HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ssurawls@susssys1.reading.ac.uk (Mister E)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: >>>Bandwidth on the NZ Server
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:46:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: susssys1.23969.9204071646

How about seeing if you can get uts.mcc.ac.uk (130.88.200.3)
(zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk) to mirror you perhaps. This site is accessible by FTP
and is the fastest FTP site I have ever come across. There is a fair amount of
stuff already there (pub/riscos) including a demo of a game from Arxe that I
would certainly be interested in! Like Nevryon but about 100 times better...

Ian


Posted Tue Apr 7 17:46:48 BST 1992

=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Mr Ian Rawlings, Telephone Reading (0734) 662301
	EMAIL ssurawls@susssys1.rdg.ac.uk

>>        You are ALL individuals...
>
>Yes. We are all individuals.
 
I'm not.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: MIDI and the Arc
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 18:19:58 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: My Arc.

dbh@doc.ic.ac.uk (Denis Howe) writes:

> I will post my sequencer when it can handle standard MIDI files but
> don't hold your breath - Karma takes up a lot of time :-).

   What? Playing karma or coding it?

    Philip

--
Philip R. Banks                                                         @@@@@/|
Syntax: mail <banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz|banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> @@@@/#|
                                                                        @@@/##|
What price the crown of a king on his throne,                           @@/---|
When you're chained in the dark all alone?  ---A.P.P.                   @/    |
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Saloon Cars on an A5000
From: epoo1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Edouard Malachi     Poor           )
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 05:40:49 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

In <16gAPyj013n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks) writes:

>Saloon Cars and games in general do have a habit of making assumptions about
>the hardware. Especially when it comes to software protection. With Saloon
>Cars try:-

>Turning off the cache. This should help a bit with the juddering and sound.
>Removing the ZFiler protection. I trust this about as far as I can kick it.
>    Not to mention removing it will improve load times. However *don't*
>    distribute your unprotected copy - thats piracy.

Hmmm- I kind of remember the ZFiler protection as being fairly legal... Mainly
just patching various discop vectors then doing its own thing... Mind you
its was pretty nasty and I guess it could just be that it was badly
written rather than illegal.

Edouard
(blah blah .sig blah blah soon)
From: dreid@acorn.co.uk (David Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Arc Modem wiring.
Date: 11 Apr 92 09:12:55 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England


In article <3323@daily-planet.concordia.ca> nizar@concour.cs.concordia.ca (SABRA nizar.) writes:

>Howdy!
>
>	I have heard a few times that the Archie has to have a different kind
>of serial cable than PCs. I have a standard PC cable connecting my A3000 to my
>fax/modem. The modem seems to work fine, but I have problems with the fax
>part of it when I try to run a fax program from the PC Emulator.
>
>	When is it necessary to use the special kind of wiring? Could it be
>that the wire that I'm using is causing the fax to crash (as well as RiscBBS)?
>
>	I would appreciate any help on this matter. Thanx.
>
>Nizar.

Problem here lies in the PCemulator and the serial port... Depending on the
version you have... depends on how well the serial port works. circa 300
baud is usually OK on most PC programs. You see, the PCemulator is totally
software and has to translate the x86 commands into ARM-code, then translate
the ARM commands to write to the A3000 hardware (not the same as hardware
which would be used in a PC...) and cope with returning the correct status
in x86 code to the application running on the Emulator. As you can imagine,
this takes a bit of time... With an ARM 2 processor, it takes too long to
get more reliable results at speeds greater than about 1200 baud.
I/O (mainly Screen and Serial) is one of the main areas which most
emulators have trouble with... and Acorn's is no different.

To solve the problem, I would suggest sending the Fax image to disc, and
then exit the emulator and send it through the RISC_OS environment to the
fax/modem. This should work correctly, then...

Incorrect wiring of the cable is unlikely to cause the software to *crash*
but might result in missing or corrupt data. (still useless eh??)

Hope that this info is correct and useful...

Dave 'Doc' Reid

     Disclaimer: Comments made in this letter are entirely my own and do not
bear any relationship with either the policies or views of Acorn Computers.

