Archive Magazine 1997/ARCHIVE_97.iso/text/magazine/vol_09/issue_09

Text File | 1996-05-09 | 314KB | 6,603 lines

Products Available
9.9
APDL price reductions Ö APDLæs PDCD¡1 contains most of the useful
programs and utilities from the APDL library, including a lot of
material useful in education. There are also many classic novels
(properly converted to Acorn format plain textfiles), plus the works of
Shakespeare. PDCD¡2 has over 500 games and novelties, more than 200
demos, and hundreds of cheats for commercial games. There are also more
than 2000 Maestro, Tracker and Digital Symphony tunes, and a selection
of popular music players. The PDCDs now only cost ú15 each through
Archive.
9.9
Clipart CDs DTP¡l and DTP¡2 were reviewed in 9.7 p69. They now only cost
ú20 each through Archive.
9.9
Archive subscription Ö The best way to get new Archive subscribers is by
personal recommendation, so we are prepared to encourage you to
encourage your friends to subscribe. We are always happy to send anyone
who wants one, a free sample magazine Ö just give us a name and address,
and weæll pop a copy in the post, but we are going to try out a new
scheme...
9.9
Free 12 month subscription Ö We will extend your existing subscription
by 12 months, free of charge, for every brand new subscriber you can
bring to us. (Itæs up to you what deal you work out with your friend!)
Just fill in the enclosed form and send it in with a cheque or the
credit card details, and weæll do the rest.
9.9
(Overseas subscribers, this applies to you too Ö just change the amount
on the form from ú25 to ú32 if you are in Europe, ú43 for Australia/NZ
or ú40 elsewhere.)
9.9
Atomwide keyboard encoder allows a wide range of PC compatible keyboards
to be used with pre-RiscPC Acorn computers. This means that users of old
worn-out Archimedes keyboards are no longer restricted to the standard,
expensive Acorn replacement, but can, instead, choose from almost any
type on the market. The encoder is housed inside a case little bigger
than a matchbox. The reset switch that used to be found on Acorn
keyboards is replaced by a small, recessed button on the encoder that
can be gently pushed using a pointed object such as a pen¡tip or paper
clip. All other keys are correctly mapped between Acorn and PC layouts.
Absolutely no configuration is required to install the encoder Ö just
plug in three cables.
9.9
The encoder will come as a great relief to people who regularly use
Acorns and PCs and bemoan the different key layouts. The keyboard
encoder plugs into Acorn A300, A400, A400/1, A540, A4000 and A5000
series machines accepting almost any IBM  PS/2 or Cherry-compatible
keyboard. This includes special types, such as those incorporating card
swipes and barcode readers.
9.9
The Keyboard Encoder costs ú39 +VAT +ú3.50 p&p from Atomwide or ú47
through Archive. The Ecoder, complete with a good, basic PC keyboard, it
costs ú79 through Archive. With a really top quality Cherry keyboard, it
still only costs ú120 through Archive (cf an Acorn old-style keyboard at
ú125!)
9.9
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 upmarket offeringsò, and öif you havenæt got a CD-ROM drive, it
would be worth buying one just for this collection.ò
9.9
CD drive prices down Ö The prices of IDE CD-ROMs are falling and there
is now an eight-speed device available (and dual speed drives seem to
have disappeared altogether). New Archive prices are as follows:
9.9
  Quad speed Ö ú90
9.9
  Six speed Ö ú120
9.9
  Eight speed Ö ú160
9.9
However, the price of SCSI CD-ROM drives has hardly fallen because the
mass market is for IDE devices. This is a shame because SCSI devices do
seem to perform better. (This is another example of Éindustry standardæ
= lowest common denominator.)
9.9
  Quad speed tray-loading Ö ú175
9.9
  Quad speed caddy-loading Ö ú290
9.9
  Six speed caddy-loading Ö ú355
9.9
  6.7 speed tray-loading Ö ú385
9.9
For external versions of these SCSI drives, add ú70.
9.9
CDtracker Plus is an enhanced version of CDtracker with dozens of extra
features Ö see 9.3 p77 for review of the original version. CDs can be
played in Single, Continuous, Programmed, Shuffled, Favourite, Repeat,
Intro scan and Point to point modes and, where appropriate, can combine
any of these facilities Ö e.g. Repeat/Shuffled/Favourites. Other
facilities include a four-format elapsed time clock, select Next/
Previous track, Pause and variable speed Fast Forward and Rewind. The
player interface is both Style Guide compliant and a close emulation of
a real CD player, complete with a keypad just as one might find on an
expensive hifi. Two player interfaces are provided and the user can
toggle between them. Click on a single file icon to play any pre-defined
selection of tracks on any CD that is in the drive.
9.9
The CD database stores seven items of data including: Track title,
Artistæs name, CD title and label and five more of the useræs own
choosing. Export any chosen data in Text or CSV file format or Import in
CSV or SmartCD+ format. Find and Select facilities to pinpoint any track
anywhere in the database. Dynamic linking between player and database so
that a CD in the drive can be located instantly within the database.
9.9
From Werewolf Software, CDtracker costs ú14.95 and CDtracker Plus costs
ú24.95 (add ú1 p&p) or they will do a low cost upgrade.
9.9
Cumana are still very much alive and active in the Acorn market. They
have just produced a new catalogue Ö see the Factfile for contact
details.
9.9
DEC_dATA are in the process of putting together a CD-ROM of clipart,
aimed at Key Stage 2 and 3. It should be ready in a few weeks and will
cost around ú40 Ö more details to come.
9.9
Also new from DEC_dATA is a collection of clipart on disc for Key Stage
2. Each collection consists of full colour drawfiles and is accessed via
a Clearview file that shows a small thumbnail of each image, with a
hotlink to load the file into Draw. In addition, there are a few lines
of information on each picture to help pupils and teachers put the image
in context. Each disc includes maps, diagrams, people of the time,
transport, artifacts, tools, art and music. The collection is made up
of: Anglo Saxons and Vikings; 19th Century Britain; The Greeks and
Romans; The Egyptians; and Earth and the Solar System. They cost ú10 per
set +VAT +p&p from DEC_dATA. Site licences are available at ú15 for up
to 30 machines, and ú20 for more than 30 machines.
9.9
A Textease resource disc, which is also compatible with SEMERCæs Pages
wordprocessor, containing a range of borders, backgrounds, masks and
decorative designs, is now available from DEC_dATA for ú12.95 +p&p.
9.9
Dis-le, the computerised speaking French tutor, has just had a complete
rewrite. The major changes are: 2200+ lower and higher level GCSE
recordings of human words and short phrases; words can be sorted and
quizzed by topic; Jean-Franτois now replaces Catherine as the speaker;
the program is now released on twelve 800Kb discs; it has the old
multi¡choice game, Word Search and Mix æn Match; a computerised
Étraining modeæ now exists; on-line database and speaking dictionary
(8086 words, 2200 speaking); The Face Behind the Voice is included in
the program; spelling quiz now implemented; requires 10Mb of hard disc
space, 4Mb RAM, stand¡alone or very high speed network.
9.9
For an upgrade from either of the earlier versions to Dis-le v3.0, with
the new 2,200 word recordings and resource pack, send ú27.50 (no VAT) to
Mike Smith (address in Factfile).
9.9
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, 1Gb partitions on RISC OS 3.6 machines). It
costs ú39.95 +VAT +p&p from Alsystems.
9.9
Fast IDE Interface Ö RapIDE from Yellowstone Educational Solutions is a
32-bit DMA¡based interface for the RiscPC. The interface provides vastly
increased throughput. Using alternative drives, it is possible to
achieve reading speeds in excess of 8Mb/s with 32-bit direct memory
access. It provides two IDE ports, allowing up to four devices to be
connected, including IDE CD-ROMs. The RapIDE interface costs ú119 +VAT
+ú5 p&p from Yellowstone, or ú142 inclusive through Archive.
9.9
FontDirectory 2 is the long-awaited upgradeáto the font management
system from LOOKsystems (see 9.8 p49). Itæs extremely fast and comes
with a whole host of really useful features to make font management more
productive. Font names can be viewed in a number of formats, including
full WYSIWYG display. Speed has been a major consideration in this
latest version, so loading fonts happens extremely quickly. The whole
user interface has been simplified to make using the program much
easier. Bundled with FontDirectory is a utility called FontViewer, which
gives the user the ability to view complete blocks of text in multiple
windows, at varying sizes. Each new window can work independently of the
others and contain a different font, so it makes comparing fonts very
easy. Text can be written straight to a window or imported as a text
file.
9.9
The full version of FontDirectory 2 costs ú45 inclusive from
LOOKsystems, or ú43 through Archive. A light version will also be
available for ú25, or ú24 through Archive. Upgrades for existing users
are ú18.50 from LOOKsystems. Coming later will be a network version made
up of the full version plus the lite version, and more manuals, costing
ú150.
9.9
HP printers Ö Two new HP colour printers are now available. The HP
DeskJet 660C is an A4 colour printer giving up to 600╫600dpi in mono and
600╫300dpi in colour. It does öup to 4 ppmò (pages per minute) in mono
and öup to 1 ppmò in colour. Itáhas a 32Kb buffer (expandable to 512Kb)
and takes about 100 sheets of paper in its input bin. The 660C costs
ú340 through Archive.
9.9
The HP DeskJet 850C is an A4 colour printer giving up to 600╫600dpi in
mono and 300╫300dpi in colour. It does öup to 6 ppmò in mono and öup to
3áppmò in colour. It has a 32Kb buffer (expandable to 512Kb) and takes
over 150 sheets of paper in its input bin. The 850C costs ú440 through
Archive.
9.9
Lark Ö Computer Concepts/Wild Visionæs 16-bit audio sampling and play-
back card for all the Acorn machines is now down in price. It can sample
and playback in stereo and sample up to 48kHz, and features Midi
connection and on-board filtering. The Lark A16 is ú149 +VAT + carriage
from CC or ú172 through Archive.
9.9
N-Connect is an Amstrad NC100 to RISC OS Link. According to the makers,
ÉN-Connect is the most comprehensive system for transferring data
between Acorn RISCáOS machines and the Amstrad NC100 Notepad computer.æ
It makes the NC100 an integral part of your RISC OS desktop. Documents
can be processed on the NC100 under ProText and be dropped into
Impression with styles preserved, and similarly text can be dragged to
the N-Connect icon to send to the NC100. For the programmer, Basic
programs can be ported to and from the NC100 with the minimum of user
intervention, and full diagnostics are provided via the DDE throwback
system if it is present. N-Connect can also detokenise both forms of
Basic into text.
9.9
N-Connect, previously distributed by Senlac Computers, is now available
direct from the author (Tony Howat) at a reduced price of ú14.95. There
is a suitable cable available, costing ú7, or wiring details can be
provided on request if you want to make up your own cable. Prices
include p&p, no VAT to pay. Site licences are negotiable. Official
orders are welcome. Cheques payable to ÉA. Howatæ at 20¡20áSoftware,
12áDover Road, Birkdale, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 4SY. Tonyæs email
address is <[e-mail]>.
9.9
Pocket Book holsters Ö You can now carry your Pocket Book around with
you on a belt or shoulder holster. Meant for intensive use, the cases
are manufactured in a foam Cordura and re-enforced with composite
material on the front and back. What makes them special is the patented
pivoting hinge attached to the back of the case. This fits into a quick
release holder, originally intended for a gun, which you can attach
either to a belt or to the optional shoulder holster. Squeezing the
spring loaded arms on the side of the holster releases the case quickly
and easily.
9.9
Also available are a number of black leather zip cases. These include
velcro fasteners which allow you to use the computer while it is still
in the case. The Junior version has space for cards (though not credit
cards Ö the magnetic stripe can cause the computer problems); and
Executive and Zip & Flip cases also have space for SSDs.
9.9
The holster costs ú21, the cases which attach to it cost ú38.95 for the
open top and ú39.95 for the closed top. The junior case costs ú29.95;
the Executive costs ú24.95 and the Zip & Flip costs ú49.95. All prices
include VAT, but p&p is extra. Available from Widget Software Ltd.
9.9
PortFolio from Kudlian Soft is a multimedia application which has been
developed to allow children, or adults, to display a carousel of images,
either vector graphics or bitmaps, including JPEG images. Each picture
can have a sound file or music or a voice recording associated with it Ö
itæs an ideal tool for displaying childrenæs work using a variety of
styles and media.
9.9
This got a good review (9.6 p72) and weæve also had an unsolicited
comment from Jim Nottingham (see page 43), so we decided we should stock
it. Portfolio costs ú29 +VAT +p&p from Kudlian Soft or ú35 through
Archive.
9.9
Nelson is a hit! Ö Angliaæs multimedia CD-ROM of Nelson has won the gold
award for best multimedia program at the 1996 International Visual
Communication Association Awards. The IVCA judges said ÉNelson and his
Navy combines excellent production values and strong educational content
to produce an engaging and impressive multimedia program.æ
9.9
The CD-ROM was produced in association with the National Maritime
Museum, and brings alive the life and times of Nelson, by using a
combination of animation, photography, illustration, video and sound
clips. It contains a wealth of historical information and allows users
to sail with Nelson to the battles of Trafalgar, the Nile and Cape St
Vincent, as well as go on a 3D tour of his flagship. Nelson and His Navy
costs ú50 +VAT +p&p from Anglia Multimedia, or ú58 through Archive.
9.9
Power-tec Tape Streamers Ö The Power-tec tape streamer option is a low
cost solution to your data protection needs. It mounts internally in a
RiscPC, connecting to your floppy drive cable, or externally, connecting
to your parallel port. It uses 120Mb and 175Mb QIC 80 tapes, which, with
compression, can store up to 250Mb and 350Mb respectively. The software
used to run this drive is fully multitasking, runs over any network and
can also do a timed or selective backup. It comes with a manual for easy
installation and running instructions, and with the software for you to
manage your backups easily. It costs ú175 +VAT +p&p from Alsystems.
9.9
ReTreeval from Kudlian Soft is an application that combines a database
with a sophisticated decision tree program. To create and search the
database, all you have to do is answer questions in natural English. The
amount of information stored about each item grows with your needs.
ReTreeval learns with you so that it always asks questions in an easily
understood language. Behind the scenes, it uses a sophisticated object-
oriented database to handle the decisions and questions required to
structure the data. Full reporting facilities are available, allowing
data to be exported as ASCII, CSV or TSV; a tree can be exported as a
drawfile, and data can have a picture associated with it. ReTreeval
costs ú40 +VAT +p&p from Kudlian Soft or ú47 through Archive.
9.9
Ridiculous Rhymes Ö This new package from Sherston, which should be
ready for the Acorn platform by the time we go to press, is set of
talking rhymesáfor children, written and illustrated by Tony DeáSaulles,
and narrated by Tony Robinson. Designed for 7Ö11 year olds, itæs full of
wacky humour and comical animations. The price will be ú40 +VAT +p&p for
a single copy, or ú47 through Archive. A primary site licence costs ú60,
a secondary site licence costs ú80, both +VAT +p&p.
9.9
Splosh+, from Kudlian Soft, is the sequel to Splosh, the painting
program for young children and those with special needs. Splosh+ allows
access to a far wider range of facilities which will enable children to
exploit the features of the latest hardware, including the RiscPC. It
provides users with, amongst other things, a wider range of brushes and
brush shapes, additional geometric shapes and fills, multiple undo,
imports for JPEG and deep sprites, plus 16, 32, 256 and thousands and
millions of colour modes. Splosh will still be on sale, providing a
introduction to painting programs. Splosh+ costs ú39 +VAT +p&p from
Kudlian Soft or ú46 through Archive.
9.9
Sibelius Junior is a new music program from the developers of the world
famous Sibelius programs, aimed at primary schools. Junior Sibelius has
been designed to allow beginners to take their first steps in music in a
creative and interesting way. The program includes a series of
interactive lessons to develop and reinforce the music skills gained in
Key Stage 1, and introduce some basics of music theory for Key Stage 2.
Topics covered include pitch and note-names, rhythm and time signatures,
keyboard basics, different instruments, accidentals and key signatures,
scales and chords, plus much more.
9.9
Music can be entered straight into the computer via a Midi keyboard, or
with the mouse and keyboard. Once entered, it can then be played back or
printed. Junior Sibelius makes it quick and easy to arrange and print
music for, say, recorder groups or choir. It can even write out separate
parts for different instruments, and transpose music.
9.9
Junior Sibelius works on any Acorn computer with RISC OS 2 or higher Ö
even A310s and A3000s. You donæt need more than 1Mb of RAM, and you
donæt need a hard disc. It costs ú49 for a single copy +VAT +p&p, or ú57
through Archive. A primary school site licence costs ú89 +VAT or ú102
through Archive.
9.9
Talking Wrens Ö Sherston Software, in collaboration with Oxford
University Press, have just launched the latest in the Oxford Reading
Tree Series. The Stage 2 Wrens Talking Stories are narrated by TV
personality, Tony Robinson, well known for his appearances as Baldrick
in the BBCæs Black Adder series, and as the Sheriff in the childrenæs
series, Maid Marion and her Merry Men. The Wrensæ story books have been
designed for children who need support and extra reinforcement of key
verbs and charactersæ names at Stage 2 Ö each story focuses on one key
verb.
9.9
The new set of talking stories includes six stories and accompanying
teacheræs guide. They are: The Headache, At the Park, Fancy Dress,
Push!, Good Old Mum, and The Pet Shop. Each story contains humorous
animations and sound effects to support the text, as well as an
additional interactive extension activity at the end. Talking Wrens is
available on three platforms for ú40 +VAT +p&p from Sherston or ú47
through Archive. A primary site licence costs ú60 +VAT +p&p from
Sherston.
9.9
Teletext+ 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) to remind you.
Teletext+ also makes teletext fast and convenient Ö the advanced
cacheing algorithms will soon 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!
9.9
The advanced keyword searching can search hundreds of pages for items of
interest which might otherwise be missed. 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+ software 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.
9.9
Teletext+ is available for ú39 as a software upgrade for existing
teletext adaptors, or Octopus Systems can supply it with an external
teletext adaptor for ú169 while stocks last.
9.9
Existing users can obtain a new disc and manual for ú12 if they return
their master disc (prices include VAT and carriage). Free upgrades are
also available to registered users, by email. The adaptor connects to a
podule expansion socket via a lead and podule plug, so you should
specify whether you require a full size or a mini podule connector when
ordering. Aátelevision aerial feed is also required.
9.9
(See 9.7 p57 for a review.)
9.9
Tick-Tack CV is intended both as a stand-alone program and as a
supplement to the Tick-Tack Business Pack and the Travel and Tourism
Pack (9.8áp69). Its main purpose is to help young people improve their
chances of finding a job. It provides a framework for analysing their
skills and experience, and it gives them practice in describing
themselves and their background, their aims and ambitions, in a positive
and effective way. The program gives guidance on writing a good CV and
helps in the preparation of letters and telephone calls Ö both in
response to job adverts and for speculative approaches that are made
cold.
9.9
It also provides help in preparing convincing answers to questions
commonly asked on job-application forms and during interviews, and
suggests key questions that candidates themselves should put to
prospective employers. The program can be equally useful whether
students are looking for a job in this country, or seeking work abroad.
Like all the programs in the Tick-Tack range, the pack includes computer
software and a comprehensive manual containing a library of relevant
building-block sentences and other texts that can be selected and edited
to create a rich palette of impressive documents.
9.9
Tick-Tack CV is available from Primrose Publishing initially in English,
but versions in French, German, Spanish and Italian are planned. The
English version costs ú150 +VAT +p&p for colleges and universities, and
ú75 +VAT +p&p for schools.
9.9
Review software received...
9.9
We have received review copies of the following: ÅCDtracker Plus (udm),
ÅDEC_dATA clipart (ec), ÅEncode (u), ÅTextease Resources (c), ÅThe Way
Things Work CD (e).
9.9
d=Database, c=clipart, e=Education, m=music, u=Utility.
9.9
If you would like to review any of these products, please contact the
Archive office. Potential reviewers will need to show that they would
use the product in a professional capacity or that they have some
knowledge of the particular field.áuá
9.9
4Mation  14 Castle Park Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32
8PA. (01271¡25353) [01271¡22974] <[e-mail]>
9.9
4th Dimension  1 Percy Street, Sheffield, S3 8AU. (0114¡276¡9950)
[0114¡278¡1091]
9.9
Abacus Training  (Gerald Fitton) 29 Okus Grove, Upper Stratton, Swindon,
Wilts, SN2 6QA. (01793¡723347) [01793¡723347]
9.9
Acorn¡by¡Post  13 Dennington Road, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2BR.
(01933¡279300)
9.9
Acorn Computer Group  Acorn House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB4
4AE. (01223¡254254) [01223¡254262]
9.9
Acorn Risc Technologies  Cambridge Technopark, 645 Newmarket Road,
Cambridge, CB5 8PB. (01223¡577800) [01223¡577900]
<[e-mail]>
9.9
Alsystems  47 Winchester Road, Four Marks, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 5HG.
(01420¡561111) <[e-mail]>
9.9
Anglia Multimedia  Anglia House, Norwich, NR1 3JG. (01603¡615151)
[01603¡631032]
9.9
ANT Ltd  P.O.Box 300, Cambridge, CB1 2EG. (01223¡567808) [01223¡567801]
<[e-mail]>
9.9
APDL  39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London, SE26 5RN. (0181¡778¡2659)
[0181¡488¡0487] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Atomwide Ltd  7 The Metro Centre, Bridge Road, Orpington, Kent, BR5 2BE.
(01689¡814500) [01689¡814501] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Beebug Ltd  117 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Herts, AL1 4JS. (01727¡840303)
[01727¡860263]
9.9
Clares Micro Supplies  98 Middlewich Road, Rudheath, Northwich,
Cheshire, CW9 7DA. (01606¡48511) [01606¡48512]
<[e-mail]>
9.9
Colton Software  2 Signet Court, Swanns Road, Cambridge, CB5 8LA.
(01223¡311881) [01223¡312010] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Computer Concepts  Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP2 6EX.
(01442¡351000) [01442¡351010]
9.9
Cumana  Boundary House, The Pines, Broad Street, Guildford, GU3 3BH.
(01483¡503121) [01483¡451371] <[e-mail]>
9.9
David Pilling  P.O.Box 22, Thornton Cleveleys, Blackpool, FY5 1LR.
(01253¡852806) <[e-mail]>
9.9
DEC_dATA  P.O.Box 97, Exeter, EX4 4YA. (01392¡221702)
<[e-mail]>
9.9
Fabis Computing  48 Charles Street, Church Gresley, Swadlincote,
Derbyshire, DE11 9QD. (01283¡552761) [01283¡552761]
<[e-mail]>
9.9
Iota Software Ltd  Iota House, Wellington Court, Cambridge, CB1 1HZ.
(01223¡566789) [01223¡566788] <[e-mail]>
9.9
iSV Products  86, Turnberry, Home Farm, Bracknell, Berks, RG12 8ZH.
(01344¡55769)
9.9
Kudlian Soft  8 Barrow Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8á1EH.
(01926¡851147) <[e-mail]>
9.9
Longman Logotron  124 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4
4ZS. (01223¡425558) [01223¡425349] <[e-mail]>
9.9
LOOKsystems  Unit 1, The Gables Yard, Pulham Market, Diss, IP21 4SY.
(01379¡608585) [01379¡608575]
9.9
Mike Smith Software  26 Grenville Road, Saint Judes, Plymouth, PL4 9PY.
(01752¡667599) <[e-mail]>
9.9
Nash Pollock Publishing  32 Warwick Street, Oxford, OX4 1SX (01865
247885) [01865 247885]
9.9
NetDirect Internet  FREEPOST LON7572, London, SE14 5BR. (0171¡732¡3000)
[0171¡732¡2000] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Octopus Systems  9 Randwell Close, Ipswich, IP4 5ES. (01473¡728943)
[01473¡270643] <[e-mail]> <http://www.thenet.co.uk/octopus/>
9.9
Oregan Developments  36 Grosvenor Avenue, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield,
B74 3PE. (0121¡353¡6044) [0121¡353¡6472] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Primrose Publishing  Vicarage Long Barn, Denham, Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk, IP29 5EF.
9.9
Repair Zone  421 Sprowston Road, Norwich, NR3 4EH. (01603¡400477)
9.9
Rooksoft  8 Park Avenue, Wokingham, Berks, RG40 2AJ. (01734¡781150)
9.9
SEMERC  1 Broadbent Road, Watersheddings, Oldham, OL1 4LB.
(0161¡627¡4469)
9.9
Sherston Software  Angel House, Sherston, Malmesbury, Wilts. SN16 0LH.
(01666¡840433) [01666¡840048] <[e-mail]>
9.9
Sibelius Software  75 Burleigh Street, Cambridge, CB1 1DJ.
(01223¡302765) [01223¡351947]
9.9
Simtec Electronics  Avondale Drive, Tarleton, Preston, PR4 6AX.
(01772¡812863) [01772¡816426]
9.9
Spacetech  21 West Wools, Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EA. (01305¡822753)
[01305¡860483] <[e-mail]>
9.9
VTi (Vertical Twist)  Unit 1, The Shopwhyke Centre, Shopwhyke Road,
Chichester, PO20 6GD. (01243¡531194) [01243¡531196] <[e-mail]>
9.9
W. C. Smith & Associates  40 Royal Oak, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66
2DA., (01665¡510682) [01665¡510692]
9.9
Werewolf Software  23 The Spinneys, Bromley, Kent, BR1 2NT.
(0181¡467¡1138) [0181¡464¡7510]
9.9
Widget Software  121 London Road, Knebworth, Herts, SG3 6EX.
(01438¡815444) [01438¡815222]
9.9
Yellowstone Educational Solutions     Welbeck House, Welbeck Road,
Luton, Beds. LU2 0HD. (01582¡584828) [01582¡562255]
9.9
Archive Monthly Disc Ö ú2
9.9
(Now on 1.6Mb discs, but available as two 800Kb discs if you ask
specially.)
9.9
u Up-to-date Archive Factfile.
9.9
u Electronic clipping Ö Acorn news items of interest from the Net.
9.9
u Simple HTML program from Graham Campbell.
9.9
u Files from Gerald Fittonæs Column Ö page 23.
9.9
u Starting Basic programs from Ray Favre Ö see page 72.
9.9
u VerbMaster demo program from Nigel Caplan Ö see page 78.
9.9
u Colour charts from Jim Nottingham Ö see page 46.
9.9
u File for PortFolio from Jim Nottingham Ö see page 43.
9.9
u AAA calculation Ö Eureka spreadsheet for (running) race points on AAA
scheme, Dave Walsh.
9.9
u WebCIS program for Pocket Book from John Woodthorpe Ö see Help!!!,
page 55.
9.9
u !Xchars program (improvement on !Chars) from Martin Wⁿrthner.
9.9
The following information is about the Christian faith, not specifically
about computing.
9.9
I seem to have been in contact with a lot of convinced atheists just
recently and have been trying to see things from their standpoint. They
cannot prove that God does not exist, any more than we can prove he
does! All that any of us can really do is to look at the evidence, see
which way we think the weight of that evidence points, and act on the
implications of that decision. But what if we get it wrong?
9.9
If Christians have got it wrong and God does not exist, we are making
fools of ourselves (and some of us do it in public!) and wasting other
peopleæs time. (Sorry about that!!) If the atheist is wrong, and God
does exist, the consequences could be rather more serious. You canæt
just hedge your bets by doing lots of good works and hoping that, if God
does exist after all, he will accept you because your good works
outweigh your failings. Ifáwhat Jesus said is true, we will be judged on
very different criteria. (See the Bible for details!!)
9.9
öOK, Paul, you say you canæt prove God exists. So how come youære so
darned confident that he does?!ò
9.9
Well, what would you think if a man came to you and said öHello, I have
come from God and I am here to tell you what God is like. What is more,
I am the Son of God. I can forgive your sins. You are going to kill me,
but three days later, Iæmágoing to come back to life.ò? (If that
happened today, heæd be in a Secure Unit as quick as a flash!)
9.9
What would you think of that man if he not only said those things but
did, actually, physically, come back to life after he had been killed? I
think you might be forgiven for thinking that maybe God does exist, and
you might even get a bit excited about it, and you might even want to
start telling other people about this Égood newsæ.
9.9
öYes, but hang on! Youære talking about something that, so you claim,
happened 2,000 years ago. How do you expect me to risk making a fool of
myself, like you, on such flimsy evidence?ò
9.9
Well, as I said last month, the evidence is not flimsy Ö the historical
evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is stronger than any other event
of comparable antiquity. What is more, people have tried for almost
2,000 years to disprove it, and no-one has yet come up with a convincing
explanation for that empty tomb. If they could, Christianity would be
dead overnight because the Bible itself clearly states that öif Christ
has not been raised, your faith is futileò. (Thatæs from 1 Corinthians
15 where Paul sets out a list of all those who saw him alive again.)
9.9
This man Jesus claimed that we could know Godæs love. That love is
transforming the lives of millions throughout the world today, and even
in sophisticated, scientifically aware UK, thousands of people each
month are becoming Christians. If you are a convinced atheist, do you
dare to face up to the evidence for the resurrection? If you are an
honest atheist, can you ignore a man who claims such convincing proofs?
9.9
Donæt forget the Alpha courses that take place in thousands of churches
round Britain (and in other countries). There are lots of atheists on
them, so you wonæt be alone! (Ring me or 0171-581-8255 for details.)
9.9
P.B.
9.9
Paul Beverley
9.9
A week is a long time in politics...
9.9
...and a month is a long time in the life of Acorn! Their share price
shot up another 30% to an all-time high of 273 (from 94p just 9 months
ago). There have been plenty of rumours, such as the next Gameboy using
an ARM processor, but I have been unable to discover exactly what caused
the rise Ö see page 41.
9.9
We have done a very quick survey of Acorn developers, and found that no
less than 195 companies are definitely committed to the Acorn market Ö
thereæs a full list, and a supporting article, on page 15.
9.9
The StrongARM is going faster and faster Ö now 330 kDhrystones Ö see
page 21.
9.9
You can now get a top-end RiscPC with an even higher specification for
ú100 less than before (page 9).
9.9
Colin Singleton has tried again to write an article summing up what has
happened to Acorn over this last year or so (last month he was overtaken
by events). Please read it now (page 49) before itæs out-of-date!
9.9
Happy reading!
9.9
Fact-File
9.9
Key: (phone)áá[fax]áá<net>
9.9
Norwich Computer Services    96a Vauxhall Street, Norwich, NR2 2SD.
(01603-766592) [01603-764011]
9.9
<[e-mail]>  OR  <[e-mail]>  OR
<[e-mail]>
9.9
http://www.cybervillage.co.uk/acorn/archive/
9.9
Archive Conversion Bonuses
9.9
One of the best ways of convincing people that it is worth being
different is to show them what the Acorn computers can actually do. No-
one believes adverts but, time and again, people have been Éconvertedæ
by seeing the systems in action. (Sibelius users are at an advantage
here! I reckon that more systems have been bought just to use Sibelius
than any other single package.)
9.9
This is where you can help, especially if you have a RiscPC. Show your
friend your computer, give them a brochure (copies available from NCS),
tell them about the exciting developments (e.g. StrongARM and Net
Computers) and see if you can convince them to buy Acorn computer.
9.9
Two free Archive subscriptions!
9.9
As an incentive, if you can convince someone who has never owned a RISC
OS computer to purchase an A7000 or a RiscPC (from NCS, of course!), we
will extend your subscription by a further twelve months, free of
charge, and weæll also give your friend a free subscription to Volume 9,
i.e. ending September 1996. What is more, if the system they buy
includes a CD drive, weæll give them a free copy of the Archive CD.
9.9
Stolen Risc PCs Ö Reward ú500!!!
9.9
We have still not had any joy in finding any of these computers, nor yet
managed to persuade the insurance company to accept the liability!
9.9
We got one of the serial numbers wrong last month Ö when things go
wrong, they really go wrong Ö so profuse apologies to the owner of
ACB75-1011195 who is one of our customers!
9.9
The computers listed below were stolen from Norwich Computer Services on
13th February 1996.
9.9
    4Mb RiscPC600 Ö ACB60 Ö 1011100
9.9
    5Mb RiscPC700 Ö ACB70 Ö 1010908
9.9
    10Mb RiscPC700 Ö ACB75 Ö 1011205
9.9
If you come across any of them, please inform us immediately, or ring
the police.
9.9
Even if you have bought your RiscPC through a reputable dealer, please
check your serial number because it is possible that they may have got
back into the normal retail channel.
9.9
We are offering a reward of ú500 for information leading to the return
of these computers. So please check the serial numbers of any RiscPC
computers bought after 13th February. Thank you.
9.9
Wakefield Acorn Spring Show
9.9
This Sunday (19th May)
9.9
Full details on page 7 last month. See the StrongARM Card in action.
9.9
Please bring your old Acorn software and
9.9
hardware for the Charity Stall
9.9
(If you could help, for a while, to run the charity stall, PLEASE ring
Mike Wilson on 0113-253-3722.)
9.9
DIY RiscPC
9.9
Paul Beverley
9.9
There are some good things that come from the dominance of PCs and
Windows 95. Iæm thinking of cheap RAM, cheap hard drives and cheap CD-
ROM drives. In view of the latest dramatic falls in the prices of CDs
and RAM particularly, we suddenly thought that it would be worth looking
at the idea of upgrading a bottom-of-the-range RiscPC. The ACB64 has, as
standard, 4Mb RAM, no VRAM, Éonlyæ a 540Mb hard drive, and has an ARM610
processor, not an ARM710. However, as the StrongARM is not far away, we
thought people might be happier to save money now, go for a slightly
slower machine, and upgrade the processor later.
9.9
We were amazed at the results! Consider the price-and-features
comparison table. (All prices are inclusive of VAT.)
9.9
It shows that you can get more memory, a slightly bigger hard drive, a
CD drive thatæs half as fast again and, if you are prepared to save on
the processor speed (about 15% slower), it will cost you ú124 less than
you would otherwise have paid!
