HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: alm@doc.ic.ac.uk (Alexander L McLintock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: IRC session
Date: 13 Aug 92 13:40:58 GMT
Organization: Department of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.


 zoetl@isa.informatik.th-darmstadt.de (Gunnar Zoetl) writes:
>s047@SAND.SICS.BU.OZ.AU (Jeremy Lee) writes:
>> 

>> >Invite to an Archimedes IRC-Session:
>> >When:    Friday, August 21 9.00am AEST (+10 hrs GMT)
>> 
>> 
>> It's surprising.. I've rarely seen anyone from the UK on IRC. Can anyone
>> suggest why?
>
>Maybe because of the 10 Hrs time difference? Just think of it: when you
>go home at 7.00pm, the folks in england just start to wake up (9.00am).
>The suggested IRC session starts at 02.00am MEST, but nonetheless,
>I'll try to be there... (if I manage to get up, that is ;-)

I have seen more brits on irc than aussies, so there !


>> Could I get some sort of response to the number of people
>> who have access to IRC. If there is enough interest, I might set up a
>> bot and make #acorn a semi-permenant channel.

Not many in britain. but the numbers are doubling quickly.
If you create an irc bot, could you allow posting of notices such 
as "IRC session on Thursday nn of mmm 199x nn:nn GMT," so that
we don't clog up the news network.

do you see what I mean.
>> Jeremy
>Gunnar
AlexMC



-- 
| ALEX MCLINTOCK (ug) | Imperial College | or/ Sci Fi Soc, IC Union
| alm@doc.ic.ac.uk    | Computing Dep.   | Beit Hall, 
|*JOB*WANTED*PLEASE*  | Huxley Building  | Prince Consort road,  
| ICSF CHAIR ENTITY   | 180 Queens Gate--->London SW7 2BZ
From: lithgow@upjomon.usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?
Date: 17 Aug 92 03:58:30 GMT

[In message "Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?", Neil Postlethwaite writes:]
>In article <9208120143.AA29852@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> lithgow@upjomon.usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow) writes:
>>
>>If Acorn released an expensive, new machine now, no-one would buy it, and
>>it would be 'out of date' by the time people got enough money to buy the
>>thing.
>>...
>...
>Despite what Ashley says, if Acorn were to launch a high end machine
>(has to be unix based or no-one will buy it : the A540 hasn't been a hot
>cakes seller has it !) the competition will be Sun, HP and DEC in the
>Unix workstation market, NOT Ferrari.
>
>Even despite the recession Sun are doing pretty good are they not ???

No, they are not, unless 'pretty good' means 'not making a loss'. Their
share prices dropped quite a bit when they released their latest results,
which, though not a loss, were disappointing.

Very few computer companies are doing well at the moment, and some are
even making losses (IBM, DEC, etc.). Acorn is doing relatively well.

>P.S. A cheap Unix box based on an 8Mb/200Mb/monitor A5000 at under 2 grand
>     would be *popular* !!!

Maybe. But only because brainwashed fools far outweigh thinking people.
I'm currently working with one of the better desktop UNIX's (second only
to NeXTStep, maybe), and I can assure you that it doesn't compare with
RISC OS, or even with Mac System 7. Consider this: a 60MB hard disk, 8MB
of RAM, and a '386 is the minimum. Running on a 33MHz '386, performance
is very sluggish (like System 7 on a Mac Plus), and RAM really needs to
be 16MB to use the desktop properly. This is comparable to OS/2 or
Windows NT, *not* RISC OS or even Windows 3.1.

Of course, Acorn's UNIX is much more light-weight, but UNIX is simply too
heavy for any single-user work. And what advantages does it offer? (Don't
tell me about 'true multitasking', since RISC OS can manage that with the
Task Window, and does as good a job as a machine running X -- maybe
better.)

Anyway, that's my tirade for today. :-) Someone told me that Acorn were
concentrating on their non-UNIX stuff, and I cheered when I heard that.
UNIX is not a good choice for the market Acorn is targeting, and the UNIX
market is already quite full -- Acorn only supports UNIX for marketing
purposes, I believe. And it should stay that way. (No offense intended
Mark, or any of you other guys in the UNIX section at Acorn -- hey, I'm
working for a company who's whole business is UNIX!.)

Up with RISC OS! 

On with palm-tops!

Acorn will rule the world!

All - other - computer - companies - will - be - exterminated!

No - one - can - stand - before - the - might - of - the - Acorn - Daleks!