             'The world is my Oyster.... Yeuch, I hate oysters!'
From: switham@acorn.co.uk (Sean Witham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: New ARM development
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:06:53 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <16g2Ppj013n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks) writes:

>ca121@cs.city.ac.uk (D BROWNLEE) writes:
>
>> 
>> ARM Ltd.produce Technological Breakthrough in silicon based chip manufacture
>>                 - The Logically Enhanced Gatearray -
>>                 ====================================
>
>   Posted this slightly early didnt you?
>

>>Date: 31 Mar 92 20:19:22 GMT

Yes and it still didn't arrive on csa until the 2nd !

>
>   Cute though....
>
>    Philip
>

 I liked it *8-)

What did others think ? How long did it take for you to figure it was a joke ?
And how many acronyms etc. did you spot e.g. LEG.

_________________________________________________________________________

Sean Witham (Xeno)     JANET: switham@uk.co.acorn or xeno@uk.ac.city.cs

The above is my own personal view, as long as it doesn't get me into
any trouble. Any facts are given in good faith I take no responsibilty
for their use, in fact I'd be very surprised if you can understand it
at all after my English/Spelling.
From: aglover@acorn.co.uk (Alan Glover)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Viruses
Date: 9 Apr 92 09:28:36 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <13458@suns4.crosfield.co.uk> ojg@crosfield.co.uk (oliver gunasekara) writes:

>I have got !Killer 1.26  but have been told that there is a big problem with
>it. When it finds the module virus it removes the virus by deleting the 
>infected module! I use !Hunter 1.02/3 by ACE/Arc Angels which removes the 

You've been told wrong! !killer 1.26 and above restore the original
module (though I can't do anything about the timestamp!).

(Though there is *one* circumstance where a module infected by Module
would get deleted, which is when the original module is also a virus,
eg Extend or CeBIT)

Alan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
aglover@acorn.co.uk - Co-Moderator of comp.binaries.acorn/comp.sources.acorn
Mail submissions to submit@acorn.co.uk, other mail to moderator@acorn.co.uk
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: RMA allocation/deallocation/reallocation strategies
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 19:16:27 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: My Arc.

rogersh%t3l@uk.ac.man.cs (rogersh) writes:

>       One idea that occurs is to request page size aligned blocks
> from the RMA, and perform heap management within these blocks. This
> would allow the RMA to allocate and free these blocks using memory
> mapping. However I am unsure whether it would in fact take advantage of
> this, particularly w.r.t recent discussion on RMA usage in
> comp.sys.acorn.
> 
>       Another idea is to ignore the RMA heap and remap pages direct
> from the WIMP's free/next slots, but this involves screwing with
> RiscOS internals and I don't want to do that.
> 
>       If there is some option for modules who want to dynamically
> allocate workspace outside the RMA then I'd like to know...

   Yes start yourself as an application through the Start Entry point in
modules and use application workspace. This may be very unsuitable however
if your code is required to be paged in at all times. Then the only viable
alternative is the RMA.

   If you must use the RMA then I suggest that you claim one large block and
use your allocation routines inside it. Acorn's idea of module workspace
seems to be based around around the one workspace one instantaion idea. It
would be very nice if we could have block lists associated with modules...

    Philip

--
Philip R. Banks                                                         @@@@@/|
Syntax: mail <banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz|banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> @@@@/#|
                                                                        @@@/##|
What price the crown of a king on his throne,                           @@/---|
When you're chained in the dark all alone?  ---A.P.P.                   @/    |
From: neilp@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Postlethwaite)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Personal Computer World
Date: 9 Apr 92 10:17:07 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

In article <1992Apr7.093250.18013@newcastle.ac.uk> J.W.Harley@newcastle.ac.uk (Jon Harley) writes:
>rjb12@unix.brighton.ac.uk (Browning;f110or89;[05306) writes:
>>Right, people. It's flame time again. But (J. Kortink & I. Rawlings take
>>note) directed against, IMO, a source of constant annoyance to Acorn
>>supporters everywhere: Personal Computer World magazine.

