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- From: bsalter@acorn.co.uk
- Subject: Acorn news release: Advance
- Date: 20 Jan 93 08:41:52 GMT
-
- Acorn Announces Integrated Software Suite
-
- Embargo Release Date 20th January 1993
-
- Acorn Computers is using the BETT '93 venue to unveil an integrated software
- package containing the essential tools for a computer in the office, school
- or home.
-
- Featuring a word processor, spreadsheet, database and graphing package,
- Acorn Advance is expected to be available in March. It runs on any
- Archimedes computer with a minimum of 1MB RAM and running under RISC OS 3
- version 3.10 or later. On machines with a minimum of 2MB RAM, two or more of
- the Advance tools can be run concurrently, whereas with just 1MB,
- information can still be easily transferred from one application of the
- suite to another.
-
- The integration of the applications tools within Advance offers many
- benefits including a consistent interface which allows actions such as text
- editing and effects to be identical in each tool, making them easier to
- learn. All the Advance documents are displayed and printed making full use
- of the wide choice of RISC OS 3 outline fonts available. The movement of
- text and data between applications is also made quick and easy - either via
- a "cut and paste" method, or by CSV data transfer.
-
- Acorn Advance has been developed by Acorn Computers as a collaborative
- project with third party software houses including Computer Concepts, Iota,
- Clares and CRM.
-
- The Word Processor combines many of the features of a colour desktop
- publishing package including multi-column text, the display of Sprite or
- Draw files, a 60,000 word dictionary, a mail-merge facility and a powerful
- search and replace function.
-
- The Spreadsheet has 55 pre-defined functions and can sort rows or columns
- using a series of user defined keys. A single key press enables selected
- data to be graphed automatically as bar charts, pie charts, line graphs or
- scatter graphs in 2D or 3D styles. Multiple graphs can be displayed at the
- same time with more than one set of data.
-
- The Database can handle large amounts of data including text, numeric,
- boolean or graphic, and this can then be searched and sorted on fields in
- order of significance. Records can be displayed on the page in a number of
- user defined ways and a report facility is included allowing a summary of
- fields in tabular formats.
-
- Acorn Advance is supplied with a number of tutorial weather projects which
- have been designed for use by teachers and pupils at differing curriculum
- ability levels and which are based on real weather data supplied by the Met
- Office.
-
- Acorn Advance uses the Acorn software protection scheme whereby a code in
- the operating system ROMs which is unique to each individual machine is
- checked by the software allowing it to be licensed for designated machines.
- Site licenses are also available.
-
-
- ENDS
-
- Further information from Rachel Pullen, Acorn Computers, Tel 0223 254254
-
-