Oops. Sorry. Got a bit carried away there.

-Malcolm.  lithgow@usl.com  These are merely my opinions, do not be alarmed.
From: zrzm0370@rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (Joerg Scheurich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?
Date: 18 Aug 92 10:59:45 GMT
Organization: Information Server, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG

In article <9208170409.AA05185@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> lithgow@upjomon.usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow) writes:

>Of course, Acorn's UNIX is much more light-weight, but UNIX is simply too
>heavy for any single-user work. And what advantages does it offer? 

1. It supports a orthogonal multitasking:
   (processes are rather independend from others eg. try to use the 
   change-directory-command in a few taskwindows ...)

2. virtual memory system: 
   With it you can handle big data very simple, cause the length of your
   arrays (and programcode itself) is not restricted by the available 
   RAM-memory.

3. a lot of easy portable, freeware/shareware/Publicdomain software
   Just a example: did someone ported g++ or mtc to riscos ?

4. Unix become a industrial standart for higher range computers.
   Compared with UNIX is RISCOS very exotic ...

There are a lot of advantages to have UNIX on every platform (maybe this is 
not true on the Commodore C64 ...)

so long
MUFTI
From: bcockburn@acorn.co.uk (Bruce Cockburn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn pushes out small dealers
Date: 22 Aug 92 13:19:46 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

People,

  Let me preface these remarks by saying that I work on the *technical* side
of Acorn and have nothing to do with dealer policy.

  However I do remember some time ago there was a load of traffic on this
group about a dealer who went to the wall with somebody's money (having
failed to deliver the goods) and there have been several threads about how
poor some dealers are in terms of *technical* support.  Surely it is exactly
these problems that Acorn is trying to prevent?

  Who would be happy with a dealer who didn't have a good range of third
party stuff?  Who would be happy if, when they rang up for technical suport,
they were told "we have to get back to you on that" or "sorry our technical
person is off on two weeks holiday, my advice is don't switch the computer
on again 'till they get back"?  Is it acceptable for an 'Acorn Dealer' to
not have all current kit on the shelf?  (How would you feel if you went to
McDs and asked for a cheese-burger and they said "sorry we only stock the
Big-Mac, but we could get one in specially for you, come back in a week"?)

  What I think is happening is that Acorn is trying to protect it's
customers, and itself as well.

  Bruce.

Any views expressed are my own and are not necessarily those     _--_|\ 
of Acorn. Any factual information is given in good faith and    /      \
neither I, nor Acorn can accept liability for loss or damage    \_.--._/
resulting from its use.                                               v 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin)
Subject: Re: MicroVax
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:06:38 GMT


In article <2aQeefj010n@st-andrews.ac.uk>, gta@st-andrews.ac.uk (Graham Allan) writes...

>As far as I can remember, a VAXstation 3100 does about 3 MIPs, the newer
>VAXstation 3100/76 does nearer 10. For whatever the MIPs figure is worth...
>I would guess a VAX has better FP support than an ARM3.

I'm not sure if a VAXstation 3100 is faster than an Archimedes, at least in
terms of integer arithmetic. In terms of floating point, the VAX is much
faster.

Pete Goodwin
goodwin@system.enet.dec.com
From: s047@SAND.SICS.BU.OZ.AU (Jeremy Lee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn User Show get-together
Date: 17 Aug 92 01:56:15 GMT


In article <1992Aug13.133546.25904@doc.ic.ac.uk> AlexMC writes:
>In article <DBH.92Aug11103024@wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk> dbh@doc.ic.ac.uk (Denis Howe) writes:
>>
>>The idea seems to be that we identify each
>>other by the absence of certain items - 
>
>I won't be wearing a badge saying "I read comp.sys.acorn".

It will be easy to recognise me then. I won't be there. :-)

***********************************************************************
*    . Jeremy Lee s047@sand.sics.bu.oz.au    Student of Everything    *
*   /|            "Where the naked spotless intelect is without       *
*  /_|              center or circumference. Look to the light,       *
* /  |rchimedes      Leland, look to the light" - Dale Cooper         *
***********************************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: t-piersh@microsoft.com (Piers Haken)
Subject: Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?
Date: 12 Aug 92 05:09:18 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA 98052

