar chart and click <menu> to bring up the
Chart menu. Run the pointer through Gallery and then click on Scatter to
bring up the gallery of Scatter graph types.
9.12
Select the top left type of Scatter (XY) chart (it is shown in inverse
video in the screenshot) followed by the OK box. Not much will happen
but donæt worry about that.
9.12
In the spreadsheet, mark the block B8B58. These are the y values of the
function yá=ásin(x) corresponding to the values of x, A8A58, already
entered into the chart. Be careful with the next bit. Execute the
command <ctrl-CHA> (CHartáAdd), which, if you use the Chart pop up menu
(from within the spreadsheet, not with the pointer in the Chart) is
entitled öAdd to chartò. The rather blank looking chart will be
converted into a line graph of the function yá=ásin(x).
9.12
Adding the second line
9.12
We want to add the second line, the series approximation, column C, to
the chart.
9.12
First highlight (mark) the X values, A8A58, and execute <CtrláCHA>, öAdd
to chartò. Mark the Y values, C8C58, and execute öAdd to chartò again.
The second line will be drawn on the same chart.
9.12
Although, in this case, Iáhave used the same range of X values for both
lines, in PipeDream it is possible to use different X ranges on the same
chart. What you have to remember on an XY chart (misleadingly called a
Scatter chart in PipeDream) is that as you öAdd to chartò, the marked
ranges are successively X, Y, X,Y, X,Y etc.
9.12
Adding text
9.12
Adding text in PipeDream is a real pleasure compared with some other
spreadsheets.
9.12
Click the <menu> button over the chart to call up the Chart menu. Run
the pointer through New text and a Text window will appear. You can type
multi-line text into this window. To start a new line as part of the
same text object you must <select> the blue left pointing arrow just to
the right of the red cross and the green tick. (See below.) In the
screenshot, the words öSeries Approximationò (on two lines) have been
entered into the Text window. When you press <return> or click on the
green tick, the words in the window will appear on the chart. You can
move the text object about on the chart until it is positioned exactly
where you want it, using a select and drag technique.
9.12
If you find that you have made a mistake, you can select the text
object, click <menu> and then run the pointer through Selection, Text
and then Edit. After editing, press <return> to return the modified text
object to the chart. You will notice that you have an option to Delete
the text object if you wish.
9.12
If you select a text object and then Selection on the Chart menu, you
can change the Text style (font and font size), Text colour or Text
background.
9.12
Saving
9.12
Donæt forget to Save the chart separately from the spreadsheet. You will
find the files on the Archive monthly disc. Iáhave saved the spreadsheet
as [Sin_x] and the chart as [Sin_x_C]. This name for the chart uses the
convention recommended by Colton, namely adding _C to the spreadsheet
file name.
9.12
On the Archive monthly disc, Iáhave also saved the chart as a drawfile
under the filename [Sin_x_G]; G stands for Graphic.
9.12
Other functions
9.12
A quick change to the spreadsheet allows other functions to be
calculated. Have a look at the spreadsheet in the screenshot opposite.
9.12
The only difference (apart from the file name) is that Iáhave changed
all the values in row 4 to +1. This set of derivatives generates the
function yá=áexp(x). The chart used with the yá=ásin(x) was still alive
and changed appropriately to that which you see in the drawfile.
9.12
I have to confess that, when Iáfirst generated this chart, it seemed as
if there were only one line on it; the approximation was that good. So
what Iádid was to change the formulae in column C of the spreadsheet to
sum only eight (rather than fifteen) terms of the series. This makes the
approximation a little worse and ensures that there are two separate
lines displayed on the chart.
9.12
You might like to try other sets of derivatives such as the series 0, 1,
0, 1, 0, 1, etc (which generates a function you might be able to
recognise). If you are good at recognising some of the standard
functions then try 0, 1, 1! 2!, 3!, 4!, etc (i.e. use (náÖá1)! in row 4)
and try the series 0, +1, 0, Ö2!, 0, +4!, 0, Ö6!, etc; both of these
generate standard functions available in any spreadsheet or on any
calculator.
9.12
By the way, have you ever wondered how calculators (and spreadsheets)
produce values for sin(x) or exp(x)? No! They donæt hold a table of
values of sin(x) or exp(x) ù they are evaluated in the calculator using
suitably truncated infinite series.
9.12
Acknowledgements
9.12
One of the earliest philosophies by which Iátried to live my life was to
pursue Étruthæ. Nowadays, it is fashionable to believe that Étruthæ is a
relative term, so perhaps what Iáhave to say about eternal truths is
somewhat unfashionable. One of the features of mathematics which Iáfound
attractive, even whilst at Junior School, is that, once proved,
mathematical truths tend to last. In a world of changing values,
mathematical truths remained true. Iáhave often said that, if you want
to be remembered for ever, you must discover a new mathematical theorem.
At some time in the far future, when Einsteinæs Theory of Relativity
(and his name) has been long forgotten, the navigator of a lonely
spaceship will still use Pythagorasæ Theorem (about the square on the
hypotenuse) and still call it by that ancient mathematicianæs name.
9.12
At college, Iáteach nothing mathematical which is less than 100 years
old and most is 300 years old or (like complex numbers, negative numbers
and Pythagorasæ Theorem) much older. My first acknowledgement is to Sir
Isaac Newton who, one long hot summer in 1666, whilst on an extended
holiday from his ÉChairæ at Cambridge University, invented what we call
the Infinitesimal Calculus and he called his ÉTheory of Fluxionsæ. By
the way, the universityæs summer holiday was extended that year because
of The Plague. As another Éby-the-wayæ, he invented the Integral
Calculus before the Differential Calculus; nowadays we teach
differentiation before integration!
9.12
Next Iámust acknowledge that the formula
9.12
yá=áf(0)á+áxá╫áf1(0)/1!á+áx2á╫áf2(0)/2!á+áx3á╫áf3(0)/3!
á.á.á.á.á+áxná╫áfn(0)/n!á+á.á.á.
9.12
is due to a Scottish mathematician called Colin MacLaurin who was given
a ÉChairæ at Edinburgh (thanks to a recommendation by Newton a couple of
years before he died) in 1725. The so called MacLaurin expansion (the
above formula) is a simplified version of one developed by the Cambridge
mathematician Brook Taylor and originally published in 1715 in his
treatise öMethodus Incrementorumò (in those days books intended to
contain Eternal Truths were always written in Latin) in which he sets
out the method Iáhave tried to explain to you.
9.12
Mathematical Étruthsæ last a long timeáùáI believe them to be amongst
the Eternal Truths.
9.12
Finally, Iámust acknowledge that the real inspiration for the
philosophical content of this article comes not from a mathematician but
from Auguries of Innocence by the poet, William Blake (1757áùá1827) who
wrote Jerusalem and öTiger tiger burning brightò.
9.12
To see a World in a grain of sand
9.12
And a Heaven in a wild flower
9.12
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
9.12
And Eternity in an hour
9.12
Whilst Iáwould have preferred Blake in his augury to have foreseen the
nature of Infinity in a single Point and the nature of Eternity in an
infinitesimal Moment, Iáaccept that his alternatives are more poetic. My
philosophical point is that, by studying just one point (xá=á0) of a
mathematical function in great detail then, with the assumption of
regularity (smoothness), one can find the value of the function at any
other point by using the expansion of Colin MacLaurin. You donæt need
forever to understand Eternity ù simply study a Moment; at a push, any
moment will do but Iásuggest that studying one of those Eternal Moments
to which Iáreferred last month will be more productive than studying a
more humdrum moment.
9.12
Determinism
9.12
Sometimes, when Iásucceed in explaining to my students my point that the
future motion of a swing can be determined by studying in detail just
one point in its swing, Iáam asked whether Iábelieve that the future
course of the universe, and our own destinies as a part of that
universe, are predetermined by the present situation (in turn
predetermined by past events). Iáam always pleased when that question is
asked because it allows me to digress (I love digressions) into the
nature of regularity (smoothness). Iáreply that Iádo not believe that
the universe acts as if it were a regular (smooth) multi-variate
function. Iábelieve that you and Iáhave a duty to Épush the swingæ in
the right direction and change the course of future events. Iábelieve in
mind-over-matter, not as a supernatural phenomenon but as an everyday
occurrence to which we all contribute when we exercise our free will.
