HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ssurawls@SUSSSYS1.RDG.AC.UK (Mister E)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Suggested configuration toss....
Date: 21 Jul 92 09:36:27 GMT

m_sattle@halma.informatik.uni-kl.de (Matthias Sattler) writes:

> I have noticed that many Archimedes are not very good configured. So I
> suggest some configurations and a boot-up sequence that will satisfy
> most of your wishes. If you have some additions or improvements, just
> post them here in this newsgroup.
> This article is for RO3 machines, the article for RO2 machines was just
> posted before this one.
> O.K. let's start.
> Some configuartons that are useful:
> - Font cache 128K or more
> - System sprites 32K
> - Wimpmode 31 (800x600x16 colours)
>   If you have an old machine and don't want to use 800x600 (or you have
>   no VIDC-enhancer) use mode 27 as it is 60Hz.
> - Ramdisk if you wish, but I don't use this.

Good god what a nerve! A bit like saying "I notice that a lot of acorn users
have no dress sense. Here is my suggested outfit..."

> - Font cache 128K or more
Why? I set my font cache to 32K, the lowest it will go without being zero.
Why? Because the font manager enlarges the font cache as need be, up to a
limit specified by the user. Can't remember the config variable offhand....
Losing 128K of memory when it isn't being used is plain daft.

> - System sprites 32K
Why not zero. I have had this set to zero for two years now and never had any
problems. Any program that uses the system sprite area is most likely some
crap hack from an archimedes world disc that isn't worth the disc space...
Programs that don't work without doing silly things like using areas such as
system sprites tend to get deleted on my system...

> - Wimpmode 31 (800x600x16 colours)
Crap mode! All the icons are huge! I prefer mode 110 (redefined my me to stop
it wrapping around my crap a5000 monitor) which is over 1000 across by over
400 down. It isn't a true multisync mode, but you get lots of screen space and
the resolution is more than acceptable.

Philip R. Banks wrote:
>   So perhaps a general discussion on what CMOS settings are useful for
>particular tasks might be more productive?
Sounds a bit better, but again different strokes etc....

Ian


Posted Tue Jul 21 10:36:26 BST 1992

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

This car is constipated - it hasn't passed a thing for weeks.
From: gta@st-andrews.ac.uk (Graham Allan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: WordHound
Date: 25 Jul 92 03:39:19 GMT
Reply-To: gta@st-andrews.ac.uk
Organization: Greyfriars mail-relay

tim@parcplace.com (Tim Rowledge) writes:

> Well, I ftp'd Wordhound yesterday and I'd like to congratulate Ian on an
> interesting and rather nice app.
> Suggestions for the future:
> I couldn't find antidisestablishmentarianism (:-) fatal mistake), which
> lead me to wonder how to add words to the system.
> Scrolling only works for drag-the-marker type scrolling; button scrolling 
> and paging do nothing. (On my A540 w/ROS3.07)
> [some other things deleted...]

Yes, I noticed the scrolling thing too. It's a really nice app though (gives
you a taste of what the OED CD-ROM would be like, maybe?). By the way, the
dictionary definitions are word-for-word those in my copy of
Merriam-Webster; must have been the source?

A really useful enhancement to the app at some stage might be hotlinking to
Impression - as Impression 2.17 supports the as-yet-unreleased CC thesaurus
(you double click on a word and it looks it up), it should be possible to
duplicate this function. CC must use either wimp messages or their Impulse
system to connect Impression and their thesaurus, so it must be fairly easy
(famous last words...) to tap into? What do you think?

Graham
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graham Allan
Physics Dept, University of St.Andrews                   gta@st-andrews.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: 3d icons for RO3.xx
From: julian@bridge.welly.gen.nz (Julian Wright)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 13:08:17 +1200
Reply-To: wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Julian Wright)
Organization: USS Enterprise, NCC 1701a

ijp@oak9.doc.ic.ac.uk (Ian Palmer) writes:

> And one question about the various replacement window bits floating
> about, they all seem to have a spurious icon which appears to serve no
> useful purpose. I think it's called 'blicon' (if memory serves me
> right, but it usually doesn't). It always seems to be defined as a
> black bounded gery square, about 18x18 pixels. I tried changing it to
> semething very distinctive, and nothing happened - so I can only assume
> it's rather redundant - but it does appear in Roger Wilson's !SetIcons
> definitions, so I assume it must do something... But then again :-)

I can't say for sure, but I am guessing that in RISC OS 3.10 this sprite
will be used in the place of the 'resize' icon for windows which have
both scroll bars but no resize icon. In this case RISC OS 3.00 puts a
'transparent' box there (try it with FormEd sometime)... ie a box which
doesn't ever get redrawn, even if things are dragged across the top of
it.