9.9
If you want to go for a really Ébudgetæ top-of-the-range upgraded ACB64,
you can get: 10Mb, 540Mb, ARM610, quad speed CD for ú1811, over ú300
cheaper than the ACB76 just for accepting a slower speed processor and a
smaller hard drive (Éonlyæ 540Mb).
9.9
DIY upgrading
9.9
So what is involved in upgrading an ACB64? If I explain all the issues,
you can work out for yourself how best to upgrade a RiscPC to the
specification that you want.
9.9
VRAM Ö The ACB64 has no VRAM. A 1Mb VRAM costs ú130 and a 2Mb costs
ú200. But do you really need 2Mb VRAM? I donæt do any colour work, so I
only use 1Mb in my machine and can do all the magazine preparation very
effectively in a 1280╫1024, 16 colour mode. If I do want 32,000 colours,
I have to go down to Éonlyæ 800╫600, and for 16 million colour, 480╫352.
So you might save ú70 there, but remember that upgrading later costs
ú110 (=ú240 total) and you have to work without any VRAM while your card
goes away to be upgraded Ö which can take a couple of weeks.
9.9
Main memory Ö Remember that the RiscPC only has two SIMM slots, so if
you save money initially by adding 4Mb to the ACB64æs 4Mb, you come
unstuck later if you want more memory Ö you have to try and sell one of
the 4Mb SIMMs in order to put another bigger one in place of it. I feel
this is a case where spending a bit more money now would save a lot more
money later. My advice would be to swap out the 4Mb for an 8Mb or a
16Mb, leaving one SIMM slot free for later upgrading. (Currently, we
will allow ú35 for swapping out a 4Mb SIMM, so a 4Ö8Mb swap would be
ú110 Ö ú35 = ú75 compared with ú55 for just adding a 4Mb to the existing
one.)
9.9
CD-ROM drives Ö The only thing to say here is that the price of IDE
drives has gone down and down, whereas the SCSI drive prices have
remained more or less stable. So, if you want a CD, it makes sense to
buy IDE. However, it depends what you want to do about hard drives.
9.9
Hard drives Ö The IDE interface in the RiscPC will only take two
devices, so if you have put in an IDE CD-ROM drive, and then want more
hard drive capacity, you will then have to go for SCSI drives. These
again tend to be more expensive than their IDE equivalents, and you also
have to buy a SCSI interface adding another ú200 to the price. Mind you,
(a) SCSI devices tend to be faster, although less so these days, and (b)
IDE drives have to be internal devices because of the limited cable
lengths, and (c)áonce you have a SCSI interface, there are a lot of
different devices (up to seven) that you could attach to it.
9.9
The other alternative is to buy a RapIDE interface (ú142) which allows
you to have two lots of two IDE devices Ö which should be enough for
most people! Remember though that, if you want a scanner at some stage,
you will need to buy a SCSI interface, unless you are prepared to go for
one of the slower parallel interface scanners and arenæt using the
parallel port for your printer.
9.9
Monitors Ö All these prices quoted are for a computer with an Acorn 14ö
monitor. If you donæt want a monitor at all, subtract ú264, and if you
want a better monitor, the prices to add to the above prices are given
at the beginning of the Archive Price List. The most popular 17ò monitor
by far, is the Iiyama Pro 17. For that, you add ú480.
9.9
Price changes
9.9
The prices of memory and hard drives tend to be rather volatile. If you
start by looking at the prices in the Archive Price List, they will
enable you to work out roughly what you might be able to fit into your
budget. Then, if you give us a ring, or drop us an email, weæll give you
the very latest pricing so that you can fine-tune your purchase.
9.9
Buy now... and regret it later?
9.9
Is it the right time to buy a RiscPC? No, itæs never the right time to
buy a computer. You will always find that, just after you have bought
it, the prices of some parts of it have dropped and/or the specification
has been improved.
9.9
Most people could cope with the idea of missing out on a larger hard
drive or a memory increase, and itæs clear that there will, in a few
months time, be a RiscPC with an ARM810. However, with all of these, all
you would be doing by waiting is saving yourself a bit of money Ö youære
not driving into a blind alley.
9.9
VRAM could be a different matter. The present RiscPCs have a limit of
2Mb VRAM and there is no way of going beyond that without replacing the
whole of the main pcb. So, it is important to know whether Acorn are
likely to come up with a RiscPC capable of taking, say, 4Mb VRAM. The
answer, quite categorically, is NO. The next major change will be the
PowerPC machine which wonæt be around until 1997 some time.
9.9
Buy now, please?!
9.9
This is an honest and unashamed plea that if you are thinking of buying
a RiscPC some time in æ96, you buy it sooner rather than later. If
everyone waits until the autumn for an ARM810 machine, the sales then
will be great, but we need to survive until then!!! So, to encourage you
not to wait, if you spend over ú1,900 on your new machine, weæll give
you ú100 off the price of an ARM810 or a StrongARM processor upgrade.
This offer will last until either the RiscPC 800 or the StrongARM card
becomes available.
9.9
Interest free credit
9.9
Acorn are still running their interest free credit scheme. This means
that you pay a minimum of 10% deposit and the rest over 20 months, the
maximum loan being ú1485. If youære upgrading an ACB64, however, you
have to be aware that the loan is for Acorn products only. So, for an
ACB64, it would be ú1349 minus a deposit of ú135 giving a loan amount of
ú1215 which, divided by 20 makes ú60.75 per month. The prices of any
memory or CD upgrades would simply have to be added to the deposit, as
they are not Acorn products.
9.9
To actually set up a 20/20 agreement, you decide what you want to buy,
ring us and weæll take down all the details we need for the finance
form, including your bank a/c details. We then ring that information
through to the credit company. If they OK it, we fill in the form and
send it to you for signing. You return it to us with a cheque for the
deposit, and we send you the computer Ö simple! The credit company then
checks with you that you have received the computer and that all is
well, and then they give you a start date for the first direct debit
from your bank account.
9.9
If you need any further information about upgrading a RiscPC, do get in
touch Ö weæll be only too pleased to help.áuá
9.9
SIMM prices are now: 4Mb ú55, 8Mb ú110, 16Mb ú240 and 32Mb ú520. Subject
to availability, we now do secondhand SIMMs: 4Mb ú45 and 8Mb ú100. If
you want to upgrade a 4Mb or 8Mb SIMM, we will give ú35 and ú85
respectively.áuá
9.9
  ACB76  ACB64+  Improvement
9.9
Memory  10Mb (8+2)  14Mb (8+4+2)  + 4Mb
9.9
Hard Drive  850Mb  1Gb  + 150Mb
9.9
CD  quad speed  six speed  + 50%
9.9
Price  ú2120  ú1996  Save ú124
9.9
Hydra Multiprocessor System
9.9
Andy Armstrong & Gareth Simpson
9.9
Hydra is a hardware add-on for the RiscPC which will convert it into an
affordable asymmetric parallel processing system. This article will
cover the basic idea of the Hydra card, for those who are potential
users, and also go into some of the technical detail for those who may
be interested in the doing development work using Hydra.
9.9
RiscPC machines have the ability to support more than one processor Ö as
standard they have two processor slots. One slot is normally occupied by
an ARM processor card (the primary processor), and the other is free,
allowing the addition of a second ARM, Intel, Motorola or other
secondary processor.
9.9
While the design of the primary processor card may be relatively simple,
the second processor card must incorporate a certain amount of
arbitration logic, to enable it to share the bus with the primary
processor. Although there are different design requirements for primary
and secondary processor cards, the two processor slots on a standard
RiscPC are electrically identical.
9.9
The Hydra card interfaces with the RiscPC via one of the processor
slots. It duplicates both of the original slots and combines additional
slots with the necessary arbitration logic to support a further four ARM
processor cards. Because the Hydra design integrates the arbitration
logic with the base board, ordinary ARM610 and 710 processor cards can
be used. This makes it possible to add up to four, off-the-shelf ARM
processor cards to any RiscPC system.
9.9
Indeed, the Hydra card is not limited to just ARM processor cards Ö
anything which appears to the system to be an ARM card can be attached
to the bus, i.e. anything that has compatible signals and timing. In
effect you can take anything which outputs addresses and data to the
bus, as a processor would, and get free access to any part of the memory
map without disturbing any of the other processors. Alien processors,
such as 68040, DSPs, etc are good candidates for this.
9.9
Such unrestricted access would make an ideal DMA engine, which could
access any part of memory, RAM, VRAM and expansion cards Ö which the
current Acorn DMA system canæt. By accessing memory sequentially, the
full 64Mb/s data rate can be achieved, which is significantly better
than the standard 24Mb/s from the built-in DMA. Possible uses for this
would be fast I/O, SCSI, networking or video-in-a-window. (Further ideas
would be welcome!)
9.9
Hydra API
9.9
(Application program interface)
9.9
With four slave processor cards fitted, a RiscPC with Hydra has, in
theory, five times the processing power of a standard RiscPC.
Unfortunately, the RISC OS operating system is not a multiprocessor OS
and has no way of taking advantage of this increased processing power.
9.9
One way to make effective use of Hydra is to switch to an operating
system which does support multiprocessing, such as RiscBSD, Helios or
Taos. This has the advantage that any applications software which can
multithread£ will automatically take advantage of any available
processors.
9.9
(£For background information, an article about multi¡threading, by
Richard Simpson, appeared in Archive 6.10 p65.)
9.9
However, for the ordinary RISC OS user, the easiest way to harness the
power of Hydra is to use application software written to enhance parts
of RISCáOS which uses the Hydra API. As the API exists independently on
RISC OS, any MP-aware applications will make use of the new resources,
and ordinary applications will run unaffected.
9.9
Design philosophy
9.9
RISC OS is a robust, compact, efficient, ROM-based operating system with
support for installable file systems, fast bitmap and graphics
operations, and anti-aliased font rendering. It has a desktop
environment (the Wimp) which allows multiple co¡operating tasks to share
the machine. However, RISC OS was designed to run on a single processor.
As such, there is no interface to support the creation of threads, or to
manage their execution. The Hydra API is designed to provide some of the
benefits of multithreading with as little as possible of the overhead.
After all, the main reason for using Hydra is to enhance the computeræs
performance, so it is not helpful if the software imposes a heavy
performance burden.
9.9
The Hydra API provides calls to:
9.9
Ö set up the areas of memory containing code and data which a thread
will use,
9.9
Ö move additional areas of memory in and out of the address space of the
slave processors,
9.9
Ö schedule the thread for execution,
9.9
Ö monitor the progress of a scheduled thread.
9.9
Threads are written in ARM assembler 32-bit mode, and they see an
operating system interface, which is a subset of RISC OS, supporting
screen and keyboard I/O, file operations and certain utility functions.
In addition, there is a generic interface which allows a thread to issue
a call to any RISC OS SWI. SWIs generated on a slave processor are
either performed locally, or passed to the Master processor for
execution. In this way, filing operations are performed by only one
processor, so filing system consistency is guaranteed.
9.9
Architecture
9.9
The Hydra API is implemented by a relocatable module which runs on the
RISC OS host, and a small kernel which is run by each slave. Code
(kernel and user) is shared between slaves. Data areas can be shared or
be unique. When Hydra starts, the kernel code is loaded into shared
memory, and the slave processors are reset under control of the host.
Memory is then allocated to hold level 1 & 2 page tables for each
installed slave. At the end of the boot sequence, the kernel enters a
command processing loop.
9.9
As an aid to software development, each slave processor can receive
keyboard input and can send character-based output to a virtual terminal
which is provided by the HydraTerm application. This allows trace
information, and notifications of exceptions, to be displayed. The
kernel also supports a limited command line interface (CLI) allowing
memory and registers to be dumped and disassembled, and code to be
executed. Each slave inputs and processes commands until a thread is
scheduled for it, whereupon it abandons whatever command it was
executing, and enters the thread code at the specified address.
9.9
Any calls which the thread makes to the standard character I/O SWIs
(OSReadC, OSReadLine, OSWriteC, etc) are routed to the virtual terminal.
It is not anticipated that end users will interact with Hydra via this
interface. When a thread signifies that it has terminated (by calling
OSExit), the next pending thread is executed. If no thread is waiting,
control returns to the interactive command line.
9.9
Scheduling threads
9.9
As described above, threads are allocated to processors on a first-come
first-served basis. The simple queuing mechanism allows Hydra to be
shared between a number of client applications, and allows for solutions
which scale well, whatever number of slave processors are fitted.
9.9
Letæs assume that a hypothetical application has a time-consuming task
which can be split to run in parallel on a number of processors. A naive
approach might be to split the task into four threads, each of which
would take N seconds to execute. On a system with one slave, the four
threads would execute sequentially taking a total of 4N seconds. On a
four slave system, the threads would execute concurrently, taking N
seconds. However, on a three processor system, the first three threads
would execute immediately, leaving the fourth thread to execute on its
own after the first three had completed, taking a total of 2N seconds.
9.9
A better approach would be to split the task into twelve threads. On a
four processor system, each processor would execute three of the
threads; on a three processor system, each processor would handle four
of the threads, and so on. This approach also scales better to future
systems which may support more than four slave processors.
9.9
Memory map
9.9
The memory map for a slave processor (shown opposite) looks a little
like the memory map of a RISC OS machine.
9.9
How it works
9.9
The Hydra arbitration logic is used to multiplex processors to the
memory bus, and ensures that only one processor talks to the memory bus
at any one time. Any processor requiring a memory cycle is guaranteed
access to the bus by using a last-used-least-priority rotational
priority encoder which gives the bus to each processor in turn, if they
need it, otherwise it stays with the current owner.
9.9
When reset, an external memory modifier unit is enabled to force the
processor to execute its reset code from a fixed area of memory,
otherwise it would execute the RISC OS reset code and crash the already
running RISC OS. Once the processor is initialised, and running useful
code, the modifier unit is disabled, and the processor addresses are
output normally.
9.9
There is also logic to halt a processor so that, when a task is
complete, a processor can shut itself down, and wait in suspended
animation, until unhalted or reset by the Master processor.
9.9
There is an extensive interrupt structure which allows slaves to send
IRQs, or FIQs, to each other and to signal the Master processor through
the interrupt structure of the podule bus.
9.9
Wherever possible, registers have hardware interlocks which prevent one
processor from interfering with bits that control the others. In some
cases, registers are context-sensitive, and will only set or enable
particular bits of a register, dependent on which processor is accessing
them. A processor can be identified by reading the ID_Status register,
whose contents reflect the physical socket number to which the processor
is connected. This enables the controlling software to compute which
register bits belong to that processor.
9.9
Floating point support
9.9
Niel Carson, of the Risc BSD programming group, has ported a version of
their floating point support code for use with Hydra. This is equivalent
to the ordinary ROM version of the floating point emulator but it is
compiled in 32-bit code. The add-on application installs a copy of the
emulator/FPA support code onto the processors when required and removes
it again afterwards. Only one copy of the code is resident in memory so
it is as easy to install it on all processors as it is on one.
9.9
So, in simple terms, this means that programmers can use floating point
instructions in their code as normal.
9.9
The future?
9.9
Hopefully, this has given you an idea of what the Hydra Multiprocessing
System is capable of doing. However, as developers start to use it, we
will see more and more ways in which it can enhance the power of the
RiscPC.
9.9
The Hydra Multiprocessing System is still being improved and is
currently only available as a Developer Version at ú249 +VAT (ú290
through Archive), but anyone buying at this price receives free upgrades
and unlimited help. The re-worked board, which will be aimed at the
users, rather than developers, will be ú149 +VAT (ú170 through Archive)
with support then being given by the software companies providing the
multi-processor applications. áuá
9.9
Address  Allocation
9.9
00000000 Ö 00007FFF  Kernel internal use, vector tables, communication
queues and stacks (unique to each slave)
9.9
00008000 Ö 037FFFFF  Available to user programs Ö memory in this region
is allocated by the client application
9.9
03800000 Ö 0380FFFF  Kernel code (read only, shared between all slaves,
may be less than 64Kb in practice)
9.9
03810000 Ö 03FFFFFF  One-to-one mapping with I/O space in hostæs address
space
9.9
04000000 +  Level 1 and level 2 page tables, and other memory management
workspace Ö the size of this area depends on the amount of physical RAM
in the system
9.9
80000000 Ö FFFFFFFF  One-to-one mapping with physical memory which, by
default, is not accessible to prevent a   rogue slave from corrupting
RISC OS or other processoræs workspace.
9.9
Help needed Ö Would anyone be interested to do some work on Hydra for
Archive magazine? We would lend you a multi-processor card for a couple
of weeks. You try it out, develop something for your own use, and then
write about it for the Archive magazine. If you want to keep the Hydra
at the end of the time, weæll öcome to some arrangementò.
9.9
If you are interested, please let me know what project you want to do,
and send me a few details about yourself: things like technical skills
and qualifications, writing skills and experience, and anything else you
think relevant to helping me decide who to allow to do the job. Ed.
9.9
Club News
9.9
Botisham Acorn User Group Ö This is Cambridgeshireæs premier meeting
place for everyone interested in Acorn computers. The club meets twice
every month during term time on the 2nd and last Tuesday of every month
at Botisham Village College between 7.30 and 9.30p.m.
9.9
The club enjoys good facilities and is currently welcoming new members.
Subscription rates are very reasonable at ú10 per annum for adults and
ú5 for under 14æs, or ú1 per night for adults and 50p for under 14æs.
9.9
We have an extensive collection of public domain and demonstration
software, as well as the opportunity of discussing your thoughts with
some of our experts. Why not come along for a free introductory
evening?! Please email me for further information.
9.9
Bryan Jenkinson-Dix, Events Secretary <[e-mail]> (01954-
781484)
9.9
Saturday 22th June 1996, Mercury Hotel, Buizerdlaan 10, Nieuwegein
(Utrecht), The Netherlands.
9.9
This is a National Day for Acorn Computer Users, featuring exhibitions/
promotions by various companies, including Dutch, German and British
Acorn dealers, demonstrations by club members, etc.
9.9
The venue is within easy reach: by public transport Ö bus stop close to
the door of the hotel (busline 116, from Central Station NS Utrecht), by
motor vehicle Ö direct to the motorway A2, 800 free parking-places in a
multi-storey car park.
9.9
For more information please visit the following page: http://
www.wi.LeidenUniv.nl/~rdevreug/bbc_expoe. html or contact Herman Corijn,
public relations, POáBox 1189, 6801 BD Arnhem. Telephone (answering
machine) and fax: [phone].
9.9
The Dutch Acorn Usersæ Club
9.9
ÉThe Big Ben Clubæ proudly presents:
9.9
Acorn Developer Survey
9.9
Paul Beverley
9.9
If you believed everything you read in the press (ha!), you could be
forgiven for thinking that Acorn had sold out to Apple and that RISCáOS
was dead. Even if you have been watching the Acorn-related newsgroups,
where people ought to know better, you might still get a negative
feeling about Acornæs future because of all the doom and gloom
merchants.
9.9
Through this magazine, I have been endeavouring to give you the real
facts of the matter, as soon as possible, so that you can make informed
decisions about your possible future involvement with Acorn products.
This has been difficult of late, because the changes have been coming so
thick and fast, but I hope that the Peter Bondar interview last month
(p9) plus other news of Acornæs commitment to RISCáOS (p15) helped to
counteract the negative comments of other journals.
9.9
Having said that, the simple fact that there is some press coverage,
even if it is somewhat ill-informed at times, is very encouraging.
Subscribers keep sending me press cuttings from all sorts of journals
and local newspapers that refer to Acorn. (Thanks very much to all of
you Ö please keep them coming as they are very useful. Iæd rather get
the same cutting twice than miss out on seeing something.)
9.9
This tide of press coverage is continuing, indeed itæs increasing, if
anything. I see that even Micro Mart has started a series of articles
about RISCáOS Ö öprobably one of the least talked about, yet technically
brilliant operating systems aroundò!
9.9
Oracle connections
9.9
When Acorn made the joint-venture statement encouraging developers to
port their software over to MacOS, some developers panicked and thought
RISCáOS was dead. At that stage, I said in the Acorn newsgroups that not
all the developers were shouting doom and gloom. Some, I said, were
probably too busy developing things for the Oracle tie-up even to have
time to read the newsgroups, and theyæd be laughing all the way to the
bank.
9.9
Since then, we have found out who some of the fortunate companies are.
The net software for the Oracle Éreference designæ computers is being
developed by ANT Ltd (which should provide some useful spin-off for
those of us using the ANT Internet Suite!), Icon Technology have been
chosen to provide the word-processor, and Eidos are sorting out the
video codecs needed Ö so thatæs three companies that donæt think RISCáOS
is dead!
9.9
RISCáOS software development
9.9
I said in my editorial comment last month that although some companies
were putting out new RISCáOS software on a regular basis, other
traditional Acorn supporters, seemed to have gone rather quiet of late.
The following day, I got a call from Ian Goodall, of Creative Curriculum
Software, saying that they too were pushing out new Acorn software on a
regular basis and were fully intending  to continue doing so. This set
me thinking.
9.9
I then decided that it would be helpful to find out just how many
companies were still committed to developing RISCáOS software. I spoke
to Dave Walker who organises the developer support at ART and he was in
the middle of re-vamping the whole support system for RISCáOS
developers. He had asked developers to (pay money to) resubscribe for
support and was encouraged at the swift response he was getting.
9.9
My next move was to write to all the Acorn-related companies on my
Factfile list to ask them whether they were still developing new
products for Acorn computers. I deliberately broadened it to include
hardware as well as software. The response I got was also very
encouraging:
9.9
  YES, we are continuing to develop: 195
9.9
  NO, we are not continuing: 18
9.9
  NOT SURE yet whether to continue: 11
9.9
So thatæs almost two hundred companies who have said that they are
committed to developing software and/or hardware for Acorn (and
related!) computers. What is more, we havenæt been able to contact some
companies that we think probably are continuing although they havenæt
given us an answer yet.
9.9
You will notice that certain companies who have been Ébigæ in the Acorn
world in the past, have either not replied, or are in the Émaybeæ list.
Personally, I donæt think that it is necessarily a bad thing if one or
two of the Ébig boysæ drop out, as it gives much more scope for the up-
and-coming companies. For example, if you were thinking of developing a
vector art package, and Artworks were continuing to be actively
developed, you would think twice, but now that CC are only on the
Émaybeæ list, it could be worth having a go Ö remember that Computer
Concepts was a one-man company once!
9.9
Software conversions
9.9
Whilst conducting the survey, I discovered something rather interesting.
Although a number of companies are developing for the PC (and some for
the Mac) as well as Acorn, they all, without exception, said they
developed initially on Acorns, and then transferred the resultant
software over to PC and/or Mac.
9.9
Now why is that, do you think? Well, itæs probably partly that they are
more familiar with Acorns than with the other platforms, but those I
asked specifically about this, e.g. 4Mation and Anglia Multimedia were
quite definite about their motivation for using Acorns. They all said
something like, öWe use Acorns to do the authoring because they are much
better as multimedia machines. Itæs much easier and quicker to do the
development work on Acorn machines and then transfer it across.ò
9.9
RISCáOS Ö an emphatic YES!
9.9
Many of the companies that confirmed they were sticking with Acorn were
very emphatic about it.
9.9
Neil Souch, 4Mationæs MD:
9.9
4Mation decided a few years ago to extend the capability of their
already successful Acorn authoring software to enable them to create PC
Windows titles, and we also hope to have the same software on Macs later
this year. However, we have no plans to abandon the development of
software for the Acorn platform. Acorn users can be assured that 4Mation
will be continuing to support all the Acorn platforms, all their
existing Acorn software, and to further develop new Acorn software.
Several new Acorn programs are already in the pipeline for release later
this year; these include a wonderful new fully interactive talking CD
for early years use (3 to 6), entitled ÉPatch the Puppyæ. Then thereæs a
classic recent history program entitled ÉEvacueeæ, which is an
interesting adventure, in true 4Mation style, for 8 to 10 year olds, set
in the period of the First Evacuation (1939), and for those who have
trouble with their spelling, we shall be publishing SuperSpell which is
suitable for use by all ages!
9.9
Andrew Reeves, Fabis Computing:
9.9
We would like to assure you and all our many thousands of customers that
we will most definitely be continuing to support the Acorn market. We
have several new projects planned, including an update to the immensely
popular EasyFont3.
9.9
Neale Smith of W.C Smith & Associates:
9.9
We have been developing structural analysis software for RISC OS for
over 6 years, despite the fact that the potential market is tiny
compared to that available in the PC and Macintosh worlds. This is
because we believe that RISC OS provides easily the best user
environment as well as being exceptionally pleasant to program. This is
especially true in respect to writing in assembly language, where the
simplicity and elegance of the ARM processor, and associated hardware,
makes it easy to optimise the code for speed.áuá
9.9
Definite
9.9
4Mation
9.9
4th Dimension
9.9
AFE Computer Services Ltd
9.9
Aleph One Ltd
9.9
Alsystems
9.9
Alternative Publishing
9.9
Angelsoft Educational
9.9
Anglia Multimedia
9.9
ANT Ltd
9.9
APA Multimedia
9.9
Appian Way Software Ltd
9.9
Apricote Studios
9.9
Arachne Software
9.9
Argonet
9.9
ARMage Software
9.9
ARMed Forces
9.9
ARM Club
9.9
Aspex Software
9.9
Atomic Software
9.9
Atomwide Ltd
9.9
Avie Electronics
9.9
Baildon Electronics
9.9
Base5 Technical Graphics
9.9
Brain Games
9.9
Brilliant Computing
9.9
Cadsoft Graphic Systems Ltd
9.9
Calligraph Ltd
9.9
Camboard
9.9
Cambridge Occupational Analysts
9.9
Cambridge Systems Design
9.9
Cambridgeshire Software House
9.9
Camsoft
9.9
Capricorn Consulting
9.9
Carvic Manufacturing
9.9
Castle Technology
9.9
CD Circle
9.9
CD Computing
9.9
Chalksoft Ltd
9.9
Cherisha Software
9.9
Christian Computer Art
9.9
Circle Software
9.9
Clares Micro Supplies
9.9
Clips Round the Year
9.9
Codemist Ltd
9.9
Cogent Software
9.9
Colton Software
9.9
Craddock Computer Hardware
9.9
Creative Curriculum Software
9.9
Crick Computing
9.9
Cumana
9.9
Dalmation Publications
9.9
Dalriada Data Technology
9.9
Datafile
9.9
Datawave Technology
9.9
David Pilling
9.9
Davyn Software
9.9
DCP Microdevelopments
9.9
DEC_dATA
9.9
Design Concept
9.9
Design IT
9.9
Desktop Projects Ltd
9.9
Dexedream
9.9
Dial Solutions
9.9
Digital Darkroom
9.9
Digital Phenomena
9.9
Dixon & Dixon
9.9
Doggysoft
9.9
Eclipse
9.9
Eesox
9.9
Electronic Font Foundry
9.9
ERIC International
9.9
ESP
9.9
Evolution Computer
9.9
ExpLAN
9.9
Fabis Computing
9.9
Font Company Ltd
9.9
G.A.Herdman Educational
9.9
GamesWare
9.9
Generation Design
9.9
Gnome Computers Ltd
9.9
Greygum Software
9.9
Hampshire Microtechnology Centre
9.9
Hazelnut Software
9.9
HCCS Ltd
9.9
HEC
9.9
Holdfast Computing
9.9
HS Software
9.9
i¡cubed Ltd
9.9
Icon Technology
9.9
ICS
9.9
IFEL
9.9
Integrex Systems Ltd
9.9
Intelligent Interfaces Ltd
9.9
Iota Software Ltd
9.9
Irlam Instruments
9.9
iSV Products
9.9
ITAL
9.9
Jonathan Duddington
9.9
KAS Software
9.9
KBA Service Centre
9.9
KITT Engineering
9.9
Koeksuster Publications
9.9
Kudlian Soft
9.9
Kudos Computing
9.9
Lambda Publications
9.9
Learning Through Computing
9.9
LEGO Dacta
9.9
Lindis
9.9
Liquid Silicon
9.9
Logan Interactive Ltd
9.9
Longman Logotron
9.9
LOOKsystems
9.9
LæEnsouleiado Software
9.9
Magnetic Image
9.9
Matt Black
9.9
MEU Cymru
9.9
Micro Librarian Systems
9.9
Mijas Software
9.9
Mike Smith Software
9.9
Millipede Electronic Graphics
9.9
Minerva Systems
9.9
Musbury Consultants
9.9
Network Solutions
9.9
Neutron Software
9.9
Oak Consultants
9.9
Octopus Systems
9.9
Oregan Developments
9.9
Panda Discs
9.9
Papersoft Ltd
9.9
Paradise
9.9
Partis Logistics
9.9
Paul Fray Ltd
9.9
Periscope Software Ltd
9.9
Pineapple Software
9.9
Pocket Media
9.9
Porters Primary Software
9.9
Primrose Publishing
9.9
Prodigy Systems
9.9
PTW Software
9.9
Pulse Computer
9.9
Purple Software
9.9
Quantum Software
9.9
Rapport Limited
9.9
Rcomp
9.9
Really Good Software Company
9.9
Rheingold Enterprises
9.9
Rooksoft
9.9
S&S Computer Advice
9.9
SCA (Anglia Television)
9.9
Schwalm Forthware
9.9
SEMERC
9.9
Serious Statistical Software
9.9
Shell Centre for Mathematical Education
9.9
Sherston Software
9.9
Sibelius Software
9.9
Silica Software Systems
9.9
Silicon Vision Ltd
9.9
Simtec Electronics
9.9
SJ Research
9.9
Smart DTP
9.9
Soft Rock Software
9.9
Softease
9.9
Solloway Software
9.9
Spacetech
9.9
Special Access Systems
9.9
SSERC
9.9
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
9.9
Squeaky Software
9.9
Success Express Ltd.
9.9
SYRASoft
9.9
TAG Developments Ltd
9.9
TBA Software
9.9
Techsoft UK Ltd
9.9
The Data Group
9.9
The Event Horizon
9.9
The Shadow Project
9.9
Topologika
9.9
Unilab Ltd
9.9
Uniqueway
9.9
University of Malta
9.9
VTi (Vertical Twist)
9.9
W. C. Smith & Associates
9.9
Wardlaw Surveys
9.9
Warm Silence Software
9.9
Werewolf Software
9.9
Widget Software
9.9
Worldaware Software
9.9
Wyddfa Software
9.9
Wynded Software
9.9
Xavier Educational Software Ltd
9.9
XenoPhilia Fonts
9.9
XOB
9.9
Yellowstone Educational Solutions
9.9
Zenta Multimedia
9.9
Maybe
9.9
Beebug Ltd
9.9
Computer Concepts
9.9
Electric Scribe Co Ltd
9.9
Emerald Publishing
9.9
Fisher¡Marriott Software
9.9
Kang Software
9.9
LCL
9.9
Le Computer
9.9
Periscope Software Ltd
9.9
Solent Computer Products Ltd
9.9
Southern Printersáuá
9.9
Hints and Tips
9.9
Impression shortcuts Ö I used to find it difficult in Impression to
remember which was which of the two key shortcuts for super- and
subscripts, <shift-ctrl-J> and <shift-ctrl-K>, until I decided to let
<J> stand for ÉJumpæ and <K> for ÉKneelæ. Now I have no problems anymore
with that!
9.9
(Similarly, for kerning, thereæs <shift-U> and <shift-J>, so I think of
<U> for ÉUpæ and then as <J> is below <U> on the keyboard, thatæs easy
to remember. Then there is <shift-E> which Expands the gap between
letters and <shift-R> which Reduces it. Ed.)
9.9
Christian Puritz <[e-mail]>
9.9
Marcel help Ö Because I send and receive so many emails, Marcel soon
begins to slow down due to the huge mail files created. (I checked my
ÉSentæ file today and it had 190 messages in it, covering the last two
weeks.) I therefore have to Éemptyæ it reasonably regularly. Also, I was
rather exercised by the fact that I wasnæt archiving my in-coming emails
Ö just replying to them and deleting them. What happens if I want to
refer to them again later? I would be interested to hear other peopleæs
solutions, but mine is as follows...
9.9
On a separate hard disc, in a ÉBackupæ directory, Iáhave two text files;
SentEmails and Received. All Iádo is double-click the SentEmails file
which loads into Edit and then drop the Marcel Sent file into it, press
<f3> and save it again. This works because, although Marcel mail files
have a different filetype, they are basically just textfiles. Finally, I
delete the Marcel Sent file. Next time I send an email, Marcel notices
there is no Sent file and prompts me, and I let it create a new one. I
do a similar thing to archive the incoming email by dropping Marcelæs
INBOX file into a textfile called Received in the same backup directory.
9.9
I suppose you could do a similar sort of backup system within Marcel,
but the files would have to be kept within the Marcel directory. So, you
could put a backup Marcel file called, say, S, in a sub-directory of the
Mail directory called, say, Z. You would then open the Sent file in
Marcel, Select All and then Move To Z.S and then click on the Ébinæ in
the Sent file display.
9.9
The drawbacks with this are (a) it only works if using a subdirectory,
i.e. you canæt put it on a different hard drive and (b) you have to
actually open your Sent file in Marcel (rather than in Edit) which, with
190 messages, can take quite a few seconds. Also, if you ever tried to
open the Z.S file with hundreds of messages in it, youæd need to go for
a long tea-break. You can, of course, open a Marcel file in Edit by
holding down <shift> and double-clicking, but if your finger slips off
the shift key or if you forget to press it, the resultant hold-up can be
very frustrating!
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Sibelius lyrics Ö In Sibelius, lyrics below a stave can be deleted by
clicking on a word until it goes red ... then pressing Édeleteæ. When
the word extends over more than one note, it is followed by a Élyric
lineæ (word_______,). Usually, clicking turns the word and the lyric
line red at the same time.
9.9
I deleted a word... but the lyric line remained black. Clicking on this
lyric line did not turn it red for deleting, and the more I clicked, the
longer the lyric line extended! It reached the end of the piece, and I
thought I was stuck with it and would have to type the piece again.