9.12
So that you know that Iáam aware of them, let me mention briefly the
butterfly effect, chaos theory, Werner Heisenburgæ principle of
indeterminacy, and the paradox contained within the story of Erwin
Schr÷dingeræs cat. All these convince me that disbelief in determinism
is rational though Iáaccept that they do not prove the existence of free
will.
9.12
Finally
9.12
(a) Please send a disc; (b) My address is Abacus Training; (c) Many
thanks for all your letters.áuá
9.12
Starting Basic Ö Part 13
9.12
Ray Favre
9.12
This month, we have the final steps in the ÉLoanæ project.
9.12
Expanding the action
9.12
As we said last time, we are firstly going to magnify the Égetting nearæ
area Ö and this is what happens in ÉLoan_13Aæ.
9.12
First of all, PROCaxes is modified to define, and then draw, a Ézoom
boxæ Ö that is, a small part of the screen which we can treat as a
separate graph area to magnify part of the main graph area. The chosen
location for this is on the left-hand side of the screen, starting at
the y-axis of the main graph and going right for 400 OS units, centred
vertically around the target line. The vertical scale is made 10 times
the main graph scale. The result is a zoom box of reasonable size in a
fairly unused part of the main graph, with the advantage that we can
easily relate the main and expanded views, because they share the same
target line (see below).
9.12
The zoom box definition and drawing follows the same processes as for
the main axes, so you should be able to follow the changes to PROCaxes
(lines 3940-4160) without difficulty.
9.12
When we get to PROClinePlot(), there are two criteria triggering the
plotting in the zoom box. Firstly, we donæt need to use it until we are
Égetting nearæ and, secondly, we then only want to magnify those
portions of the main graph which have x-values in the last 5% of the x-
axis (where the Égetting nearæ lines are drawn). We effect these
conditions in line 5010 of PROClinePlot(), which is located after the
main graph plot has been updated, and calls PROCzoomPlot when both
conditions exist.
9.12
We also need to set the initial starting point for each zoom box graph.
The x-value will always be the chosen zoomXorigin% value (the graph x-
origin in this case), and the y-value will be the same as the main graph
y-value at the 95%-of-x-axis point Ö but re-calculated using the
expanded scale. This is carried out starting at line 4960 in
PROClinePlot(). (As listed, this calculation is carried out whether or
not we are going to use the zoom box. It does no harm, but adding a
further condition to line 4960 would activate the calculation only when
needed.)
9.12
When called, PROCzoomPlot firstly stores the current main graph
coordinates (lines 5390 and 5400). It then moves the cursor to starting
coordinates to be used in the zoom box (which will be the above initial
values at first), draws a new section of the expanded graph, saves the
resulting zoom box cursor position as the new starting point for the
next zoom plot and moves the cursor back to the stored position on the
main graph (line 5470) Ö ready for the next go round the loop.
9.12
This rigid sequential process involving storing, updating and restoring
of Éoldæ and Énewæ points on two different plot actions seems to occur
quite frequently in graphics Ö including animations. So it is well worth
poring over.
9.12
Usefulness of PROC structure
9.12
It is also worth pausing here to reflect how relatively easy it has been
to incorporate changes into an established program when you have a good
underlying PROC structure. Indeed, you can see that these last changes
could have probably been better made by cascading the PROC structure
even further.
9.12
Further changes
9.12
With ÉLoan_13Aæ, we are very close to the end of our ÉLoanæ project.
There are only a couple of small further changes to make. Firstly, we
need to revisit the input validation process. If you have been playing
with the program, you have probably already found out that the overall
input limits we introduced in Part 6 are not good enough, particularly
when R is the unknown. We need to change the limits dynamically Ö to
respond to the first and/or second inputs made.
9.12
Secondly, the whole program ought to be put inside a REPEAT ... UNTIL
loop, so that we can continue to use it until we decide we wish to quit.
9.12
However, before starting on those, Iæd like to introduce a common
routine.
9.12
ÉRatchetingæ
9.12
Look at this Basic statement:
9.12
IF 27 > Value% THEN Value% = 27
9.12
The result is that the variable Value% ends up holding whichever is the
greater, 27 or the original value of Value%. If we change the statement
to:
9.12
IF Number% < Value% THEN Value% =
9.12
 Number%
9.12
then Value% ends up with the lesser of Number% and the original Value%.
In both cases, the contents of Value% are Ératchetedæ up (or down) if a
higher (or lower) value comes along.
9.12
There is nothing deep in this, but it is a very common construction
where a program needs to find the highest (or lowest) value from a
series of values Ö or needs to swap positions of items in a list if they
are not currently in the order wanted, e.g. in alphabetical sorting
routines, where the Ascii values of the first letter of strings are
compared to get them in the right order. Weæll use this construction
below.
9.12
Input validation revisited
9.12
As it stands, we can cause the program some headaches when R, the
interest rate, is the unknown parameter, and we input certain values for
the known items. There is a similar, but not so severe, problem when N
is the unknown. We need to prevent the user from making these
undesirable entries.
9.12
Letæs solve the R case first. When R is the unknown, any combination of
L, P and N which causes (N ╫ P) to be less than L will cause a problem Ö
because there will then not be enough money paid to meet the loan
amount, let alone interest.
9.12
There are several ways we could eliminate the problem, but as our
program always presents the Éknownæ items in the same order for
inputting, I am going to follow this same sequence for making any
adjustments to the input limits. Thus, we will not alter the limits for
the first choice (L, the loan amount), but once a value for L has been
input, we will adjust, if necessary, the limits for the value of N. In
turn, once L and N have been chosen, we will examine the limits for P.
9.12
Firstly, a Éflagæ is introduced (called RateFlag%) and set initially to
FALSE. If R is chosen as the unknown, this flag is changed to TRUE. Two
lines added near the start of DEFáPROCinputKnowns() effect this Ö and
thus give a simple means of triggering the checks on the input limits.
9.12
As soon as we choose a value for L, we need to ensure that the lowest
value in the range then made available for N exceeds the value (L/
PaymentUpper) Ö and that the highest value made available is lower than
(L/PaymentLower). Otherwise, there may not be enough payments made, or
our overall payment limits may be transgressed.
9.12
If you refer to ÉLoan_13Aæ, youæll see that, if we need to adjust the
limits for N, it needs to be done in DEF PROCinputKnowns() at line 1630,
after the L entry but before the N entry. A suitable insert is:
9.12
IF RateFlag% THEN
9.12
IF INT(L/PaymentUpper) + 1 > NumberLower THEN NumberLower = INT(L/
9.12
PaymentUpper) + 1
9.12
IF INT(L/PaymentLower) Ö 1 < NumberUpper THEN NumberUpper = INT(L/
9.12
PaymentLower) Ö 1
9.12
ENDIF
9.12
This, as you can see, uses two Ératchetingæ statements Ö one up, one
down. We need to use INT because we want N to be a whole number Ö and
the +1 in the second line ensures that we fix the new limit to the
integer above the (real number) answer to the calculation in the
brackets. As the third line is dealing with the upper limit, the Ö1 is
not strictly necessary, but it keeps things symmetrical.
9.12
We then need to insert something very similar, based on the now known
value of (L / N), after the N entry but before the P entry (at line
1670) Ö and this time we need only be concerned with the lower limit for
P. (The unchanged upper limit may produce very high interest rates, but
it will not stop the program functioning correctly.)
9.12
A similar, but much shorter, process is needed to eliminate the problem
when N is the unknown parameter. In this case, if a value for L is
chosen near the lower limit, the upper value of P may then need to be
reduced, so that a single payment a lot higher than the loan is not
chosen. So, we need a separate Éflagæ to register when N is the unknown,
plus an appropriate IF statement, after the input of the L value, but
before the input of the P value.
9.12
With these changes, the input limits will now adjust themselves
automatically, within the preset overall limits, to values which will
not stop the program working properly. I am not claiming for one moment
that these latest changes are perfect or cover the whole story Ö indeed,
a further change has deliberately been left for Éhomeworkæ Ö see later.
My main aims have been to ensure that you end up with a program which
wonæt easily break down, and to stress that input validation is an
important part of programming, which is likely to crop up in every
program requiring a user input.