Under RISC OS 2.00 as I recall it was not possible to have both scroll
bars but no resize icon...

> Oh, and on a different note, something to wet your appetites. I shall
> soon (probably tomorrow, if not next week) upload (to somewhere, havn't
> decided where yet) a little (understatement of the year) application
> called 'Word Hound' a combined thesaurus and dictionary (yes
> dictionary, with definitions and the like). The only problem is that
> it's big (very big - we are talking hard disc only application here)
> and I havn't quite worked out how to split the main dictionary (2 Meg
> of compressed data) into distributable (and recombinable) bits yet.

If you have it, Spark will take an archive and produce many uuencoded
chunks from it. Just choose Options.'uucode Split', select everything in
the archive, and drag-save a uuencoded file from the Selection.uucode
save box. The uuencoded files are saved with incremental filenames which
if maintained will allow Spark or SparkPlug to recombine them later.

    Cheers, Julian.
--
----------------------------| RO2:SYS 68,59243844 |--------------------------
wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz |---------------------| "I'm sig of sicknatures!"
----------------------------| RO3:SYS 68,60816742 |--------------------------
--
From: RRNA@CCV.UIA.AC.BE
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Amiga/ 486 owner needs information about A5000 / A540
Date: 31 Jul 92 11:08:00 GMT


 seifert@diku.dk (Michael Seifert) writes in article:
      "Re: Amiga / 486 Owner needs information on ARM A5000 / A570(?)"
> Read your questions about the Archimedes. I'm not trying to start a flame
> war, just want to drop in my opinion.

So you could do worse if you were trying?

> When I bought my Archimedes several years ago it was a fairly good machine
> both $ wise and powerwise.

> Don't buy one now. They are very expensive compared to the amount of
> computing power you get from other machines, and they are not very
> top of the line anymore. Especially the OS is hopelessly behind the
> other OS's by now (it weren't as bad several years ago).

I wonder, are you still using Arthur on an A305 or something? If there is one
thing about the Archimedes that stands out against the competition, it's 
RISCOS. Although there still is room for improvement, it is a !!!lot!!! better
then other OS'es I've seen. To the user it offers a nice an fast interface,
with an enormous functionality. To the programmer it is an aid in programming,
instaid of something to work against or around. 

> Find another computer to spend you money on. 

I'd say, try it out for yourself.

> --Michael

> P.S. Well I still like it. Today I'd just buy another machine if I had
>      the money and oppotunity.

> P.P.S. If someone tells you that the A5000 is just as fast as a typical 
> 486 - they're lying. We don't even have a proper Math Coproc.

There was quite a discusion in this newsgroup about this topic some time ago.
The general idea I got was that the two machines are about equal in speed, when
you're not working with floats. For working with floats the 486 seems to be the
winner. For speed of use, an useability of processor+OS, I believe the
Archimedes stands out.

*******************************************************************************
De Rijk Peter               
E-Mail: rrna@ccv.uia.ac.be
*******************************************************************************
* P.S. What a service is being offered to people on the net. Recently I was
* complaining about not having a dealer in Belgium. Now we have one. I ordered
* an A4 right away. I just hope I don't have to wait too long for it.
*
* Disclaimer: You know.
*
* Software and data is like a gas: It fills the available space.
*
* Dimension premisse: every computer is too small.
* Deduction: 1. If it's hard disc is big enough, it's memory is too small. 
*            2. If it has enough memory, the harddisc will be too small.
* DOS extention: if, in some strange case, memory and harddisc are big enough,
*                the OS :a. does not support one of the two (or both)
*                        b. needs a memorydriver that does not understand your
*                           software
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin)
Subject: Menues in RISCOSlib
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 10:25:36 GMT


Menues in the ROlib work but with weaknesses:

* The Seperator is fine provided you don't use it on the icon bar. This hasn't
  been fixed in ANSI C Rel 4

* Menues appear to be limited to 64 entries.

* Submenues that are dynamic can cause severe problems - they're not easy to
  get working.

Consequently, I use menues sparingly in C applications. If only Acorn would fix
them. However, since I've never seen Acorn respond to problems correctly (as in
release fixes for a reasonable charge) I don't expect this situation will
change for a LONG time. A shame really, the C package has some very strong
points, and seems to be let down by this kind of thing.