9.9
Then, by chance, I clicked on the extreme righthand end of the lyric
line... Four pages of lyric line turned red... and I deleted it. Phew!
9.9
John VEG Mitchell, Wishaw
9.9
Charm Compiler
9.9
Robert Chrismas
9.9
Charm is a high level compiled language, and it is only implemented on
Acorn computers. So far as Iácan tell, it was created by Peter Nowosad,
the authoráof the Charm compiler. Charm is like a cut down version of C
Ö certainly, the structure of programs and the syntax of statements are
very similar to C.
9.9
The complete package costs ú25 (from David Pilling or through Archive),
and an upgrade from the original Charm is just ú18 (from David Pilling
only). For this, you get a fully operational high level language
compiler, which comes with a manual and an extra disc of examples, in a
smart plastic folder.
9.9
New version
9.9
I first saw Charm four years ago. I thought it would be useful for
teaching A-level computing students about compiled languages. My review
in Archive 5.10 p61 records the responses of my students.
9.9
Charm was a great success. It gave students practical experience with
another language. They had read about compilers, linking and include
files, but it was not until they had to sort out a few compilation
errors, and saw the resulting machine code, that they really started to
understand what was going on. The price was astonishingly low Ö then
just ú10.
9.9
The version of Charm which has been released recently is still very
competitively priced. It now comes with a printed manual and there are
some new facilities to support more serious program development.
9.9
Features
9.9
This latest version of Charm supports integer, real, character and
boolean variables, arrays, pointers and records. The control structures
allow sequential, looping and conditional execution. Modular structure,
with common rules about scope, encourages the development of large
programs.
9.9
Compilation is very fast. The compiler itself is written in Charm and
the manual claims that on an ARM 3 processor, the entire 7500 lines of
code compile in under 40 seconds from a hard disc.
9.9
There is a Profiler which can be used to discover how much time is spent
on each part of a Charm program. This would normally be used to identify
parts of the code which have a significant effect on the speed of the
program.
9.9
It is possible to call SWIs from Charm. This could be used to write a
multitasking desktop program in Charm. There are example files, showing
how this is done, on one of the discs.
9.9
This version of Charm also supports Acornæs Toolbox which should make
the development of desktop programs very much easier. I could not check
this properly because I do not have any documentation for the Toolbox
modules and none is provided with Charm. (Toolbox manuals are available
for ú29 through Archive). Although some of the modules are provided with
Charm, my version did not have the ÉPickeræ module, which prevented me
from trying out the demonstration file.
9.9
Serious programs
9.9
You can write serious programs in almost any language. We know this
because of a fascinating insight by Alan Turing. Turing described a very
simple machine which, he showed, could perform any possible calculation.
Any computer language which can perform a few very simple operations,
equivalent to the operations of a Turing machine, can perform any
calculation. Turingæs machine is fascinating to mathematicians but
computer programmers find it perfectly useless. Itæs not just the
problem of fitting the infinite memory; the important question for
computer programmers is not öIs it possible?ò, since the answer is
almost always öYes but ...ò Ö the real question is öIs it easy?ò.
9.9
It is easy to write some types of programs in Charm. For short, time
critical, programs which have simple input/output requirements, it is
ideal.
9.9
For major programming projects, the limitations of the Charm
documentation would encourage me to find the price of a C compiler. I
spent too much time trying to find the answer to questions like öIs
there anything like a cast operator?ò A good manual (the manual of my
dreams!) would answer that sort of question quickly.
9.9
The Charm libraries are spartan. There are some input and output
routines, memory management, string handling and five miscellaneous
routines.
9.9
Charm was fine for teaching, but I did notice the limitations of the
libraries here. I would have welcomed a function to collect an integer
from the keyboard. Writing this sort of thing is a good exercise, but
when students start, they need to write the find the sum of two numbers
sort of program without having to collect the digits one at a time.
9.9
The manual
9.9
The manual shows some signs of being written by someone who is much more
interested in writing programs than writing manuals. It starts with a
couple of encouragingly clear pages explaining what a compiled language
is. In the next section on installation, the honeymoon is over. There is
a description of the function of each directory, using terms which have
not been introduced at that point. You do not need to know all this to
install the software. Installation is quite easy, but inexperienced
users would not find the manual very helpful.
9.9
The same is true of the rest of the manual; if you know what you are
doing, you will recognise the essential information, but a new user
would probably find the learning curve a bit steep. However, the manual
does make sensible use of plentiful examples.
9.9
The table of contents is fairly comprehensive but an index would still
have been helpful.
9.9
On the disc is a text tutorial file. This starts with a step-by-step
guide to creating a öHello Worldò program. It goes on to give examples
and explanations of more ambitious programs. It would have been a good
idea to have included a printed copy of this file, or at least a
reference to it, in the printed documentation.
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
I could not find any bugs in Charm. Although this review has drawn
attention to some limitations of Charm, it is still very good value for
money.
9.9
I enjoy writing programs in Charm, and found it useful for teaching A-
level students about compilers.áuá
9.9
ARTæs StrongARM Card
9.9
The StrongARM card for RiscPC is born. Here is a report from the ART
laboratories that first appeared as a stop press sheet last month Ö but
with one or two updates Ö in italics.
9.9
Peter Bondar reports: Acorn Risc Technologies is pleased to announce
that at 11:12 a.m. on Tuesday 26th March 1996, the first prototype
RiscPC StrongARM Processor Card was powered up.
9.9
This experimental StrongARM card, using a first release of prototype
silicon, produced a benchmark of 147,000 Dhrystones. Following testing
and modification to the system software, ARTæs engineers managed to
achieve an internal clock speed of 228MHz, and produced a bench mark
reading of 290,000 Dhrystones whilst running RISC OS. These figures
should improve again upon receipt of production silicon from DEC.
9.9
(Even with the pre-production silicon, ART have pushed the speed up even
further now, to 330,000 Dhrystones. Ed.)
9.9
The prototype card came up far quicker than anticipated, due to the
large amount of design work that had already taken place. At the time of
writing, the StrongARM card is running RISC OS and supporting a number
of applications such as Draw and ChangeFSI, Artworks viewer, Network
stack and Intertalk web browser.
9.9
Based on the experience gained with the PC cards, and the multiprocessor
cards, ART are now confident that a cacheless StrongARM processor card
will offer dramatic and significant performance improvements. Asáa
result of this, ART confirm that they will be producing a cacheless
StrongARM upgrade card for the RiscPC, for sale when large quantities of
silicon are available. It is hoped that it will be on sale during
Quarter 3 1996.
9.9
So whatæs it like to use?
9.9
Quick Ö and seriously responsive, despite some known inefficiencies in
the prototype system. While testing in the ART lab, setting up the
picture opposite and dragging the Mona Lisa JPEG around in Draw, there
was no waiting for it to redraw and resize.
9.9
Applications timings given below are approx.
9.9
                        Test:  A  B  C  D
9.9
ARM 710 (40MHz)  2.98  1.78  12.1  13.7
9.9
SA110 (228MHz)  0.72  0.60  4.2  5.3
9.9
  ╫4.1  ╫3.0  ╫2.9  ╫2.6
9.9
Test A Ö Mona Lisa JPEG processed by !ChangeFSI into 256 colour sprite.
Timings obtained from !ChangeFSI.
9.9
Test B Ö As test A, but into 32,000 colour sprite. Timings obtained from
!ChangeFSI.
9.9
Test C Ö Screen redraw including !AWRender (Artworks renderer) ÉAppleæ
file in 256 colours. Timings obtained manually.
9.9
Test D Ö As test C but in 32,000 colours. Timings obtained manually.
9.9
I said last time... Please let NCS know if you would prefer to have a
cacheless StrongARM costing about ú200 in Q3 æ96, or to wait until Q4
æ96 for a cached StrongARM costing about ú350.
9.9
However, reading between the lines, I am beginning to suspect that the
cached version may never get beyond the prototype stage. The reasoning
for this is that the cost of putting it into full production may not be
justified by the limited return on selling, say, a thousand or so cards.
This is especially so because many people will have bought the uncached
version and then be hoping for a trade-in when they buy the cached card.
Also, by the time they get it into production, ARTæs newer desktop
computer offerings may well be nearing production, and a 6-fold speed
increase in a RiscPC may well be enough to dissuade people from
upgrading to the new computer.
9.9
(When I say önew computerò, by the way, I donæt mean a StrongARM RiscPC
because Acorn arenæt intending to produce one. The next machine will be
the new generation PowerPC/StrongARM/RISC OS/MacOS/goodness-knows-what-
else machine.)
9.9
No, my guess is that ART will sell as many cacheless upgrades as
possible and then concentrate on the RiscPC replacement. Still, I have
to say that öonlyò a three-fold speed increase on my current RiscPC
would be very acceptable. (Try asking a PC-dealer öI heard a rumour that
there is a plug-in processor replacement for ú200 that will increase the
speed of my computer by three times. Is that for the Pentium?ò)áuá
9.9
Graphics Column
9.9
David Thornton
9.9
Photodesk 2
9.9
I have recently received what is reported to be the final beta (2.00e)
of Spacetechæs Photodesk 2. The program should be released shortly, and
upgrades will be available for existing users of Photodesk. From what
Iácan see, Photodesk 2 is a major enhancement over the original
Photodesk. I am hoping that Malcolm Banthorpe will be reviewing
Photodesk 2, so I have simply compiled a list of the major new features,
although further enhancements are planned for version 2.10 and beyond!
9.9
Å Colour calibration now allows sophisticated colour correction. The
system will correct the screen display according to your preferences of
ink and paper, when converting an RGB bitmap to a CMYK bitmap and when
displaying an imported CMYK bitmap. It will also colour-match the output
parameters according to your ink definitions, when generating a CMYK
bitmap. All ink information is specified using the international CIE
coordinate standard.
9.9
Å The clipboard behaves as a normal RISC OS filer window. Selections
from the thumbnail bitmaps may be made for copying, deleting and so on.
The scanner dialogue is also available from here.
9.9
Å The magnify option has been enhanced.
9.9
Å A new resize window allows a much more comprehensive range of
interpolation options to be made available The size of the bitmap can be
altered here, as well as the resolution.
9.9
Å The offset and rotate facilities have been greatly enhanced.
9.9
Å A calculate image option has been included, where a source image, or
channel, may be combined with another source image using a number of
mathematical functions.
9.9
Å A new information button and palette, which present colour, angle and
coordinate information, are directly available from the enhanced tool
box.
9.9
Å A channel tool exists for creating alpha channels and manipulating the
entire bitmap.
9.9
Å The effect gradient can now import palettes to produce a Érainbowæ
effect.
9.9
Å The three Épaint potæ tools are now available from just the one icon,
and a menu button allows the user to choose between colour, tone and
filter.
9.9
Å Image processing has been greatly enhanced with many new filters, and
all processes can be previewed, either in a preview field or on the
entire canvas, depending on the filter.
9.9
Å New special effects have been added, including new blur, displacement
and unsharp mask options.
9.9
Å A very fast texture facility has been added.
9.9
Å Most of the other tools have also been enhanced.
9.9
Oregan news
9.9
According to Mark Perry of Oregan Software, new versions of PhotoTouch
and AppleFS will be released sometime after Easter. Both these packages
have taken a lower priority due to the other (unspecified!) projects
that Oregan are also undertaking.
9.9
RISC OS fill bug
9.9
There is an annoying bug in RISC OS 3.50, and earlier versions, where
attempting to fill any area of a sprite will fail if it is more than
1024 pixels from the bottom. If the fill starts below 1024 pixels, it
will stop at 1024 pixels from the bottom. If the fill starts above 1024
pixels, it will fill one horizontal line only. The bug affects the
entire Pro-Artisan family of graphics software, including ProArt24, as
well as the Revelation family, PhotoTouch and Paint. It does not seem to
affect The Big Picture, Photodesk or Studio24Pro, although this is
probably because their developers have internally patched over the bug.
9.9
To see the bug in action, load Paint and create a 16ácolour sprite of 50
pixels by 1280 pixels. Scroll to the bottom of the spriteæs window and
select the red colour from the palette. Select the flood fill (a.k.a.
replace colour) tool in Paint and ensure that Ésetæ and Églobalæ are
also selected. Click <select> on the spriteæs canvas, and the sprite
should fill red. Start to scroll up the spriteæs windows and you will
see that the fill has stopped 1024 pixels from the bottom of the canvas,
leaving the remainder 256 pixels white. Clicking on this area will fill
one horizontal line only. This bug is extremely annoying for people who
want to manipulate large bitmaps such as PhotoCD images. It is
impossible to create a background with a single colour on a large canvas
in many bitmap programs. The bug has been fixed in RISC OS 3.60.
9.9
Goodbye
9.9
This monthæs column marks my departure as the Archive Graphics
Columnist. I have had to give other aspects of my life, particularly my
work, priority over Archive.
9.9
I would like to thank everyone, including the Acorn developers, for
supporting me over the last ten months. I hope you have found the
Graphics Column useful.
9.9
If you would like to contact me, you can either email me at
<[e-mail]> or write to me at 1 Castle Court, Lower
Burraton, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 4SE.áuá
9.9
Geraldæs Column
9.9
Gerald Fitton
9.9
I had expected some interesting letters as a result of my excursions
into mathematical, and other, philosophical matters last month. I found
them all most interesting. However, the range of subjects included in
your correspondence to me far exceeds what can be included in a computer
magazine, even with the licence which Paul allows me. What Iæve done
with the majority of this correspondence is to answer each of you
individually ù at least I think I have.
9.9
This month, I shall correct a mistake from last month; I shall indulge
myself with a digression or two, including a brief introduction to a
calculus you may not have heard of: and I start on the marathon task of
making a comparison between the spreadsheet packages PipeDream, Eureka
and Fireworkz. I hope that Paul will be able to arrange for me to
receive a copy of Schema in the near future so that I can add that
package to the range considered.
9.9
The Gamma function
9.9
Your remarks to me on this topic divide into two classes. The first
class contains questions such as: öHow did you produce those graphs
using PipeDream?ò Although I shall deal with that in detail another day,
in this monthæs column, I make some comparisons between line graphs
drawn in PipeDream, Eureka and Fireworkz. The second class relates to
three mistakes you reckon I made. By the way, I donæt count Paulæs
mistake, not mine, of using a lower case g in öThe gamma functionò
heading! Nevertheless, I suppose I should take some of the blame since I
invariably use too many capitals in my headings whereas I know that
Paulæs house style for headings excludes all but the essential ones.
9.9
Last month I suggested that the Gamma function was symmetrical. I made a
mistake! Even before the first letter came in, I (somewhat belatedly)
rediscovered my university notes (which I havenæt looked at for a few
decades) and, sure enough, I had got confused between the shape of the
Gamma function and something else! Thatæs what comes of relying too much
on memories from long ago.
9.9
I would like your permission to count the two other Émistakesæ to which
you drew my attention as over simplifications (which I knew about when I
did them) rather than errors. I now regret that I didnæt take account of
the mathematical sophistication of some of my readers. Let me correct
those two mistakes as well!
9.9
Let me remind you that I defined the factorial function with the example
of factorial 7: 7!á=á7á╫á6á╫á5á╫á4á╫á3á╫á2á╫á1. I included the graph of
the function yá=áx! shown below. You will see that it consists of a set
of points with nothing in between (because the factorial function exists
only for positive integers). The Émistakeæ was that I implied that the
values given by the factorial function at integer values of x were the
same values that you would get by evaluating the Gamma function. The
truth is that Gamma(x)á=á(xáÖá1)! so that the graph of the Gamma
function is shifted over by one unit to the right.
9.9
My other Émistakeæ was to say öLoosely translated, a regular function
through a few given points is the function giving the smoothest possible
curve drawn through those points.ò To be strictly accurate, my words öa
few .á.á. pointsò should have read öan infinite number of pointsò! My
reason for not referring to an infinite number of points is that
Iáthought too many people would have translated öan infinite number of
pointsò as öall the points there areò. Quite rightly, I have been taken
to task for being slipshod.
9.9
Please allow me to expand. There are too many misconceptions about the
number of items which go to make up an infinite set. The number of
integers is infinite but the integers donæt account for all the numbers
there are. If you know the value of a function (such as the factorial
function) at an infinite number of values of x (in our case Éjustæ the
integers), then there are many other points on the x¡axis (the so called
number line), such as the fractions between the integers (e.g. at
xá=á0.5), which are still available and at which the factorial function
doesnæt exist. You can Éfill inæ the blanks in your knowledge of the
function in a unique way, using the mathematical concept called
Éregularityæ Ö which, being a bit lax about it Ö but descriptive Ö Iæve
called smoothness. The Gamma function (after shifting along the x¡axis)
is the natural extension of the factorial function to every single point
that there is on the number line Ö and beyond the number line to complex
numbers including the square root of Ö1. Some day (but not today), you
might persuade me to write a few words about infinities of different
Ésizesæ ù those infinite sets which can be counted with the integers and
those that canæt because thereæs too many members in the set to be
counted using just the integers (so you have to use the number of points
on a line instead).
9.9
The calculus of finite differences
9.9
It is possible to calculate the values of the Gamma function for
positive real numbers by interpolation between the factorial values,
using a spreadsheet to do the sums. The subject you need to look up in
your numerical methods textbook is öThe calculus of finite differencesò.
As an example of the use of this calculus, I will show you how to
extrapolate values of a function which you suspect might be a cubic. All
files referred to in this section appear on the monthly disc.
9.9
The drawfile shown below has been generated using Eureka.
9.9
For the purpose of this exercise I want you to assume that the points
appearing on this graph as circular dots (the range from xá=áÖ10 to +6)
have been obtained by experiment. Assume the values are approximate and
that you suspect the function is a cubic. Your task is to extrapolate
from the known approximate values to larger values of x. I have shown
the points you have to find as square markers on the graph.
9.9
The screenshot below shows the Eureka sheet which Iáhave used to
calculate the finite differences and could have been used to make the
extrapolation.
9.9
Let me admit that Iæve cheated and calculated all the values in the B
column using the formula yá=áax^3á+ábx^2á+ácxá+ád with the values of the
parameters (a, b, c and d) taken from B5B8. For the purpose of my
explanation, you have to assume the values of y corresponding to xá=áÖ10
to +6 are available (experimental results) but not those beyond xá=á6.
The so-called Éfinite differencesæ appear in columns C to F in the
columns marked Del_1 onwards. The convention for finite differences is
that the column heading Iæve called Del_1 should have been written as Dx
but Iæve been too lazy to introduce the necessary MathGreek font into
the Eureka sheet. ÉDelæ is short for the Greek capital ÉDeltaæ. The
formula in C11, in Eureka format, is: á=áB12áÖáB11. Check the arithmetic
and youæll see that it evaluates as Ö309áÖá(Ö600)á=á+291. I copied this
simple formula down and to the right, through all the finite difference
cells in which you see values.
9.9
You will notice that, by the time we get to column F, all these
differences have become zero. It is the characteristic mark of a cubic
that the fourth set of differences are zero. Similarly, if your data
satisfies a fifth power equation, it would be the sixth set of
differences which would drop to zero.
9.9
Iæm sure that youæll agree that the column containing the zeros is very
easily extrapolated to larger values of x. Just fill F26 to F32 with
zeros. Do this and then work steadily from right to left filling in the
blank slots with a formula such as C29á=áC28á+áD28 (which can be copied
into all the remaining blank slots), until you come to column B (pretend
the slots B29 to B32 contain blanks which you fill with copies of the
same formula). The set of values which you get in column B is the
extrapolation of the known data and will produce the points depicted as
squares in the drawfile of the Eureka chart shown above.
9.9
Of course, you may not know whether the approximate experimental data is
a cubic or whether it is something else. The practical way of dealing
with real data is to continue to create columns of finite differences
until you have a column in which the numbers are fairly close to zero
(but with some functions it doesnæt happenáùáwhich makes it a bit
tricky). It does take some practice to choose the correct column, and
the tendency amongst those without experience is to go too far to the
right (too many columns). If you go too far to the right, the column of
differences will increase instead of getting smaller (as they should).
Extrapolating a set of experimental data using this (add zeros to the
last column) method relies on the function being a regular (smooth)
function and not one with a Ékinkæ in it somewhere outside the range of
values you know.
9.9
If you are interested in learning the art of choosing the column to fill
with zeros, I suggest that you experiment with a column of values which
contains an analytical function such as a cubic plus a small ▒árandom
error.
9.9
I have not explained how to use finite differences for interpolation
(finding values between the known data points) ù (a) letæs leave that
for another day and (b)ásee if you can do it first! What I would draw to
your attention is that finite differences are a powerful way of
smoothing out the experimental errors in a set of data points. The well
known linear regression process for drawing the Ébest straight lineæ
through a set of points is easy but drawing a best curve is much harder!
You can also find a numerical value for the slope of the curve (the
first derivative) using finite differences (and this is the clue you
need to find the interpolation formula).
9.9
It can be shown (using mathematical logic) that any regular function ù
such as the power function or even the yá=ásin(x) function ù can be
approximated by a polynomial. Indeed, if you take an infinite number of
terms, then your polynomial will produce exactly the same values as the
regular function. In terms of the calculus of finite differences, this
means that if you use enough columns, you can represent any regular
function in terms of its finite differences and hence extrapolate it ù
or interpolate between known values, to any required degree of accuracy.
9.9
The calculus of finite differences has a long history (possibly more
than three hundred years) as a numerical method for solving the problem
of extrapolation from and interpolation between known measured data
values. In my view, spreadsheets make the use of finite difference
techniques so easy that they are something which could be taught at
school rather than, as at present, at university level only.
9.9
Finally, let me challenge you to an interpolation problem. Assume that
you have been given as many of the integer powers of 2 as you need (in
column B of a spreadsheet). Use the calculus of finite differences to
interpolate this Éinteger powers of 2æ function, pwr(2,n), to find the
value of pwr(2,á0.5), the irrational square root of 2, to about four
decimal places. I must point out to you that this is one of those tricky
problems where the finite differences donæt get smaller as you move to
the right in the spreadsheet ù so itæs not an easy one.
9.9
The smooth answer to puzzle number 50
9.9
In the answer to Colin Singletonæs puzzle number 50 he shows that the
identity:
9.9
 f(x)á=ásqr(1+f(xá+á1))á=á(xá+á1)
9.9
is true for all positive integers (the so called ÉNatural numbersæ).
Many of my correspondents have thought hard about my suggestion of
smoothing out such discrete functions and then suggested the
following...
9.9
Plot a graph of the function, f(x)á=ásqr(1+f(xá+á1))á=á(xá+á1), for a
few natural numbers. Look at it and Iæm sure that youæll have to agree
(with my correspondents) that when you apply the concept of regularity
(smoothness) to extend Colinæs infinite set of discrete values to any
number on the number line, it is inconceivable that the smooth curve is
anything but the line yá=á(xá+á1).
9.9
As I said last month, for those of you into complex numbers, the concept
of regularity can be used to extend functions into the complex number
domain. Although I got several answers to the real number part of the
puzzle, I got no takers for its extension to complex numbers.
9.9
The scientific method and things eternal
9.9
I hope that Paul will allow me the space to answer publicly the question
on this topic which appeared most often in this monthæs correspondence.
It was a question which I anticipated because Iæve been asked it so many
times before. You ask, öHow is it possible for someone (such as me) who
believes almost fanatically in logic (mathematics) and the scientific
method (and is Éobviously intelligentæ) to rubbish them in the next
paragraph?ò
9.9
My short but enigmatic answer is: öIt seems logical to me!ò
9.9
My longer answer is that it can be proved, using logic, that the answers
to some deep mathematical (and scientific) questions can be answered
only by reference to a super-set of, letæs call them values, truths or
beliefs, taken from outside mathematics (and science) but within which
the principles of mathematics and science must operate. By this Iámean
that in order to prove that mathematical Étruthsæ are really true
(whatever that means) it is provable that you need a super-set of truths
which go beyond mathematics Ö some mathematical philosophers have
suggested logic is such a super-set. In turn, it can be proved that this
super-set needs a super-super-set and weære into an infinite sequence.
What we need is an exit condition. During my life, my belief in what
forms a suitable exit condition has evolved from the simplest öI think ù
therefore I amò to those I hold today.
9.9
I continue with my longer answer by repeating a line from my last
monthæs column (not my words but two quotes Iæve cribbed from
elsewhere): öNow I see through a glass darklyò (meaning that currently
Iáhave only a limited grasp of Eternal values ù which Iábelieve contain
the exit condition from the logical paradox of the previous paragraph)
and öI (shall be able to) put away childish thingsò (meaning the
concepts I can handle now such as causality and even logic) when I
understand the nature of Eternity and things Eternal much better than I
do at present. So, just as it took me a long time to understand the
mathematical concept of Infinity, so one day (or maybe it will be when I
have no more days) I hope to understand more of those things which are
Eternal and thus discover an exit condition from the logical paradox
which starts with the logically provable fact that mathematical Étruthsæ
need non-mathematical super-truths to validate them.
9.9
My comment to you is that I donæt experience the paradox you do because
I accept that, by its very nature, the scientific method is self-
limiting. I know one canæt argue from analogy (unless it is provably a
mathematical isomorphism) but analogies sometimes help the process of
understanding. I use the analogy of the recursive definition of a
function which has its own built in limitation ù you must know when to
stop defining the function recursively or youæll finish up with nothing.
In my search for the truth (in the world, the universe and everything),
I have recognised a point (at least approximately) at which logic and
the scientific method have reached their in-built limit of usefulness
and I accept that I have to try something else outside the realm of
logic if I am to proceed and grow in knowledge and wisdom.
9.9
Eureka ù Schema ù PipeDream ù Fireworkz
9.9
Thanks to Paul, Longman Logotron have sent me a copy of both Advantage
and Eureka. Thanks also to those of you whoæve got Eureka and written to
me about it ù and to those of you who have Schema and want me to include
it in my comparison. I have asked Paul if he can arrange for me to have
a copy of Schema for that purpose. (Itæs on its way, Gerald, thanks to
Dave Clare! Ed.)
9.9
Looking at the overall subject of comparing spreadsheets, it is not
going to be possible for me to say everything I want to say in just one
article, so Iæve decided that Iæll deal with the different sorts of
things you might want to do with a spreadsheet over a period of time
with some sort of summary later on. Each of you will have different
requirements so that something Émissingæ from one package may be of no
importance to you and may well be compensated for by other features
which that package has but the others havenæt.
9.9
Line wrap
9.9
PipeDream and Fireworkz are primarily spreadsheets but they include word
processing features. Eureka is a dedicated spreadsheet, i.e. without
word processing features. The most important single feature of PipeDream
and Fireworkz, which makes them usable as word processors as well as
spreadsheets, is the line wrap feature. By this, I mean that when you
get to the end of a line in PipeDream or Fireworkz, the text wraps
around onto a new line (just like a word processor). Every slot or cell
below moves down automatically and, where necessary, formulae are
changed to reflect the existence of the additional rows.
9.9
The PC spreadsheets Lotus and Excel donæt have this line wrap facility.
You can type across slots but, if you need a new line, you have to
create the space by inserting rows manually and you have to deliberately
drop down to the slots in the next row. This causes a lot of painful
rewrites when you want to add a few words to or delete them from an
earlier row. Eureka is better than Excel because you can invoke an
option to wrap within a single slot but, unlike Fireworkz, you cannot
vary the slot width down the page. I hope the screenshot on this
previous page clarifies what I mean.
9.9
In both Fireworkz and Eureka, if you vary the width of the slot
containing the text, then the text will reformat automatically within
the available space. In Fireworkz, the slot height also changes
automatically so that, as you make the slot narrower, it gets deeper;
this ensures that all the text in the slot continues to be displayed.
9.9
PipeDream handles line wrap differently again. Every slot has two
margins. The first margin is the slot boundary; the second, called the
wrap margin, is the point at which that row wraps onto the next line.
Paragraphs in PipeDream can run across cell boundaries up to the line
wrap margin. The screen shot below demonstrates this feature. Line wrap
occurs at the vertical down arrow visible at the right of column C. The
position of this wrap margin can be adjusted for each column
independently.
9.9
Now, if you are quite happy to do your word processing in, say,
Impression, the Élimitationsæ of Eurekaæs line wrap facility wonæt
matter to you at all. Indeed, Eureka supports an OLE (Object Linking and
Embedding) facility to Impression so, if you use the combination of
Eureka and Impression, itæs almost as if you have a live Eureka
spreadsheet within Impression ù something which many of you see as a
superior way of doing things because you like Impressionæs word
processing (or DTP) features more than those of Fireworkz. Neither
PipeDream nor Fireworkz supports OLE to Impression. I have Publisher
Vá4.09 ù Publisher doesnæt need a dongle any more ù and Eurekaæs OLE to
it works a treat!
9.9
Graphs in PipeDream Eureka and Fireworkz
9.9
Iæve been asked to explain why, last month, I chose to produce the cube/
cube root graph in PipeDream rather than in Fireworkz. Let me use that
request as a starting point for my second comparison between the three
spreadsheets listed above. You will find copies of all the files and
live charts of this section on the Archive monthly disc.
9.9
First of all, I must say that, in my view, of all the spreadsheets Iæve
tried out at home and at work (on a PC), PipeDream has the best charting
features. Although the graph shown below is a drawfile, when running in
PipeDream, the chart is live. By this Iámean that, if changes are made
to the data, the graph changes to match the new data.
9.9
You might not want all the charting features that PipeDream has. Let me
list the ones demonstrated in the graphic shown below. There are three
independent lines on the chart. You can add more lines without starting
again. Each line has different xáand y ranges. There is no limit to the
number of text objects which you can add to the chart. These text
objects can be placed anywhere you like.
9.9
Opposite is a screenshot showing how far Iæve got towards producing a
similar chart using Eureka. Iácouldnæt put the xáand y where I wanted
to; I would like the y to be turned through a right angle, and placed at
the top (see the PipeDream drawfile); Iácouldnæt find a way of entering
all the text I wanted to ùáparticularly, I wanted a multi-line title.
9.9
Perhaps some of you with more experience than I have of Eureka will
demonstrate to me (with a disc file please) that you can have a live
Eureka chart with more of the features demonstrated in my PipeDream
chart than Iæve been able to produce.
9.9
I have version 1.25/01 of Fireworkz and the screenshot below shows how
far I could get.
9.9
Although the inconsistency in the number of decimal places on the axes
annoys me (look at ö1ò on this chart compared with ö1.00ò on the
others), and in spite of the difficulties of trying to get the numbers
on the x¡axis to appear at regular 0.2 intervals (which has driven me to
distraction ù youæll see that some appear at 0.4 intervals), it is my
inability to add any text without overlaying drawfiles over the chart
which has made me abandon the use of Fireworkz for live charts. Of
course, if you are willing to save the chart as a drawfile and then do
some more work on it, OK! I usually want my charts to stay alive so that
I can update them every month when new data comes along.
9.9
If you do not need all the features of PipeDreamæs charting package that
I have demonstrated, maybe you would prefer some of the features present
in Fireworkz or Eureka (or Schema ù Iæll let you know about Schema when
I get a copy) but which are lacking in PipeDream. For example, Fireworkz
is much more WYSIWYG, itæs got Styles; Eureka will produce excellent
horizontal bar charts (a feature missing from both PipeDream and
Fireworkz) and has some built-in functions that Fireworkz hasnæt got.
Conversions between Eureka and the usual PC spreadsheets (Lotus and
Excel) work much more smoothly than from Fireworkz.
9.9
My advice to you is this. If youære sure you donæt, and wonæt, need the
unique charting features of PipeDream, you should consider the
advantages Fireworkz and Eureka have by way of Styles, portability or
ease of use.
9.9
Finally
9.9
Thank you for all your letters. Please write to me (with a disc showing
examples if appropriate) at the Abacus Training address given at the
back of Archive. I shall be particularly interested to hear about your
experiences with either Eureka or Schema.áuá
9.9
Touch IT Touch Screen
9.9
Bob Black
9.9
My previous experience of touch screens has not been very positive. They
have tended to be clumsy affairs which were not very accurate and needed
an endless amount of setting up. I was therefore looking forward to
having a look at the newest screen available, in the hope that it would
fulfil its promise of being a viable alternative to the mouse, for very
young children and for older people with problems using the standard
equipment.
9.9
The kit unpacked very easily and the screen fitted neatly onto the
monitor by means of four velcro strips attaching to velcro hooks which
stick on the side of the monitor Ö a simple and effective fitting
method, which means that it can be moved from monitor to monitor with
minimum fuss.
9.9
Calibrating the touch screen is also much easier than it has been
before. The software just has two dots which you touch on the screen,
and the remaining calibration is then automatic, the infra red sensors
being correctly set up across the whole screen.
9.9
All that remains is to set the other options according to the individual
user Ö the time delay for double click actions, or the way in which the
screen simulates mouse actions. Many of the actions can be configured to
operate with a combination of keypress and touch. For instance, the menu
can be accessed by holding down <ctrl> whilst pointing at the file
required. There are specially configured drag and drop options for
programs like My World, to make them particularly easy to use with the
touch screen.
9.9
Different individualsæ personal settings can be saved, by name, to
eliminate the need to re-configure each time it is used. Just select the
useræs name from the menu, and those settings come into force again.
These options have been well thought out, and make using the touch
screen a much simpler affair than it has been previously.
9.9
Because it works by a series of infra red beams criss-crossing in front
of the screen, the contact is made before your finger or pointer touches
the screen. This has distinct disadvantages compared with the type of
touch screen that actually has a plastic film which appears touch
sensitive. It is very easy for children with small hands to drag another
finger or their palm onto another area of the grid, and it takes some
practice and dexterity to use the touch screen effectively, requiring
very definite actions and well controlled digits. This is disappointing,
but probably unavoidable.
9.9
It does seem perverse that an input device designed to assist the very
young and people with disabilities should require as much, if not more,
co-ordination skill than a standard mouse or roller ball. I can think of
a couple of people who have fairly good motor control but possibly donæt
have the strength to drag a finger across a plastic film, and this type
of screen may well suit them. For general use, and for encouraging small
children, I would definitely give this a miss unless you have tried the
other style of (compactive) touch screen and found it physically too
demanding for your childæs needs.