	Totally agree like I've said ion the past. Mind you it's not just
Acorn, when was the last time an Atari, Amiga etc got a mention too. I don't
know what PCW thinks it is but it definitly is NOT a corporate brown nose
magazine (that are normally free anyway), it is nowhere near on the ball 
that Byte is (Byte is the 'Authority' not PCW) and is plainly hostile to
all but Windows, even DOS has a hard time these days. The Mac and Unix
only get a passing mention in their little cubby holes.

	PCW also seem to be taking an unsubstantiated anti OS/2 line. The
brown nose preview of Windows-NT last month was full of holes. The most
important of which is that Win-NT is not slated to appear before Spring
'93 at the earliest. OS/2 has just being launched I think and is supposed
to be fairly good (last Byte preview was positive). The NT pre-preview
(they never even got their hands on it, that wobbly ?) had inaccuracies 
about OS/2 aswell about it not running in Enhanced mode. This clearly
shows a total lack of understanding about the new OS/2 v2.0. It doesn't
run in enhanced mode because OS/2 is incharge of multi tasking, not
Windows. It emulates a flat memory partition for each application and 
so on. It is a proper OS, not the current DOS/Win kludge and not a
pie in the sky OS like Win-NT.

	Though like OS/2, Win-NT, Finder, AmigaDOS, RISCOS all have the
scalability problem. You can only push RISCOS to an A540, Windows to a
486/50, Finder to a Quadra 900. Unix (the way forward IMHO) doesn't suffer
from this. Unix goes from a PC, through power PC, R2xx, Sun, HP, IBM, DEC
all the was to mainframes. That's why PC OS's can only be pushed so far.
My next computer will be a Unix/X based box.


	I really think PCW should grow up a bit and pull their heads out
of the clouds. If you want a good read get Byte. If you want a Mag with
an understanding of home computing get Shopper. Personally I get both
(and PCW for some reason still), and Acorn User (though that ain't what
it used to be either ....).



	Neil
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: A5000 disc format ...
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 21:08:14 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

dpirie@cix.compulink.co.uk (Douglas Pirie) writes:


>  As far as I know, low density Mac (400k?) and Amiga are impossible on 
>anything other than Macs and Amigas! The Mac varies the disk rotation speed 

Macs with high-density drives do *not* (to the best of my knowledge) change
the disc rotation speed when reading/writing to low density (400/800k) discs.
They simply use their ability to handle different densities to write at
the equivalent density that is achieved on crappier drives by altering speed.

Thus, so long as you have a HD drive, you can read/write mac 800k floppies.
Of course, 1.44MB macintosh format is no problem (except for actually
decoding the directory/map info...)

-- 
_________________  "I'd like to answer this question in two ways:
  /____ _ _/_ __       First in my normal voice, and then
 // / //_//_ /_/       in a silly, high-pitched whine." (Monty Python)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn

Help ??
 I'm looking for a public domain file manager similar to dBaseIII, as a 
 replacement for something called Keyplus (?).  The local school, State-run
 in Conservative Wokingham, has been saddled with Keyplus on their Arc,
 and have no money to replace it.  Seems that Keyplus can only *just* be
 called a file manager, as it can't insert records.  Is there anything better
 out there, which runs in the public domain(the school has *no* money), which
 could be used for small (up to 5000 records) database work.  Preferably it 
 should run on an unexpanded machine, provide full Ingres functionality and get  me elected Prime Minister.  I'd settle for something with insert functions,
 and reasonable indexing facilities.
      Thanks in advance,
      Chris Mitchell.
From: rjb12@unix.brighton.ac.uk (Browning;f110or89;[05306)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Personal Computer World
Date: 8 Apr 92 10:43:59 GMT
Organization: Brighton Polytechnic, UK

nicho@VNET.IBM.COM writes:
>   Whassa matter ... never heard of Arthur :-)
Yes, but then again RO2 was greatly compatible with Arthur.

>   Only Microsoft is holding on to Windoze and Dos. Others are taking
> different routes.
Such as? Win 3.1 is still at the Beta test sites, OS2.2 (to compete with
Win 3.1/NT) is not appearing 'til next year and developers are only
*just* getting their teeth into Win 3.0!!