9.12
ÉLoan_13Bæ, on the disc, incorporates the above, and as it involves so
few additional lines Ö and only to DEFáPROCinputKnowns() Ö you should be
able to follow the specific changes without difficulty. (ÉLoan_13Bæ also
includes the final change described in a moment. So, it will be better
to wait until you have read the next section below before you run it.)
9.12
Putting the program within a loop
9.12
At the moment, our program ends after we have used it once. Clearly, it
would be better if we could repeat it after each use, and only end when
we want to. This is easily achieved with a REPEAT ... UNTIL loop placed
around the main structure Ö lines 120-200.
9.12
We will add a message to our opening screen menu to give the user the
option to quit Ö and then ensure that the program returns to this menu
each time it finishes with a calculation. The quit option will be
exercised simply by pressing the letter ÉQæ on the keyboard, instead of
L, N, P or R.
9.12
So, we add the menu message to PROCsetUpMenuVariables and print it in
PROCmenu. Then we need to enter the REPEAT ... UNTIL loop just before
PROCmenu, and exit after PROCdisplayResults. As our exit criterion is
going to be the letter ÉQæ, we need to add this to the list of valid
keypresses in FNmenuChoice, and then enclose the normal program actions
inside an IF ... THEN ... ENDIF construction, to ensure they are
by¡passed if ÉQæ is chosen. We also need to clear the screen after each
use of the program, and this is, in fact, best done at the very start of
the REPEAT ... UNTIL loop in PROCmenu.
9.12
ÉLoan_13Bæ includes the few changes to take care of the above Ö only
eight lines to be added, plus a few blank lines for readability. The
most important changes are to the main structure between lines 120 and
250, and the remainder are in the PROC/FNs indicated above.
9.12
You may wonder why we left this last change until the very end of the
project Ö it would certainly have been a useful user feature earlier.
There are several reasons: firstly, I felt it important for beginners to
visualize the main program flow clearly before making it repeat.
Secondly, until all the Ébells and whistlesæ are incorporated, it is not
always possible to see the best places to insert the final REPEAT ...
UNTIL keywords. Thirdly, when developing a program, it is not unknown to
inadvertently introduce errors Ö and meeting these with a major loop in
place, can lead to hair-tearing endless loops.
9.12
I would therefore certainly recommend that you continue to approach your
own programs in the same way Ö get it working well before worrying about
how to repeat it.
9.12
Finally, we have left DEF PROCdisplayResults untouched Ö it still only
contains one action line, to pause the program. If we were to delete
this PROC, we would only need to introduce the pause in some other way,
and at the same place in the sequence Ö otherwise our new overall REPEAT
... UNTIL loop would take us back to the opening menu, before we have
chance to read the actual results on screen. So we might as well leave
things as they are Ö and the name of the PROC is not entirely
inappropriate in the circumstances.
9.12
Final words on ÉLoanæ project
9.12
I donæt expect to update the ÉLoanæ program further in subsequent
articles, although we will make reference to it from time to time Ö so
ÉLoan_13Bæ is the Éfinal versionæ. Remember, it was developed as a
vehicle to introduce you, the beginner, to various aspects of BBC Basic.
It is not a model of perfection, and there are certainly different ways
to achieve the same ends in all the PROC/FNs used.
9.12
Also, it is never a Éfinal versionæ, of course. Most programmers have
programs in frequent use which first saw the light of day many years
ago, and have been added to and modified every few months since. Thatæs
part of the attraction of programming Ö and also part of the bug-bear of
having to upgrade commercial software regularly.
9.12
To continue this tradition(!), can I suggest some areas for you to work
on yourself, to develop ÉLoan_13Bæ Ö and your confidence Ö further:
9.12
Ö Add a further conditional statement to prevent the user choosing a
monthly premium which is too low to meet any value of interest payment,
when N is the unknown item.
9.12
Ö Make the required accuracy of the interest rate answer a user-
determined item.
9.12
Ö Make the overall input limits adjustable by the user.
9.12
Ö Investigate the use of different line types (dotted, full, etc)
instead of colours to distinguish the Égetting nearæ graph lines (Wait
until we have a further look at PLOT).
9.12
Ö Improve the Ébracketingæ and Éconvergingæ algorithms (if you have a
mathematical bent).
9.12
Ö Change FNnumberToString to allow a wider range of decimal places to be
provided, by adding an extra parameter specifying the number of places.
This might then form a useful general FN for other programs.
9.12
These should keep you going for a while!
9.12
The only sermon I would preach is only attempt to change one item at a
time, and make your attempt on a copy of your latest version. Once you
are happy with the changed version, save it, and, then use a copy of
that to start work on the next item.
9.12
Next time
9.12
Our first project program is completed (appropriately on the first
Birthday of the series!) but the series still has some way to go.
Editor-willing, we are roughly halfway... Next time, we are going to
start looking at the various ways we can store data for our programs to
access. Those of you who have already sent a number of SAEs for the
printed listings need not worry, the series will still have listings
which will usually be too large to put in the articles. Donæt forget the
feedback, queries (and A4 SAEs for printed listings) to: 26 West Drayton
Park Avenue, West Drayton, UB7 7QA.áuá
9.12
Almost Logo
9.12
Bob Black
9.12
A slight feeling of dread always comes over me when I see another Logo
package arrive on the market.
9.12
These are not the most exciting type of program to look at and, in the
past, I have had a variety of experiences when using them with kids with
learning difficulties. The most positive experiences were when we had a
Éfloor turtleæ which is a flying-saucer-looking object that moves around
the floor, directed by the instructions entered in the computer. The
kids would make up floor mats of different scenes based on a grid,
anything from a simple town plan to a starwars mothership Ö this was
very popular, having to guide the robot to the prison where Princess Lea
was being held, without entering any space occupied by the guards!
9.12
The least motivating experiences seemed to be when just using a pointer
on the screen to create patterns and shapes. Although the more complex
patterns were often popular, the methods and language used to create
them was fairly complex, needing procedures within other procedures to
achieve anything really interesting.
9.12
Exploring the properties of shape, location, pattern and movement is an
important part of the National Curriculum these days, as well as an
important part of using computers to control objects, which is often
difficult to teach if youære not a real Étechieæ when it comes to using
computers.
9.12
Almost Logo was a great relief to me, as the instructions to make basic
movements are simple and in English Ö forward, left, right, etc. Also,
when using it on the screen, you can import ready-made backdrops to make
the exercises more exciting. It didnæt take long to create a starwars
backdrop using Draw, which improved the customer satisfaction no end.
The user guide is clear and simple as well.
9.12
Best of all, Almost Logo allows you to dig out those old Valiant and
Jessop floor turtles which have been gathering dust in the cupboard and
actually have some hands-on fun teaching control technology again. I
think this is the only RISC OS Logo package that supports these turtles
at the moment. (Does anyone know different?)
9.12
Almost Logo has other functions. For example, it can be used as a
modelling tool to create much more complex mathematical shapes, it can
construct multicoloured patterns, and it can even be used to instruct
the computer to play musical notes.
9.12
The one thing that I felt was missing was a simple choice of items to
replace the pointer Ö much better to move an animal or a character
around the screen than a plain pointy triangle.
9.12
For key stage 1, I donæt think Iæve seen a simpler, more versatile
package, and at ú25 for a single user version, itæs very good value for
money as well.
9.12
Almost Logo for RISCáOS is available from the Advisory Unit, Computers
in Education. Email [e-mail].áuá
9.12
Music Column
9.12
Alan Gibson
9.12
This month, I will cover the range of Midi interfaces which I know are
available for Acorn machines. There is some excellent news on this front
regarding a long-awaited interface... but you will have to wait until
the end of the column before I tell you!
9.12
Many people have been sending me details of their setups, some of which
are very impressive! The Éprizeæ this month has to go to Ron Pearcy from
New Zealand who emailed me a JPEG photograph of his organ (see below).
Ron has a RiscPC with the old SSES 1600 sound card which is linked to a
Technics KN100 keyboard. He also has a Roland MC50 MkII sequencer, a
Roland Sound Canvas module, a Roland HP3800 piano, and an Allen Organ
Voice Expander II module, all linked to his Rodgers C445 Digital Concert
Organ, which he is upgrading. Blimey! Can anyone beat that?