9.9
Summary and advice
9.9
For home use, donæt buy a touch screen. In IT, there are loads of
solutions which are out there looking for problems. Many parents looking
for systems for their children, especially if they have special needs,
are keen to get any additions which may help their kids. Most of them
donæt. They have the opposite effect of making it unnecessary to learn
to use the standard equipment. There is no realistic alternative to a
bit of patience and hands-on assistance. Making mistakes is the way that
we all learn.
9.9
A touch screen will seriously limit the amount of software that is
available, and there is plenty of good software that will run by just
pressing the space bar or ignoring clumsy mouse presses. From that point
on, the touch screen is a backward step.
9.9
However, it may be a useful tool in a classroom to enable the computer
to be used without having to learn the eye-to-hand co-ordination needed
for other input devices. If your child proves to be completely unable to
get this control, then seek independent advice from someone who does not
sell equipment.
9.9
The Touch IT touch screen costs ú229 +VAT from SEMERC.áuá
9.9
Internet Column
9.9
Dave Pantling
9.9
A couple of people have contacted me saying that it is difficult for
them to understand some of the basic ideas of the Internet, because they
do not have access to it. When I say Éemailæ or Éftpæ, these are just
words to them. By far the significant majority of people reading this
column will not have Internet access, so Iáthought it would be a good
idea to describe the various facilities in more detail.
9.9
Email
9.9
Email (electronic mail) provides a quick and easy way of sending
messages to a named person or group of people. The message is plain
ASCII text, which has a Éheaderæ tacked on the front of it. The header
shows who the mail is from, who it is to, the time and date it was
created, plus other information unique to that message. The header also
carries a subject line, giving a brief description of the emailæs
contents.
9.9
It is, therefore, a direct electronic equivalent of an ordinary postal
service Ö except that, to send one letter to twenty people, you would
need to send out twenty letters, but you can send one copy of one email,
with instructions for it to be copied to the twenty people, for the cost
of one message.
9.9
In my experience, emails arrive at their destination in a short time.
This often takes less than 10 minutes between Paul and myself, or as
much as an hour if it is somewhere more remote, like the University of
Regina, Saskatchewan!
9.9
(I have a friend in China and it can take several hours for a message to
get through Ö but thatæs a bit different from waiting 10 days for a
posted letter! Ed.)
9.9
Donæt forget though that, unless the recipient has a direct link into
the Internet, your email wonæt be Édelivered to the dooræ. The emails
accumulate in their provideræs Émail serveræ, and they then have to dial
in and collect it. They may collect their mail every few hours, but they
may only collect it once or twice a week, so speedy delivery is no
guarantee of a speedy reply!
9.9
Usenet news service
9.9
Imagine a list of 30,000 newsgroups, covering every imaginable subject.
Imagine thousands of people, worldwide, sharing information about
current events, scientific research, banjo playing or peoplesæ favourite
TV personalities. There is a newsgroup for virtually every subject.
9.9
ÉNewsæ takes the form of Épostsæ, which are items (like individual
emails) posted to a Énewsgroupæ. For example, there are a number of
Acorn related newsgroups such as:
9.9
comp.sys.acorn.advocacy
9.9
comp.sys.acorn.hardware
9.9
comp.sys.acorn.extra-cpu
9.9
Anything posted to these groups can be read by everyone else who posts
to the group. Enthusiasts can ask experts, ideas can be shared, and
information communicated to a wide audience, very quickly.
9.9
Peter Bondar, head of ART, posted a request for comments (RFC) in these
groups, and the response he received may well have influenced the
decision of which StrongARM cards to design.
9.9
In some ways, Usenet news is very similar to email. Posts are prepared
in much the same way as emails, and have much the same header
information. The difference is that they are handled by news servers,
which do their best to spread the information worldwide in a short
period of time.
9.9
News does have its problems. Because it spans every time zone, and it
may take a while for a message to propagate through the system, you
sometimes read replies before you can read the original post that
prompted them!
9.9
There are a number of newsgroups which carry Ébinariesæ. These are
simple non-text items like pictures or programs, in encoded form. They
can be huge, and in some groups, of dubious content.
9.9
News and Email combine to make the Internet a very powerful medium for
individual and mass communication. Itæs rapidly developing, completely
unregulated and virtually free. A dozen emails can be sent/received,
with 100 news items, within the 5p minimum charge if you have a good
connection and your servers arenæt busy.
9.9
The price?
9.9
I know Iæve mentioned something about call cost in almost every column
Iæve written, but noting the information could save you more than the
cost of a subscription to Archive! The discount packages I use saved me
more than ú100 in the last quarter alone.
9.9
Ignoring the investment in equipment and software, there is an impact on
your phone bill! This can, however, be minimised by thinking about the
way you use your Internet account. If you get loads of mail, and collect
it every hour, you are looking at lots of 5p calls lasting a few seconds
each.
9.9
There is a 5p minimum charge for all BT calls. If you have a discount
package, this does not decrease the minimum charge, but simply extends
the length of call time you can get for the minimum charge. Assuming no
discounts apply, a weekday call of 1áminute 30 seconds, a cheap rate
call of 2 minutes 54 seconds and a weekend rate 5 minute call, each cost
5p. To work out how discounts affect these times, increase the time by
the percentage discount you get.
9.9
By spacing your calls so that you make full use of the minimum charge,
you could cut a sizeable chunk off your bill.
9.9
I have Friends & Family and PremierLine, so I get a 25% discount on my
Internet calls. If the call is below the minimum charge, my call time
can be extended by 25%. At the weekend, I can use an hour for 45p.
Weekday cheap rate only costs 74p an hour, 14p more than the
undiscounted weekend rate.
9.9
Also in the search to reduce Internet access costs, Iæve come across a
number of very cost-effective packages. One of the more novel of these
is of particular interest to those who have no service provider within
local call distance.
9.9
NetDirect Internet offer unlimited access, four email addresses, 1 Mb
free web space and a 12:1 user:modem ratio, i.e. there is a modem for
every 12áusers on their service. 10:1 is excellent, though some
companies only have one modem per 25 subscribers, so getting through can
be a problem. This isnæt unusual.
9.9
What does mark them out is that they can provide lower cost access to
the whole of the UK if you donæt, otherwise, have local call access. You
dial their special number, and during the evenings and weekends, you pay
2.1p/min. If you are a residential customer who wouldnæt use the service
during the day, this comes closer to local call costs.
9.9
To add some icing to the cake, NetDirect charge ú6.99 per month for 12
months, or ú9.16 per month for a quarter. Both prices plus VAT.
NetDirect can be contacted on 0171-732-3000.
9.9
If anyone else has a company theyæd like to recommend, who charge under
a tenner a month, let me know!
9.9
PC card users
9.9
John Birchenough has contacted me to tell me about his success using the
PC card and PC software to use AOLæs service.
9.9
If you are using the PC card with AOL, CompuServe or Demon (Turnpike),
please could you contact me and let me know how youæve got on Ö
particularly if youæve had any problems and overcome them. Iæd like to
go into this in more detail at a later date.
9.9
If you are using CompuServe, I draw your attention to ÉThe UK Compuserve
Bookæ, Sue Schofield, TekBooks, ISBN: 1-900643-00-6, ú19.95. I do have
to declare an interest Ö I helped write some of it!
9.9
(Like all our contributors, Dave writes in Archive for love, not money,
so I donæt think a quick plug like that is unreasonable, do you?! Ed.)
9.9
Could people out there also contact me with their stories, good or bad,
about getting on the Internet with Acorn public domain software? I
havenæt managed to configure any PD software to work with any accounts
at my disposal. They all seem to have been written for use with Demon
accounts, and Iádonæt have access to one of these.
9.9
Archive web site
9.9
The Archive web site has been running for three months now, and has been
accessed 6,000 times! Itáhas carried many news stories of the Acorn
community, including Éworld-exclusivesæ like the Stork prototype, and
the Peter Bondar interview.
9.9
I am now reviewing the site, to improve it in line with your
requirements. Could anyone who has ideas, suggestions or contributions
for the site, please contact me within the next month, so that I can
take your comments into account.
9.9
If you get online, please feel free to email me and let me know how you
are getting on. If you need to send a test email to someone, Iæll reply.
I wonæt bite, honest!
9.9
You can email me as, [e-mail], or you can write to me care of
the Editor.áuá
9.9
Claresæ Composition
9.9
Malcolm Banthorpe
9.9
Claresæ Composition is not just another painting package Ö it belongs to
a class of graphics program which, up until now, has not been available
for RISCáOS. While there is no shortage of painting applications which
are intended for the creation of images from scratch, this one is unique
in that its main purpose is the blending of existing images into
composites or montages. The component parts could well be bitmaps
created by a painting package, or they could equally well be parts of
digitised photographs or video frames. Vector files and text are further
possible sources.
9.9
Most of the painting packages will allow you to paste previously created
bits of work onto the current canvas. However, once the individual
elements have been pasted, theyære more or less permanently fixed Ö
apart from the usual single level of undo. If one of the elements that
youæve placed earlier doesnæt quite fit and needs to be moved or
resized, it will usually mean starting again from scratch.
9.9
Draw does let you place a number of sprites onto a page, which can be
moved, resized and rotated as required, but it offers little else, as
far as bitmap manipulation is concerned. In Composition, all the picture
elements remain adjustable in terms of position, size, rotation, colour
balance, brightness and transparency until the picture is finally saved
as a bitmap file or is printed. If it is saved as a Composition file,
then everything is still adjustable the next time it is loaded.
9.9
The component parts of a composition can be bitmaps, drawfiles or text.
Composition uses the ChangeFSI application, transparently, for file
import so that a wide variety of bitmap formats can be used as sources,
and naturally thereæs support for PhotoCD. Artworks files can also be
loaded and rendered into bitmaps. Finished pictures can be saved in
JPEG, Clear, Targa, PBM-plus, PhotoShop and EPS formats.
9.9
In order to successfully blend a number of elements from different
sources, it will usually be necessary to match their brightness, gamma
and colour balance. This is well catered for within the application and,
as mentioned, the parameters for each element remain individually
adjustable while youære working within Composition. There are also
several different kinds of mask that can be associated with each
element, determining exactly how the element will appear.
9.9
System requirements
9.9
Keeping a number of separate 24-bit images in memory is very demanding
on RAM, and therefore a RiscPC with 8Mb main memory and 2Mb VRAM is the
minimum recommended system. For the creation of full-page A4
compositions, at least 16Mb is required. By using another application
called Virtualise (see later) Ö to add virtual memory Ö itæs possible to
manage with less main memory, although there will be a speed penalty.
9.9
Composition will also be usable on systems with only 1Mb VRAM. This will
require working with a 32 thousand colour display and therefore the full
image quality will not be seen. As Composition is not itself a painting
application, some additional software will also be required for all but
the simplest tasks. At a pinch, you might get away with using Paint but
a more comprehensive application such as ProArtisan24, Studio24Pro or
Photodesk would be more useful.
9.9
Starting a Composition
9.9
The first stage in creating a composition will generally be to choose
its size either in pixels or as a standard page size, such as A4. You
are also given the opportunity to choose the background canvas colour.
Itæs possible to use an existing bitmap to determine the canvas size, by
dragging the file onto the iconbar. Thereafter, itæs basically a matter
of dragging the other elements onto the canvas and positioning them as
required. Resizing and rotation are, as mentioned earlier, available at
all times. As with Draw objects, the front-back priority of any element
remains changeable so that overlapping objects can be made to appear as
required.
9.9
Masking
9.9
The elements used to make up a composition will frequently take the form
of bitmaps (sprites) and, unless you wish to use them in their basic
rectangular form, some form of masking will be needed to isolate, say,
the head of a flower. The mask tool is used to edit the five basic types
of mask which can be associated with each object. If, for example, you
are working with a sprite which shows an apple on a table, you may wish
to mask out the surface of the table, leaving only the apple. The type
of mask required for this purpose is called a blend mask, and there are
essentially three ways in which it could be created:
9.9
1) Draw round the apple and fill the shape.
9.9
2) Paint out the apple shape (a number of brush sizes and shapes are
available).
9.9
3) Use the magic wand tool to fill the background and then invert the
mask.
9.9
The concept of the magic wand will be familiar to anyone who has used
one of the Artisan family of applications, and it also appears in some
form or other in many other painting packages. Its purpose is to replace
all pixels within a preset colour range from the selected point with a
new value. In this instance, given a fairly uniform background to the
apple, method 3 would probably be the most convenient way of generating
the basic mask, in combination with a bit of painting to tidy up any
rough edges. Even where the background is not quite uniform, this method
may still be feasible by selecting a succession of points with the magic
wand.
9.9
Having got this far, and having created a reasonably accurate mask, you
may well find that the object in question doesnæt really blend with the
rest of the composition and looks as if it had been just stuck on top.
At least in part, the reason for this is probably because the edges of
the mask are too sharp and reveal jaggedness in the form of individual
pixels. The solution is to soften Ö or anti-alias Ö the mask edges.
Anti-aliasing can be applied to the mask in various degrees from ösilkò
to ösmudgeò and can be restricted to only white or only black pixels and
so on. The öfeatherò tool may also be useful in this respect to modify
mask edges in a wide variety of ways, including lightening and
sharpening. The degree of transparency of any object can also be set, if
required.
9.9
Briefly, the other types of mask available are:
9.9
Tint mask Ö controls the amount of tinting to an object on a pixel-by-
pixel basis.
9.9
Curve mask Ö controls colour and gamma correction applied on a pixel-by-
pixel basis.
9.9
Displace mask Ö causes a displacement or distortion of the image
according to the grey value of the mask. This can give some weird and
wonderful effects.
9.9
Shadow mask Ö determines the shape, angle and density of the shadow
associated with an object. The shadow can be made to appear as on a
vertical or horizontal surface; that is, as if either on a wall behind
the object or on the floor beneath it. It is initially based on the
blend mask, but it can be modified, for instance to have softer edges.
9.9
Filters
9.9
As well as simple filtering functions such as soften, sharpen and
emboss, Composition offers something called a smart filter, the precise
action of which can be made locally dependent on different parts of the
image. A smart filter definition is based on the Basic¡like
IF..THEN...ELSE construct.
9.9
Quite a few of these filters are already defined, but the user is free
to modify them or create new ones, as and when required. An example of
one of the pre¡defined filters may make it clearer how they work. The
Unsharp filter is designed to work on those areas of the image which are
blurred but to leave any sharp edges in the image untouched. It is
defined as follows:
9.9
IF ABS(difference) of Averaged pixels is less than 16 units THEN
9.9
  apply Sharpen
9.9
ELSE
9.9
  do Nothing
9.9
Smart filters are undoubtedly a powerful feature of the package,
offering a wide range of effects but Iáfound that quite a bit of trial
and error was required in order to program a new filter. The pre-defined
ones are fine. The filter definition panel has a small window displaying
a scalable section of the chosen picture element so that the effect of
the filter can be quickly tried and adjusted before applying to the
whole object. However, the effect within the context of the whole
composition will not yet be apparent, and some fine adjustment may still
be required.
9.9
Colour correction
9.9
Two colour correction tools are offered. The simplest allows the gamma
of a picture component to be adjusted Ö either the red, blue and green
values individually, to adjust colour balance, or combined to adjust
overall brightness. The second tool Ö colour curve correction Ö allows
more flexibility in that the correction curves have two control points
so that, for instance, it would be possible to lighten the greens in the
darkest part of the image while simultaneously darkening them in the
brightest part of the image. Again, the correction may be applied to
individual colour channels, or all three. As both gamma and colour curve
adjustment may be used on a picture element, a wide range of colour
correction is possible.
9.9
Text
9.9
The Create Text dialogue box allows text to be entered as part of a
composition. Once created, the text becomes a sprite and all of the
normal effects may be applied to it. The program still retains the text
itself so that its size, colour and content remain editable. It will be
anti-aliased Ö normally up to the font size set by !Configure.
Unfortunately, the maximum size that can be set in !Configure is 255pt
and within a composition, itæs possible that a larger size may sometimes
be needed. An application called !Tfonts is supplied which, when active,
will anti-alias any font size. Text may be directed to a blend mask so
that an image will appear through it.
9.9
Using Composition with other packages
9.9
Just because Composition keeps all of its elements separate, there will
be times when it is tempting to do some more work on a bitmap which has
been previously created in a painting package. This is a very simple
procedure, thanks to Object Linking and Embedding. OLE allows any chosen
element to be loaded into a suitable application simply by <ctrl>
double-clicking on it. Subsequent saving will place the modified image
back in Composition, with any effects that have been applied left
untouched. You can specify, separately if you wish, which packages will
be used to handle sprites and masks. For instance, you could set
ProArt24 to handle sprites and Paint to handle masks.
9.9
Working with large images
9.9
As mentioned earlier, the creation of large images is very memory
hungry, and you may well find that your 8Mb of RAM (once considered
massive) doesnæt go very far. (However, SIMM prices have fallen
considerably, and NCS now offers a SIMM trade-in Ö see page 10. Ed.) A
solution, which is very much cheaper than buying extra RAM, comes in the
form of Claresæ Virtualise. Although its use is not confined to
Composition Ö it can be made to work with any program which uses dynamic
memory areas Ö this is exactly the type of application which can benefit
most from virtual memory.
9.9
Virtual memory allows your hard disc to act transparently as if it were
extra RAM Ö though obviously there is a speed penalty. Some
applications, such as Studio24Pro and Photodesk can already make use of
virtual memory. Virtualise brings the facility to many more, including
ChangeFSI, which can now be made to handle very large images, even if
you only have a modest complement of RAM. I found Virtualise very easy
to use. It can be set to operate with a particular application, either
just during the current session, or so that virtual memory is active
every time that application is used.
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
Iæve really only scratched the surface of what Composition can do. The
manual contains numerous step-by-step examples. There are several of
these tutorial exercises placed deliberately near the start of the
manual. I found that working through them, and trying variations, was an
excellent way of getting to know what is quite a complex package which
contains some unfamiliar functions. Even if you donæt consider yourself
to be much of an artist, you can have a great time combining bits of
clipart and other freely available images. What Composition canæt do is
create images from scratch and so its purchase will normally be a
secondary consideration after buying a painting package. Iæm sure Clares
would be delighted if you opted for ProArt24 but, thanks to the way that
the OLE interface has been designed, it will conveniently work in
conjunction with any other painting package of your choice. If youære
thinking of buying Composition, I would recommend also considering
Virtualise. Given the desirability of a large amount of memory for this
type of program, perhaps it would be possible to include a virtual
memory facility with Composition in future, rather than as a separate
purchase.
9.9
Composition costs ú160 and Virtualise costs ú24 through Archive.áuá
9.9
Small Ads
9.9
(Small ads for Acorn 32¡bit computers (i.e. not BBCs) 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 or by
email is helpful but not essential. Ed.)
9.9
A3000, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, 180Mb HD ú310, Taxan 795 monitor
ú150, or both for ú420. Phone 01494¡875670.
9.9
A3000, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, Taxan 775 14ö multisync, serial
upgrade, Wild Vision expansion box, Risc Developmentsæ high density
floppy disc controller, PCemulator 1.8, lots of software, ú425. Phone
01734¡571883 or [e-mail].
9.9
A310, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3 and FPA (IFEL 25MHz), 46Mb SCSI drive
and serial port SCSI controller, SVGA monitor, VIDC enhancer, 2¡slot
backplane, Acorn I/O podule, 2 floppy drives, ú350. Phone Ian Nichols on
0117¡962¡4825 eves or [e-mail].
9.9
A310, 4Mb RAM, RISCOS 3.1 single floppy drive, Oak 50Mb drive + SCSI
interface, AKF11 monitor Acorn I/O podule, First Word Plus ú275 o.n.o.
Phone 01544¡318939 eves, or 01432¡372451 day.
9.9
A4, 4Mb RAM, 120Mb HD, spare battery, tracker ball, shoulder bag,
RemoteFS (parallel), ú750 o.n.o. Phone 01646¡622415.
9.9
A400 series spares, new or as new, RISCáOS 3.1 full upgrade ú35, mouse
ú10, fan quietener ú10, Andi Odule ú20, Acorn Desktop C ú40, Acorn
Desktop Assembler ú40, RISC OS 3 Style Guide ú5, Basic/User manuals ú5
each, RISCáOS 2 PRMs ú20, A5000 TRM ú30, also DC600A tapes, Epson 2500
ribbons, HP LaserJet III accessories. Phone 0181¡751¡2120.
9.9
A410/1, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, 47Mb HD, VIDC enhancer, Eizo 9060S
monitor ú495. Phone 0181¡751¡2120.
9.9
A420/1, 4Mb RAM, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, 120Mb internal IDE HD, AKF12 colour
monitor, lots of software inc. PC Emulator 1.8, Star LC24¡200 colour
dot¡matrix printer ú460 o.n.o. Phone 01803¡527701.
9.9
A440, RISC OS 3.1, ARM3, 20Mb and 120Mb HDs, Acorn 14ö monitor ú325,
9¡pin printer ú60. Phone 01971¡511¡396.
9.9
Acorn C/C++ with Acorn Assembler Guide and RISC OS 3 Style Guide,
offers. Phone James on 01484¡513569.
9.9
Acorn bits: Back issue magazine coverdiscs from 1991 onwards ú1 each,
Risc User discs from July æ95 ú3 each, assorted magazines from 50p each,
Almanac 3 offers? Also printing, OCR and scanning available, please
enquire. Contact Jon 01823¡680111 or jon@aylwin.u¡net.com.
9.9
Aleph One 486PC podule with 4 Mb RAM fits A300, A400 or A5000 series
ú125 o.n.o. Phone 01544¡318939 eves, or 01432¡372451 day.
9.9
CC Software, Publisher 4.09 ú80, Graphics Loaders ú20, ArtWorks Clipart
CD 1 & 2 ú10 each, Canon BJ TurboDriver 4.04 ú20. Populous (game) ú10,
Event (diary) ú5, The Times Sampler CD¡ROM ú10. Phone 01752¡840027 after
5.
9.9
Citizen Swift 240C, colour dot¡matrix printer, complete with cover and
extra ribbons ú75, printer stand and paper tray ú5, CC TurboDriver v4
ú10, Spreadsheet MkV ú2.50, PictureIt ú15, PowerBand ú5, Virtual Golf
ú10, Quest for Gold, Arcade Soccer, Hero Quest, 10 out of 10 Maths and
English ú7.50 each. Phone Martin on 01962¡880250 eves.
9.9
Colour scanner Irlamæs colour mobile hand scanner ú200 still in box.
Works off parallel port and produces great colours. Philip on
01823¡284831 Taunton.
9.9
Modem Ö USR Sportster 14400, complete with PC software and manual ú80.
Contact Ray on 0181¡864¡7208 or [e-mail].
9.9
Risc PC 600, 8Mb + 1Mb, quad CD drive, PC card, Publisher and ArtWorks
installed, with manuals ú1350 o.n.o. Phone Chris on 01485¡520672 (near
Kings Lynn).
9.9
Risc PC 600, 8Mb + 2Mb, 420Mb HD, 17ö AKF85 monitor, 16¡bit sound card,
Cumana CD¡ROM drive with audio mixer, Acorn 486 PC processor card ú1750.
Good offers considered. Phone 01752¡840027 after 5.
9.9
SJ Research Econet Bridge, joins two Econets, boxed, never used ú75
o.v.n.o. Contact Mike Tomkinson on 01422¡359526 or [e-mail].
9.9
Software, 2067BC, Pacman, Zool, Spell, Theory of Music Level 1, Type
Tutor, 1st Word+, Acorn DTP ú5 each, Maths Sieve, Graph It, Banner, iSV
Cross Stitch, Easiword, Almanac ú10 each. Phone 0161¡941¡1683.
9.9
ST506 HD controller for A3000 ú40 o.n.o., uncased 40Mb 3╜ö Rodime RO3055
ú40 o.n.o., uncased 20Mb 5╝ò NEC ú10, cased 5╝ö Mitsubishi floppy drive,
40/80 track ú5, power supplies and data cables available if required.
Buyer to collect Bournemouth area. Phone Graham Hatcher on 01202¡510340.
9.9
Syquest 105Mb internal IDE removable, with RiscPC mounting + 1
cartridge, hardly used, offers? HP500C colour printer, offers? Phone
John Savage on 01522¡596533 Mon¡Thu, or 01525¡237625 Fri¡Sun.
9.9
Wanted Ö 4¡8Mb expansion for my 25MHz A5000. Ernie Ong
<[e-mail]  >
9.9
Wanted Ö A3000 Cling ons (monitor stands) willing to pay ú5 each plus
post or will collect if local to Yorks. Contact Mike Tomkinson on
[phone] or [e-mail].áuá
9.9
Comment Column
9.9
Acorn award Ö (press release) Acorn Online Mediaæs STB2 set-top box has
won the ÉMost innovative cable or satellite telecommunications productæ
award at the 1996 Cable & Satellite Show.
9.9
Launched in March 1995, the Acorn Online Media STB2 provides a high
performance, cost-effective and affordable solution for interactive
television (iTV) and has been in use in the UK on the Cambridge iTV
Trial and by Westminster Cable for its VOD (Video On Demand) service.
9.9
Simon Wyatt, Acorn Online Mediaæs General Manager, commented, öThe
STB2æs open architecture means that it is the best choice for
interactive multimedia, be it broadband or narrowband. Acorn Online
Media is dedicated to being the worldæs leading authority on iTV and I
am delighted we have been awarded such an important industry award. It
is a very exciting time for Acorn technology and our partners who are
licensing it.ò
9.9
The STB2 was designed from the outset to support and encourage active
participation, whilst its open architecture, run-time software support
and complete development environment includes a number of advanced
design features which utilise local processing capability. This approach
provides very efficient data handling, resulting in benefits such as
reduced network traffic.
9.9
Other STB2 advanced design features include: Macrovision anti-copying
technology, support for multiple authoring environments such as
Macromedia, Oracle and Sybase, mature development tools, multiple
network connectivity and support for multiple server protocols.áuá
9.9
Acornæs future Ö The Peter Bondar interview in last monthæs magazine,
combined with the release of initial testing results of a StrongARM,
demonstrate that ART are pushing ahead with developing what we all know
and love; RISC OS-based computers. It was also very exciting to get
feedback from the tests so quickly (via the Internet, within hours of
the tests being carried out) Ö ART have clearly learnt from past Acorn
customer relations mistakes where the customer was treated almost with
contempt. We may be anoraks, but we are not mushrooms.
9.9
So am I jumping up and down with joy? Well, the enthusiast part of me
most certainly is. I canæt wait to have a StrongARM sitting in my
machine. But when Iáwear my I.T. coordinatoræs hat, I remain to be
convinced about how vigorously the Acorn/Apple Joint Venture (Xemplar)
will push RISC OS.
9.9
When Acorn set up Acorn Education and its new dealer network last
autumn, I believed that this was a very positive move. Firms would be
able to actively promote RISC OS-based machines in schools knowing that
they could not be undercut at the last minute by a box-shifter.
9.9
Then came the announcement this February of the Joint Venture. In my
opinion, the original press release left a lot to be desired. Although
it stated that RISC OS-based machines would be continued, the emphasis
was clearly on Mac OS. This has resulted in many outsiders believing
that Acorn had made a policy decision to drop RISC OS. This belief is
still surfacing today (see Mayæs Computer Shopper, for example). If
Xemplar give the impression that they are less than enamoured with RISC
OS, and would prefer to promote Mac OS, head teachers will express the
view; öWell if we are going to have to adopt a new OS, it might as well
be Windows. At least the governors will then be off our backs.ò Xemplar
may wish to sell PCs, but if they try to do so, they will be in a highly
competitive marketplace with very low margins.
9.9
I hope that Xemplar will continue to advance RISCáOS-based solutions. In
the last few months, there have been some significant upgrades made to
popular primary school programs such as Pendown DTP and Textease 2, as
well as the release of Dazzle and Hyperstudio, amongst others. The Acorn
software scene for Key Stages 1 and 2 is far from stagnant.
9.9
Some primary schools have considered switching to PCs because of the
availability of so many CD¡ROMs for this platform. I took the Acorn (IMS
reader) versions of Dorling Kindersleyæs PB-Bear and Microsoftæs Musical
Instruments to a local meeting of IT coordinators. They were amazed and
delighted but, interestingly, none of them knew that this was possible.
9.9
I would like to see Xemplar promote the latest RISC OS software and make
it clear that some of the most useful PC CD-ROM software can run under
RISCáOS and, what is more, many of them run better under RISCáOS than on
the PCs for which they were designed! Perhaps Xemplar could include a
money off voucher for an IMS reader in their next mailing.
9.9
Xemplar could also remind teachers how existing programs can make their
lives so much easier. For example, by using Creative Curriculum
Softwareæs Maths Card and Impression, I can produce a professional-
looking A4 worksheet, complete with a separate answers sheet, in under
three minutes. Xemplar could use their Web site to promote such ideas
but I have to say that, at the moment, their Web pages give the
impression that schools should adopt Mac OS.
9.9
I understand that, in the future (1997 or 1998?), the preferred hardware
for Xemplar will be a Power PC with a RISC OS card. I can see the logic
of this, due to the ever-escalating costs of developing hardware Ö
something which Acorn would have been unable to do (profitably) on their
own. However, in the meantime, with the new A7000s and StrongARM Risc
PCs, combined with excellent software, Xemplar have first rate products
to actively promote in schools.
9.9
If Peter Bondar can make money from using ARM-based technology in
communication equipment etc, and use the proceeds to develop Strong ARM-
based desktop solutions, I guess I shall still be able to use RISC OS
and its future incarnations (TAOS?) even if Xemplar have given up on it.
But if ART need a significant revenue stream from educational sales,
then what Xemplar do is of great significance.
9.9
(I will leave for the moment the debate on whether schools in the future
will actually need desktop computers but will, instead, have cheap
terminals linked to the Internet.)
9.9
Richard Teall <[e-mail]>
9.9
P.S. My head has had a new Pentium installed in her office. However, you
can usually find her after school typing into one of our 3020s, or Risc
PCs. When I asked her why, she said, öMy Pentium is brilliant. Itæs just
that I can do my work quicker on an Acorn.ò
9.9
ARM chips for Internet Ö Hereæs an interesting press release from ARM
Ltd, concerning the possible future chips that ARM and DEC are working
towards.
9.9
ARM reveals Internet network computer roadmap Ö ARM is set to strengthen
the lead it already has with the ARM7500 Émultimedia system on a chipæ.
9.9
Cambridge UK, 31 March 1996 Ö Advanced RISC Machines Limited (ARM) today
revealed its Network Computer microprocessor roadmap plans. On February
26, 1996 the Chairman of Oracle, Larry Ellison, made a passionate
presentation on how the Oracle NC is set to break the Wintel PC
domination and clearly stated that the first generation NCs would be
based on the ARM7500 Émultimedia system on a chipæ. ARM has the follow-
on network computer processor developments underway with leading OEMæs.
ARM will be showing Network Computer technology at the Embedded System
Shows in Boston and London April 2-4, 1996.
9.9
The first Network Computers are powered by the ARM7500 family, which
integrates the RISC performance of an ARM processor core with rich
video, sound and I/O, into a single low-cost plastic package. Ready now
to power a range of NC models, the video section of the ARM7500 can
drive a TV for the consumer or SVGA monitors for business. MráEllison
said that one of the main reasons the first NCæs could be built for less
than $300 was the availability of such a high integration processor
system for $25 US dollars. The ARM7500 is available now from ARMæs first
semiconductor partner VLSI Technology.
9.9
The ARM7500 also powers other revolutionary Internet appliances such as
ÉWebsteræ from ViewCall America, ÉEasy Rideræ from Teknema, ÉNetSurferæ
from Acorn Risc Technologies and TV set-top boxes from Acorn Online
Media.
9.9
This summer, ARM will sample the ARM7500FE, the next model in ARMæs NC
multimedia line. The ARM7500FE will have significantly enhanced 3D
graphics and Java performance, because of the integration of floating
point hardware, and an increase in memory bandwidth.
9.9
Next year, ARM will roll out the ARM8500, which will integrate a similar
peripheral set as the ARM7500FE while more than doubling the core CPU
performance. ARM and Digital are also busy working on solutions for
high-end NC models, with the StrongARM110 device sampling now, and next
year an even higher performance, integrated solution, the StrongARM1500.
9.9
ARM has always focused on, and delivered, the best price/performance
ratio processors, and so the range of ARM products available today is
best able to satisfy the needs of both the business and consumer NC
markets. ARM designs, like the ARM7500 and ARM7500FE, are available for
license to ARMæs leading semiconductor partners who bring their own
strengths, including global sourcing, to the ARM architecture. Further
announcements will be made later this year.
9.9
ARMæs President and CEO, Robin Saxby commented: öWith the ARM7500 in the
first Oracle NC, ARM is ahead in this emerging market where, with our
global partnership, we intend to stay.òáuá
9.9
ART for ARTæs sake? Ö I must admit that Iáwas not caught in the general
euphoria caused by ARTæs announcement about their new products, because
I still donæt think that they are addressing certain gaps in the market,
especially the one that Gerald Fitton highlighted (9.7 p40) Ö that of a
cut-down, budget portable, or a Pocket Book with a proper keyboard.
9.9
The Stork is technically excellent, I am sure, but is there really a
call for such an expensive machine? For a similar price to the one Paul
quoted for a black and white entry-level system, you can buy a colour
multimedia laptop PC Ö not that I would ever buy a laptop PC! I fear
this may be another A4 Ö very nice, but rather impractical.
9.9
If Acorn wants to listen to its customers, they could do worse than
consider a notebook computer with a decent keyboard and some acceptable
software on board. It isnæt always necessary to have the latest version
of RISC OS and the ability to add CD-ROMs and hard disc drives! They
must accept that even the most loyal Acorn user isnæt going to modify
his requirements to the products available! As Gerald rightly says,
Acorn has nothing to challenge the Brother or Sharp Fontwriter machines,
when in fact they should be able to better them.