>   Doubtful. Windoze is not suited to mission critical applications.
> Small(ish) businesses may be using it, however larger businesses
> are being a bit more cautious. Windoze has not quite been the
> success Microsoft would have you believe.
You would have been right a month or two ago. Now, PC developers really
are writing stuff for Win and assuming that MS have *really* sold 10
million copies, then even if a mere fraction are serious users that's still
quite a market.

> OS/2 runs Dos and Windoze programs quite happily, without being
> architecturally held back because of it. Windoze NT will (probably)
> do something similar.The word 'emulator' comes to mind here.
...but Win 3.0 still crashes regularly - and OS/2 HAS been known to
fall over, whatever is claimed elsewhere.

> The average PC spec is now 80386SX with 4MB,a VGA monitor and a 60MB
> disk. Where have you been the last 3 years ???
Ahem. There are far more 286s out there than 386s.

> >(a bit like your average business man who knows nothing about
> >computers).
>   Nor would it seem, does your average student .... :-)
It's all a question of wavelengths and head size...

Rich.
-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Rich Browning (rjb12@bton.unix)   *   Madness ...
Department of Computer Science    *   ... is merely a state of 
Brighton Polytechnic              *       intellectual independence
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: help! checkmap fails
From: julian@bridge.welly.gen.nz (Julian Wright)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 12:01:10 +1200
Reply-To: wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Julian Wright)
Organization: USS Enterprise, NCC 1701a

nbvs@cl.cam.ac.uk (Nicko van Someren) writes:

> You miss the point.  The BSD filing system does its best to avoid the
> fragmentation in the first place - and does so at a substantial cost
> in terms of disc space.  File core filing systems clear up as they go
> along so that a file may get LESS fragmented when you change it.

In fact when files are created with OS_File (ie *SAVE) Filecore tries
harder to make the file contiguous than when they are created with OS_Find.
The reasoning seems to be something along the lines of *SAVEd files are
less likely to change in length, and so are going to benefit more from
immediate defragmentation than OPENOUTed files, which are expected to shrink
and expand much more, rendering immediate defragmentation useless.

> However, it seems that the real cost of useing the file core E format
> is that there is nobody at Acorn who understands it :-)

It certainly takes a bit of getting used to, compared to the old DFS
format... :-)

    Cheers, Julian.
--
----------------------------| RO2:SYS 68,59243844 |--------------------------
wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz |---------------------| "I'm sig of sicknatures!"
----------------------------| RO3:SYS 68,60816742 |--------------------------
--
From: zrzm0111@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (MUFTI)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Unix on the Arc
Date: 15 Apr 92 09:26:48 GMT
Organization: User Helpdesk Comp. Cent. (RUS) U of Stuttgart, FRG

In article <9204140405.AA25224@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> lithgow@uslp.UUCP writes:
>
>(Personally, I think we'd all be better off writing
>extensions/modifications to RISC OS, itself, than wasting effort on
>something else. For example, engineer pre-emptive multitasking into RISC
>OS, modify the graphics subsystems so that they can handle multiple
>clients simultaneously, a POSIX compatible file system, etc.)

I think, it's better to port a real unix. Riscos don't know anything about
the process concept ...
I also think it's more easy and comes faster, to port a unix than modify
unix for unixcompareable things (e.g. virtual memory)

so long
MUFTI
From: ssurawls@susssys1.reading.ac.uk (Mister E)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: >>>Software Protection (was: >>>New !Creator)
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:01:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: susssys1.9318.9204131701

TMOTA wrote;

>switham@acorn.co.uk (Sean Witham) writes:
>>I'm not fan of the dongle but I prefeer it to any other form of protection I
>>have come across so far as it allows me to use my piece of software on any
>>machine I use and I can also lend it for use to someone else. Of course
while
>>I lend it to someone else I myself can't use it but then that seems fair.

>I agree, but I hate it when the dongle falls out of the back of the machine
>and Impression doesn't give me a chance to re-insert it! Arrrrgh!

Try screwing it in!

I think a better protection system would have been to have a small box that
plugs into an archi that contains the UIN. If the machine breaks then you get
the replacement and insert the small box.