In article <1992Aug11.074152.24483@rdg.dec.com> goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin) writes:
>
>>>I'm sorry guys, but however sentimental you are - this is fast, Windows
>>>is getting nicer and you're falling behind a bit. I hope you replace
>>>the A5000 with something really impressive, or people just aren't going
>>>to be interested anymore.
>
>Sentimental? Windows 3.1 Filer still is way behind the Archimedes desktop 
>filer - in terms of look and feel.
>
>Pete Goodwin
>goodwin@system.enet.dec.com

I wasn't necesarily talking about Win31. However I do agree that the way
in which windows splits access to data and programs with the file/program
managers is really poor, but people realise this and there's no doubt
that future versions will be easier to use. What I was really getting
at was the complete lack of marketing that Acorn seem to have. Take
a look at a typical PC magazine and you'll find ads from Mirosoft, IBM, Apple,
Compaq, Borland - everybody, but you'll be hard pushed to find an Acorn
advert in an Acorn-based magazine (let alone a PC one). You could say that
they don't need to advertise, since they're the only guys that make the
machines, but take a look at Apple and their recent attack on the usability
of Windows.

'nuff said.

Piers.
-- 
Disclaimer: These views are my own and not necessarily
            those of the company for which I work.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: sbirkett@cix.compulink.co.uk (Stuart Birkett)
Subject: MicroVax
Reply-To: sbirkett@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 21:22:46 +0000

Could anyone tell me which machine has the more powerful processor.
 
My ARM3 powered 440/1 or a MicroVax 3100/20?
 
Stuart......
From: aglover@acorn.co.uk (Alan Glover)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Why isn't everything PD ? (-> comp.sys.acorn.advocacy please)
Date: 18 Aug 92 07:19:08 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <1992Aug18.095919.10153@waikato.ac.nz> mcg@waikato.ac.nz writes:

>In article <1992Aug17.141647.1@vxdesy.desy.de>, burke@vxdesy.desy.de writes:

Please take this thread to comp.sys.acorn.advocacy !

Alan
From: mcg@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Why isn't everything PD ?y
Date: 18 Aug 92 09:59:19 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Aug17.141647.1@vxdesy.desy.de>, burke@vxdesy.desy.de writes:
> 
>   I find the original post a bit strange - why shouldn't someone be paid for
> the time they spend writing software? Should Computer Concepts give us
> Impression for free? The only thing is, if you sell your software you have a

The difference between a commerical setup and, say, John's (previous) setup is:

 a) Companies like CC employ hordes of programmers to write a prog (wages).
 b) They Pacakge their wares in (attractive) cases/packaging.
 c) They provide separate *type-set* manuals.

A, B, C are the cost of making the software for a company, whereas the only 
expense incurred by, say John, is the electricity/coffee used in making the 
prog.

 He neither incurrs the expense of supplying a disc or return postage (maybe 
e-mail costs, but they are negligable), so the fee he sets is basically 
, (excuse the pun) *pure* profit.


From Martin Glanvill		(mcg@waikato.ac.nz)

Dept. Maths 							      @@@@@/|@
University of Waikato						      @@@@/ |@
Hamilton							      @@@/__|@
New Zealand							      @@/   |@
								      @@@@@@@@

----------------****=====| A quote to make your day |======****-----------------
A majority is always the best repartee.			- Disraeli
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: gta@st-andrews.ac.uk (Graham Allan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: impression->TEX
Date: 15 Aug 92 13:47:44 GMT
Reply-To: gta@st-andrews.ac.uk
Organization: Greyfriars mail-relay

burke@vxdesy.desy.de writes:
> This is an interesting question - are PostScript fonts available for TeX? (ie
> as TFM files). There's no reason why they shouldn't be, but I've never seen
> any.

I'm sure (one of) the Mac implementations of TeX uses PostScript fonts such
as Times-Roman, etc, instead of the Computer Modern ones. But I don't really
know - how would it deal with the special maths bits?

Graham
From: row@bnr.co.uk (Reuben Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Why isn't everything PD ?
Date: 18 Aug 92 15:16:41 GMT
Reply-To: row@bnr.co.uk (Reuben Wells)
Organization: BNR Europe Limited, London Road, Harlow, Essex, GB

This thread is going off at a tangent at the moment so I would
just like to clarify my position ...

What I was objecting to, was the fact that people are using usenet
and internet for distribution of programs for the purpose of making
money, which I feel is not really in the spirit of things. Many
people give help and advice to these people for *free*, even
though it takes time to bother to email people ! Many people have
*free* use of ftp, email etc. through their University or company !
Someone is paying for these services and after using these facilities
all for *free* to turn around and then ask money for software is
not really on, in fact it is against many University and Company
rules ! 