9.9
Come on, folks! Storks may be technically brilliant, and NewsPads may
look wonderful as publicity material, but that wonæt shift stock! We
donæt want ART for ARTæs sake.
9.9
Nigel Caplan, Leeds
9.9
Electronic share information Ö In the magazine two months ago, I put a
graph of the Acorn share price. What I forgot to do (profuse apologies!)
was to say where that information came from. A company called ESI
(Electronic Share Information) runs a web site through which you can get
up-to-the-minute share information. Itæs on http://www.esi.co.uk if you
want to have a look. The information costs money, but they do have a
sample page where you can find out what is happening to certain shares Ö
then you can decide if you would like to subscribe.
9.9
All you have to do is fill in a form to register for the sample
information and choose a password. Having done that, any time you want
to find out how Acorn are getting on, you can go straight to http://
www.esi.co.uk/free/home.html, enter your password, select Acorn and get
the dayæs prices, or graphs, or a complete history in CSV format which
only takes a couple of minutes to download.
9.9
(One hint: itæs a long form and I had to fill it in several times before
I got it to work properly. Thatæs because I was using a password with
mixed upper and lower case Ö as I always tend to do Ö well, donæt! I
eventually used a simple word in all lower case and all was well.)
9.9
Many thanks to ESI for making such a good choice of companies for their
sample page! Actually, itæs not a coincidence Ö the company is run,
Iáthink, by one of Acornæs non-executive directors.
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Epson GT9000 Ö I bought this scanner through NCS with the Irlam
software, but I also have David Pillingæs Twain/ImageMaster combination,
so Iæve been able to compare the two. Briefly, the Irlam software is
easy to use and gets good results, but it has very limited range of
resolutions available. Twain/ImageMaster has a better range of
definitions but less satisfactory control of the image quality.
ImageMaster has the advantage of being very useful for swapping image
formats Ö JPEG/TIFF/etc/etc.
9.9
David Crossley <[e-mail]>
9.9
Excellent service Ö I bought ArcFax from NCS a couple of weeks ago, but
due to my Motorola 3400 Pro-line modem not being quite compatible with
the drivers supplied, I had a few problems. Iáemailed David Pilling and
he asked me to send some de-bug files which ArcFax can generate if
asked.
9.9
After a hectic weekend of to-ing and fro-ing of email, David managed to
spot the problems, and sent me advice on re-configuration to suit my
machine. I think it worthy of note that some of the mail to me was sent
at 1.00am. Now thatæs what I call service!
9.9
I thought we ought to give David a plug in Archive Ö he is dedicated to
the Acorn cause and puts his enthusiasm and customer service to the
fore.
9.9
Barrie Hawkyard <[e-mail]>
9.9
If you donæt complain... I recently bought a program (from NCS, of
course) and was very pleased with it Ö until I came to use it for the
second time. Then I discovered that, before I could run the program, I
had to put the original disc into the machine to act as a key. I was
very far from pleased because it is my opinion that this is by far the
most obnoxious form of program protection that exists, and I wrote a
very sharp letter to the software house concerned.
9.9
I was then amazed and delighted to receive a site licence copy by return
of post Ö so, of course, I wrote a much nicer letter back again. They
also said that they no longer use this method.
9.9
My point is that if I hadnæt bothered to complain, Iáwould still be
suffering under that iniquitous protection system, and would also have
been highly disinclined to buy from that software house again. From now
on, they will be a Éfavoured sourceæ!
9.9
I wasnæt sure about naming the company concerned, and Paul thought not,
just in case they were inundated with moans. But if you recognise them,
and if you are suffering, then you know what to do!
9.9
Peter Bond <[e-mail]>
9.9
Internet over-hype Ö Everyone that Iáknow who uses email (and other
services) claim thatáit is indispensable, and is the preferred way of
working. None of these people pays for it.
9.9
There are many people who claim that the Internet is an ideal tool
because it contains a vast store of information which is easily
accessible. However, it is also easily falsified. With no supervision,
refereeing or controlling, the information on the Internet is completely
useless. If you cannot be sure of who posted the information, or their
self interests, or the dataæs authenticity, then it cannot be relied
upon. It may be great for recreation, but it cannot be used for any
serious purpose.
9.9
In PCW May æ96, p.23, there is a small article about the Oracle Net-
access box (using our friendly ARM chips). It appears that the unit
requires a link with 384Kbps bandwidth. Now, I may sound a bit
heretical, but I agree with Bill Gates on this one (PCW, May æ96, p.33):
desktop PCs will be down to below $1,000 by the time this kind of
bandwidth is available. Until then, not many people can use the set-top
boxes, but even once the bandwidth is available, those people who spend
just a little more can get a full-blown, higher-performance computer,
catering for all their needs, not just Internet access. It seems to me
that Oracle is onto a loser.
9.9
Neale Smith, Alnwick, Northumberland
9.9
As regards the use of Internet, I do pay for it, and it is, for me,
definitely the preferred way of working.
9.9
Actually, I hardly dared print Nealeæs last paragraph, for fear of the
reaction from irate readers, but this is an open forum Ö well, fairly
open, although moderated by me Ö so I have printed it.
9.9
To save lots of you writing in, Iæll give my personal view which, I
guess, many of you will share... As I understand it, the point of the
Oracle netboxes, and the set-top boxes for that matter, is to create a
consumer product, which a PC computer, even at under $1,000, will never
be. Larry Ellison is talking about a sub $500 product that will have
mass appeal and create a brand new market Ö comparable with the video
recorder market Ö rather than making a direct full-frontal attack on the
existing PC market.
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Ode to the Dongle
9.9
On the news that Computers Concepts had decided to abandon its hardware
protection key.
9.9
So, farewell then, wretched dongle,
9.9
Youæve been around far too long-le;
9.9
Your inclusion was so wrong-le,
9.9
And now it seems youæve finally gone-gle.
9.9
Users of Impression,
9.9
Have always tried to press on,
9.9
When the error they did see:
9.9
öWhere is your hardware key?ò
9.9
This little black attachment
9.9
Has caused so much harassment,
9.9
That for our painful patience,
9.9
CC should give us standing Ovations!
9.9
(Students of English literature may care to analyse this text,
considering the use and effect of enjambement, alliteration, ironic
humour and bad rhymes!)
9.9
Nigel Caplan, Leeds
9.9
PC PD CD Ö Iæve just come across a CD-ROM of public domain clipart and
fonts for the PC, much of which can be used on an Acorn machine. Itæs
called The Professional Fonts and Clipart CD-ROM and is produced by a
firm called PD Soft. The clipart is in CG (could this be CGM?), EPS,
GIF, JPEG, PCX and TIFF formats, and the quality varies from good to
useless to totally blank! They can be converted using !ChangeFSI,
!Translator, your favourite JPEG application and the utilities on
Archive Disc 2 (see 9.6 p21) or the Archive CD.
9.9
There are over 4,000 fonts in Adobe Type 1 format, which seem to convert
without any problems using the application on the RISC OS resource disc
(!T1toFont). Some of these are excellent, and many are ones I havenæt
seen before in Acorn PD collections. They donæt, of course, have hinting
and scaffolding, as real Acorn fonts should, but for occasional use,
they are perfectly adequate.
9.9
The disc costs ú9.99, and is good value. PD Softæs new catalogue is now
out, listing several clipart/photo compilations that would, I think,
work on Acorn machines.
9.9
I had a few teething problems with the disc, so perhaps I could share
the solutions with your readers; it is thanks to the famous ÉArchive
spiritæ, not to mention the speedy replies of the Archive Editor and
Charlie Woodbridge, that I found them out at all!
9.9
For font conversion, you need the latest version of !T1toFont, which is
1.26 and is on the Archive CD. You will also find !CD_Type invaluable,
as it maps the DOS extensions to RISC OS filetypes more reliably than
*DOSMAP. This means that you can drag the font files directly to the
converter Ö brilliant!
9.9
Whilst I think APDLæs and Datafileæs collections are very valuable,
these PC discs are cheap and contain new material. It is a complement to
Acornæs versatility that we can use them!
9.9
PD Soft, 1 Bryant Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2YD. (01702-
466933) [01702-617123]
9.9
(P.S. I have no link at all with this company Ö a friend lent me the CD
last week to have a look at!!)
9.9
Nigel Caplan, Leeds
9.9
PCx86 cards hints and tips Ö For the second month running, Iæm in the
happy position of saying thank you to the many readers who have
responded to my recent bletherings. In this case, the PCx86 Cards Ö
Hints & Tips follow-on article (9.7 p34). Some of the advice is
documented, and I should have known about it (RTFM strikes again?) but
other stuff seems to have come from user-experience. Itæs all being
checked out and passed on, so look out for details in the Risc DOS
Column.
9.9
Jim Nottingham, York.
9.9
Portfolio Ö Isnæt it nice when you buy a piece of software on the
strength of a very positive review in Archive Ö and then find itæs even
better than youæd expected? In fact, I feel I owe Dave Wilcox an
apology; I was rather sceptical that Portfolio could be quite as good as
his glowing report suggested (Archive 9.6 p72), especially at that
price, but it really is little short of brilliant.
9.9
Although we bought it for business presentations, it quickly became
apparent that it was the near-perfect answer to a long-standing problem
we had for tertiary+ education. Teachers/presenters will know the
problem Ö 35mm slides are all very well, but running them other than in
strict order is always a bit naff and, however many times you double-
check, the gremlins ensure thereæs always one which appears upside-down
or back-to-front. (Not that the audience will notice Ö they will have
nodded off as soon as the lights were dimmed!) Overhead projector (OHP)
slides are OK but, again, if you want to recap on an earlier slide, you
can never find it, can you?
9.9
All our previous attempts to transfer presentations to a computer-based
solution had been less than wholly successful. At the bottom end of the
available display software, although itæs very easy to set up a
presentation, there simply isnæt enough control of the display sequence
to give the necessary flexibility. At the top end, there are the cú200
authoring packages for Acorn machines and up to ú1,000 (!) Étotal
solutionsæ for other platforms but, while these do the job well, the
time and effort needed to prepare presentations is a major overhead not
included in the price.
9.9
So how come Portfolio, at only ú35 through NCS, beats the rest hands
down? Dave mentioned that he couldnæt believe how little he had to do to
construct an impressive presentation and I have to say how much I agree
with him. Virtually all our presentation material pre-exists as
drawfiles (with or without embedded sprites) which had then been
produced as 35mm slides or OHP transparencies so, as Dave said, it is a
trivial task simply to drag the same files to the relevant Portfolio
directory. No need to set up applications and templates, add graphic or
text frames, titles, etc, etc. Indeed, virtually no effort at all. The
minimal overheads are firstly to convert any Artworks files to drawfile
format (if applicable) and make sure the files are Sorted by Name (using
numbers and/or letters) in the directory display in the order in we wish
them to be displayed on screen. Easy-peasy...
9.9
We quickly realised that Portfolioæs range of run options more than met
our ideal wish-list. For our context, we normally use <select> to step
forward a frame at a time, just as you would with a 35mm slide projector
(<adjust> takes you back one frame), and selecting from the wide choice
of fade options adds that little extra bit of elegance.
9.9
Multi-segment slides (i.e. where you would superimpose two or more OHP
transparencies to gradually build up a complex picture) can easily be
mechanised by adding the additional detail to successive drawfiles and
running them in sequence as frames 2a, 2b, 2c or whatever. Using the
Smooth fade option, when adding the extra detail, gives a particularly
impressive result.
9.9
Where Portfolio completely scores for us is the sheer ease and
flexibility of being able to call up a particular slide, out of
sequence, should we wish to branch off to re-cap or address queries,
etc. No stepping through oodles of 35mm slides, no hunting for the right
OHP transparency Ö all we need to do is type the relevant slide ident,
press <return>, wait a mo. for it to load Ö and there it is. As Dave
said; impressive or what?
9.9
A fine-touch is the ability to suppress the display should we wish to do
so (e.g. to talk about something else). To do this, we prepared a
ÉBlankæ slide (named B), consisting of the company logo superimposed
onto our favourite backdrop. Simply typing B<return> calls it up as and
when desired. Subsequently, typing the ident of the previous slide
returns the display to where we left off. Magic Ö and a delight to use.
Dave, I now believe every word you said, and my apologies for doubting
you...
9.9
Just to avoid confusion, I should point out that WECC, mentioned in
Daveæs review as the supplier, have now disbanded, and support comes
direct from Portfolioæs authors, Kudlian Soft. They quickly fixed a bug
we spotted and also sent details of a Mouse Presenter device consisting
of a remote handset with an infra-red link to a receiver which plugs
into the mouse socket. If the normal mouse is required, it plugs into
the receiver. Two buttons on the handset duplicate the usual select/
adjust mouse functions and enable remote control of stepping forward and
backward through presentations.
9.9
If thereæs room on the monthly disc, the Blank slide will be included;
also the sprite from whence it came in case anyone wishes to use it as a
tiled backdrop. (Risc PC users Ö double-click on !Lava or add Filer_run
!Lava to your !boot-up sequence.) The Acorn logo in Blank is a separate
sprite so, if desired, can be dumped from the drawfile.
9.9
Jim Nottingham, York.
9.9
Power-tec SCSI II card Ö Thank you for allowing Brian Cusick to review
our Power-tec SCSIáII card last month (p17). He did a very fair review
over a number of months, but some of his observations need clarification
as to the reason why things are as they are.
9.9
Configuration Ö The importance of eight partitions is that it doubles
the total possible storage space available to the user, i.e. RISCáOS 3.5
users may have 4Gb, not 2Gb.
9.9
Drive compatibility Ö Brian used the Clan beta release of the new
filecore. We are using RISCáOS 3.6 for testing. A huge range of hard
drives have now been tested. If any users would like us to test their
particular drive for compatibility, we would be happy to receive the
item. A Panasonic PD driver together with a Toshiba CD driver have now
been incorporated. The universal ATAPI driver has been successfully
tested with 4, 6 and 8 speed drives. The SCSI II card works correctly
with UK ZIP drives, although Mr Timmers of Belgium has a problem with an
older ZIP drive with different Iomega firmware. Iáhave asked Mr Timmers
to send us his drive for testing.
9.9
Scanners Ö The card is now also fully compatible with triple pass and
single pass scanners, such as the Mustek Paragon, Epson, Microtek, Canon
and UMAX types, but as they are mechanically relatively slow devices,
the SCSI II card is unable to speed them up!
9.9
Streamers Ö The Power-tec SCSI II card is supplied with a tape streamer
application allowing timed and selective backups. Unfortunately,
although Brian was not able to review the latest revision of this backup
code, an early version did work correctly with his streamer on our
standard test RiscPC. Brian commented that a 500Mb PC partition could
not be backed up in one go. This is incorrect. Filecore limits the size
of a streamer partition so that the maximum length of data which may be
saved with RISCáOS 3.5 is 512Mb. This is not so with RISCáOS 3.6, where
larger amounts are permitted. Indeed, any size file which is smaller
than the remaining space on the tape may be backed up. So, a 500 Mb file
may be backed up onto a 2Gb DAT tape formatted to 512Mb, without
problems.
9.9
Performance Ö All three SCSI cards tested use the same controller IC, so
the overall performance would be similar if additional features were not
implemented. The various software modules (SCSIFS, SCSIDriver and CDFS
driver modules) together with the method of I/O, are the things which
affect the overall performance. Whilst speed is an important issue with
any storage device, it has always been our intention to offer a product
with the widest possible range of compatible devices. Our redesigned
SCSI II card addresses all the shortcomings of our original device, as
well as offering dealers a SCSI I product fully upgradable to SCSI II.
The new card features full 32-bit DMA with true PIO for non-RiscPC
computers, as well as synchronous transfer for those hard drives which
support that feature. Of course, those owners of our original design may
be reassured that firmware upgrades will be compatible with their cards.
9.9
Reboot Ö The Power-tec card purposely delays on re¡boot to enable the
user to disable the SCSI sub¡system by pressing a key.
9.9
Shutdown Ö The Power-tec card takes longer than the others because we
wait and check that the drive has indeed spun down. The other cards
issue the command but do not check!
9.9
Copy a 10Mb File Ö Read Ahead/Write After buffering ensures Power-tec is
fastest.
9.9
Open Large Directory Ö Timings 1 second apart***??!! We read-ahead in
case the user wants more data from the directory (usually the case).
9.9
Copy from CD-ROM Ö Our CD-ROM (SCSI and ATAPI) driver is very fast.
9.9
Copy 10Mb from HD to HD Ö Read Ahead is fast again!
9.9
Finally, the manual has now been completely rewritten by Brian Carroll.
It will be available by the time this edition is published.
9.9
I hope that the above information clarifies our SCSIáII operation for
your readers.
9.9
Keith Faulkner, [e-mail]
9.9
Processor performance Ö I have read with interest the articles in
Archive concerning the speed of the StrongARM. Before actual benchmark
figures were available, there seemed to be some people getting excited
and claiming a ten times speed increase over the ARM610/710. This could
give the erroneous impression that this might apply to the average
speed. People might then mistakenly believe that any software running on
a 610/710 will run 10átimes faster on a StrongARM.
9.9
The above claims (if they were indeed made by ARM or Digital, and not by
an over-enthusiastic reporter) are likely to be comparisons of the peak
processor speed Ö which will rarely occur in a practical system. In this
case, I would guess that they refer to worst-case multiplication which,
by all accounts, has been improved in terms of clock cycles (Archive
9.8, p.27). Time and again we see optimistic performance improvements
and unrealistically early delivery times.
9.9
People may complain that it is unfair for the manufacturers to claim
theoretical speeds and that they should tell us just how fast the
computers will be that use them. This is difficult to do without
actually trying it in a real system, or at least carrying out extensive
(and time-consuming) simulations. It is, however, extremely easy to
quote the actual best- and worst-case performances of the processors, as
these are all part of the design parameters. To someone who is aware of
what the data actually represents, the figures can be quite useful and
meaningful, but someone who thinks that they reflect real-world
performance will be disappointed. Anyway, there are two rules of thumb
which I often find useful Ö multiply the quoted performance by 0.7 and
double the delivery time Ö these rules never seem to fail, though I
often wish they would.
9.9
When processors were slow, it forced programmers to write fast code.
Even on the old 2MHz BBC Model B, wordprocessors would scroll smoothly
and quickly. On modern computers, whose performance is around 500 times
that of the BBC, the scrolling is no faster. One reason is that the
rendering of the text is more complex, e.g. anti-aliasing, kerning, etc.
Another reason is that many programmers donæt even try for high speed
and, instead, rely on faster processors coming along, which seems to be
a common affliction on PCs, and means that most of the processing power
of the machine (and also the useræs time) is being wasted. There appears
to be a trend in the Acorn world towards this attitude, which leads to
disappointing software when the new processors either donæt materialise
or donæt perform as per their hype. The speed of programs like
Impression show what can be achieved if enough effort is put into it.
9.9
Floating-point performance Ö One problem with the Acorn machines, which
looks unlikely to be remedied in the near future, is its lack of
floating point hardware (FP accelerator Ö FPA). There were suggestions
that a 700+FPA might become available, but only if sufficient people are
committed to paying ú300 and waiting till after the projected launch of
the StrongARM at a similar price (Archive, 9.7 p.26). What is more, the
StrongARM will give a similar performance increase, but providing it
all-round and not just on the FP side.
9.9
Whilst an FPA is not needed for the vast majority of programs, it is
pretty important when you are trying to perform millions of floating
point calculations in one go. Fixed point (or Éintegeræ) methods are
totally unsuitable for engineering work, and so we need to rely on the
software FP emulator (FPE) instead.
9.9
This approach makes the machine slow compared to 33MHz 486DX PCs and
positively snail-like compared to a 133MHz Pentium. Considering that the
75MHz Pentium is now the Éentry levelæ PC (Computer Shopper, April æ96,
p.418), Acorn simply cannot compete on raw performance. I doubt very
much that even the 200MHz StrongARM can save the day. Letæs face it Ö by
the time the 200MHz StrongARM is available, the PCs will probably have
at least 200MHz Pentiums or better Ö with floating point hardware as
standard. Donæt underestimate the PowerPC Macintoshes either; their
speeds are creeping up and their prices are coming down.
9.9
Neale Smith, Alnwick, Northumberland
9.9
Two counter-comments, if I may... Speaking personally, the three-times
speed increase, which even the very first StrongARM upgrades are
offering to RiscPC users, are quite staggering, as anyone who has seem
them in operation will tell you. OK, for the relatively limited number
of applications where floating point is the priority, we are still at a
disadvantage, but in terms of productivity Ö doing more jobs per hour on
the computer Ö the Acorn systems, even without the StrongARM are
comparable with high speed Pentium systems. The StrongARM will leave
them standing.
9.9
Secondly, there may even be some help on the horizon on the FP front.
One possible source of help is that ARM are threatening to produce an
ARM7500FE, which includes FP hardware, sometime this summer (see page
39). The name ÉARM7500FEæ has, on occasion, been heard in the same
sentence as words like ÉJavaæ and ÉOracleæ, so who knows what may come
of that. If it takes off, we may even be looking for an ARM8500FE at
some stage Ö or even a StrongARM SA1500FE!
9.9
Also, once the Hydra multi-processor card gets going (see page 11), that
might provide the necessary floating point assistance needed by the
specialist user.
9.9
Once again, thereæs nothing definite, but itæs clearly another exciting
Éwatch this spaceæ scenario.
9.9
Ed.
9.9
(Pure) printing colours Ö Eric Ayersæ hint about using saturated colours
(9.8 p24) was very handy and I hope Iæm not treading on his toes if I
extend the discussion. Eric covered the point about avoiding Édottyæ
and/or muddy colours in printed documents by selecting saturated (=100%)
values of Cyan, Magenta or Yellow from the CMYK palette. These are the
secondary colours and, with black, make the total of four possible
colours he mentioned.
9.9
We can also access the three primary colours (red, green and blue) in a
similar manner, either by selecting them from the RGB palette or, if you
prefer to use the CMYK palette, by a combination of any two colours from
100% Cyan, Magenta or Yellow; thus:
9.9
  100% Cyan   + 100% Magenta  = 100% Blue
9.9
  100% Cyan  + 100% Yellow  = 100% Green
9.9
  100% Magenta  + 100% Yellow  = 100% Red
9.9
Including black (100% Cyan + 100% Magenta + 100% Yellow if you donæt
have a Black ink), that increases the total number of saturated colours
to seven.
9.9
Ericæs main aim was to avoid Édottinessæ on the paper due to the
limitations of inkjet printers, i.e. having to produce different shades
by combinations of C, M and Y tints, using fairly coarse, half-tone
screens. Mid-orange, for example, can be achieved by setting something
like 0% Cyan, 30% Magenta and 60% Yellow. Nice colour Ö shame about the
dottiness.
9.9
However, non-dotty and non-saturated tints of the three secondary
colours can be achieved by selecting the desired proportion of C, M or Y
(setting Black to 0%). For example, 20% Yellow gives pale yellow.
Similarly, combining any two colours, provided the proportions are the
same, will give a non-dotty tint of a primary colour. Thus 30% Cyan +
30% Yellow results in a smooth 30% tint of Green.
9.9
A further observation is that, provided the colour combinations used are
fairly pale (say, each less than 10-15%) or almost saturated (each more
than 85¡90%), you may find you can combine unequal proportions of two or
three colours and find the result is quite acceptable for your purposes.
The unavoidable degree of Édottinessæ is always worst in the mid-range
of tints; say 40-60%.
9.9
This topic is only one of many considerations when using colour inkjet
printers. Others are: the significant darkening, and difference in
colours and tints, between what you see on screen and what you get in
print; colour/tint changes when using different papers; whether you have
a black (key) ink, and so on. Some of these are equally relevant to
commercial printing but, for our purposes, there has been some
discussion in earlier issues of Archive (e.g. 7.1 p35).
9.9
A set of colour-charts in A4 drawfile format was included on that
issueæs monthly disc and, if thereæs room, will be repeated this month.
I commend them to you, even to the extent of printing them out on the
different grades of paper that you commonly use. With the printed
charts, you will be able to select the colour/tint you desire, check
whether the degree of Édottinessæ will be acceptable to you and read off
the proportions of Red, Green and Blue to select, using your printer and
that particular grade of paper, to get the result you want. There are
big differences and this is the only guaranteed method of ensuring
WYSIWYG. Iæve made up a ready-use booklet from the colour charts for my
own use and find it invaluable. Note that the charts use the RGB palette
which I personally prefer (and, in any event, some software applications
do not use the CMYK palette.
9.9
To complete this revisit of earlier discussions, System Insight (Archive
9.3 p60) have, with Catalogue No. 11, extended their range of papers
even further. Recent introductions include their own-brand alternatives
to the Inkmun 360/720dpi papers; also to the Canon and HP colour papers.
As well as the usual 100gsm weight, the latter includes a 140gsm variant
which I have found excellent for such things as title or divider pages.
On my BJC800, which is arguably the most Épikkyæ of colour printers as
far as ink runs are concerned, the results are only marginally less
satisfactory than with the Canon original papers, so Iáwould not expect
the difference with other printers to be discernible.
9.9
Jim Nottingham, York.
9.9
Risc Useræs April issue Ö No, this isnæt the Editor having a side-swipe
at the rival subscription magazine. I am actually recommending it Ö
well, Iæm recommending that you try to get a look at the April issue. I
have to admit that the cover made my heart sink with its title öAPPLE
SPECIALò, but there are some excellent articles in it that I would have
liked to have seen in Archive(!)
9.9
Alan Wrigley has written an informative article about the latest
developments at Acorn Online Media which had some exciting hints of
future developments. Then, if you are interested in the future desktop
machines to be produced by Acorn, Alex Bienekæs article about CHRP (or
PPCRP Ö PowerPC Reference Platform Ö as it is now supposed to be called)
is thorough and highly technical Ö a bit too technical for me at times!
9.9
Mark Sealeyæs coverage of the joint venture company, Xemplar, was very
upbeat and made the important point that what is important is not Éthe
nowæ (which is all that PC advocates seem to think about Ö saving money
now) but Éthe futureæ and how we can migrate and take best advantage of
future technologies whilst still keeping the Éoldæ technology going.
This is something that Acorn have been consistently good at over the
years.
9.9
He also points to the cooperation that there has been between Apple and
Acorn in the past, and concludes that if we can avoid the Éus and themæ
syndrome between advocates of the two systems, Éweæ together can avoid
the tragedy of our education system getting locked into PCs with the
financial and support burdens that would entail. (One thing Mark
probably didnæt know is that ART sent a team out to Cupertino to help
Apple with the problems they were having in getting PC second processors
working properly. ARTæs experience in developing the PC card for the
RiscPC is proving useful in helping Apple do the same sort of thing!)
9.9
Richard Hallas then compares the two desktops, MacOS and RISCáOS, in a
very fair and carefully argued article. If we could migrate to a desktop
environment that had the best of the two systems, that would be to
everyoneæs advantage.
9.9
Richard also has a two-page article on transferring files and data
between the two systems which again draws out the difference between the
two Aæs and the PC. The Xemplar partners, by virtue of being Éminority
systemsæ, have learnt the importance of being able to transfer data
between applications and between different systems. (This is especially
true of Acorn, I feel.) PCs on the other hand, pulling the Éindustry
standardæ card, seem to think that the only sensible answer is for
everyone to use Microsoft Office Ö that would solve all the problems!
9.9
Finally, there is Alan Bonsoræs interview with Brendon OæSullivan, MD of
Xemplar. This is too long for the magazine which only has a two-page
excerpt from it. The full text of the interview is on the monthly
program disc.
9.9
Well, done, Richard Ö an excellent issue!
9.9
(Note to Archive contributors: No plagiarism, please, but can we have
someone offering to write Ésimilaræ articles for Archive? Thanks.)
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Screen grabbing Ö Can I just put in a plug for David Pillingæs !Snapper
program? The screenshots in the review I did for Cambridge Reading
Talking Stories were all taken using Snapper. Up till now, Iæve used
Paintæs snapshot timer, guessed where a menu is supposed to be and then
had to trim sprites down to size Ö very tricky! With Snapper, you point
at the window you want, call up any menus you want, then press <ctrl-
alt> and just save the sprite file. Simple!
9.9
Snapper can grab an area of screen, a window, with or without title bars
and border, or the entire screen. The hot keys can be changed, and you
can choose if you want the pointer to appear in the sprite. It comes
free with ImageMaster which is available through Archive.
9.9
Rob Ives, Maryport, Cumbria.
9.9
SCSI Compatibility Ö As mentioned in earlier issues, readers have
continued to send me reports of their successes and failures with all
manner of combinations of SCSI interfaces and devices. There are now
over 100 user-reports in the database, with well over 700 datapoints,
not counting many more which Peter Bond kindly pulled off the Internet.
At the same time, the number of inconsistencies has dropped considerably
which can only increase confidence in the data. So thereæs a fair
probability that, should any reader be looking to change or extend his
or her SCSI system, there will be some fairly reliable cross-reference
information available.
9.9
I donæt plan to repeat the full-length updates which have appeared in
earlier issues of Archive but will ask Paul to publish any snippets
which may be of general interest to SCSI system users, as and when they
come in. Hereæs one for starters:
9.9
A number of readers are now successfully using Iomega Zip drives on
Acorn machines under RISC OS and Windows æ95. The drive is reported as
being cheap (around ú180) and fast, with 4ö, 100Mb removable discs
costing around ú16. The connection to a SCSI II interface is a little
more tricky than with SCSI I cards, and users have got round that hiccup
in various ways. There is a Égotchaæ in that the disc that comes with
the drive is not a data disc; it has Tools on it which are required to
configure the drive. So if you order a drive, donæt forget to order some
discs as well Ö and donæt reformat the Tools disc!
9.9
As always, a query by letter with return postage will normally guarantee
a reply by return, but emails will have to wait as I have yet to find a
reliable service provider.
9.9
Jim Nottingham, 16 Westfield Close, Pocklington, York, YO4 2EY.
9.9
Any suggestions as to how we can get Jim onto the net? Any good
providers around York? Jimæs such a mine of information and so
helpful(!) that we need to be able to contact him more easily!! Ed.
9.9
Acornæs share price over the last eight months
9.9
i.e. since David Lee became MD.
9.9
A = First rumour of Oracle deal
9.9
B = NY Times article about Acorn/Oracle
9.9
C = Oracle deal publicly announced
9.9
D = Joint Venture announced
9.9
? = What happened around 17th April?!
9.9
Whither Acorn?
9.9
Colin Singleton
9.9
(This is the article that Colin tried to write last month, but events
overtook it and I had to ask him to change it in the light of current
Acorn events. Even now, itæs beginning to look a little out-of-date,
such is the pace of things in the Acorn world! Ed.)
9.9
More has happened at Acorn in the last six months than in the previous
six years, so I am trying to take stock of developments before I become
totally overwhelmed! I still use my trusty A540, which serves me very
well for everyday use, so my references to the latest hardware, and my
comments on current developments, are derived from articles I have read
in Archive and elsewhere Ö I have no Éinside knowledgeæ. These are the
observations of a committed Acorn user, probably biased, but I hope
factually accurate.
9.9
1994, a year of promises
9.9
I have decided to start this review by looking back to 1994, a year of
promises Ö some more credible than others. Apple promised the worldæs
first personal computer using RISC architecture Ö the fastest in the
world Ö for ú1350! Acorn and their friends kicked up a stink about these
three false statements. That Apple should, meanwhile, have been co-
operating with Acorn to design new ARM chips is quite amazing!
9.9
Microsoft promised Windows 95, which was going to revolutionise
computing. It eventually arrived as promised, on 24th August 1995 Ö but
was less than revolutionary. It finally gave PC users the sort of
multitasking that RISC OS 3 users had enjoyed for years, plus the
iconbar, file-dragging, and a few other pirated ideas, but at great cost
in RAM and disc requirements. It confirmed what open-minded users
already knew Ö Acorn are world leaders!
9.9
Intel promised Pentium Ö so-called because someone had copyrighted the
number 586. This was the better mousetrap for which everyone would beat
a path to their door Ö but they didnæt tell us that it would double as a
frying pan! It was a long time coming, arriving eventually by the back
door to less than rapturous applause. Pentium chips started to sell, if
only because the latest versions of the most popular software required
Windows 95 Ö and that required Pentium in order to run at the same speed
it did the previous year!
9.9
An article in New Scientist enthused about Parallel Computing, with
rather optimistic assessments of the cost benefits of using several
processors in tandem on one task. The problems of structuring software
to make efficient use of several parallel processors have largely defied
solution. The article, nevertheless, plugged the multi-processor PC,
promised for the end of 1996. This prompted a quick response from a
University computer user who was already running multi-processor
applications on machines with five RISC processors, which donæt cost the
Earth, and wonæt crisp the bacon. He also uses hybrid machines with
Intel and RISC processors side-by-side. Take a bow, Acorn!
9.9
The RiscPC arrives
9.9
The RiscPC was not only promised for 1994 Ö it actually arrived! It was
not all plain sailing, however. The faster ARM processors were some time
coming, as was the ASIC which interfaces the PC processor to the ARM.
The problems of two incompatible processors co-habiting in the same box,
sharing RAM, disc and screen, with one operating system working within
the other, proved traumatic. Acorn have now solved the problems Ö and
this experience stands them in very good stead for the future.
9.9
The RiscPC design showed great foresight. If you buy a Écompatibleæ PC,
you can specify your processor, RAM and disc capacities, video chip,
etc, which will be assembled into one box but, apart from adding more
RAM, you may find that you canæt easily add or upgrade individual units
later. RiscPC provides maximum flexibility Ö everything, including the
CPU, plugs into the box, and can be unplugged and replaced by later
versions at minimal cost. Even the box can be upgraded to accommodate
new peripherals which might not have been thought of when you bought the
original machine. Acornæs competitors are just getting round to thinking
this way.
9.9
1995 Ö a year of speed increases
9.9
In 1995, the ARM7 chip arrived, creating the RiscPC 710, and extending
the ÉAæ series to the A7000. These both brought higher speed at very
competitive prices. The speed of Acorn machines has never been properly
appreciated, as Gerald Fitton noted recently, reporting on a Which?
review. Acorn have been victims of their own successful designs.