Of course, the box would have to be internal, to prevent kids at school and
jealous PC owners (same thing mentally?) from pinching the box, rendering the
machine almost useless.

To reduce the number of trailing wires in the machine, the box should be
mounted on the circuit board.

Hmmm, I think I just described the current system!

Ian


Posted Mon Apr 13 18:01:12 BST 1992

=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 8< =+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Mr Ian Rawlings, Telephone Reading (0734) 662301
	EMAIL ssurawls@susssys1.rdg.ac.uk

>Why do they use powder soap on submarines?
>Because it takes longer to pick up.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: 8 bit stuff...
From: epoo1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Edouard Malachi     Poor           )
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 06:43:16 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

In <Tm7RiB1w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz> Dave Sainty <terros@sideways.welly.gen.nz> writes:

>It's now about 3 months since I FINALLY got my comms program for the 8 bit
>machines ready for distibution.
>
>For those that remember this project, Zmodem never eventuated, nor Kermit, for
>which there was less interest.
>
>The rest was done...  Ymodem, scrollback, directory, ansi etc etc etc...
>
>Unfortunately, the moderators of te binaries group are ignoring all messages
>on this subject. Is there still any interest in this program? It's over a year
>since my last post on it I realise... How about a show of hands.
>
>And some mail from one of teh moderators would be nice too!

Formal offer: I offer my services as moderator for comp.binaries.acorn from
	      this account (Auckland University.) Jason Williams would be
	      willing to help (or co-moderate, if that seems OK) from
	      his Account here also. Our main aims would be to provide
	      a steady flow of parts at two or three a day, every day.

	      These accounts are valid for about one year, and the site is
	      as realiable as one can expect from a university (ie up about
	      97% of the time)

	      I run a BBS and Jason is co-sysop, so we already have a large
	      collection of PD/Shareware software to offer to keep the flow
	      going on the group if new software supplies via submissions
	      become erratic.

I would like, if this is thought of as a good idea, to 'trial' the position for
3 or 6 months to see if the readership as well as myself (and jasonself) are
happy with the quality of service and time needed to run it.

One way of keeping the moderator address the same would be to alias the internal
address of submit@acorn.co.uk to Acorn NZ where it could be UUCPed to my BBS's
usenet host and thus to me. I have no idea if this would be acceptable to anyone
but simply suggest it as one possible way of keeping things simple.

Please post and/or mail me about this as I need some sort of indication as to
whether this would be an acceptable idea to the net at large.

Cheers,
       Edouard.
From: osmith@acorn.co.uk (Owen Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: A5000 disc format recognising
Date: 9 Apr 92 19:25:08 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <19GgmVj013n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz
(Philip R. Banks) writes:

>   Yes it is. Mac definitely - there high density format uses a 1.44 Meg
>format style so there are no hangups over rotational speed differences.
>Amiga discs it *should* be possible to. I know of PC programs that let their
>HD FDC's read Amiga format discs and assume the technique should be possible
>on an A5000.

1.44 Meg Mac format, both read and write, should be no problem at all. But
is it really necessary? Macs can read and write PC discs, and so can A5000s
so why bother? Amiga, ahem. Well, one of my friends is an Amiga guru, and we
thought about this. Writing them is totally, utterly and absolutely out of
the question. You have to write an entire Amiga track at once since there
are no inter sector gaps, and you just can't do that through FileCore as an
image filing system. We were very dubious about even being able to do it
driving the floppy controller directly - there is no write track operation
on the 82C710 in the A5000. You stand a slightly higher than nil chance on
the 1772 in older machines, but it still isn't very likely. Reading Amiga
discs looks as if it will probably work most of the time, but would fail
occasionally. But again why bother - the Amiga can read and write PC discs.
Surely one interchange format is all you need. Only problem is if you have
this old disc that you didn't know when it was written that you want to read
it on you Archimedes. In which case you can probably wait a few days while
you find a friend with an Amiga to copy it to DOS format for you.

Different point - am I the only person on this group who quotes only enough
of the original article to give context to my follow-up? Most peope seem
to include the whole lot, monster 6 line .sig included!

Owen.

The views expressed are my own and are not necessarily those of Acorn.