9.12
From the correspondence Iæve been getting over the past two months, it
seems that many people are desperate for a new sequencer package for
semi-professional and professional use. I am still waiting for Oregan to
send me further details on MidiWorks, and I will pass on details when I
know more.
9.12
Ian Beswick of the Opus User Group is asking about Midi card
compatibility, and which cards will work together in one machine. I know
that older cards will clash with newer cards which use the newer Midi
module. For example, the MidiMax will not work with the DMI50 at the
same time. When drivers for the new module are written for the older
cards, these problems should disappear, but if anyone who has tried two
different cards together has had any problems, we would be grateful if
you could pass details on to either Ian or myself.
9.12
Midi interfaces
9.12
Midi interfaces allow you to control external keyboards, synthesisers
and sound modules etc from a computer and vice versa. They convert the
notes which you play into digital information which can be interpreted
by any Midi compatible device, not just computers Ö there are lighting
units, for example, which can pulsate in time with Midi data. You will
need a Midi interface if you wish to input music from a keyboard into a
notation or sequencer package and subsequently play this data back to
the keyboard or sound module.
9.12
Which interface do you choose? I will try to clarify what is available,
to help you to decide the best compromise between price and facilities.
The majority of interfaces are designed as expansion cards, either full
size for the Risc PC etc, or mini cards for the A3000 range and the
A4000. PC and Mac users also have access to interfaces which plug into
the serial port or the parallel port.
9.12
If you are looking for an internal interface for an A3000, A3010, A3020
or A4000, the choice is really quite limited. The lower end of the price
range (ú69 through Archive) is the new Acorn card, which is actually an
old Morley card. This has one set of Midi ports but also includes a user
port and analogue port. Next up is the DMI30 from Audio Dynamics, at
ú105 through Archive. This is a dual port card, i.e. it has two
independent INs and OUTs (but no THRU) and a user port. Some external
sound modules, such as the Roland SC88 (now superseded) and the Yamaha
MU80, have two inputs, which allows up to 32 channels to be used. A dual
port card can therefore make use of this facility if you are writing a
large orchestral piece in Sibelius, for example. The DMI card also has
the option of being upgraded with a wavetable card (see later for
details on this).
9.12
At the top end of the price range is the Ultimate Midi Starter Pack from
HCCS (around ú145). This kit includes the multipodule, Midi micropodule,
power supply and the other bits and bobs you need to get going. This
card is upgradable later with a sound sampler and with other
micropodules, and an internal hard drive (depending on which computer
you have). If you already have a multipodule, you can add the Midi
micropodule for around ú57. Like the DMI30, this is a dual interface
with two INs and two OUTs.
9.12
For machines which take standard expansion cards, there is a little more
choice. The cheapest one again is the Acorn/Morley card which has one
IN, OUT and THRU (ú52 through Archive). Next up is the MidiMax from
Computer Concepts which has one IN, THRU and two OUTs (although they are
the same OUT, i.e. just with two sockets to make connections easier) Ö
ú84 through Archive. The Ultimate Midi Starter Pack is similar to the
previous one (same micropodule) but is cheaper than before, at around
ú88 from HCCS. There is also another Acorn card which has additional
user and analogue ports at ú96 through Archive.
9.12
At around twice the price of the basic Acorn card is the DMI50 (ú125
through Archive) which again is a dual Midi card. The advantage of this
card is that it can be upgraded with an onboard sound card to give you a
PowerWave card. This upgrade can either be an Ensoniq card which gives
you the usual 128 voices of the General Midi sound set, or the Yamaha
DB50XG which gives well over 600 voices plus special effects to modify
the sounds. This effectively gives you the facilities of an expensive
external sound module plus a dual Midi interface at less than the cost
of the sound module (ú230 for GM and ú285 for XG through Archive). The
DMI50 and PowerWave 50 cards can also have a sampler upgrade fitted as
well, giving a very competent multimedia card (ú285 for GM and ú345 for
XG through Archive).
9.12
The biggest news of the month, and possibly the year, regarding Midi
interfaces is the forthcoming parallel port interface from ESP. This is
a very important development, and not just for A4 users who, up to now,
have been Ésilentæ. How many A3010 and similar machines are there with
internal hard drives and hence no room for other interfaces? Even
single-slice RiscPCs can be filled up with other cards and will
therefore find this extremely useful. Hopefully, the interfaces should
be available in a couple of months at very roughly ú70-ish. It will be
at least a dual port device, but may be able to support, say, four
ports! Does anyone have a use for three or four ports? Please let me
know so that I can pester Andy at ESP for this! Seriously though, he is
looking at the possibility of doing this, although the breakout cable
(which provides all the actual sockets) will probably cost a fair bit.
This is welcome news indeed.
9.12
Thatæs it for this month, but keep the letters coming. Iánow have a new
email address so please use [e-mail] rather than the
Arcade one, or visit the new web site at http://www.cybervillage. co.uk/
acorn/liquid/. Iæm off to try and catch up on some sleep Ö these
Olympics are tiring!áuá
9.12
System Variables Ö Part 3
9.12
Andrew Berry
9.12
File$Path
9.12
This system variable determines the directories in which a file will be
looked for, if it is being read or executed. Each variable contains a
list of prefixes separated by commas. When a file is read, the value of
File$Path is looked up and the prefixes used in the order they appear.
The default value of File$Path is a null string (it is defined but has
no value) which means that when a file is read, it will only be looked
for in the current directory (the one displayed by É*.æ). Setting
File$Path to, for example, É,ADFS::HardDisc4.$.Filesæ, would mean that
when a file was loaded, it would first be looked for in the current
directory. If it could not be found, the directory
ADFS::HardDisc4.$.Files would be searched. Note that the leading comma
in the above example is essential, otherwise the current directory wonæt
be searched first.
9.12
Run$Path
9.12
In the same way that File$Path is used for reading files, Run$Path is
used when files are run, for example using *Run. The default value of
Run$Path is É,%.æ which means that the current directory will be
searched first, followed by the library. The result of this is that
files which are often needed can be placed in a directory which is then
defined as the library using *Lib. Any file in the library can then be
*Run, regardless of the current directory.
9.12
Setting variables
9.12
There are three different types of system variable, and each type is set
using a different command. Usually, you will only need to use *Set, but
the other two, *SetEval and *SetMacro, are also described.
9.12
*Set
9.12
The *Set command is used to assign a string to a system variable. It
takes the following form
9.12
*Set varname value
9.12
where Évarnameæ is the name of the system variable to be set (angular
brackets are not required) and Évalueæ is a string which will be
interpreted before being assigned to the variable. This command has been
used many times in the past two articles.
9.12
If you wish to set the variable to the value of another variable,
Évalueæ must be in angular brackets to show that a variable is being
named. An example of this is
9.12
*Set App$Dir <Obey$Dir>
9.12
Without the angular brackets, App$Dir would be set to öObey$Dirò rather
than the value of Obey$Dir.
9.12
*SetMacro
9.12
This is similar to *Set, except that the string is interpreted each time
the variable is read. This was used last month in the following command.
9.12
*SetMacro CLI$Prompt <Sys$Time> *
9.12
Each time CLI$Prompt is used (in other words, each time the command
prompt is displayed), the value held by CLI$Prompt is re-evaluated. This
ensures that the current time is always displayed because the new value
of Sys$Time is looked up each time. If *Set had been used instead of
*SetMacro, the value would only be evaluated once, when CLI$Prompt was
set, and would therefore hold the time at which the variable was set ù
not much use as a command prompt!
9.12
*SetEval
9.12
This command evaluates an expression before assigning the result to a
system variable.
9.12
*SetEval varname expression
9.12
For example, type the following three lines.
9.12
*Set num 2
9.12
*SetEval num num+1
9.12
*Show num
9.12
The computer will now show that the variable Énumæ has the value 3, by
displaying the line
9.12
num (Number) : 3
9.12
The ÉNumberæ in brackets shows that the variable holds the number 3 and
not the string ö3ò (ASCII 51).
9.12
Strings can also be evaluated, as shown in this example.
9.12
*Set Name_1 öAcorn ò
9.12
*Set Name_2 öRiscPCò
9.12
*SetEval FullName Name_1+Name_2
9.12
*Show FullName
9.12
In this example É+æ is the evaluation operator. Other operators can be
used in much the same way as in Basic, and a full list is given in the
PRM on page 1¡445.