Comparing processing capacities on the basis of clock speed is like
comparing the speeds of cars on the basis of engine revs. A Formula 1
car covers more road per rev than a family saloon Ö similarly, the ARM
processor does more work per cycle than the Intel. ARM6 at 30MHz packs
about the same processing punch as Pentium at 75MHz.
9.9
We all know the futility of trying to persuade PC devotees to try an
Acorn machine. Which? reports, sometimes unfairly, carry a lot of
weight. To get the message over, it is imperative that the Acorn machine
must look better on paper, which 30MHz against 75 does not! MIPS figures
probably give a better comparison, but even they can give a false
impression when two processors have different architectures. Dhrystones
form the best measure, but can you imagine trying to explain that in (or
to) Which? magazine? I cannot see a solution, until the industry adopts
a realistic measure and publishes compatible assessments for all
machines.
9.9
Structural changes
9.9
1995 was also the year of Acorn Centres of Technology, created from the
initiative of The Clan, which had been launched in October 1994. The
ACTs, supported by Acorn, exist to provide expert advice and telephone
help services to customers. The Clan exists to give Acorn essential
feedback from enthusiastic and knowledgeable users. I leave it to Paul
and Simon Ogilvie to assess how well these organisations are working,
but I feel that this spirit of Glasnost can only be beneficial, and give
Acorn development an edge over its rivals.
9.9
Acorn themselves split in two last year, creating Acorn Education and
ART (now named Acorn Risc Technologies), the latter concerned with
research and development. ARM (Advanced Risc Machines) had been separate
since 1990, when it was formed by Acorn and Apple to design and license
the manufacture of ARM processors. There must, I feel, be some overlap
between ARM and ART, but no doubt the dynamic workaholic Peter Bondar
will justify an Acorn in-house R & D unit in addition to the shared
interest in ARM. The logic of these subdivisions has emerged over the
last few months, as Acorn has spread its wings through further
alliances.
9.9
Enter the StrongARM
9.9
StrongARM, designed by ARM and manufactured by DEC (Digital Equipment
Corporation) has been heralded for some time. DEC have the manufacturing
expertise and capability to complement ARMæs world-beating design. On
26th March 1996, the prototype StrongARM RiscPC was demonstrated Ö and
knocked spots off anything else! It clocked 228MHz, and ran the
Dhrystone test 5.6 times as fast as ARM 710. The production version is
expected to be even faster. The promised 100MHz machine will offer twice
the processing power of its PowerPC competitor, with a quarter the heat
output and at a fifth of the price! The figure of 200MHz, for the
top¡of-the-range version, now looks pessimistic Ö it should win back the
Worldæs Fastest Micro accolade for Acorn.
9.9
Lap-top computers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are crying out
for more power and speed with less heat Ö the StrongARM is ideal.
Surprisingly for such a remarkable and widely acclaimed chip, only Acorn
themselves appear to be considering its use in desktop computers Ö it
will be available for the RiscPC later this year. There are, apparently,
technical problems arising from StrongARMæs dual¡cache ÉHarvardæ
architecture and its sheer power, and it would need a redesigned RiscPC
to show StrongARMæs real strength. The first production version will be
cacheless Ö the mind boggles at the prospects for the later Harvard
version! The ARM 810, rather than StrongARM, will probably power the
next ÉAæ Series machine for the Education market.
9.9
The superlative specification of StrongARM has assured it a leading
place in a wide range of applications with a potential for literally
billions of sales. The growth of the Internet opens a market for a box
containing just the hardware and software required to provide the non-
computer-user with his own Net terminal Ö at a fraction of the cost of a
PC. The long¡promised expansion of the humble TV into an interactive
information source requires a sophisticated and user-friendly
controller. Microprocessors are now embedded in most electrical
appliances. A processor with the power and price-tag of StrongARM opens
almost boundless possibilities in these areas. Oracle, the major rival
to Microsoft as software developers, are working with Acorn Online Media
Ö formed in 1994 Ö for joint development. A major trial, using a city-
wide fibre-optic cable network, is now taking place in Cambridge Ö where
else?
9.9
The Joint Venture
9.9
Acorn and Apple UK have formed Xemplar Education, to serve the UK
Education market, with effect from 2ndáApril. The press release,
published in full in Archive 9.7, appeared to have been written by an
Apple representative, and it is not surprising that the UK Mac press
read it as a takeover of Acorn by Apple. Apple are, understandably,
firmly committed to their PowerPC, and are seemingly trying to imposing
it on Acorn within their Joint Venture.
9.9
Acorn built its business and reputation on the UK Educational market Ö
Apple have a strong Educational base in the USA. Both are feeling strong
pressure in their traditional fields from the PC, which has made inroads
by promoting itself as Éthe industry standardæ Ö the one your children
will use when they leave school. It makes very good sense for Apple and
Acorn to patch up their differences and combine their strengths to
regain their former positions in the Educational markets. Each will need
to modify their software to run on the other platform as well as their
own. Neither partneræs processor or operating system will disappear, and
this venture does not show Apple in a position of strength over Acorn.
9.9
Is RISCáOS really dead?!
9.9
Paul set out at some length in Archive 9.7 his convincing reasons for
believing that RISC OS is not threatened by this agreement. I was more
concerned by the statement that the new company expects to develop the
next generation of personal computers öbased on the powerful PowerPC
microprocessorò, adding only an oblique reference to Acornæs projected
RiscPC, with PowerPC as the second, or perhaps a third, co-processor.
Knowing the superiority of StrongARM, this looks very much like an
advertising bluff seeking dominance for the larger company.
9.9
(For more up-to-date information on the Édeathæ of RISCáOS, see Edæs
article on page 15.)
9.9
The confusion arises through understanding, or misunderstanding, of CHRP
(Common Hardware Reference Platform, pronounced ÉChirpæ). Appleæs
disinformation department would like us to believe that Apple, IBM and
Motorola have agreed on PowerPC as the platform for future personal
computers, and I have recently read an assertion that no other processor
will be permitted in the CHRP machine. I donæt believe it! IBM would
surely never swallow that Ö Intel and Microsoft would simply ignore it Ö
and remember that Apple are commercially involved in ARM. The truth is
undoubtedly more complex, and allows Acorn to develop its strengths.
Peter Bondaræs enthusiastic description of CHRP doesnæt even mention
PowerPC!
9.9
CHRP, with the active co-operation of IBM, attempts to break out of the
Intel rut, based on the past, by specifying a standard for the future.
It is a very open specification, including the concept of ROM operating
systems and multiple heterogeneous processors. There has to be a
standard, possibly hidden, processor to hold the whole thing together Ö
that is where the PowerPC comes in Ö but after that suppliers can, and
will be encouraged to, include any other processor and operating system
which can co-exist with PowerPC. There is clearly much work to be done
here, and Acornæs success with RiscPC has surely given them (alone?) the
experience necessary to develop the hybrid platform.
9.9
So, whither Acorn?
9.9
Acorn are partners in a number of alliances, in each of which, if they
promote their strengths, Acorn can make a major contribution to the next
generation of computers and microprocessors. Their experience gained
developing RiscPC should ensure a leading role in the CHRP project.
Acorn have also recognised StrongARM as a highly marketable product in
its own right. With its power-per-dollar advantage and low power
consumption, it is much sought-after for specialised equipment. When
users of StrongARM-driven net¡surfers and set¡top boxes see RISC OS in
action on their screens, they might just ask if they can have this
ultra¡friendly operating system on their desktop computers! Having a
computer compatible with embedded microprocessors would permit sci-fi
systems of centrally¡controlled appliances.
9.9
Acorn must, I feel, assert themselves more. They must not allow their
partners to portray an alliance as a take-over, or their manufacturing
licensee to steal the limelight. Acorn have world-beating products and
expertise, and they now have the partnerships to develop them. They must
ensure that their better-known partners give credit where it is due.
After years of struggling to stay afloat, Acornæs feel¡good factor is
now emerging and is clearly reflected in the their share prices which
reached an all-time high last week of 273 from a pound seven months ago.
We can look forward to the day when we will be respected by our peers
for our long allegiance to Acorn, instead of being looked down on as
poor relations.áuá
9.9
PD Column
9.9
David Holden
9.9
PD competition
9.9
In case there are any PD/Shareware authors who donæt already know, APDL
is running another competition. If you have written a program that you
think might be eligible, you could stand a chance at a cash prize of
around ú100.
9.9
Unless you have entered a previous competition (in which case you will
already have some idea of what will be required of you), please donæt
just send your programs. Initially, please send a blank disc with a
stamp for return postage to APDL (address inside back cover) and this
will be returned to you with lots of useful information which will help
you to get amongst the winners.
9.9
Programs need not be new, but ideally should be recent releases. Older
programs will be considered if they have some significant additional
features.
9.9
Acorn and Apple
9.9
There has been a lot of speculation about the recent link up between
Apple and Acorn. At present, it seems to be a simple attempt by the two
leading producers of computers with proprietary GUI operating systems to
get together to point out the incredible advantages and ease of use of
either of their systems over the vastly inferior offering from
Microsoft. But where will it lead?
9.9
Acornæs Énew lookæ developer support provided by ART says that it will
not be offering help on porting RISCáOS programs to the Mac. This is
probably sensible, as they obviously donæt want to encourage their
present user base to migrate. However, nothing has been said about
porting from Mac to RISCáOS, and I hope that this will be given their
full support.
9.9
So what does this have to do with PD? Well, there is a huge amount of
extremely high quality educational PD and Shareware available for the
Mac. Most of this is American, but it would probably be simple to
ÉAngliciseæ it if it were to be ported to the Acorn platform. No
commercial software company is going to get involved in this area,
because they donæt want educational purchasers to discover that there is
so much low cost material available from PD libraries. In any event, it
is most unlikely that any reputable Shareware author would permit his
work to be ported to another platform and sold commercially. However, it
could be a very interesting (and remunerative) field for an experienced
Shareware programmer.
9.9
I havenæt explored this idea in depth, so perhaps there are problems
involved, but I cannot imagine that anyone writing Shareware for the Mac
would be interested in porting it to RISCáOS. They might therefore be
prepared to look favourably upon someone else who wanted to do so, and
charge only a modest licence fee. Similarly, authors of PD programs
would normally only expect to be given credit as the original author.
9.9
Ideally, anyone who is interested in this should have, or have access
to, a Mac, if only to try some of the programs available and see what
they are like in their original form. It would probably also require an
experienced C programmer, because that is the language that the original
is most likely to have been written in. However, in my experience, with
straightforward programs, it is quite often easier to start from
scratch. This might sound like more work, but it very often isnæt,
because the real work in producing a good program (as any successful
Shareware author will tell you) isnæt writing the program, but designing
the user interface, and the Élook and feelæ of how it will work, and
this will already have been done for you.
9.9
If you think this might be something that you would be interested in
doing, please contact me if I can do anything to help. As a member of
the Association of Shareware Professionals, I might be able to assist in
persuading a Shareware author to grant a licence.
9.9
Special offer
9.9
In order to continue with my mission to try to convert some of you who
still think that PD is of no interest to serious users, I shall return
to my previous practice of offering a disc to readers of this column. In
this monthæs magazine, there is a review mentioning the two best text
editors available at any price, namely StrongEd and Zap. To complement
this, I shall offer a copy of both of these. The two wonæt fit on a
single 800Kb disc, so if you are interested please do specify if you
only have an 800Kb drive, otherwise you will get a 1.6Mb disc by
default.
9.9
The price for this will be only ú1.25 or (preferably) five first class
stamps, sent to the APDL address.áuá
9.9
Help!!!!
9.9
ARM code articles, please? Ö Ray Favreæs articles on Beginning Basic
have been excellent, and Iæm sure many people have enjoyed them, but Iæd
like to have a go at some machine code programming. Would someone be
prepared to do a similar series to Rayæs, please?
9.9
(Thanks for suggesting that, Andrew. It would be good because the only
ARM code book I know of, that is still in print, is The ARM Programmeræs
Guide Ö Someren/Atack Ö ú25. It is good but not exactly a Éget you
startedæ book. There was an ARM programming tutorial series by Alan
Glover starting Archive 1.10 (8 years ago!) which ran for seven issues.
Perhaps someone could use that as a basis for a new series, or we could
just do a re-run of the original. Any offers anyone? Ed.)
9.9
Andrew Berry, Nottingham.
9.9
Articles please? Ö As always, Iæm very grateful to all those who write
for Archive, and over the last three months, we have been able to reduce
the huge backlog of review articles we had at one stage. Thatæs good in
one sense, in that we donæt want articles sitting unpublished month
after month. However, if the backlog is decreasing, that means that the
rate at which articles are being sent in is less than the rate at which
they are being published! i.e. we need even more articles, please, if
Archive is to continue at its present standard.
9.9
You will note that (by a series of coincidences) there arenæt any
adverts at all this month. This means that you get more for your money Ö
although it also means I get less Ö so please may we have some more
articles, especially technical ones? Thanks.
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Crossword puzzle solving Ö Does anyone know of software, preferably for
Pocket Book, for crossword puzzle solvers, that takes account of phrases
rather than just words?
9.9
Christian Puritz <[e-mail]>
9.9
Data acquisition and analysis programs Ö I would like to mention some
programs that I have written for use in our University Physics
Department research group, but which would be useful to other people
interested in data acquisition and analysis. If people know they are
available, they can contact me, and I can judge the level of interest
and see whether it is worth the extra effort of writing a tutorial
manual, etc.
9.9
Data acquisition Ö a sophisticated program that allows control of many
outputs (voltages, magnetic field, etc) via IEEE or serial port, and
reading values from many instruments (multimeters, phase sensitive
detectors, power supplies, spectrum analysers, etc). The data can be
examined, zoomed in on, etc while data-taking is in progress. There is a
simple but powerful command language to allow a complicated series of
measurements or sweeps to be performed automatically. Data can be saved
in various formats, including text. It is usually analysed or printed
out using the sister data analysis program. The program is fully wimp-
compliant. It needs at least 2Mb of RAM.
9.9
Data analysis and plotting Ö a professional data analysis and graphing
program that can handle various formats of data, and arbitrarily large
data files, unconstrained by the amount of RAM. Many analysis facilities
are provided, including smoothing, differentiation, fourier transforms,
splining, non-linear curve fitting, etc. The graph-plotting features are
extensive, allowing anything from quick plots of new data to
publication-quality figures. Although everything can be controlled by
the mouse, macros can be generated automatically, or written by the
user, to automate every feature of the program, or to produce complex
graphs repeatedly. Plots can be printed or saved as drawfiles for
inclusion in a DTP package. Both these programs have been tested
extensively in a large University research group.
9.9
I have also written some utilities which I will write manuals for, and
make available, if there is enough interest:
9.9
Impression to LaTeX or MSWord RTF converter: This converts Publisher (or
Style) DDF text files to LaTeX or RTF, coping well with styles, effects
etc. This is the only LaTeX converter that I know of, and is better at
producing RTF than the RTF saver module produced by Computer Concepts.
Output files are written efficiently, and so are easy to edit in their
new format. Many options, styles to suppress, file suffices, etc, can be
configured.
9.9
Impression Publisher mailmerge extensions: Named references can be
converted to automatically allocated numbers, for use when citing
references throughout a document. One or two spreadsheet lists (saved as
CSV files) can be scanned, so that data that matches certain criteria
can be extracted and fed into the Publisher document. It thus becomes
easy to send a mailshot to a list of people, and on each letter listing
a set of entries extracted from another file. This avoids the need to
buy a separate database program.
9.9
I hope these programs will interest people. They will be made available
(for some small charge) if there is sufficient interest. Please email me
with your requirements, or write, phone or fax: Department of Physics,
Cambridge University, Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge,
CB3 0HE. (01223-337486) [01223-337271].
9.9
Chris Ford <[e-mail]>
9.9
Eureka spreadsheets Ö I sent Paul a Eureka spreadsheet (on the monthly
disc) which may be of interest to school readers who run the AAA scheme.
Basically, it calculates points and tells you which award a child should
receive. It is fairly self-explanatory, apart from the last two lines
which are ÉSpecial needsæ children. The first number shows which line
their Énon-adjustedæ score is on. After this. the sheet will copy
material from this line into the bottom lines. Use <f5> to see the named
areas and move between them, e.g. Awards, Results, Lookup table etc.
9.9
Readers may also be interested in a set of Eureka spreadsheets to create
maths workcards of a wide range of varieties and accurate task-analysed
learning outcomes. These include creating puzzles, games, written
questions etc, as well as the more usual four rules materials. I have
recently put these in the APDL library with David Holden.
9.9
Dave Walsh, Herne Bay
9.9
Fortran Friends, a self-help group of Fortran users. We now have a home
on the Web at URL http://www.idg.co.uk/acornuser/pd/scene/groups/
fortran.html.
9.9
Our three PD utilities are a menu-based front end to simplify the use of
Fortran77, !WimpPoly which is a complete example application that draws
polyhedra, and PGPLOT, a portable graphics package for drawing
scientific graphs.
9.9
Kate Crennell <[e-mail]>
9.9
!Redraw application Ö As regards my Vector Conversion Program, that was
on the Archive 9.8 program disc, I would just like to add a couple of
points:
9.9
Firstly, I have moved since the help file was created; my current
address is: 13 Monks Crescent, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 1UX.
9.9
Secondly, if readers have found !Redraw useful, they may like to
consider making a donation (via the above address) to my local Scouts,
2nd New Haw Scout Group, to whom cheques should be payable. Thank you.
9.9
David Breakwell <[e-mail]>
9.9
Software for use in R.E. Ö Does anyone know of any software for Acorn
machines that relates to the study of R.E. in secondary schools? I know
about the öAspects of Religion CDò and obvious things like the excellent
Holy Bible software from ExpLAN, and thereæs some clipart around, but is
there anything else? (By the way, Iæm talking about Religious Education
and not just Christian Education.)
9.9
If you know of anything, please could you let me know and/or write to
Liz Leyden, 28 Greenbank, Dalry, Ayrshire, KA24 5AY who initiated the
query? Thanks.
9.9
Ed.
9.9
Transport, please? Ö We have people wanting BBC computer systems for
charitable purposes, such as to help children with Downs Syndrome. There
are four complete BBC systems at University College London that could be
so used. The trouble is that we donæt have transport. Is there anyone
coming up from London to the Norwich area in the next few weeks who
could bring them up for us, please? If so, please either contact me or
Paul. Thanks.
9.9
John Bailey <[e-mail]>
9.9
WWW access Ö It is possible to access the Web via a Psion 3a or a Pocket
Book II by using Compuserve and two shareware programs: ReadCIS and
WebCIS. ReadCIS is a superb Off Line Reader for accessing Compuserve
with a Psion or PB. I rely on it for picking up my email, and accessing
the Palmtop Forum on CompuServe (the friendliest and most helpful
computing community you could imagine) when travelling. Iæd
wholeheartedly recommend CIS membership to anyone with a Psion and a
modem.
9.9
The latest version of WebCIS (plus a copy of ReadCIS) is on this monthæs
program disc.
9.9
John Woodthorpe <[e-mail]>
9.9
Puzzle Corner
9.9
Colin Singleton
9.9
I am delighted by the steady growth in response to this column. There
are clearly quite a number of seasoned puzzlists among Archive readers,
as well as many enthusiastic amateurs. The word Puzzlist is not in the
OED, and causes my spell-checker to bleep Ö any offers?
9.9
The latest winners ...
9.9
(58) Prime Sequences
9.9
Most entrants found sequences up to order seven, though two found the
order six solution but failed to recognise that it also provides a
sequence of seven. No-one found my order eight solution. Robert Beech of
Macclesfield wins the prize.
9.9
(59Ö61) Ship in a Bottle Ö Heinz Beanz Canz
9.9
The Ship in a Bottle problem brought a variety of answers, many
incorrect. The Beans Cans proved less troublesome. The prize goes to
Richard Lyszkowski of Bridge of Allan.
9.9
... last monthæs answers ...
9.9
(62) Athletics and Football
9.9
Several readers have complained that this puzzle is too easy Ö but they
have not found the right answer! The sides of the football pitch do not
coincide with the straights of the athletics track.
9.9
There are two independent variables which must be considered Ö I have
identified the radius r and the angle a, though other variables can be
used. For a given radius, you can use the progressive approximation
technique (explained by Gerald Fitton in Issue 9.6) to deduce the
optimum angle, i.e. the one which gives the largest area for the
football pitch. But the radius is itself a variable, for which we must
find the optimum value. One approximation routine must be nested within
another. Once you get the logic clear in your mind, the coding is quite
simple, but it does take some time to calculate. Alternatively, you can
use a spreadsheet to build a matrix of pitch areas, allocating a range
of values of the radius to the columns and values of the angle to the
rows. Juggling with the parameters should enable you to home in on the
answer.
9.9
The diagram above is approximately to scale. The radius is 53.5231, the
straights are 31.8523, the pitch is 100.0000 ╫ 82.5516, giving an area
of 8255.1616, all to 4 dp. In real life, the dimensions of an athletics
track are now specified with a radius of 36.500m and straights of
84.390m, although some older tracks do not conform to this
specification. Before you all complain Ö can you explain why these
figures look wrong but are in fact right? The diagram in the last Issue
shows, approximately, the shapes actually used.
9.9
(63) 1000000!
9.9
To determine the number of zeros on the end, we need only calculate the
total power of five in the factors of 1000000!. 200000 of the numbers
1Ö1000000 contain a factor five. 40000 of these contain a second factor
five, 8000 a third, 1600 a fourth, 320 a fifth, 64 a sixth, 12 a
seventh, and two are multiples of 58 (=390625). The answer is 200000 +
40000 + 8000 + 1600 + 320 + 64 + 12 +2 = 249998.
9.9
Gerald Fitton has posed the supplementary problem of calculating
1000000!, as accurately as possible. He gives a value to six significant
figures, which (amazingly!) I have confirmed using two very different
methods of calculation. My two values, however, differ in the seventh
digit. Any offers?
9.9
(64) Ever Decreasing Angles
9.9
In triangle OBC the sides adjacent to angle OBC have lengths in the
ratio 1:┌2. In triangle OBD, the sides adjacent to the same angle have
lengths ┌2 and 2 Ö the same ratio. Hence triangles OBC and OBD are
similar, and the corresponding angles, B2 and A3, are equal.
9.9
Similarly, in triangle OCD, the sides adjacent to angle OCD are in the
ratio 1:┌5, and the same ratio applies in triangle OCH. Hence these
triangles are similar, and angle A7 = B3. In general, Bn = An▓Ön+1.
9.9
(65) Powerful
9.9
No, you cannot use Log Tables, because they were produced using a
computer! (How were they produced before computers?) There are several
ways of solving this puzzle, one of which is 331995 = (331662á╫á33333) >
(331662á╫á32333) = (331662á╫á21665) > (331662á╫á21662) = 661662 >
651662. In fact, the ratio of 331995 to 651662áis greater thaná8.6╫1010.
9.9
... this monthæs prize puzzle ...
9.9
(66) The New Chairman
9.9
This puzzle uses an old idea of which I was reminded in a letter from
Robert Newmark. The Chairman of a large company called the Directors
(less than 100 of them) to a meeting, at which he announced his
retirement, and proposed a novel way of selecting his successor. He sat
all the Directors, including himself, in a circle, then, counting
clockwise from the person on his left, he eliminated every Nth person
from the circle until there was only one person left. That was his son!
9.9
In an attempt to quell the outcry of Éfixæ, he offered to start again,
with everyone in the same chairs, but eliminating every (N+1)th person.
Again, the survivor was his son. Another outcry. Another selection
process Ö this time eliminating every (N+2)th person Ö and again the
Chairmanæs son survived! This time the others gave up in despair.
9.9
If the number N is less than the number of directors, where was the new
Chairman sitting in relation to his father?
9.9
... and this monthæs prize quickies ...
9.9
(67) St Andrew
9.9
A quickie from the Scottish Mathematical Challenge, 1995. The arms on
the cross of the Scottish flag are parallel to the diagonals of the
rectangle, and the flag is symmetrical. If the white cross occupies 36%
of the area, where do the edges of the diagonal arms intercept the edges
of the rectangle?
9.9
(68) Four Points
9.9
This puzzle is taken from the Entrance Scholarship Examination of the
University of St Andrews and, like the previous one, was contributed by
Richard Lyszkowski. In how many ways can four points be arranged in a
plane so that there are only two different values for the distance
between any pair of points?
9.9
(69) Cigarettes
9.9
Can you arrange six cigarettes on a table so that each touches each of
the others? Easy? Try again with seven!
9.9
And finally ...
9.9
Several readers have asked about the Journal of Recreational
Mathematics. It is edited by Joseph S Madachy, 4761 Bigger Road,
Kettering, OH 45440-1829, USA, and published by Baywood Publishing Inc.,
26 Austin Avenue, PO Box 337, Amityville, NY 11701, USA. There are four
issues per year, and the subscription is $19.95 plus $11.25 postage
outside the USA and Canada. I do not have a regular column in JRM Ö it
isnæt organised that way Ö but I do have contributions in each issue.
9.9
The League Table shows increasing competition at the top and (off this
leader-board) increasing numbers of Éfun runnersæ who enter
occasionally, when the mood takes them. All are welcome! Please send
solutions (by Friday 7th June), contributions and comments to me, at 41
St Quentin Drive, Sheffield, S17á4PN.áuá
9.9
StereoWorld
9.9
Dave Wilcox
9.9
This RiscPC-only program has been around for a while now. It was written
by Gordon Key and is marketed by the Fourth Dimension. Stereoworld is a
package for the display and creation of Stereograms.
9.9
So what are Stereograms? I am sure everyone has seen, and probably tried
to solve, one of these optical puzzles at some time. Basically, you are
presented with a kaleidoscope of colour out of which your brain has to
decipher the shape of a three dimensional picture.
9.9
Confession time Ö up until recently, I had no idea of what to do, or
what I was looking for. With perseverance, I eventually managed to crack
my first picture Ö the visual effect was truly amazing, and I was
hooked.
9.9
The package
9.9
The program is packaged in a cardboard box with a stereogram on the lid
for your first attempt. Inside the box are six high density discs and an
A5 flyer with installation instructions. To run the program, the minimum
recommended machine specification is RISC OS 3.1, 4Mb of RAM, 10Mb of
hard disc space (the program must be run from a hard disc), and a VGA
monitor Ö but as far as I know, all RiscPCs have at least this spec
anyway.
9.9
The program
9.9
For the review, I installed the program onto a RiscPC700 with 2Mb video
RAM and 16Mb RAM. Installation went smoothly, and I ended up with the
Stereoworld icon. Double clicking on this installs an icon onto the
iconbar Ö a click on this and away you go. The first screen is a
graphical menu, giving options of viewing pre-designed images,
animations and morphs, games, creating your own and help. These options
are also available from the iconbar icon via the menu button.
9.9
The simplest of these is the help option, and all screens, except for
the games area, have help options. There is no manual with the program,
so all problems are, hopefully, answered in the online help, which
appears to be fairly concise. The first error came to light here, in
that all of the text in the help window had its descenders chopped off.
9.9
Images Option: This displays the pre-designed images in a window. You
have options to view full screen, print, help, cancel, or view image,
all of which are self-explanatory. The only option which is not always
available is the view image. Some of the images are just straightforward
3D pictures and have no hidden picture within them, so if this applies
to the viewed picture, the option is greyed out.
9.9
The hidden image pictures are easily viewed on screen, and the majority
are viewable on a black and white print, although care must be taken if
a large amount of dark colour is used, as the details will merge into a
large black blob. I am not in a position to produce a colour print at
the moment, but am sure the quality would be that of the screen view.
There are 19 pre-defined pictures.
9.9
Animation and Morphs: This works on the same basis as the images area
but, as the title suggests, it consists of an animated sequence. I have
struggled for ages to master seeing the still pictures, but I have not
managed to get anywhere near mastering a moving picture yet! There are
four pre-defined scenes in this area.
9.9
Games: There are three games, Escape, Lander and Stereosaw. Escape is
the bat, ball and brick wall game (ÉBreakoutæ as it is known) and Lander
is the moon lander in differing gravity situations. Both of these have
one or two player options, and fall into the same class as the
animations and morphs, i.e. I have no chance yet, as I canæt twist my
eyes around enough Ö Iæm still practising. Stereosaw is a little simpler
Ö an image block puzzle with all the pieces jumbled.
9.9
Create Your Own: This is the business end of the program where you can
play at turning your own pictures into stereograms. There are 23 pre-
defined objects for you to practise with, in different sizes (small,
medium and large) and three font sets comprising upper and lower case
letters and the numbers. Also included are 16 background pictures.
9.9
To create a picture from the built-in options, you select the size and
shape required, and place it on the blank Écreateæ window. If you change
your mind whilst building the picture, you have the option of clearing
all of the screen or of undoing the last action. Whilst at the building
stage, you can also select whether to build in colour or grey scale.
Once you have an object selected, you can flip it on the x- or y¡axis
prior to placing. You also have the options of SET, OR, AND and EOR. I
havenæt fathomed these yet. I know they are logical operators, but have
not worked out their effects on the final result.
9.9
If you wish to load your own objects into the program, you can do this
by dragging them to the objects window. There are a few restrictions on
what can be imported as follows: (1) the sprite file should be no larger
than 160Kb (2) only the first sprite in a file will be loaded (3) the
sprite must be drawn in a 256 colour mode.
9.9
Sprites and drawfiles can also be loaded in this manner, as completed
pictures. In this case, the picture will be centred in the window. The
restrictions on objects applies equally in this instance, but the
maximum file size is 286Kb.
9.9
Problems
9.9
There were two other problems with my installation, besides the chopped-
off descenders. The stereograms failed to print, and the screen redraw
on the Create Your Own option did not work properly, leaving bits of
sprite lying around. Fourth Dimension and Gordon Key have both been very
helpful in trying to correct the faults I have mentioned, alas to no
avail to date. I have now put it down to modifications by Acorn in the
RiscPC 700.
9.9
Both problems are, however, avoidable. The screen redraw problem is
cured by pressing <f12> and return, and the printing problem is bypassed
in a way. When your machine refuses to print, check the !Scrap
directory, where you should find the drawfile waiting to be printed. If
you save this out of !Scrap, you have your picture, ready to print from
Draw.
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
Despite the problems, this is an excellent package. Iáhave to assume
that a RiscPC 600 installation will function correctly, as there appear
to have been no earlier complaints by owners of the RiscPC 600. This is
not the only package that fails or falls over on the RiscPC 700 but
works on the RiscPC 600. Some of the items listed with the ARM Club
GameOn application as workable, also fail on the RiscPC 700, so there
must be a significant difference somewhere in the 3.6 operating system.
9.9
As I have said above, the problems I encountered are surmountable, and
the program does the job it was designed for in a well-presented way, as
is now expected of Gordon Keyæs work. Stereoworld is available for
ú29.95 from 4th Dimension, or ú28 through Archive.áuá
9.9
Spobbleoid Fantasy
9.9
Dave Floyd
9.9
Spobbleoid Fantasy is the new version of the original Spobbleoid,
released in 1994 by Cybernation. Now released by 4th Dimension, Fantasy
not only includes an improved version of the original, but 36 new levels
and a level designer and costs ú29.95 from 4th Dimension or ú28 through
Archive.
9.9
The game
9.9
In Spobbleoid, you play the part of a clockwork orange who has to
collect fruit and power pills in order to save the world. To make the
task more difficult than it sounds, blocks need to be moved around the
screen to gain access to everything, and monsters roam around randomly
and should be avoided if at all possible. Each level has a time limit,
and contact with the monsters diminishes it very quickly. Care must also
be taken when moving blocks, as it is easy to cover a piece of fruit in
such a way that you cannot get to it, necessitating restarting the
level. Basically, the general gist of the game is something similar to a
cross between Pengo and Repton, though not quite as clever as either.
9.9
The first few levels are reasonably easy, but this does not last. As you
progress, blocks that can only be pushed vertically or horizontally,
locked blocks for which you need to pick up a key, and time-lock blocks,
all appear. The time allowed to move the time-lock blocks before they
become locked into place is not very long at all, so it needs careful
planning. Aáfew more levels on, and you have to kill all the monsters
too, by crushing them with well aimed (orálucky) blocks in order to
complete the levels.
9.9
Even further on, you begin in a small cell of blocks. In order to
escape, you have to work out the four digit code and touch the corner
blocks in that order. There are two ways of doing this. Firstly, by
trial and error. The second is to cheat. I cheated and still could not
get free from the cell, although I knew I was touching the blocks in the
right order! Whether this is a bug or just that I was doing it wrong I
am not sure.
9.9
The background graphics are brightly coloured and nicely designed to
confuse you at first. The animation and movement of the sprites is
faultless and very fast. At times, I experienced difficulty in lining up
Spobbleoid with a block correctly and wasted precious seconds
repositioning him. This does get easier with practice, however.
9.9
A password system means that you do not have to return to the start
every (and there will be many) time you lose all your lives. The levels
are split into groups of six though, so if you lose all your lives on
the sixth level within a group, you will have to work your way through
the previous five in order to return to where you were. This I found
frustrating at times, and would have much preferred each individual
level to be given a password.
9.9
The level designer
9.9
What makes this game well worth the money is the level designer included
in the package. Not only does this mean that you can create new levels
to pass around amongst your friends, but it also allows you to make the
game easier if need be and to discover the four digit codes if, like me,
you feel that using trial and error to work them out is a rather unfair
task to be set. It is very simple to use, entailing copying one of the
data discs and either editing what is already there or blanking it all
and starting from scratch.
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
Those who bought and enjoyed the original Spobbleoid should waste no
time in buying this game. The extra levels and designer will ensure that
you will not be disappointed. In essence, this is a fun game and
although, in its native state, the speed could make it off-putting to
many, the level designer allows you to modify this if necessary. Anybody
then, who feels they would like to wile away a few hours with a game
that requires a little more thought than is required to press a fire
button as quickly as possible, could do far worse than Spobbleoid
Fantasy.áuá
9.9
ViVID 5000
9.9
Mike Tomkinson
9.9
A utility is only useful if you have a use for it. This may sound
obvious but if a software reviewer doesnæt find a utility useful, this
can colour his review. Youæll see what I mean if you read on.