I have no objection to people making their software "Sharware" but I
don't think these people should:
  a) ask the net for help,
  b) be permitted to advertise their software on the net

Thanks

Reuben Wells
       3rd Year Software Engineer University of Birmingham


Reuben O. Wells	- BNR Europe Ltd - (+44) 279 403704
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: m_sattle@tangram.informatik.uni-kl.de (Matthias Sattler)
Subject: LPMud gamedriver for 3.0 mudlib
Reply-To: @uni-kl.de:m_sattle@poker.informatik.uni-kl.de (Matthias Sattler)
Organization: University of Kaiserslautern (Germany)
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:18:34 GMT

Hi Adam David

I need the LPMud gamedriver for Archimedes compiled in 3.0 mode to run our
new alpha-test 3.0 mudlib....
Our old 2.4.5 mudlib works fine with your gamedriver compiles in compat mode.

Thanks Matthias


Matthias Sattler
e-mail: @uni-kl.de:m_sattle@poker.informatik.uni-kl.de
(Funny but this works.)


PS: Gerben I got your mail but I can't mail outside Kaiserslautern to
anser you.
From: D.S.Walker@bradford.ac.uk (Simeon Walker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: where are you, c.s.a. ?
Date: 20 Aug 92 18:55:17 GMT
Organization: University of Bradford, UK
Originator: 91909178@occam

In article <0A03C98DE19F00D65A@ccv.uia.ac.be> RRNA@CCV.UIA.AC.BE writes:
>******************************************************************************
>De Rijk Peter                              * Inside every big problem,
>E-Mail: rrna@ccv.uia.ac.be                 * there's a little problem,
>FTP: 143.159.8.1                           * trying to get out.
>******************************************************************************
>
>I was following c.s.a. by ftp'ing the newsfeed at rcpieter@win.tue.nl. There
>seems to be a problem now: the directory /pub/comp/sys/acorn has dissapeared. I
>couldn't find c.s.a. on info-admin@eu.net, info-admin@nluug.nl, and lcs.mit.edu
>either. Could someone please help me to find c.s.a ont the net again. (E-mail
>please ;-))
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Peter
>
>Disclaimer: you know!       

On ftp.win.tue.nl the acorn newsgroups are now in the /pub/usenet dir,
or something like that :-)


-- 
Sim. ----------------------------------------------------------- Simeon Walker,
----------------------------------------- Department of Electrical Engineering,
D.S.Walker@bradford.ac.uk -------------------- University of Bradford, England.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: CONVERT PROTRACKER MUSIC IN SOUNDPROGRAM                                        
From: Ikki@BEIZ.mediatex.ch (0642210101: Fernmeldedirektion Olten)
Date: 12 Aug 1992 18:19:29 CET
Organization: MEDIAtex AG, CH-8807 Freienbach/SZ

I have the soundeditor called Coconizer,
and I was able to convert Amiga-sounds
into Coconizer-modules, so that I can
use Instruments of the Amiga-tune.
Now... How is it possible to convert a
Protracker-Music or STracker-Music in
a Coconizer-File or ARMtracker file
so that I can use the instruments used
in the Music for my tune?

Thanx for all advces in advance.
Greets...
Internet: Ikki(at)BEIZ.meidatex.ch
))There are VERY GOOD programs on the
Amiga... Why not program the better ones
on the Archimedes???(((

|B                                    B|
|E           CH: VTX *3600#           E|
|I           D:  BTX *28881#          I|
|Z                                    Z|
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: kortink@cs.utwente.nl (John Kortink)
Subject: A worse Windows than Windows ?
Organization: University of Twente, Dept. of Computer Science
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 00:35:25 GMT

s047@SAND.SICS.BU.OZ.AU (Jeremy Lee) writes :

>Windows is getting NICER??!?! *cough splutter choke*!! There is a
>fundamental flaw in the semantics of that sentence. First, windows was
>never nice, so to imply that it is getting "nicer" is false. I have seen
>and used 3.1, and from all outward appearances, the greatest single
>major change is that they are using that horrible new logo everywhere.

Well, I use it on my (spit) MSDOS box, but I must admit it feels a lot
smoother than 3.0, and the file manager is 'less worse' now. It is also
more stable as far as I've experienced. It doesn't throw up as many
UAE's as 3.0. Latter does this with a frequency that can be described
as 'when it feels like it'. 3.1 too, but is less throwuppy.