9.12
*Unset
9.12
This command is used to unset any system variable, whether it has been
set using Set, SetMacro or SetEval. The syntax is
9.12
*Unset varname
9.12
Variables which have been set by other applications should never be
unset or changed while the application is running. Doing so can cause
errors due to, for instance, the application being unable to find its
resources. In any case, a program which has been written for
distribution (i.e. not just for personal use) should never interfere
with system variables set by any other program.
9.12
More information
9.12
System variables are described in the user guide (RISC OS 3.6 pages 383-
390, RISC OS 3 pages 137-144) and the RISC OS 3 PRM. Two SWI calls are
available as an alternative to using *Show, *Set, *SetEval and *SetMacro
and are the method which my !SystemVar program uses for reading, setting
and deleting system variables. The use of these calls is beyond the
scope of this article, but details are given on pages 1-309 to 1-314 of
the PRM.
9.12
Note that the description of OS_ReadVarVal on page 1-309 contains an
omission which is corrected on page 5a-661 (the supplement for RISC OS
3.6). Ifáyou do not have volume 5, you should note that when checking
for the existence or length of a variable (i.e. if bit 31 of R2 is set
on entry) then R0 is corrupted on exit.
9.12
Registering
9.12
The following information is from Alex Singleton and concerns the
registering of system variables to ensure that two different programs
donæt use the same variable. He writes...
9.12
öShould you wish to distribute software that sets any system variable,
you should register the variable with Pineapple Software, which is under
contract from Acorn. Registering a variable is free, although you do
need to be either a Clan member (ú15 to join) or an Acorn registered
developer (now only ú120). The address is not Pineappleæs normal one:
Alan Glover, PO Box 459, Cambridge, CB1 4QB.ò
9.12
Finally...
9.12
Thanks to Chris Johnson for his help in preparing these articles. If you
have any comments or corrections, please email me <[e-mail]
.co.uk> or write to me at: 39 Lancaster Avenue, Sandiacre, Nottingham,
NG10á5GW.áuá
9.12
Celebration
9.12
Richard Rymarz
9.12
Some time ago, I reviewed a simple design program, from Clares, called
ÉCardshopæ. I liked the program and recommended it as a straightforward
way of producing simple Christmas, birthday, thank you, or any other
type of card a child may wish to produce. Aimed at primary age children,
the program achieved its aims and was easily assimilated into my
classroom.
9.12
Cardshop must have been successful, since Clares have gone a stage
further and produced a suite of four programs all based around the theme
of celebrations. The author, Mark Smith, has given a great deal of
thought to the layout of the programs since they share, with a few
specific exceptions, a fairly common interface with which Cardshop users
will also be familiar.
9.12
The package and installation
9.12
Presented in a clear plastic wallet, Celebrations comes on five discs,
four of which contain the applications and a fifth, further resources. A
beautifully produced ring bound manual accompanies the programs and
leads the user through the common elements of the suite and then through
each application in turn. No complaints here Ö it is easy to read,
includes a problems and tips section, has an index, thank goodness, and
is generally very useful.
9.12
The programs can run from floppy disc, each application using less than
600Kb of memory. However, as always, installation onto a hard disc is
preferable because resources can be shared between applications.
Installation is very straightforward, with no protection procedures to
worry about. The resources are held in three folders: borders, effects
(keywords, such as Celebration, drawn in a variety of styles such as eye
shaped, arched, etc) and pictures. These are drawfiles held in folders
which can easily be enhanced by any number of commercial or home drawn
clipart examples. Consequently, children can easily personalise their
designs, adding to the programæs interest and versatility.
9.12
The Écommon interfaceæ
9.12
Three of the four programs, Gift Wrap, Certify and Calendar, look
similar. They share uniform layouts and icons which are easy to
remember. Down the lefthand side are the usual print and save icons, a
set paths icon (for resources) and a wipe clean icon. (Banner, the
fourth program, also includes these.) Across the top are font, text
entry and resource entry icons. Other functions are peculiar to each
program. All in all, the layout is well designed and easy to understand.
9.12
The programs Ö Gift Wrap
9.12
Gift Wrap allows children to design their own wrapping paper. It is
built up from two designs alternatively placed alongside each other in
one of three basic patterns: vertical, horizontal or diagonal. The
designs can be in sprite, draw or text format (up to 12 characters) and
the gaps between each design can be altered. The printout includes an
extra gap where pieces of wrapping paper can be joined together.
9.12
Extra icons show which design is active, the type of layout, the size of
the pattern and the design control window. Everything is quite logical
and the changes occur in real time. In use, Gift Wrap is very easy to
use and children have no trouble in flitting from idea to idea, design
to design until they are satisfied. Printing is a doddle and, using a
colour printer, can produce excellent results.
9.12
Calendar
9.12
The default Calendar window shows a gridded calendar taken from the Set
Clock option available from !Alarms. Of course, this will need to be set
correctly.
9.12
Two types of calendar are available: monthly and yearly, which can be
toggled using an icon. Another icon switches through six different
languages: Welsh, German, Italian, Spanish, French and English. Other
features include the ability to relocate the calendar from one side of
the page to another, set the month and the year if the current one is
not required, use the abbreviated form for days i.e. Mon instead of
Monday, as well as the shared features already mentioned. Finally, two
lines of text, each ten characters long, can be written onto each day Ö
limited, but still a very useful feature. Once again, it is the ease
with which designs can be created and modified that is so impressive.
9.12
Certify
9.12
As its title suggests, Certify allows children to design their own
certificates. All the usual shared options are available, but two extra
ones are included. One allows the child to toggle between portrait and
landscape pages and the other opens up the effects window. Clicking on
the text icon opens a window offering a header, two or four lines of
text (up to 50 characters each in landscape form and 25 in portrait
form) and a line for a name. Different fonts and a limited control over
size can be assigned to these lines of text. Effects can be added as
well as pictures and borders. Another nice feature is the ability to
create a simple list of names in CSV format which then allows batch
printing. Very useful if a number of certificates for different children
are required.
9.12
Banner
9.12
Banner is used for creating very simple... banners. These can either be
horizontal or vertical. Pictures can be scaled and mirrored, and placed
at either end of the text which itself can be scaled. Each character (up
to 255 can be used) can be shaped Ö either fattened or thinned, and
there is a centre icon which causes each character to be printed on a
separate page. Printing can be output to single sheets or continuous
paper.
9.12
Conclusions
9.12
The four programs together cost ú34.95 for a single user and ú82.25 for
a site licence (ú33 and ú78 through Archive). Each one costs a little
over ú8.50 Ö great value for money, especially since Celebrationsæ
specific aims are met, the programs are easy to use and they do not
crash (says he with fingers crossed). Children enjoy using them, and a
decent printer Ö especially colour Ö produces excellent results.
Celebrations can be used at school or at home and will not dissatisfy.
Niggles? None really. As with Card Shop, these programs are highly
recommended.áuá
9.12
Pocket Book Column
9.12
Audrey Laski
9.12
A saga
9.12
Iæve taken the plunge. Weary of hearing enthusiastic reports about
software that I couldnæt use, of fretting about whether software I could
use would overflow my memory, of having to tell correspondents I knew
nothing of the workings of Agenda, Iæve upgraded. Feeling something of a
traitor, I have gone for the 2Mb Psion 3A instead of the Pocket Book II.
It also helped that I was able to get a particularly favourable deal
from a great department store.
9.12
The bad news was that they didnæt have a 2Mb in stock, and Psion failed
to deliver fresh stock as promised. The good news was that the store
found one in their Newcastle branch. The bad news was that they were
posting it, and it was likely to be held up in the postal strike. The
good news was that it beat the strike, arriving the next day. The bad
news was that it didnæt work. Readers can imagine the expressions as
John and I wrestled with it, using an unbent paperclip to try a soft
reset, and finding that, despite a maddening little beep at the reset,
the machine remained, to all intents and purposes, dead.
9.12
Thanks to Johnæs vigorous deployment of the equipment second in his
affection to the RiscPC (the telephone) the story has a happy ending.
Psion authorised another dealer Ö not the big store, which we knew was
out of stock Ö to exchange the corpse for a living machine, tested and
proven to be so on the spot. By lunch time the next day, we were
fighting over it. Presumably, an autopsy is now taking place at Psionæs
forensic laboratory, but meanwhile, the replacement has taken on board
all the material from my dear old Pocket Book (which is going to a good
home from which I shall get frequent reports) and has room for
enormously more.