9.9
ViVID 5000 arrived from iSV and was duly installed on my hard disc. I
use an old A5000 (with a 40Mb HD Ö remember when that was massive?) and
a Microvitec multisync monitor. The AKF18 was a complete disaster as I
am sure anyone stuck with one can tell you.
9.9
Documentation for ViVID 5000 comes in the form of an electronic book
produced using the Inform software, also from iSV. I am generally not in
favour of e-book documentation, but it keeps down costs and is certainly
environmentally friendly. As usual, Iáonly consult the manual when all
else fails.
9.9
The package is very easy to install and comes with another utility
called !SuperVIDC which tests for the presence of (yes, you guessed it)
a SuperVIDC chip. As I have said, mine is an early A5000 and apparently
does not have this chip. The test involves running the software to test
that the display is rock steady Ö if it is not, you are warned not to
install the !SuperVIDC modes, as the VIDC Chip may be damaged. This
seems fair enough, but I cannot comment on the differences such a chip
may have and its ability to produce 256 colour screens at a higher
frequency.
9.9
ViVID basically enables the A5000 to emulate some of the much higher
screen resolutions available on higher spec machines such as the RiscPC.
It is described in the e-book as a mode enhancer that allows higher than
normal screen resolution. It says that it will work with an AKF18
monitor but that rather depends on whether your AKF18 monitor is on one
of its regular trips back to the menders.
9.9
For the technical out there, ViVID 5000 offers real resolutions up to
1024╫536, and emulated hi¡resolution virtual desktops up to 2240╫2016 in
16 colours. The trade-off is that, as the resolution increases,
everything on the desktop takes on ever decreasing size and strangeness
of appearance. It is amazing how used one becomes to mode 27. Anything
else seems slightly foreign.
9.9
However, it does all work and work very well. Some of the more esoteric
modes are not very useful (to me) but, as I have said, a utilityæs
usefulness depends entirely on the user. I did like being able to see
Impression pages fully on a 14ö monitor without having to reduce to 80%
view, but apart from that, Iáwas quite prepared to write this utility
off as being akin to a whistling dog Ö interesting but not particularly
useful.
9.9
That was until our school became involved in a recent newspaper day, the
general idea of which is to produce a newspaper in one day. Not that
difficult you might think, but as pupils cannot, even under the National
Curriculum(!), be required to work night¡shifts, it is very difficult.
9.9
You are sent some material beforehand, in this case, a survey about
advertising as a CSV file, and you must include a comparison with a
questionnaire from your own students. This was loaded into the Advance
spreadsheet and was very large. Moving around the screen to look at,
select, sort and the graph data was becoming a real nightmare Ö
particularly as I was working on an A5000 with a Microvitec 14ö
multisync monitor.
9.9
What has this to do with ViVID 5000? Well, just as Iáwas removing the
few remaining hairs on the top of my head I remembered that I had ViVID
5000 installed on my hard disc. You can probably guess the rest, but I
ran the program and instantly all was clear. I could see much more of
the spreadsheet area, selection was easier and the whole process was
transformed from a nightmare to a dream. You can also change modes on
the fly while still working, with no need to quit applications or re-
boot until you find the most appropriate mode.
9.9
Needless to say, having found a use for the utility, under pressure, my
feelings for its usefulness were altered from apathy to wholehearted
enthusiasm. This is a good package which could be a great package if,
like me, you have or find a use for it. Of course, we should all have
RiscPCs with 17ö monitors, but Iárather suspect some of us have become
very attached to the A5000. If so, this utility allows such users some
of the convenience without the cost of a new system. On the subject of
cost, the whole package costs just ú15 plus ú1.50 post and packing.
9.9
Those of you without A5000s, can purchase a companion utility called
ViVID 20 which requires an ARM250 or ARM3 processor and RISC OS 3.1, as
well as a VIDC enhancer (fitted as standard on A30x0, A4000 and A540
machines) and a multisync or SVGA monitor. It costs ú10 plus ú1.50
carriage.
9.9
Buy one of these utilities now, because the chances are that you will
discover a need for them at a moment of pressure and it is better to be
prepared. ViVID 5000 will be staying on my hard disc, and Iáhave not
been able to say that about many utilities over the years.áuá
9.9
VTi / Eclipse Games Roundup
9.9
Andrew Rawnsley
9.9
Of all the major Acorn games companies, it seems that Eclipse is the
only one to be actively developing and releasing products. (That may be
true in terms of what has actually been released over the last few
months, but my RISCáOS developersæ survey shows that a lot of the games
companies are still saying they are definitely committed to producing
Acorn games, so weæll have to see what comes through in the autumn. The
summer is not a good time to release games software! Ed.)
9.9
Dune II CD
9.9
This title is a must for CD-ROM owners. I reviewed the original title
last summer and declared it to be a top notch conversion, but this CD
release is fantastic.
9.9
The game is still the same Ö command and produce futuristic military
units, whilst developing an expansive base, harvesting the mineral
ÉSpiceæ. Of course, youære not alone Ö enemy attacks are all too common,
so plenty of strategy is required. This is offset by the speed at which
the game develops, and thereæs always plenty of action taking place, so
youæll never be bored.
9.9
The single major difference between the original production and its CD
big brother is the addition of music. Dune II CD is the first Acorn game
to support General Midi music, taking advantage of any extra sound
boards which might be present in your machine. The effect is stunning Ö
more akin to a movieæs audio than that of a computer game.
9.9
But what if you havenæt got a Midi card? Well, thereæs always ESPæs
Software Synthesizer (well worth investing in if you canæt justify a
Midi Synth card, although it currently only works on the RiscPC) or you
can simply use the gameæs standard music instead. This will work on both
16-bit soundcards and the original Acorn 8-bit system, and given that
the original music was created specifically for Midi, the translation is
remarkable. This is helped by a large collection of samples taken from
an expensive Midi system, for which the CD makes the ideal medium.
9.9
So, once youæve got used to the rousing battle anthems and the
background theme music, what else does the CD offer? Well, there is a
lot more speech, particularly for commanding units, and in-game
information, as well as the original, fairly impressive introductory
sequence. This sets the scene well and, whilst not being a major selling
point, itæs nice to see.
9.9
Finally, the CD release takes a minimal amount of hard disc space
compared to the original 9 Mb! Whilst it could be played from floppy,
few would recommend it, although I believe it was good for the arm
muscles! It is perhaps this fact alone that makes me recommend this
version over the floppy release Ö you canæt lose because Dune II is
still Dune II be it on floppy or CD, but 9Mb of disc space is well worth
saving.
9.9
To reiterate Ö Dune 2 should be considered an essential purchase, and on
CD, doubly so Ö itæs the same great game, but now comes with added
atmosphere and excitement. Buy it!
9.9
DarkWood
9.9
DarkWood has been one of the most hyped Acorn games for a log time. The
author ran competitions over the Internet during the run-up to its
release and the Acorn games newsgroup was flooded with traffic. But was
it worth it?
9.9
On balance, Iæd have to say no. DarkWood isnæt an inherently bad game,
in fact, its graphics engine is quite excellent Ö full of beautifully
shaded hills spinning round as your character moves over the landscape Ö
itæs just a shame the rest of the graphics overlaid on top arenæt much
good! Yes, it suffers from Native Acorn Game Syndrome Ö lots of lovely
bright green hills, bright blue streams and bright yellow suns, and
absolutely no subtlety whatsoever.
9.9
With a title like DarkWood, it might be expected to have some sort of
dark atmosphere, but youæll need more than just a pair of shades to
darken DarkWood. The game itself is basically an adventure Ö except that
no-one buys adventures, do they? So itæs a platform game, but nobody
forks out for those either. So itæs a 3D game, too...
9.9
It is probably closest to old 4th Dimension games like Pandoraæs Box and
Carnage Inc., except that, unlike the others, DarkWood doesnæt seem to
know quite where itæs going. Youæll be in the middle of trying to solve
a puzzle when you come across some platforms floating in mid air, so
itæs time to start fumbling at the controls, trying not to fall to your
death or get attacked by skeletons.
9.9
On the plus side, DarkWood contains a fair bit of humour, and thereæs
plenty to do, so itæll have a reasonable life span. It will also appeal
to people who are looking for something a bit different. The puzzles
themselves are fairly good, with plenty of variety, but itæs a shame you
have to get bogged down with the arcade elements in between. Many of the
interior locations are fun Ö with a style similar to that of classic
adventures such as Sam and Max, and Day of the Tentacle on the PC.
9.9
To summarise, DarkWood doesnæt quite hit the mark for any of the genres
of games that it encompasses, but if itæs a blend of styles that youære
after, you could do worse. Priced at around ú25 (ú24 through Archive),
itæs not the most expensive of games, but Iæd certainly recommend the
try-before-you-buy approach.
9.9
Global Effect
9.9
This is Eclipseæs latest game, which has only been released relatively
recently, although itæs been on the cards for a while.
9.9
The game itself is very similar to the old WorldScape title. I say old Ö
it was Eclipseæs first product way back in 1990 Ö so youæd be forgiven
for not having heard of it! If you can imagine Sim City on a global
scale, then youæve got some idea of Global Effect.
9.9
Graphically, itæs not a patch on Sim City 2000, although few games are.
The scale is much smaller than SC2000 due to the size of play area
available Ö aácontinent rather than a county!
9.9
You start with a barren world, with no cities, power sources, farms,
reservoirs or mines. Itæs then your job to build oil-rigs, refineries,
sewage plants and cities for them to serve. Unfortunately, youære up
against pollution, the dreaded ozone layer, and suburban expansion!
9.9
On some worlds, you may have seismic problems too, and letæs hope you
never face a nuclear catastrophe with contamination...
9.9
The manual even talks of computer-controlled opposition with battles
taking place, but youæll need the Éenhanced versionæ which would still
appear to be vapourware.
9.9
The game certainly takes a while to get used to, as the interface isnæt
quite as simple as that of Sim City. However, one of the failings of Sim
City was that you never quite knew how detailed it was. For example,
when building residential areas, are internal roads developed
automatically, or do you need to connect up every other block or so? Not
so in Global Effect. Because youære working on a global scale, a town
block is just that. Your concern is more about how and where it
develops, than providing it with every conceivable resource to make it
do so.
9.9
This distinction is very subtle, but it means you can always understand
whatæs going on, and whatæs making your world tick, rather than
searching around for a disconnected water main or electricity pylon.
9.9
However, in the long term, it is this conceptual simplicity that will be
the gameæs downfall. Sim City gave you the choice of trying a different
combination of options to achieve a desired effect, whereas in Global
Effect, youæll usually get that result pretty quickly, but itæs the
environmental impact that will be the problem.
9.9
In conclusion, Global Effect is certainly a good game. If you enjoyed
Sim City 2000, then Global Effect should go down well. It also has the
advantage of running on lower-end machines. Graphically, itæs not a
patch on SC2000, but the differences in gameplay are such that no-one
would criticise you for owning both. A warning to owners of 16-bit
soundcards, though Ö turn off all the sound before doing anything, as
the raucous crackle that you get otherwise wonæt win you any friends!áuá
9.9
Art Lesson CD-ROM
9.9
Rob Ives + Helen Constable
9.9
Helen contacted us offering to review Art Lesson, because she was
impressed with it. As we already had Robæs review, we asked Helen to
write some supporting comments. Anyway, letæs hear from Rob first...
9.9
It seems that you canæt open an Acorn magazine without finding some of
Christopher Jarmanæs excellent artwork. An Artworks picture is on the
cover of the latest edition of Acorn Publisher, as well as an article
explaining how the picture was created. He has clipart on the cover disc
of Archimedes World this month, as well as regular reviews and articles
in Archive magazine. In a recent Archive (9.4 p41), he describes how he
produced a Genesis application for CD-ROM. This is a review of that
application.
9.9
Art Lesson CD-ROM
9.9
Art Lesson is intended as an Art course for Key stage 2 children
(Juniors, that is). It comes packed in a standard CD-ROM case, and the
single disc is packed with 450Mb of data, equivalent to a pile of high
density floppies almost a metre high! The case insert is an eight-page
booklet containing details of the disc contents, how to run the
software, and how to use the software within a school.
9.9
On the disc, as well as the main !Artlesson application, are ninety-
three high quality PhotoCD pictures on subjects ranging from a closeup
of frozen leaves to Roman mosaics. These pictures are intended as a
stimulus for childrenæs work and, as such, are licensed for use within
the purchasing institution.
9.9
After loading !ArtLesson in the usual way, you are presented with a
title page, a copyright page, then an introduction to the buttons page,
a contents page and, finally, the Art Room itself. This is OK the first
time, but a quick start option would be useful.
9.9
From the contents page, you can get to the various parts of the program
at a click of the mouse. As well as access to the main art room, there
is a short non-interactive demo of the CD-ROM as a whole. This lasts for
about three minutes, and you are warned that it is non-interactive
before you start. The demo seems to be intended as a demonstration for
prospective purchasers.
9.9
The view of the inside of an Art Room is the starting point for your
explorations of the program. Clicking on the various items in the room
takes you to different parts of the program, with the ÉHelpæ tray
reminding you what does what. There are five main sections. Click on the
painting on the wall and you go off to an exhibition of art work, which
is divided into two sections Ö the work of established artists and
childrenæs work. Both are of a high quality and should prove useful as
examples for classroom use.
9.9
Clicking on the window takes you to the photographic studio where you
can view seven of the PhotoCD pictures. Clicking on these pictures
enlarges them, but the actual size of the window containing the picture
seems to be somewhat random. Some open to full size whilst others need
to be dragged open. One picture doesnæt have a resize button on it, so
the whole picture cannot be seen.
9.9
The colour studio
9.9
Clicking on the tins of paint takes you to the colour studio, which
leads you through many aspects of colour theory, from mixing paints to
how to paint reflections. All the subjects are covered clearly, with
some excellent demonstrations. Some areas have simple animations, and
others make use of clear illustrations. The section on complementary and
contrasting colours is particularly interesting. Did you know, for
example, that the colour of a Heinz baked bean tin is the exact
complement to the colour of the beans inside?
9.9
The final section before leaving the Art Room is accessed by clicking on
the brushes. This leads you to the store room where you are given a
complete list of the resources needed for each of the themes. These
lists are easily printed out and should prove useful within the
classroom.
9.9
The themes
9.9
Clicking on the Énext pageæ button takes you to the first of ten themes.
These are the core of the Art Lesson CD. In each of the ten themes, you
are first of all presented with a stimulus, then a series of suggested
activities which lead from it. For example, with the ÉDriftwoodæ theme,
you are shown an enlargeable photo of an intricately formed piece of
driftwood, and then pictures based on the form of the driftwood, some
more excellent photographs, and some pages of ideas for art work. Each
of these pages could develop into several sessions of work with a group
of children.
9.9
There are ten themes in all: Driftwood, Lichen, Birds, Frost, Leaves,
Natural forms, Wood, Bricks and Stone, The Sea and Pictures from life.
All of them have a variety of high quality stimulus material and several
pages of ideas.
9.9
But...
9.9
ArtLesson runs in a window with no scroll bars and no title bar. It
squats in the corner of the screen and will not be moved. Now I reckon
that if a program is going to take over the screen, then it should go
the whole hog. Get rid of everything and have the program centred in the
middle of the blank screen. This removes the distraction of other
programs, and gives a nice uncluttered screen. Conversely, if the
program is going to work on the desktop, it should be in a movable, put-
to-the-backable, resizeable window. ArtLesson isnæt.
9.9
I tried the program out on our schoolæs shiny new A7000, and thought Iæd
see what the Artworks backdrops looked like in 32,000 colour mode. On
the A7000, the maximum screen size in 32,000 colour mode is 480╫352.
This is smaller than the ArtLesson window. Having changed the mode, I
was stuck! Iácould only see three-quarters of the ArtLesson window and I
couldnæt change mode because the window wouldnæt move. The only escape
was to use <alt-break> to quit ArtLesson, change the mode, then reload
it, going through the title page, copyright page, the button page and
the contents page before finally arriving at the Art Studio page. By the
way, the backdrops looked fantastic in 32,000 colour mode!
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
Apart from the way it takes over the desktop, I would thoroughly
recommend ArtLesson. It is packed with fascinating information and
invaluable sources of inspiration. A program like this is not to be
rushed through. I am sure that, with careful planning, there would be
work on its 280 pages to last throughout the entire academic year and
beyond.
9.9
ArtLesson CD costs ú29.95 + p&p +VAT from Nash Pollock Publishing or ú36
through Archive.áuá
9.9
Now itæs Helenæs turn...
9.9
Helping the Énon-specialistæ to teach KS2 Art
9.9
The Programme of Study for Junior age pupils, requires that they are
introduced to the work of artists, craftspeople and designers, in order
to develop their appreciation of the richness of our diverse cultural
heritage. This is not always an easy thing to do in the classroom,
because resources are scarce, and a wide selection of pictures is not
always available. Christopher Jarmanæs Art Lesson CD-ROM contains not
only examples of work from professional artists, but also paintings done
by Érealæ children, which is always an excellent stimulus for discussion
in the classroom.
9.9
In the section on ÉKnowledge and Understandingæ in the Art National
Curriculum, Junior age pupils are expected to learn about visual
literacy; that is to say, the way artists uses shapes, colours, lines
and textures to express what they are feeling. There are ample
opportunities when using Art Lesson for children to leave the computer
and go off and try these things for themselves. In this way, the author
is using the CD as a starting point for more Éconventionalæ art rather
than expecting the children to use the computer as the medium in which
to create. (That is not to say that it canæt be, of course!)
9.9
Teachers who are not Éat homeæ teaching art are often apprehensive about
the best way to tackle some of the things which they are required to do
in National Curriculum Art, such as getting children to develop an art
and design vocabulary, and the ability to use knowledge to support
[their] views. This CD, which is delightfully easy to use, and
realistically priced for the Primary market, will prove to be an
invaluable teaching resource.áuá
9.9
Tiny Art
9.9
Denise Bates
9.9
Finding software which can be used successfully by four and five year
olds is not easy because young children have minimal mouse control. Tiny
Art is an art package produced specifically for this age group. It has
been designed to encourage creativity and to avoid the complications of
the RISC OS user interface. Version 1.0 of Tiny Art was reviewed using
an A5000 (RISC OS 3.1).
9.9
Installation
9.9
Tiny Art is supplied on one disc and will run on any Acorn computer
which has a RISC OS 3 operating system. The program comes already
configured, so it can be up and running with just a few mouse clicks Ö a
boon to busy classroom teachers or parents of impatient children. The
software installed to hard disc without problems. The program
automatically selects a suitable 256 colour mode.
9.9
Manual
9.9
The manual is straightforward and comprehensive. The first section deals
with how to install and operate the software. An appendix for
technically minded users shows how to add user-defined tools to the
program. However, the tools as provided are more than adequate for
producing good results.
9.9
Using Tiny Art
9.9
Essentially, Tiny Art is a much simplified paint package. Colours are
restricted to twelve. The art tools are a brush, spray can, three shapes
and a background fill. There is a text box so words can be incorporated
into a picture. There are six tool-size options which are controlled by
clicking the mouse. These limits on colour and size options eliminate
frustration for children who cannot control the slide bar which is found
in other art packages to determine colour or size.
9.9
All the tools can be individually disabled. Disabling tools removes
their icon from the screen. This allows children to learn about a few
tools at a time rather than trying to include every conceivable option
into their artwork. It is also possible to disable the delete option to
prevent children accidentally losing their picture.
9.9
Teaching aspects
9.9
Tiny Art is simple to operate, and children can work with minimal
supervision. In practice, most benefit will occur if they are guided
through activities. Apart from simply encouraging a child to experiment
with colours and shapes, the software lends itself to more structured
learning activities. An interesting idea, as an exercise in mouse
control, is for an adult to draw a simple maze with a thick brush. The
child then selects a thinner brush and a different colour and attempts
to draw a line over the maze. A variant is to use the brush to make a
simple outline pattern of dots for a particular object (trees work
well), and ask the child to join them together and colour them in.
9.9
The text box gives several learning opportunities. Children who are
interested in the letters on the keyboard, can be helped to type their
own name or initials and then make a pattern, or to make a pattern from
all the letters of the alphabet. Another possibility, as letter
recognition develops, is to paint a picture and name it.
9.9
Although Tiny Art is aimed at the Reception age-group, it could be used
successfully throughout Key Stage 1. Year Two children could operate it,
without help, to produce a specified output, such as a poster
incorporating words and pictures which can then be printed out.
9.9
Printing
9.9
I had no problems when printing out from Tiny Art, and the output looked
very good. The printing routine uses less than maximum ink intensity to
reduce running costs.
9.9
Saving files
9.9
Files are saved in sprite format which means that they can be imported
into other suitable packages. As files are automatically saved to a
directory within Tiny Art itself, floppy disc users will find that their
discs fill up quickly. To avoid problems, more than one backup disc
needs to be readily to hand. Given that pictures can be memory-hungry, I
would recommend that stored files are regularly reviewed and deleted if
no longer required.
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
In terms of ease of use and value for money, I would recommend Tiny Art
to any infant school and also to parents of pre-school children.
9.9
Tiny Art is produced by Rooksoft, and costs ú14.95 (no VAT). This is for
a full site licence. Cheques should be made payable to C. Baylis.áuá
9.9
Zap Ö PD Text Editor
9.9
Sudipta Sarkar
9.9
Edit isnæt a bad text editor Ö it is very memory-frugal and is built
into every RISC OS 3 machine Ö but for many applications, it is not
really good enough. One alternative is Dominic Symesæ fast text/memory
editor, Zap, which is available at minimal cost by downloading it from
Hensa or getting it from a PD library. It runs on all machines
including, I gather, RISC OS 2.
9.9
Iæve been using Zap for quite a while now, starting with 1.10 and now
1.30. I was originally attracted by its comprehensive facilities which
may also be a little overwhelming to any newcomer. In describing Zap,
Iáshall make comparisons with Edit, which everyone has access to, and
also to StrongEd 3.50 which many people may know.
9.9
When archived, Zap just about fits onto an 800Kb disc but, dearchived,
it occupies over 1.5Mb. This does not mean that Zap is terribly bulky to
work with, but is a function of the extent to which Zap can be
customised Ö it is supplied with a wide range of third party extensions.
Once choices have been made, unnecessary elements can be deleted Ö which
is a good idea on floppy-only systems!
9.9
Aesthetic appeal
9.9
In terms of display options, it has everything that Edit has, and more.
The colour setup is more adaptable Ö not just the normal fore/background
colour, but also the fore/background colours that are used for text
selections, and the colour of the cursor Ö and its shape! There are nine
different sets of window template files.
9.9
Also, it comes with a large collection of fixed pitch bitmap fonts of
various resolutions, but these are not just for aesthetics. They are
also useful for displaying wide or narrow column widths within the same
screen resolution. These bitmap fonts are in a range of different sizes,
ranging from 4╫6 to 12╫24. The most common is 8╫16, for which the redraw
system has been optimised.
9.9
Fully redefinable keymap
9.9
There are three files containing user settings: !Run, the Keys file and
the !Config file. The first one is best edited using !ZapSetup, and the
last one stores information such as colour, tabs and cursor setups, and
is edited using the options submenus Ö somewhat more substantial than
fiddling with Edit$Options.
9.9
The keys file is a long text file, consisting of three columns: a key, a
code and a command assigned to that key. Every single command in Zap
(e.g. cut, copy, paste) has its own name which can be assigned to any
key, and it will work the next time the keys file is reloaded. If you
want to use a command to which you havenæt assigned a key, then hitting
<ctrl-Esc> will open a little window for you to type the command into.
The file also contains some other information, such as default font and
column width settings.
9.9
Zap handles your data by having different Émodesæ of operation, which
depend upon the type of file you are editing. It is able to load in the
required mode Ö off disc, into memory Ö and then load the file you just
double-clicked on. Alternatively, it can load it into memory during
startup, probably saving a disc swap later. It is even able to move data
from one mode to another.
9.9
Learning
9.9
There are certain features which, although they may not be unique to
Zap, are very easy to use. First and foremost is the ability of Zap to
Élearnæ a sequence of keypresses. Press <ctrl-L>, type in a sequence
which needs to be repeated, and then press <ctrl-L> again, to end the
sequence. From then on, hitting <f1> executes the stored sequence. For
example, if you are typing a collection of REM statements in a Basic
program, it would make sense to do the following:
9.9
<ctrl-L> REM <ctrl-L>
9.9
Following that, hitting <f1> will produce ÉREMæ at the cursor: one
keypress instead of three. This could be useful for small, localised
modifications, but anything involving more than a screenful of data is
probably better dealt with using the search and replace facility which
is quite comprehensive, as you can see below.
9.9
Basic modes
9.9
Many people who learned to program on the Acorn platform will have begun
by using Basic. Zap provides two modes for editing Basic programs, the
first a desktop emulation of ARMBE, and the other which allows it to be
edited in a detokenised form, i.e. as used by Edit.
9.9
Personally, I prefer the former, as it automatically expands keywords.
For example, P. is expanded to PRINT immediately. It also allows me to
set different colours for use in REM statements, strings in inverted
commas and keywords. This makes things on screen clearly readable.
9.9
The third party directory
9.9
This contains about 480Kb of modules, short utilities and supplementary
help files, all with various uses. For example, I might not have
actually been persuaded to use Zap in the first place, if it hadnæt been
for David Holdenæs ZapPrimer. This gives a gentle introduction to the
text editor, and although he does not expect you to be highly computer
literate, neither does he treat you as a complete idiot. Experience of
having used Edit is assumed, and configuration files and a keystrip are
supplied to help get you started.
9.9
I havenæt space here to comment on every single third party extension,
but the fact that there are so many co-authors is a testimony to Zapæs
expandability. Iábelieve this must be mainly due to the large amount of
documentation supplied relating to Zapæs internal workings and how to go
about writing modes and adding commands.
9.9
Notable additions include a setup utility (to make it easier to make
choices related to template and keymap files, along with auto-loaded
modules), aácolour SAsm assembler mode, e-mail/comms utilities, and two
good Latex modes, one of which gives a surprising array of extra
commands Ö even a word count!
9.9
Editæs own mode system looks a little bare by comparison: just able to
handle Text, Basic, Obey and Command files (and the latter twoæs
variants). Anything else doesnæt appear in a usable form.
9.9
A comparable alternative
9.9
Following the release of the Acorn User CD-ROM Vol.1, I was able to take
a look at Zapæs shareware rival, StrongEd.
9.9
First impressions really donæt do much of a favour for Zap: StrongEd
comes with StrongHelp, which not only makes Acornæs interactive help
redundant, but also does it rather impressively, and at the same time
includes online help to SWIs, Basic keywords, filetypes, StrongEd itself
and more.
9.9
StrongEd has a tool and info bar which, perhaps, Zap ought to have,
although it isnæt essential. A character picker is built in, so that you
can access those characters which arenæt on the keyboard (rather more
conveniently than using !Chars). It also has an autosave facility,
temporarily saving the file in its own directory between user saves,
just in case something crashes the desktop in the meantime. However, it
does lack Zapæs backup feature which allows you to keep older versions
of a file, so that you can fall back onto a previous (hopefully) working
copy of a program if a programming mistake renders it non-functional.
9.9
At first, the choices window in StrongEd seemed to be an easy way to
alter the setup, but it soon became apparent that Zap is probably the
more adaptable of the two. StrongEd has almost as large a range of modes
for various filetypes as Zap.
9.9
On disc, StrongEd/Help takes up less than a third of the space of an un-
cut Zap. However, it takes up 224Kb of RAM (before loading a file),
compared to Zapæs 96Kb.
9.9
Minor niggles
9.9
Well, there arenæt many to worry about. The line numbers in Basic mode
go out of sync sometimes, but this is normally alleviated by
renumbering. Thereæs no ÉCR<->LFæ command (though one is in the
pipeline) as in Edit, although there is a way around that, using search
and replace.
9.9
Occasionally, Zap chooses the wrong mode for a particular file. Itæs
happened to me two or three times now: shift-double-clicking on a
desktop file loaded it into Basic mode Ö not all that helpful really!
9.9
Conclusion
9.9
Although Zap is shown up in some respects by StrongEd, you must remember
that StrongEd is shareware (i.e. commercial software distributed freely
allowing you to try before you buy), whereas Zap is freeware (i.e. the
program may be freely copied, in the original unaltered form). The fact
remains, however, that I would not even have attempted this review if I
did not believe that Zap compares very well in terms of quality with
software which is produced commercially Ö definitely worth a try.
9.9
I hope that I have given a good overview of how well Zap functions,
although I have been unable to test the C, Pascal or Assembler modes
because I canæt actually program in those languages! I doubt that any
one person would use all the facilities, and I have only scraped the
surface of a highly sophisticated piece of software which should be on
everybodyæs desktop! Iáam not sure how useful it will be for non-
programmers though Ö but try it!
9.9
Features I havenæt commented on, which Zap has and Edit hasnæt, include:
User definable menus, proper Unix tabs, Emacs style yank, C throwback,
reads disc sectors/tracks and memory of other tasks, keyboard selection
of regions, auto-indent, incremental search-as-you-type, word count and
universal arguments.
9.9
Special Offer
9.9
The latest version of Zap, v1.30, is available from APDL at the
discounted price of ú1, or four 1st class stamps. APDLæs address may be
found at the back of this issue.áuá
9.9
Changing Mode/Palette in RISC OS 3.6
9.9
Francis Crossley
9.9
This is a follow-on article from Archive 9.2 p25 where Francis described
various aspects of a system for receiving weather satellite pictures.
9.9
Last November, I bought the new RiscPC 700, partly because I wanted the
ability to have much higher screen resolution than was possible with my
old A310. This in turn meant needing more memory and finally, I wanted a
more modern computer. I found that my Apec interface card worked happily
in the new machine and I was ready to receive fax pictures from the
short wave radio (Archive 9.2 p25).
9.9
The first change to the program was to permit use of an 800╫600 pixel
screen. Luckily, this can be achieved using mode 32 Ö remember, I am a
dedicated command line user! The displayed pictures were much better,
but they still had the wrong width to height ratio.
9.9
The next task was to design my own screen mode. Thanks to an article by
Andrew Garrard (8.1 p41), a mode having 800╫1200 pixels was obtained,
albeit with a slight flicker Ö one day, I will tune the values, perhaps!
We would appear to be in business. This article explains the use of some
low level commands which change the mode to a non Éold styleæ one, and
permit the definition of a 256 byte palette.
9.9
Mode selection
9.9
The RiscPCs have a better VIDC allowing 32 bits per pixel, and because
of this, the operating system has been extensively changed in some
parts. One such part is in the selection of modes. The old style mode
numbers can still be used, but the numbers cannot be extended to use the
full abilities of the new computer. Instead, a mode selector must be
used to obtain the extra screen modes. A mode selector is a list of 4-
byte numbers giving values for: x and y resolution, pixel depth, frame
rate, a list of mode variables and their associated indices and a
terminator.
9.9
An alternative form of mode specification is the Émode stringæ. The mode
string is used by the display manager and the call ÉWimpModeæ, and is a
list of most of the values used in the mode selector mentioned above but
stated in a more user-friendly form. However, this form is not suitable
for my use.
9.9
Mode selector format
9.9
Each value occupies 1 word (4 bytes). The first value, as you might
expect, is 0, the second, number 1, etc.
9.9
0 Ö 1, mode selector flag not sprite area
9.9
1 Ö x resolution, pixels
9.9
2 Ö y resolution, pixels
9.9
3 Ö pixel depth, 3 for 8 bits, 4=16bpp, 5=32 bpp
9.9
4 Ö frame rate, use Ö1, OS selects frame rate
9.9
5 Ö pairs of mode variables in form Éindex, valueæ
9.9
etc
9.9
The last number is Ö1 (the terminator).
9.9
Mode variables
9.9
There are thirteen of these variables (see p1-709 in the RISC OS3 PRM),
and they are given default values by the OS. Two values must be changed
to allow 256 palette colours to be reassigned. The first, which has
index of 0, is called Émodeflagsæ, and takes the value 128. The other
value which must be changed is Éncolouræ, index 3 which becomes 255.
9.9
If the pixel depth is to be larger, 4 (16 bits per pixel) or 5 (32 bpp),
then I assume that Émodeflagsæ need not be changed but, of course,
Éncoloursæ would have to be. All this sounds very deep but is easy to
implement in assembler. Using Wingpass conventions, the operative part
of the program is:
9.9
mode: .LONG 1,800,1200,3,Ö1,0,128,3,
9.9
255,Ö1
9.9
main::
9.9
          mov  a1,#0
9.9
          ADR  a2,mode
9.9
          SWI OS_ScreenMode
9.9
The values with the label Émodeæ are those listed above, in the same
order. The four values preceding the final ÉÖ1æ are the two mode
variables and their indices which need changing. Note that this article
applies only to the RiscPC computers Ö this command does not exist for
earlier versions of the operating system.
9.9
Everything is plain sailing now; assemble and link the mode change
program, execute it and watch the new mode appear. No, it doesnæt!
Working from the command line, you will probably get the error
Éinsufficient memoryæ or something similar. I spent ages worrying about
this, because the machine said that it had 5Mbytes, the desktop said 5Mb
and Iácould increase the screen memory to 1Mb (my limit) but the
configure command would not let me select 1Mb of screen memory. Panic!
9.9
Cups of tea and much thought suggested that the boot procedure for the
desktop was doing something to release the extra memory. The command I
found was ÉFreePoolæ, which is in É$.!boot.utilsæ. Typing
É$.!boot.utils.freepoolæ allowed the whole 1Mb of screen memory to be
accessed. Joy!