>Plus, a LOT of old software is very unstable or won't work at all under
>the new Windows. Not even Microsoft software. Great way to get everyone
>to spend lots more money on upgrades eh?

I don't do anything really serious under it, so I can't deny or confirm
this. Most PD and shareware apps will run fine.

>[...]
>Excel. It takes 3Mb to install Dos5. I have a friend with a 40Mb drive.
>He's a pretty average user, a commerce student who only barely knows his
>way around Windows, let alone DOS. His HD is full, and he can't work out
>where all the space has gone. Also, over the past few months, his
>Windows has been getting slower, and slower, and s l o w e r... And he
>can't work out why.

Well, what I found out (shock, horror) is that when you choose the
auto-install, it creates a HUMONGOUS swap file, without asking (14 Mb or
somewhat on my 120Mb HD). I think it depends on what you have free when
you install. Maybe your friend is experiencing something related to this,
or Windows is desperately swapping. Anyway, I snatched back my 14Mb. Let
it find it's (virtual) memory elsewhere (like in RAM, I have 4Mb, so it
should be able to do something useful with it, or whatever is left after
it has booted).

In short, I think Windows is still quite horrible, but, to satisfy your
craving for correctly weighed terminology : less horrible than before
I'd say. There *is* some nice software to be run under it. Then again,
I prefer the command-line under 4Dos anytime (and I mean *anytime*,
Windows makes me quite desparate quite quickly, quite profoundly).

God, isn't the Archimedes nice !

(Imagine a commercial based on this. Seriously frustrated bloke or
blokette switches off PC, shifts over to Arc, and, after switchon,
sighs, wide smile : auto-loading all his favourite apps, playing a tune
in the background. Doing some serious work with lots of clickety-click.
Hands of the clock flying around. Yawns, smiling. Puts on big nightcap
(with Arc logo on it, of course). Etc. You know, standard cliches ...).


John Kortink

Student of Informatics at the University of Twente, The Netherlands
NETMAIL : kortink@cs.utwente.nl              DISCLAIMER : the usual
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: 2105995@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU ()
Subject: Re: IRC session
Organization: Ban the Mac Society, Aust ltd
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:53:30 GMT

>s047@SAND.SICS.BU.OZ.AU (Jeremy Lee) writes:
>> 
>> In article <1992Aug10.031107.25413@usage.csd.unsw.OZ.AU> you write:
>> >
>> >Invite to an Archimedes IRC-Session:
>> >
>> >When:    Friday, August 21 9.00am AEST (+10 hrs GMT)
>> 
>> In the MORNING!!!!
>> 
>> It's surprising.. I've rarely seen anyone from the UK on IRC. Can anyone
>> suggest why?
>
>Maybe because of the 10 Hrs time difference? Just think of it: when you
>go home at 7.00pm, the folks in england just start to wake up (9.00am).
>The suggested IRC session starts at 02.00am MEST, but nonetheless,
>I'll try to be there... (if I manage to get up, that is ;-)
>

Well, i'm gonna try to keep it going as long as possible past 7.00pm AEST
so that European and Uk acornites can join. I'll try and stay awake :-)
BTW, if the session starts at 2.00am MEST, then I said it would
finish at 4pm AEST (7am MEST), so this is not really an excuse :-)
I'll attempt to keep on the channel from home using the old modem trick,
but if it gets to 10pm AEST and no-one from Europe is there, i'll 
drop it and call it a night!

I think more of an excuse for less uk-irc-ers is the relative strictness
of English unis over their undergrads (they seem to make up 75% of irc!)
Here in Aus, undergrads (1st years) have telnet, irc, ftp and mail all
FREE (well they do at unsw!). How does that compare with Uk/europe?

>> Could I get some sort of response to the number of people
>> who have access to IRC. If there is enough interest, I might set up a
>> bot and make #acorn a semi-permenant channel.
>
>good idea.

A very good idea.
>
>Gunnar
                             Cheers!

+----------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|___                         | Real Programmers (tm) code in 68000         |
||__| .  __  __ |\/|  __   _ | Real Artists (rm) use Macintoshes           |
|| \    |__ |   |  |  __\ | \| Real Musicians (c) use SoundBlaster Pros    |
||  \ | ___||__ |  | |__| | || Real Idiots (pat. pend) do all of the above | 
+-President of the Ban the Mac Society, Regd office ARMature II BBS Sydney-+