9.12
The joy of upgrading
9.12
I think if I had realised the extent of the development work that
changed Pocket Book/Psion 3 into Pocket BookII/ Psion 3A, I should have
made the move sooner. What is particularly impressive is the enormous
increase in flexibility, which means that all the basic software now
offers far more options, and opportunities for customising things. At
the most trivial level, I like having a choice between a fanfare, a
mellow chime, a peal and several other sounds for the alarm. The
enlarged screen, the brilliant Zoom facility and the stylish fonts make
writing longish documents a much more practicable and enjoyable
proposition than formerly, and the extra speed of operation given by the
Diamond key is a bonus.
9.12
Of course, there are respects in which the 3A had to catch up on ways in
which the Psion 3 fell short of the Pocket Book. It now has a
spellcheck, which the Psion 3 did not, unlike the Pocket Book. It has
added to this a very useful thesaurus. So far, I have not attempted any
recording, alerted by a previous correspondence to the limited
possibilities of this, and all attempts at dialling have failed. I hear
that success with this is very variable, and would welcome reports and
advice. My chief problem, at the moment, is that the additional
facilities are so fascinating that it is increasingly difficult to
snatch it back from John. If we were to divorce, custody of the palmtop
would be a major issue. Iæll report further as I discover more Ö there
is learning to be done here.
9.12
PocketFS conversion window
9.12
John Woodthorpe of Rugby has done it again. When a problem appears in
this column, sooner or later, a detailed answer to it arrives from him.
This time, while responding to earlier correspondence, it arrived almost
simultaneously with a letter from Christopher Murray of New Milton,
asking how he could transfer material from the palmtop to another
machine if it did not come under one of the three headings displayed in
the PocketFS conversion window (Cards/Data, Sheet/Abacus, Write/Edit).
9.12
There has always been a boring answer to this question. If you click
<adjust> rather than <select> on the PocketFS iconbar icon, you open a
directory (PocketFS::Remote) which displays all the drives and, within
them, all the directories on your palmtop. Files can then be pulled from
them to directories in your desktop machine Ö the manual documents this,
but not in a very helpful way. But John W has cracked the problem of
displaying other directories alongside those already in the conversion
window.
9.12
This is a summary of his method: with PocketFS on and the Remote
directory open, you click <menu> on the PocketFS icon and choose
Configure. This produces a window in which there is a list of column
names. Name a new column here and drag a directory to it from the Remote
directory. Choose the appropriate filetype and default conversion for
this column from those which will be offered you. Click on Save, and
Dismount and Quit PocketFS for the moment. Now open the PocketFS
application directory (shift-double click) and open the Auto
subdirectory. Create a new directory here, with the name of your new
column. Into this new directory, drag !Run and !RunImage from whichever
of the Word/Card/Abacus directories holds files of the same filetype as
you want in this directory.
9.12
Using the !Sprites file from that directory as your example, create a
!Sprites file for your new directory, with the two sprites appropriately
named (so if your column is called Ug, they will be !ug and spr_ug).
öNow the tricky bit!ò John W. writes. öLoad ConfigFile from the
Resources directory into !Edit and look for the word Éunknownæ shortly
after the directory name, and before the new column name. Change that to
the sprite name (spr_cis in [his] case) and re-save the file (better
back it up first!).ò Once this is done, you can reload PocketFS, and
when you click with <select>, your new column should come up alongside
the others in the conversion window. After a couple of false starts,
mine did.
9.12
The one snag is that this seems to work only for directories of files of
the types already present in the conversion window, which doesnæt quite
solve Christopheræs problem. What is needed now is a library of !Runs/
!RunImages for other types so that, for example, Schedule/Event, and
cunning little systems like Outline, could have their own columns in the
conversion window.
9.12
A new Pocket Book programmer
9.12
John W. also writes enthusiastically about a new programmer he has
encountered on Compuserve: ÉKonstantin Sally, a Russian who apparently
does a lot of his programming on public transport on his way to work.æ
Among his Shareware applications are Éan undelete utility for Flash (not
RAM) SSDs (Pocket Book II/Psion 3a only) and a keyboard remapper
allowing you to change the actions of keys. There is a version of this
for the original Pocket Book/S3 as well as one for the newer machines.
Registration is easy, as he has an agent in France who will accept
Sterling Payments.æ (Philippe Lebreton, 5árue Au Metre, F-78290 Croissy
Sur Seine, France. <[e-mail]>)
9.12
Endnote
9.12
Given my new machine and his excellent correspondence, John Woodthorpe
and I could fill the column between us for the next couple of months:
but Iæd like to throw the net wider.áuá
9.12
Digitising (Matters Arising)
9.12
Jim Nottingham
9.12
This month, I had planned to review the Yellowstone DeskTV system, with
particular reference to the digitiser facility. Unfortunately, its
release has been delayed, and our attempts to sneak in coverage of
another manufactureræs product have been similarly thwarted for lack of
a review copy.
9.12
However, this does give me the opportunity to cover a couple of points
readers have raised following the lead-in article (Archive 9.10 p56) and
the Vision24 review (9.11 p38).
9.12
Grabbing moving images
9.12
Firstly, with reference to the difficulty of grabbing a particular frame
from moving video, the question was asked öWhy not press Pause or Still
on the camcorder or VCR?ò. This is certainly worth trying although, in
all probability, you will run into problems with frame stability, which
shows up as horizontal noise bars, badly distorting the digitised image.
9.12
This instability will be evident in the digitiser preview window (and
the camcorder viewfinder or TV/monitor), so you can gauge the extent of
the problem prior to digitising. If your camcorder/VCR supports it, it
may be worthwhile trying to jog the video forward or backward a frame or
two, as you may find one particular frame is acceptably stable.
9.12
You may be lucky through trial-and-error but, it has to be said, only
top-end systems tend to give the sort of full stability required Ö and
we are talking serious money here. If you are out of luck, try the
method(s) discussed in the Vision24 review (Iæm sure the Keystroke
option could be mechanised to work with any digitiser system).
9.12
Frame refresh rate
9.12
The second point to revisit is the confusion which, evidently, still
exists regarding video frame refresh rates. To be frank, this isnæt
helped by product advertisements currently going the rounds which tend
to suggest the rate is 50Hz (or 50 frames/second).
9.12
To reiterate; each video frame in the PAL video standard consists of two
fields which, when interlaced, made up the frame. It takes 1/50th second
to refresh the first field and a further 1/50th second to refresh the
second field. For that reason, it takes 2 ╫ 1/50th second (or 1/25th
second) to refresh the full frame, so the PAL frame refresh rate is
effectively 25Hz (or 25 frames/second).áuá
9.12
The Maker Series
9.12
John Woodthorpe
9.12
Carlton Software is a company Iæd not heard of before receiving these
three small applications to review, but they have been Acorn and Epson
dealers since 1994. Henry Morgan of Carlton is the author of all three
programs, and each one comes on a single floppy with a slim (12 pages),
photocopied A5 manual. In addition, they all support Acornæs interactive
help, and will also load their own !Help file of release notes from the
main menu. Despite being simple and small (excluding Acornæs Toolbox
modules, only 300Kb of disc space is needed for all three!), they give
the impression that a good deal of thought has gone into the
presentation. Each one installs automatically from its own ÉSoftInstlæ
routine, including putting the Toolbox modules in the right place.
Installation can be to a hard disc or to a floppy, and the instructions
are commendably clear. Iæll deal with each of the three ÉMakersæ
separately:
9.12
MemoMaker
9.12
Really, the title describes the function: it allows you to enter
reminders of jobs to do. Often I can be concentrating on doing one thing
(preparing a report, for example), when the phone rings and Iáhave to
make a note of something else to do later. My desk is often so cluttered
that I canæt find a convenient piece of paper to jot down a note on, but
MemoMaker allows you to do that in a small window on-screen, assign it a
priority, and even link a file or application to it. For example, the
picture below shows a memo with a link to a Fireworkz document.
9.12
If I click on the ÉRun Linkæ button, that file will be loaded ready for
me to continue working on it (assuming the filer has Éseenæ Fireworkz of
course, but as it lives in my ÉAppsæ Directory, thatæs not a problem).