9.9
We now have an easy way of changing to any screen mode which is defined
in a mode file. If the mode does not have an equivalent mode number, the
command Éloadmodefile <filename>æ must be run before the mode change
program. The mode file is É$.!boot.resources.monitors.acorn.akf60æ or
slightly shorter Éresources:monitors.acorn.akf60æ Ö the file name will
depend on the actual monitor you use.
9.9
So far, the mode will have 256 colours arranged in a somewhat bizarre
order. The next part explains how to reprogram the palette.
9.9
Changing the palette
9.9
This requirement was produced when I discovered a short wave station
which rebroadcast satellite images for which black/white images were not
useful and coloured ones are not as helpful as might be expected Ö a
grey-scale seemed the best. For my purposes, Iáwant only 256 grey
shades, and the new palette can be written logically, but if a sensible
progression of colours is wanted, designing the palette would be more
difficult. The command used is ÉColourTrans_WritePaletteæ, in which the
registers have the values:
9.9
a1 = Ö1, use current modeæs palette
9.9
a2 = Ö1, actually ignored if a1=Ö1
9.9
a3 = address of palette
9.9
a4 = 0 , reserved
9.9
v1 = 0 , reserved
9.9
(Note a1, v1 etc are labels for the registers and R0 etc would do just
as well for most registers.)
9.9
To produce a grey scale, equal values of each of the three colours are
used, which in 32 bits are in the form Ébbggrr00æ, where bb is the value
for blue, gg and rr are for green and red, and all bits are significant.
The program fragment I used to design the palette and write it is:
9.9
palette: .BLKL 256 ; save 256 words of
9.9
 space
9.9
main::
9.9
        mov v1,#0
9.9
        mov a1,a1 ; a NOP to allow
9.9
 addressing of label Épaletteæ
9.9
        ADR v3,palette
9.9
        mov v4,v3
9.9
loop:
9.9
        mov v2,#0
9.9
        add v2,v1,lsl #8
9.9
        add v2,v1,v2,lsl #8
9.9
        mov v2,v2,lsl #8
9.9
        str v2,[v3],#4
9.9
        add v1,v1,#1
9.9
        cmp v1,#0x100
9.9
        bne loop
9.9
        mvn a1,#0 ; puts Ö1 in a1
9.9
        mvn a2,#0
9.9
       mov a3,v4
9.9
       mov a4,#0
9.9
       mov v1,#0
9.9
       swi OS_ColourTrans_WritePalette
9.9
The use of a NOP is necessary because the ADR command translates into a
command using an immediate constant which can have only a restricted
range of values Ö the NOP changes this value into one which can be
represented. The location of the ADR command could have been changed to
achieve the same result.
9.9
Note that this program will reprogram any 256 colour mode and can be
used before or after the screen is written. Changing the mode will
change the palette back to the default one. I hope you find the above
routines of interest.
9.9
I have extended the assembler part of the fax program so that it can now
receive keyboard input whilst running, I can centralise the image and
terminate early, simply by pressing the appropriate keys. When the
screen is filled, the screen memory is written to disc and the image is
restarted at the top of the screen. These changes will be discussed in a
future article.
9.9
If you have any comments please write to me: DráFáCrossley, 4 Bollin
Drive, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12á3SJ.áuá
9.9
Pocket Book Column
9.9
Audrey Laski
9.9
Cable alert
9.9
Marie Twitchen, a journalist of Staines, Middlesex, warns users to
beware of an alarming experience she had while in New Zealand for her
paper. Her palmtop suddenly blacked out, or rather presented her with a
black snowstorm instead of a display. She writes, ÉThe cause of the
problem was the cable that links the computer circuitry to the display
unit. The cable had just about broken right the way across.æ Apparently,
the flexing caused by opening and shutting the case eventually breaks
this cable. She recommends that anyone planning to take their palmtop
abroad for an extended period should have the cable checked before
going, as she has done before setting off on her travels again.
9.9
Recommendations
9.9
John Woodthorpe, of Rugby, reminded by hearing of Ken Cowapæs interest
in transferring Peter Duffett-Smithæs astronomical formulae to the
Pocket Book as a programming exercise, mentions that one of his
favourite 3A/PBII applications is Éan astronomical application called
Procyonæ which can Épredict rise and set times for planets, identify
star positions, generate a list of lunar phases... and much, much moreæ.
There is a freeware version which he has passed on, and an extended one
for those who wish to register. However, as I have not been able to find
an address for its inventors, Iæm not sure how one would go about doing
this. Iæm probably missing it, however, somewhere in their
documentation.
9.9
This relates to a Évery small moanæ about the column from a new user of
the Psion 3A, Peter Wicks of Farnham, who correctly says I Équite often
miss out the address (email or otherwise) at which software is
available.æ Sometimes this is probably sheer carelessness on my part,
but sometimes it is that I am passing on a recommendation from a reader
who has not given me the address. Of course, I should pursue such
correspondents for the information, but as they often donæt give me a
phone number, this could be a very long-winded process. This, then, is
an appeal to everyone who so helpfully passes on the good word about
software. Please give me all the information you have about it, so that
I have no excuse.
9.9
The Editoræs hangup
9.9
John also writes to help with Paulæs problem of his Pocket Book locking,
as described in the last column. He proposes an uncurled paperclip as
the purpose-designed tool for performing a soft reset in such an
emergency (the customised gold-plated version to follow shortly...),
Éless drastic, and safer, than taking the batteries out, as that could
lose everything on the internal drive.æ He adds that Écompletely locking
up is a very rare event that normally only happens if you are running an
application that does something naughty, or you run very low on memoryæ.
He therefore suggests that the machine itself might be faulty. Paul in
his editoræs hat may need to speak to Paul in his dealeræs hat about an
exchange under warranty. (Itæs been back to Psion for warranty repair
and seems to be OK... so far! Ed.)
9.9
Santa Claus reports
9.9
In November 1995, I mentioned the splendid present Stan Haselton of
Abbots Langley was planning for his two grandchildren Ö a Pocket Book
apiece. He has now written to report on their first-phase experiences.
These had an unfortunate beginning. Not only had he Émade the classic
error connected with battery driven Étoysæ Ö there were no batteriesæ Ö
but, far worse, the power pack he had bought produced no power.
Fortunately, this was a little before Christmas, so batteries could be
bought to save the day, while NCS rapidly replaced the defective power
pack, and also exchanged the A-Link he had bought for a PC-Link, since
the family was unconvinced that the A-Link would work with their
computer.
9.9
Since then, the ten-year-old has been getting on with editing, though he
occasionally finds stories vanishing. Because Write saves automatically,
Iásuspect he may be being misled by screenfuls of empty lines, and that
the stories are really there somewhere. The eight-year-old had a
disaster similar to mine, reported a few months back, when some kind of
knock caused Édistortion of the screen retaining plate, adjacent to the
right hand hingeæ. Stan took the Pocket Book to what he delightfully
calls Éthe Hospital for sick Psions in Streathamæ Ö the Psion Organiser
Service (0181-677-9246) Ö which this column has praised more than once,
and was very impressed with Paul Pinnockæs thoroughness and helpful
advice, including the message that the Pocket Book should really be
insured. Stan is going to hold on to the machine until his grand-
daughter is slightly older, and is meanwhile learning to use it himself.
He will have interesting possibilities of comparison with the Psion 3A,
as his daughter received one from her husband as a Christmas present, so
the family has thus become a palmtop testbed.
9.9
Battery life
9.9
As well as the damage to the screen retaining plate, young Robynæs
Pocket Book had suffered a complete discharge of both main and back-up
batteries. Stan was surprised that Paul Pinnock reckoned this loss of
power was not to do with the accident and that the back-up battery could
not be expected to last more than eight months Édepending on usage of
the machine and state of the main batteriesæ. I too was surprised, since
I believe I have had the same back-up battery throughout the more than
two yearsæ life of the machine, admittedly with a great deal more Power
Pack than battery use, and its condition is still said to be good. Could
other users comment on back-up battery life, please?
9.9
Endnote
9.9
Stan reports an interesting sighting of a Psion 3A: a hospital
consultant running a comparative trial on a new diabetic medication
surprised him by Épulling out a Psion 3A....he waxed lyrical, stating
that it is the only acquisition during the past ten years which had
changed his life.æ Apparently he is even effusive about Autoroute
Express.áuá
9.9
Starting Basic 10 Ö Graphics
9.9
Ray Favre
9.9
Graphics is a very large subject and, in this series, we have to limit
the coverage. Mainly, we will show how to get simple graphics onto a
Éstandardæ non-Wimp screen, introducing the several keywords available,
and subsequently incorporating some of them into our ÉLoanæ project. We
will also say a little about variations from the Éstandardæ screen and
point you in interesting directions for Wimp operations and more
advanced graphics.
9.9
Graphics Éplay areaæ & the screen
9.9
In Basic, graphics can be drawn using conventional x¡y coordinates over
a Éplay areaæ which extends from Ö32768 to +32767 ÉOperating System
unitsæ (OS units) in both x and y directions. All graphical plotting
instructions in Basic are given in OS units which allows us to ignore
the actual monitor screen size.
9.9
The screen is best regarded as a viewing window looking at a small part
of this play area Ö and you, the programmer, can move the window and, to
some extent, alter its size and shape. The maximum size of the play area
that can be viewed at any one time depends on which display mode you
choose, but all of them view only a very small part of the total play
area. The Éstandard screenæ is usually regarded as being 1280 OS units
wide by 1024 OS units high i.e. about 1/250th of the play area. By
default, the bottom left-hand corner of the screen is placed at the
origin of the play area coordinate system i.e. the point (0,0). The top
right-hand corner of the standard screen is therefore the point (1279,
1023).
9.9
Figure 1 shows the situation and youæll see that the default standard
screen reflects the usual way we are taught graphs and (x,y) coordinates
at school Ö with x increasing to the right and y increasing upwards.
(Contrast this with normal BBC Basic text coordinates, which have (0,0)
at the top left-hand corner, with y increasing downwards.)
9.9
If our program plots a straight line between, say, the coordinates
(Ö1200, 1300) and (1500, Ö300), as in Figureá1, we will actually see
only that section of the line which passes through the screen viewing
window.
9.9
Figure 1 Ö Relationship between graphics Éplay areaæ and screen.
9.9
Picture elements (Épixelsæ)
9.9
The plotting of the line (or of anything else) on the screen is carried
out by changing the colour of those individual picture elements
(Épixelsæ) which go to make up the shape required. If we stick, for the
moment, with drawing black lines on a white background, Figure 2 shows
what is happening.
9.9
This shows a short thin vertical line, a diagonal line and a thicker
horizontal line Ö drawn on a very much magnified small part of a screen
(in this case, a screen area of only 16╫8 pixels). All other shapes and
colours Ö including text Ö are merely extensions of this principle.
Youæll note that lines (and therefore shape edges) which are not
vertical or horizontal cannot be produced without a certain jaggedness.
This is inherent in the pixel grid display process. Whether it is
noticeable, however, depends mainly on the particular display
resolution. The higher (better) the resolution, the greater the memory
and processing speed needed Ö and, within the range offered by each
computer type, the programmer sets the resolution (amongst other things)
when the display mode is chosen.
9.9
You may be thinking that each pixel is square and equates to 1 OS unit,
but unfortunately it cannot be as simple as that. In practice, there
still normally needs to be more than one OS unit per pixel Ö and there
are often more OS units per pixel vertically than there are
horizontally, depending on the display mode i.e. the pixels are often
rectangular Ö taller than they are wide.
9.9
Figure 2 Ö Pixels
9.9
However, we donæt have to worry too much about these relationships in
our programming. As we said above, the 1280 ╫ 1024 OS unit screen can be
thought of as (almost) the standard graphic screen Ö and if we produce a
graphic program to that standard, it will produce a recognisable output
in most modes. Some modes will produce chunkier looking graphics or
different colours Ö and some will not use the same shape (aspect ratio)
of active screen, or might squash the shapes somewhat Ö but the result
will be recognisable and adjustments for specific modes can be made if
need be.
9.9
The User Guide lists the available screen modes (Éold-typeæ screen modes
with Risc PC) with their pixel (and text) resolutions. If the pixel
resolution has two numbers which are both sub-multiples of É1280╫1024æ,
then that mode uses the standard screen, e.g. mode 12 (640╫256) is
standard, but mode 27 (640╫480) is not.
9.9
To kick us off, letæs write a small program, step by step, just to
introduce graphics.
9.9
Preparing a screen for graphics
9.9
You may remember, from Part 4, that text and graphics colours are
handled separately in Basic, so our first steps are to choose a screen
mode and the initial background and foreground colours.
9.9
We used the keyword COLOUR for text colours Ö and its equivalent for
graphics (in non-Wimp) is GCOL (ögraphics colourò). GCOL can be used for
more than just setting the colours, but using it with just one number,
as below, simply sets the foreground or background graphics colour.
Numbers from 0 to 127 set the foreground colour and numbers from 128 to
255 set the background colour Ö just as with COLOUR. So, type in the
following typical opening sequence of a graphics program. (Iæve left
most of the blank lines out to save print space, but the disc has the
tidy version and the line numbers used below are the ones on the disc.)
9.9
 10 REM>IntroGraph
9.9
 20 REM** Graphics Introduction. öStarting Basicò, Part 9 **
9.9
 60 MODE 12 :REM 16-colour mode
9.9
100 GCOL 132 :REM Sets graphic background colour to (132Ö128)=4, blue.
9.9
110 CLGáá :REM Clears graphic screen to background colour.
9.9
120 GCOL 7  :REM Sets graphic foreground colour to 7, white.
9.9
This is all we need before starting to put graphics on the screen,
although we do need to say a lot more about colours in a later article.
9.9
MOVE, DRAW and BY
9.9
Graphics plotting/drawing always starts from the current position of the
graphics cursor Ö which is invisible(!). Donæt confuse it with the text
cursor, which is often still on the screen, flashing away. By default
and after a mode change, the graphics cursor starts at (0,0) Ö at the
bottom left-hand corner Ö but after some plotting action, it remains
where the end of the plotting action leaves it. So it is often necessary
(and always good practice) to move the graphics cursor to where you want
it to be before each plot.
9.9
This is where the keyword MOVE comes in. It takes a pair of x,y
coordinates as its argument and simply moves the graphics cursor to that
absolute point, without putting anything on the screen. So, MOVE 640,512
would put the graphics cursor to the centre of the default standard
screen (refer back to Figureá1).
9.9
Similarly, DRAW x,y draws a straight line from the cursor to the point
(x,y) Ö and the cursor will end up at (x,y) as a result. (Donæt forget
that x and y need not be on the screen.) So, add the next few lines to
the demonstration program, as follows:
9.9
160 LeftEdge% = 0
9.9
170 RightEdge% = 1279
9.9
180 TopEdge% = 1023
9.9
190 BottomEdge% = 0
9.9
210 MOVE RightEdge%,TopEdge% :REM Moves cursor to point (1279,1023), top
right corner of Éstandardæ screen.
9.9
230 REM Next four lines draw line around edge of Éstandardæ screen.
9.9
240 DRAW LeftEdge%,TopEdge%
9.9
250 DRAW LeftEdge%,BottomEdge%
9.9
260 DRAW RightEdge%,BottomEdge%
9.9
270 DRAW RightEdge%,TopEdge%
9.9
670 END :REM Line number ready for more lines later.
9.9
Now run the program. It will produce a blue, mode 12 (squashed) screen
with a white line around its edges. Check what happens if you change
rightedge% to 1280 and/or topedge% to 1024. The right and/or top white
borders disappear Ö they have been plotted just outside the screen area.
9.9
Both MOVE and DRAW can be modified by the addition of the keyword BY,
which changes the movement to relative rather than absolute. So, as
leftedge% and bottomedge% are both 0, the same borders could have been
produced by changing the program to:
9.9
240 DRAW BY Örightedge%,0 :REM Note the negative sign.
9.9
250 DRAW BY 0, Ötopedge% :REM Note the negative sign.
9.9
260 DRAW BY rightedge%, 0
9.9
270 DRAW BY 0, topedge%
9.9
As you can see, there is nothing very difficult about this type of
graphic plotting as long as you keep track of the graphics cursor.
9.9
RECTANGLE, CIRCLE, ELLIPSE and FILL
9.9
BBC Basic makes our life easier by providing a series of keywords to
draw the most common shapes e.g.áRECTANGLE, CIRCLE, ELLIPSE. Add to the
above program:
9.9
310 REM Next 3 lines draw a box 16 OS units inside screen border.
9.9
320 Width% = 1279 Ö 32
9.9
330 Height% = 1023 Ö 32
9.9
340 RECTANGLE LeftEdge% + 16,BottomEdge% + 16,Width%,Height% :REM
Coordinates of one corner, then width and height relative to that
corner.
9.9
380 CIRCLE 400,700,100 :REM Coordinates of centre, then radius.
9.9
390 DRAW BY 100,100 :REM A short diagonal line solely to show where
cursor was left when circle finished.
9.9
410 ELLIPSE 1000,400,200,Ö100 :REM Coordinates of centre, then major
semi-axis and minor semi-axis. (Aáfifth number would rotate ellipse by
that number of radians anti-clockwise.)
9.9
420 DRAW BY 100,100 :REM A short diagonal line solely to show where
cursor was left when ellipse finished.
9.9
The REMs should help you with the syntax. Check the effect of making the
fourth number positive in line 410. In Mode 12 you will again find that
the shapes are somewhat flattened and that the spacing between the
rectangle and the screen edge is different at top and bottom compared
with at the sides.
9.9
These three shapes can also be drawn as Éfilledæ shapes Ö filled with
the current foreground colour. All that is needed is to include the
extra keyword FILL before the numbers e.g. change line 380 to: CIRCLE
FILL 400,700,100
9.9
POINT and the effect of pixel size and shape
9.9
Finally, add these lines:
9.9
460 REM the remaining lines show effect of pixel size, see text.
9.9
470 MOVE 0,200
9.9
490 HorInterval% = 8
9.9
500 FOR N%=0 TO 1279 STEP HorInterval%
9.9
510áá POINT N%,200
9.9
520 NEXT
9.9
540 MOVE 0,160
9.9
550 DRAW RightEdge%,160
9.9
570 MOVE 200,0
9.9
590 VertInterval% = 8
9.9
600 FOR N%=0 TO 1023 STEP VertInterval%
9.9
610áá POINT 200,N%
9.9
620 NEXT
9.9
640 MOVE 240,0
9.9
650 DRAW 240,TopEdge%
9.9
The keyword POINT draws a point i.e. one pixel only, at the coordinate
given. Therefore, the above lines plot a series of points equally spaced
across the screen, plus a horizontal line next to them for comparison.
The same thing is then done in the vertical direction also.
9.9
(Note that there are two, different keywords POINT Ö the other one is
actually called POINT( Ö the bracket being essential. We will come to it
later when we have a look at Colour as a subject.)
9.9
If you decrease the values in lines 490 and 590, the points eventually
get so close together that they look the same as the solid lines next to
them. But Ö and itæs important Ö the highest value of interval that
causes the lines look the same (in mode 12) is different in the x and y
directions Ö 2 and 4 respectively i.e. the pixel size is 2 ╫ 4 OS units
in mode 12. Now try different modes. Mode 27, for instance, will make
the shapes look normal and therefore needs a square pixel Ö 2╫2 OS
units, in fact Ö but look at the top border. Itæs now off the screen.
Note that POINT automatically adjusts the pixel size and shape for the
particular display mode Ö try mode 2 to get an extreme example.
9.9
Finally, you cannot move/locate graphics any more precisely than the
particular screen resolution will allow. In other words, in our mode 12
program, where the pixel size is 2 ╫ 4, the use of, say, MOVE 641,515
will effectively move the cursor to (640,512) Ö and donæt forget that
point (1280,á1024) is just off the mode 12 screen. However, if you want
to draw something right up against the RH (or top) edge, the safest way
is still to use OS value 1279 (or 1023) in the drawing statement, to
ensure it stays at the edge (or top) in all other 1280 ╫ 1024 modes Ö or
when resolution upgrades come along. For screen modes which have other
aspect ratios, you will need to adjust the above maximum OS values, of
course Ö but they will always be an odd number.
9.9
Next time ...
9.9
The introduction program provides a good playground for getting to grips
with the basics of non-Wimp graphics and mode resolutions. Next time
weæll incorporate this sessionæs keywords into our ÉLoanæ project and
introduce some more graphics items. Donæt forget the feedback, queries
(and A4 SAEs for printed listings) to: 26 West Drayton Park Avenue, West
Drayton, Middx., UB7 7QA.áuá
9.9
Printers and Printing
9.9
Dave Floyd
9.9
HP Laserjet 5L (1)
9.9
Two days after I had sent my last column to Paul, Mr Taylor from Poole
wrote to inform me that he had solved his own problem regarding printing
A5 paper on the Laserjet 5L. The solution was to use a negative x-offset
in !Printers. Following publication of Archive 9.7, Jon Keates also
wrote regarding the same subject and gave the following step by step
method. Jon is using !Printers 1.45.
9.9
1) Use the Acorn LasJet-4 definition file
9.9
2) Paper x-offset = Ö25.00mm
9.9
3) Paper y-offset = 3.50mm
9.9
4) Create standard A5 paper size 148╫210mm
9.9
5) Configure A5 driver to use only A5 paper
9.9
He has tried the above with Draw, DrawPlus and Impression Publisher, and
it works admirably, although he stresses that it should only be used
with A5 paper or smaller.
9.9
HP Laserjet 5L (2)
9.9
Jon has a query of his own regarding the Laserjet 5L; namely, how do you
access the built-in fonts? HP only supply DOS and Windows drivers with
the printer, and a few of the simplest control codes in the manual. For
the HPCL5 manual, Hewlett Packard charge ú85, and Jon considers this to
be a rather high price to pay for the information required to access
them, especially as HP widely advertise the built-in fonts as a feature
of the printer. He has written to HP but, in the meantime, has anyone
else got any knowledge of the HPCL5 control codes that may prove to be
of use? If so, please let me know.
9.9
HP Laserjet 5L (3)
9.9
The Laserjet 5L seems very popular this month. Following Keith Parkeræs
review of the machine in Archive 9.5, Andy Jackson from Bromborough was
sufficiently impressed to buy one. He is in broad agreement with Keithæs
conclusions, but wishes to offer a few supplementary comments of his
own.
9.9
Andy uses a Laserjet 4P at work, and even goes so far as to say that the
4P is the best printer he has ever used and, in comparison, considers
the 5L to be surprisingly large. Although they both have approximately
the same footprint, the 5L towers more than a foot into the air whereas
the 4P is a flat¡topped model. He also mentions that, although the 5L
appears to be sufficiently well constructed, the paper supports are
flimsy and could be expected to break if abused.
9.9
Further observations are that the speed of 4 ppm is more than adequate
for his needs, and he feels that only heavy users need worry that it may
prove to be limiting. The printer is very quiet when printing and
completely silent when not printing, which may be an important
consideration for some. He also reports that the output quality is
excellent and that the memory supplied (1Mb) goes further than could be
expected, due to the excellent data compression system used by HP. He
has successfully printed a Éprintoutæ file of 2012Kb without any memory
overflow problems. Andy is running the printer on an A410/1, so Keithæs
comment about needing a bi¡directional parallel port to operate the
printer was incorrect Ö a fact that Andy confirmed with Acorn before
parting with his money.
9.9
Andyæs main criticisms of the printer relate to the software control,
itself much of the reason for the lower price of this model when
compared to other HP printers. This method is fine if you are using a PC
and the supplied DOS or Windows drivers, but the Acorn drivers leave
much to be desired in this department. Print density (as opposed to
resolution), resolution enhancement and several memory-related settings
(page protection, image adapt, etc) are not accessible using RISCáOS.
9.9
Although most of these would normally be left on auto anyway, the same
cannot be said of Economode which is designed to use less toner without
reducing the resolution ù very useful for draft copies. The absence of a
control panel also means that the printer is unable to report when the
toner is running low, something which could prove to be most annoying
and inconvenient.
9.9
I donæt really think that it is fair to thrust too much blame in Acornæs
direction for this. If they were to spend as much time as would be
necessary in order to address quirks relating to individual models of
printer, I suspect it would leave them precious little time to develop
anything else. If enough Acorn owners with Laserjet 5Ls wrote to HP,
perhaps they would write an Acorn control panel, although I have to
admit that it would seem unlikely that there would be enough interest
for them to consider it worthwhile. This seems like an ideal application
for an enterprising public domain author to tackle. Even if it were not
released into the PD market, but sold for a small fee of, say, ú5, I am
sure there would be enough takers to cover the cost of the HPCL5 manual
plus a reasonable profit to recompense you for your time.
9.9
HP Laserjet 5L (4)
9.9
Finally, on the subject of the 5L, Andy Jackson also has a problem
relating to the size of paper that he is using. Iæm pleased to say that
I think I can provide the answer to it or, at least, the reason for it.
9.9
Andy is using paper sized 216╫330mm, as he was given a large quantity of
it free. He has set up a custom size in !Printers and everything appears
to be OK when he also uses a custom-sized page in Impression, until he
tries to print the page. The HP 5L truncates the print as if it were on
A4 paper, regardless of the settings.
9.9
The problem lies in the fact that you are trying to pull off the
computing equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot. The Laserjet 5L
is an A4 printer. However much you massage the printer driver, the drum
inside the printer only has room for an A4 sheet (less, in fact, hence
the annoying margins that most printers force us to accept) so the
truncation is perfectly logical. The best answer to this would probably
be to find a local printshop willing to guillotine the paper to
210╫297mm cheaply, or even free, if you are lucky.
9.9
Canon BJC4000 & Turbodriver
9.9
D Williams from Cardiff runs an A3010 with a Canon BJC4000, Turbo Driver
version 4.00 and !Printers 1.28c. He regularly uses 180 and 360dpi, but
only gets double height and width if he selects 720dpi. In order to use
the 720dpi resolution, it transpires that he needs to upgrade the Turbo
Driver at a cost of ú11.75. As the paperwork supplied with Turbo Driver
intimates that the 720dpi facility is available in his version, he feels
somewhat aggrieved at being expected to pay more for something he
expected in the first place.
9.9
His question, which he hopes can be answered by the Archive readership,
is whether it is really worth it, because he understands that the 720dpi
resolution is only marginally superior to the 360dpi anyway. Iáawait
replies from you BJC4000 owners out there.
9.9
CC upgrades
9.9
Dave Burridge, from Hyde, also felt that it was a little rich being
expected to pay ú15 for a dongle-free version of Impression Publisher on
the back of a recently purchased upgrade. He wrote to Computer Concepts,
pointing out that he had upgraded to version 4.08 two months before for
ú15, and asking if he could be exempted from the charge to obtain the
dongleless version 4.09. One week later, a new Disc One appeared through
his letterbox. Good for you, Dave, and I suggest that anybody else who
has recently paid to upgrade their version of Publisher should follow
his example.
9.9
Anybody who has bought or upgraded to a dongle-free version of Artworks,
and received version 1.6, will probably find that it slows down your
machine by some 60-70 times! It would be cruel to suggest that perhaps
their testers have spent so much time using Windows recently that the
sluggishness appeared normal. Computer Concepts have now rectified this
bug and if you return Disc One to them, they will supply you with a
debugged version. Seems like a good time to fill out the registration
card.
9.9
HP Laserjet 5MP
9.9
Dave Burridge wonders if any Archive readers have had experience of
using an HP5MP with their Acorn. Any comments or information you could
give would come in useful, as he is considering buying one.
9.9
Fonts
9.9
Dave would also be grateful for any information regarding fonts. He is
after good quality ones with kerning information of the following: Avant
Garde, Bookman, Courier, New Century Schlbk, Palatino, Symbol, Zapf
Chancery and Zapf Dingbats. I have only included the family names to
save space. Times and Helvetica, which were also on his list, are
supplied by Acorn under the names of Trinity and Homerton.
9.9
Most, if not all, of these come with Artworks, although as the Artworks
fonts are only RISCáOS 2 versions, they will not have kerning
information included. Dave says that he is already aware of the EFF
selection but thinks they are a little expensive and would like to know
if there is a cheaper alternative.
9.9
If anyone knows of any cheaper sources than EFF, please let me know.
However, I tend to think that, for good quality fonts with full kerning
information, EFF may be the only real solution. Where fonts are
concerned, you largely get what you pay for. If you need good quality,
it could prove to be a false economy to pay less than a quality price
for them. When compared to fonts on other platforms, the EFF range is
not badly priced.
9.9
LjDuplex
9.9
Apologies to John Evans of Mijas Software who sent me version 6 of
LjDuplex in December. My filing system swallowed his letter until now.
LjDuplex has now been upgraded to cope with both Acorn !Printers and
TurboDriver, and even a mixture of the two. Information can be obtained
from Mijas Software.
9.9
Printer owners
9.9
I feel that it would be useful for readers if I were to compile a
database of printers with their capabilities Ö and shortcomings perhaps?
Once this was done, if somebody wanted a laser printer that printed A4
with no margins and could accept weights up to 145gsm card, for example,
they could refer to the list to find the printer that best served their
needs. As I am endowed with the standard complement of one solitary
printer, it is impossible to compile this list without help from others.
Although something could be cobbled together from manufacturersæ claims,
Iásuspect it would not be entirely reliable. If anyone would be willing
to help me put this together, please get in touch, and I will compile a
standard list of questions for you to answer about your printer.
9.9
Finally
9.9
I have not found time to complete the Éscanning for photocopyingæ
investigation, so along with the reviews I also promised, it will have
to be held back until next month. Any printing-related problems or
suggestions for future articles should be sent to Dave Floyd, c/o PO Box
2795, London  NW10 9AY.áuá
9.9
VerbMaster-German
9.9
Govind Kharbanda
9.9
The French version of VerbMaster (v.1.00) was reviewed in Archive 8.9
p73. This is a multitasking shareware aid to learning verbs
grammatically. It is targeted at language users from beginners to
A¡level, and it is capable of testing the user on verb forms, and
printing out verb tables.
9.9
The latest version, 1.50, has had numerous improvements and additions.
Among these is a much improved interface, incorporating a button bar,
providing quick access to the most used options Ö the dreaded control
window is now a thing of the past! Support for StrongHelp2, and
explanatory grammar notes on the various tenses supported are now
provided. The module comes with a much larger database of verbs, and
some minor errors in the verbs have been fixed.
9.9
Due to the modular form of the program, it is possible to design modules
for other languages. AáGerman module has been in development for some
time, and version 1.50 of that is now available. Rather than reviewing
the program as a whole, I shall make this more of a supplement, for the
German module, to the existing VerbMaster-French review.
9.9
First impressions
9.9
For those who have used VerbMaster before, there is very little to learn
Ö which is just the way it should be! This is the main advantage of
having a modular system. Over a hundred different verbs are supplied
with the program, including all the common regulars, irregulars and
reflexives. Documentation is clear and is provided on disc as a
StrongHelp2 file which may be viewed whilst using the program, and there
is also an Impression-DDF file that can be printed out. Personally, I
would have preferred a Publisher file as well, with a proper layout and
page design.
9.9
In use
9.9
The main purpose of VerbMaster is to test you on your verbs, and the
program does this admirably. Since Graham Campbellæs review, the author,
Nigel Caplan, has revised the design. I am pleased to say that the
testing screen has now been made extremely clear, and users should have
no problems. It is now much more simple to select only certain tenses
and verbs for a test, enabling users to concentrate on, say, certain
irregular verbs which need practice. It is now possible for the user to
try again if his or her answer was wrong, saving the frustration of
getting the answer wrong due to a typing error.
9.9
VerbMaster has many features present designed with school use in mind.
These include support for password protection of options such as
available verbs and tenses, and printing of tests (with answers
separately). A sensible range of verb and configuration files are
provided, ranging from Ébeginneræ level, with only the most
straightforward verbs in the present tense available, through GCSE level
to Advanced.
9.9
Two possible additions I would like to see in a future release are, the
logging of tests, which would be of great use in schools, and timed
testing. This would enable teachers to monitor pupilsæ progress over the
weeks without having to be present.
9.9
For more advanced students, who can form the parts of the verb from the
stems with no problems, there is a öQuick testò option whereby the user
only needs to type in the verb as it appears in grammar books Ö in other
words the third person present, imperfect and past participle Ö and tick
a box to indicate if the verb takes Éseinæ. This is invaluable when it
comes to revising your irregular verbs for exams! It is possible to
access the VerbMaster main window during a quick test, allowing the user
to cheat! No doubt this will be removed in the next release.
9.9
Adding verbs
9.9
New verbs can be entered into the database fairly easily. Unfortunately,
you canæt just type in helfen(i,a,o) and leave it at that! There are a
few useful touches Ö such as only needing to enter the ich/er form for
imperfect indicative and imperfect subjunctive tenses, since they are
the same. The following tenses are currently supported: present,
perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect in both indicative and subjunctive
forms. The imperative is to be added in a future release, but not the
passive mood.
9.9
Verb tables
9.9
A brilliant feature of VerbMaster is its verb-table construction
facility, and since the table is output as a CSV file, it can be loaded
into most programs. It works particularly well with the Impression CSV+
loader.
9.9
Minor niggles
9.9
One thing I would like to see in VerbMaster is a means of implementing
verbs into three categories ù Éstrongæ, Éweakæ and Émixedæ Ö which I am
more used to, rather than Éregularæ and Éirregularæ. However, younger
students can find it confusing to be using regular and irregular in one
language, and strong, weak and mixed in another. In any case, it makes
little difference in normal use.
9.9
In conclusion
9.9
I would say this program would be of considerable value to all students,
from beginners through to A¡Level. It does what it sets out to do well,
and is fairly easy to use. It is not perfect Ö purists will note the
lack of hi-res sprites and menu items, and perhaps think the design
could do with being refined Ö but this is more than compensated for by
the price tag of ú7.50.
9.9
VerbMaster is supplied on one double density disc and will run on any
32-bit Acorn machine with RISCáOS 3.1 or greater (a RISC OS 2 version
may be produced if there is sufficient demand) and at least 1Mb of
memory. An unregistered version may be obtained from the author by
sending ú1/disc and stamp to his address (see Fact₧le).áuá
9.9