Memos can be saved, edited, sorted, and even exported as a TSV file to a
database on a Pocket Book. This would allow you to carry the list with
you when away from the desktop machine, make further entries, and
exchange files when you return. Importing a file into MemoMaker from a
database program is also possible, providing it is in exactly the right
format, but the easiest option seems to be to create the file in
MemoMaker in the first place.
9.12
Whilst this simple approach works pretty well, there are obviously
limitations: although you can move files around between machines, you
are restricted to using the Pocket Book database, not the Schedule (or
Psion Agenda). Thatæs a pity, because the Agenda To-Do List is very
powerful, allowing due dates and memos to be attached, neither of which
are portable using this method. Of course, you can put a due date in the
memo, but there is no facility for setting an alarm, which would make it
very useful indeed.
9.12
This linking has tremendous potential: for example, if the linked file
is from Quantumæs Keystroke, then a macro could be run to perform a
series of jobs. The stand-alone Executor equivalents work, but KeyDef
files cannot be run. However, Keystroke allows you to save an Obey file
from the ÉActionsæ menu, and this can be linked to a memo. If you want
the KeyDef file to be loaded automatically, then the following line
needs adding at the start of the Obey file:
9.12
Set KeyStroke$Load <Obey$Dir>.KeyDef
9.12
Where <Obey$Dir>.KeyDef is the correct path for the KeyDef file you want
to use. Naturally, the Keystroke file has to contain actions that make
sense when run in this way. My thanks go to Henry Morgan for pointing
that out, when I asked him if it could be done. He also says that it
does not seem possible to check if Keystroke is loaded beforehand, so
that has to be done manually. Basically, anything you can double-click
to run can be launched from MemoMaker, allowing it to form the basis of
a powerful task-oriented control centre for jumping between the most
pressing things you have to do.
9.12
As an example of the degree of thought that has gone into its creation,
when MemoMaker is run, it grabs a spot towards the far right of the
iconbar, just to the left of the Display Manager on my Risc PC. It
obviously helps if the icon is easy to find, so that you havenæt
forgotten what you wanted to write before managing to open the window.
Itæs a small point, but one that could so easily have been overlooked.
To gain maximum benefit from this consistent approach, you obviously
need to have it load up automatically when the machine is turned on.
9.12
DateMaker
9.12
The ÉPurposeæ part of the ÉInfoæ box describes this as an electronic
diary, and that sums it up really. Specifically, it is an appointment
book, able to set start times of meetings with alarms to sound as many
days in advance as you want. However, you canæt set the duration of an
appointment without making two entries for the start and finish.
9.12
You also canæt set the alarm to be, for example, fifteen minutes before
the start of an appointment, so itæs really of most use in reminding you
of birthdays and other such untimed events. The illustration above shows
the sort of display used. If there are no appointments, day is blank.
9.12
Searching for particular events is possible, as is creating a list in
TSV or Impression DDF format. This is another example of Henry Morganæs
careful planning: if you open the List Generation window and scroll the
date on the main window, the date range for the list moves in sequence.
The more I use his software, the more I like the lovely little touches
he puts in here and there. The list for the day entry above then
becomes:
9.12
1996
9.12
July
9.12
8  7:30am  Car booked in for service
9.12
8  8:00am  Department Meeting
9.12
8  10:00am  Book flight to Munich
9.12
8  11:00am  See Tony in Drawing Office about design work
9.12
8  1:15pm  Team meeting to prepare 1997 projects
9.12
8  4:00pm  Ring Sarah about mechanical testing
9.12
Using this method, you could prepare a printed diary for a particular
period with very little effort. As it stands, DateMaker is a simple
appointment manager with some lovely touches. It could be improved with
better alarm handling and the addition of a note facility. The latter is
currently being implemented, and should allow the entry of as much text
as wished for each day. I look forward to seeing it develop.
9.12
Actually, what Iæd really like to see is a RISC OS version of the Pocket
Book IIæs Schedule, so that files could be read and modified on both
machines, complete with To-Do lists, and with no need for converting
them. I put this to Henry Morgan, and he says that he is öcurrently
looking into writing an interpreter for the Pocket Book II and Psion 3a
Schedule/Agenda filesò. The Psion Agenda file format is readily
available (and is I think compatible with the Pocket Book II), so I
really hope he does this. It is one area where the Psion PsiWin transfer
software scores over PocketFS, in that it will convert Agenda files to
the format of many of the popular PCásoftware diaries. As far as Iæm
aware, what it generallyádoesnæt do is a two-way conversion, and a file-
compatible diary for the two Acorn platforms would (copyright
permitting) be an excellent addition to the RISC OS software market.
9.12
MailMaker
9.12
MailMaker allows you to setup a dedicated mailing list database, and can
work with its own file format, orádeal with files created in other
applications. TSV import and export are supported, and thereæs a little
utility called MailTSV to convert TSV files (for example, from the
Pocket Book database) into the format needed to load into MailMakeræs
pre-defined layout. Initially, I had a few difficulties in getting this
to work, but Carlton rapidly identified and solved a problem with
certain machine configurations, enabling me to see it working for
myself.
9.12
MailTSV maps the fields in the file to be imported so that they are
suitable for MailMaker. It works as long as you follow the right
procedure, which is detailed in the Help file. In particular, all the
records in the file must have the same number of fields or else things
go very awry. (I speak from experience gained before Iáread the
instructions!)
9.12
A typical view is shown above. As well as functioning as a contacts
list, it can be sorted and searched to produce mailing lists for
Christmas cards, club membership, circulation lists, etc. The exported
files can then be used in automating mailshots in conjunction with a
suitable word processor or DTP program.
9.12
Summary
9.12
Despite their small size, these are applications that could really
enhance your productivity. MemoMaker is the star for me, and the one
with the most potential, especially when used to launch applications, or
combined with Keystroke. Its uses are only limited by your imagination,
and with the addition of alarms, it could become an indispensable
application. As Iæve said earlier, moves towards handling Pocket Book II
Schedule files in something combining the functionality of MemoMaker and
DateMaker would be something I would personally greatly welcome.
9.12
Support
9.12
Carlton Software have a telephone helpline on 01234-721448 from 5pm Ö
8pm, Monday to Friday.
9.12
Minor upgrades are free to registered users on return of their program
disc. In the case of major upgrades, registered users will be notified
in a letter giving them details of pricing.
9.12
Any single program costs ú8.50 from Carlton Software. You can buy any
two for ú16.00, or all three for ú23.00 (all prices include VAT, but not
the ú2.35 p&p). They are also available for ú10 each, inc p&p, from
NCS.áuá
9.12
Picture Book 2
9.12
Rob Ives
9.12
It can be difficult to find software for very young children. Their
limited keyboard and mouse skills often exclude them for otherwise
excellent programs. Picture Book 2 adds to that small stock of programs
with a range of activities which can be used with young children.
9.12
Picture Book 2
9.12
Picture Book 2 is supplied on three high density discs with a clear
manual. The review copy came in a plastic wallet but I am told by RGSC
that purchasers will get the software in a strong plastic box.
9.12
Picture Book 2 consists of a suite of five programs and an alphabet
resource file. The alphabet is used for each of the programs, a neat
modular approach in keeping with the Acorn philosophy.
9.12
The programs, aimed at young children and early readers, are: Alphabook,
CountEm, FlashCard, Snap and SpellIt. Once loaded, most of the programs
show a closed book on the iconbar, but FlashCard shows the back of a
pack of cards. Dropping an alphabet file onto the icon either opens the
book or turns the cards over. The icons are attractive and clear, and
the open and closed book shows easily whether an alphabet is loaded.
9.12
AlphaBook
9.12
The simplest of the five programs is AlphaBook, a simple Éabcæ letters
book. When you click on the icon, the program takes over the screen, and
an apple with the word Éappleæ is displayed on the screen. Once the
program is running, typing on a letter on the keyboard will display a
picture associated with that letter. For example, Édæ for dog, Éræ for
rocket, or Épæ for pig.
9.12
The pictures are created by that well known Acorn graphic artist Walter
Briggs, and all are of a high standard. However, it should be noted that
only fifteen letters appear in the alphabet. This is due to the
constraints of disc space. The alphabet file only just squeezes onto an
800Kb disc. I can understand that RGSC want their software to work on
all machines, including older models which many schools are still using,
but perhaps a solution would be to have two half alphabet discs or the
existing file and a 1.6Mb disc for users of newer machines. Another
minor gripe is that, when you click on a key with no associated picture,
the program lets out an unpleasant rasp. Perhaps a more discrete sound
could be substituted.
9.12
Pressing <return> whilst the program is running reads out the word in a
clear recorded voice. Toáreturn to the desktop, you need to press <ctrl>
and <esc> Ö I would have preferred just <esc>. Iárealise that the two-
key combination is used to stop children returning to the desktop
accidentally, but itæs yet another key combination to remember Ö yet
another Post-It note on the wall. Perhaps an option to choose would be
possible?
9.12
Configurability
9.12
Talking of options, each of the programs has a fair amount of
configurability. There are shared choices and individual choices for
each of the programs. The shared choices can be edited for each
individual program or, using a separate program, for all of them at once
Ö nice touch!
9.12
Shared choices include things like which font to use background and text
colours, ArtWorks quality, etc.
9.12
The individual programs then each have their own set of choices.
Alphabook allows you to choose which letters are available, whether a
word is shown on the screen, and a range of controls over the sound
effects.
9.12
CountEm
9.12
CountEm is a counting game which loads in the same way as AlphaBook and,
once run, it takes over the full screen. On the screen there appears,
perhaps, three sheep and a cat. At the bottom of the screen it says
öCount the sheepò, or it might say, öHow many sheep are there?ò Pressing
the right key on the keyboard elicits a cheer from the computer and,
after a short pause, the next page appears. Type in the wrong number,
and the computer blows a raspberry at you.
9.12
The program is clear and easy to use, and again there are a good range
of choices. It is nicely thought out, with a simple idea giving a
variety of activities for the young child. One of the options is to
indicate what to count by using sound effects. For example, if the
computer baas at you, that means that you should count the sheep. On the
version that I received, there were no sound effects, but a note in the
manual did mention that later versions would. Strangely, at the top of
the CountEm choices dialogue box, it says ÉSnap choicesæ!
9.12
FlashCard
9.12
Once loaded and run, the program takes over the screen with a single
large word. The idea is that the child looks at the word and says Éfishæ
before the computer does. After a configurable time, the computer shows
a picture and reads the word. After another configurable time, the next
word is shown. Itæs good if you like that sort of thing, but it was the
one that our three year old daughter was least interested in.
9.12
Snap
9.12
Snap, however, she thought was great! It is a simple snap game for up to
three players. Each player chooses a key on the keyboard, and if the
pictures on the screen match, they press their key. Snap! Again, there
are lots of configuration possibilities, such as how many players, which
keys to use, the time limit before the computer gives up waiting and
some options for scoring the game. An interesting possibility is to not
just match pictures, but match pictures to written or spoken words or to
sound effects.
9.12
The final program in the suite is SpellIt. A picture appears on the
screen for the user to spell. Again, lots of choices are available.
There is an easy setting where the letter order doesnæt matter, the
number of allowable guesses can be changed and there are a number of
display options. Again, it is a well thought out program.
9.12
AlphaEdit
9.12
It is possible to create your own alphabets to go with Picture Book 2,
and I was sent a beta version of AlphaEdit, the tool with which this is
done. AlphaEdit will be ú15 and should be available by the time you read
this.
9.12
AlphaEdit is extemely easy to use. Add a word, edit the plural if
necessary (sheep and sheep instead of sheep and sheeps), drop a suitable
Draw or ArtWorks picture into the main window, add a sound effect and
the spoken word, and repeat for the other twenty five letters. Easy.
There is also a program called AlphaMerg which allows alphabets bigger
than the available memory to be made in small chunks then stitched
together. Like the rest of the programs, AlphaEdit is simple, clear and
well thought out. Hopefully, other people will soon start to create
third party alphabets for use with Picture Book.
9.12
Conclusions
9.12
Designing software that allows children to practice basic skills,
without dropping into Édrill and practiceæ, is difficult. It is easy to
fall into the trap of allowing children to spend time in front of a
thousand pound computer which would be better spent with a pack of
picture cards or flash cards.
9.12
I think that Picture Book has found that balance. It provides a group of
worthwhile programs which have enough flexibility to engage and interest
the young mind. Our daughter thinks itæs great!
9.12
Picture Book 2 costs ú35 inclusive (if you return the original Picture
Book disc, you get a ú5 discount), and AlphaEdit costs ú15 inclusive,
from The Really Good Software Company.áuá
9.12
Gallery
9.12
Dave Wilcox
9.12
Gallery is a helpful little program from the WECC (Warwickshire
Educational Computing Centre). It seems to have been initially designed
to work alongside Portfolio, but works equally well as a stand alone
utility. For those who have not read the review of Portfolio (Archive
9.5 p78), it is a carousel-type program for the display of sprites and
drawfiles. Gallery is used to make a hard copy catalogue of these
carousel files or, for that matter, any other directory containing
sprites and drawfiles in your clipart collection.
9.12
The package
9.12
The software comes on one disc accompanied by an A5 manual consisting of
20 pages. As I have come to expect from WECC, the manual is well written
and nicely presented, and it explains the software in a clear, concise
manner.
9.12
The disc contains !System, !Scrap and !Sysmerge, a !Fonts directory
containing Jotter, an example of a clipart directory set up as an
application in order that a sprite may be attached to it, and four
applications.
9.12
The first application is !Display (another carousel-type program), then
you have three copies of Gallery to meet different requirements. Very
basically, the difference between each is in the output Ö one will not
print at all, one will only print one page at a time, and the third
version will do everything. The idea is that the teaching staff will be
able to select a version suitable for their environment.
9.12
The program
9.12
There is no copy protection on the disc, so back it up first, or install
it to hard disc. The program can be installed anywhere on the disc you
wish. For the sake of brevity, I will refer to the full blown Gallery
program for this review.
9.12
After loading the application by double-clicking on the icon, Gallery
installs itself to the right hand side of the iconbar. The best way to
start then is to click on the iconbar icon, which causes two windows to
open; the Gallery display window and one for File Control. Select a
directory containing sprites and/or draw files, and drag the directory
icon onto one of the Gallery windows. The Gallery window represents the
printed page, and is divided into eight smaller windows, one for each
graphic, (see above). As you can probably see, the full path name of the
picture is shown Ö but these are left out if the Filenames option from
the iconbar menu is deselected. From the Gallery window, you can select
an image and double click on it to see an enlarged version. This is
ideal for checking detail because some larger graphics can become quite
difficult to see when reduced to fit these windows.
9.12
It is possible, when dragging your directory into the Gallery program,
to drag a complete clipart directory, including subdirectories, and have
the whole collection printed in one go. Depending upon the size of your
collection, this could take a long time, a lot of paper and a lot of ink
or toner. Because your printout is only to be used as a quick index,
reduce the resolution of print a little Ö this will stretch the ink and
your bank balance a little further.
9.12
The file control window contains three sections (see below). Starting
from the top and working down, you have the current activity window,
showing the options available and whether the file is being printed.
Next is the control panel, from which you select to print all the
graphics, count the graphics in the directory, or display the graphics.
Also in this section, you can print one sheet only, close the file, step
to the next page, open the main clipart directory or abort the whole
process. The third window shows the clipart actually displayed on the
current page, showing filename and filetype. Clicking on one of these
entries will open up the master directory so that the clip may be
utilised directly by the user.
9.12
One final aspect of the Gallery window is that it is possible to compile
your own page layout by dragging your clips into one of the eight
individual windows. The options in this program are so obvious and easy
to use that it is a refreshing change.
9.12
Conclusion
9.12
This is a very good program, well presented and well thought out, no
hang ups and no crashes to date. This is ideal for the likes of the
Bitfolio Collection where everything is numbered, and a hard copy
catalogue is a must.
9.12
WECC say that it is possible that future versions may deal with further
filetypes if there are enough requests. I have already added my name to
the list. Asáit stands, it does the job it was designed for admirably,
and is readily recommended.
9.12
Gallery costs ú15 single user, ú15 Primary site licence, and ú25
Secondary site licence. Iæm afraid you have to add ú1 post and packaging
and VAT to these prices. The product can be obtained directly from
WECC.áuá
9.12