Pete Goodwin
goodwin@system.enet.dec.com
From: kers@hplb.hpl.hp.com (Chris Dollin)
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 08:00:03 GMT
Subject: Re: Passing N-dim array to a function in C?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn

In article ... mcg@waikato.ac.nz writes:

   A question for those C moguls out there:-

	One can declare a function
            void matrix (double *m)
            {
	    blah
            }
   and pass it an array declared : double t[10];

	matrix(t);

    What is the data_type declaration that's necessary for an array of an 
    array? viz

       void  matrix(????)
       {   double *p = malloc(sizeof (m));
	 m[1,4] = 1.0123;
	 p[3,9] = 1.20394;
       ..}

First, be aware that C multi-dimensional arrays are just arrays of arrays, and
that the notation to index them is thus  ``a[i][j]'', not ``a[i,j]'' [*1].

Second, to pass such an array as an argument:

    void flakjacket( double d[][10] ) { ... }

Note that you *must* specify the size of the second dimension of ``d'', but you
need not specify the first. Also, C actually passes a *pointer*, not an array
(as you correctly noted in your one-dimensional example), and silently rewrites
the type of ``d'' as if you had declared it as 

    double (*d)[10]

ie, ``d'' is a pointer to (things which are) arrays of 10 doubles.

I hope this helps; without knowing what you're actually trying to *do*, I can't
be more exact. (Feel free to mail; if anyone else wants to know the Answers,
let me know, and I'll summarise.)


[*1] The expression ``a[i,j]'' *is* legal C, but with an entirely inobvious
effect (until you get used to C). ``e1, e2'' is a use of the ``comma
operator'', which evaluates ``e1'', ignores any result, and then evaluates
``e2'', with its result being the result of the entire comma-expression [*2].
Thus ``a[i,j]'' indexes ``a'' with ``j'' (delivering a single-dimensional
array), which will almost certainly be in a position for The Rule [*3] to apply
- the array decays into a pointer to its first element. This is probably going
to be a poor substitute for the double you were expecting, and the compiler
will probably mumble something at you.

[*2] Do *not* confuse the comma of the comma operator with the comma used to
separate arguments to functions; the two are related only by appearance. C does
not mandate any order on the evaluation of arguments to functions.

[*3] The term ``The Rule'' was coined by Chris Torek, comp.lang.c guru.


--

Regards,    | It's strange how you suddenly discover bizarre and dangerous
Kers.       | holes in your knowledge.  I fell down one today. - Steve Knight
From: row@bnr.co.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: IOC and IIC serial bus
Date: 21 Jul 92 08:23:31 GMT
Reply-To: row@bnr.co.uk ()
Organization: BNR Europe Limited, London Road, Harlow, Essex, GB

I am currently adding a couple of new devices to the IIC bus
on my Archimedes and have the hardware working BUT the IIC
SWI is pretty useless as it stands and I therefore need to 
enhance this module.

Below is a partial disassembly of the IIC module, could someone
please explain the bits with the questions in the comments please ?
All the comments shown are my interpretations of what I think the
code is doing, and the parameters it takes, I maybe completely
wrong, if so what does it do #?!

;
; This function I think places data on the IIC bus - any comments.
; On Entry: (I think)
;   R0 - status of data line
;   R1 - status of clock line
;

  .callD          STMDB   R13!,{R0-R2,R14}
                  BIC     R14,R14,#&40000000     ; 
  .callC          ORR     R14,R14,#&08000000     ;
                  TEQP    R14,#0                 ;

                  ADD     R0,R0,R1,LSL #1        ; Value to poke to device 

                  MOV     R2,#0                  ; What does
                  LDRB    R1,[R2,#262]           ; this bit
                  BIC     R1,R1,#3               ; do ?
                  ORR     R1,R1,R0               ; What is at address
                  ORR     R1,R1,#&C0             ; #262 ?
                  STRB    R1,[R2,#262]           ; Cos I don't know !!

                  MOV     R2,#&03200000          ; IIC device address
                  STRB    R1,[R2,#0]             ; Place data on IIC lines
  .loop1          LDREQB  R1,[R2,#0]             ; Read IIC lines
                  TSTEQ   R1,#2                  ; Wait for bit 2 (IIC clock)
                  BEQ     loop1                  ; to go high.
                  MOV     R0,#&0A                ;
                  BL      call3                  ; Call delay
                  LDMIA   R13!,{R0-R2,PC}^

How do the timers used below work ? What is the delay ?

  .call3          STMDB   R13!,{R14}
                  STRB    R0,[R2,#76]            ; T0 latch command
                  LDRB    R1,[R2,#64]            ; T0 count low
  .loop2          STRB    R0,[R2,#76]            ; T0 latch command
                  LDRB    R14,[R2,#64]           ; T0 count low
                  TEQ     R14,R1                 ;
                  MOVNE   R1,R14                 ;
                  BEQ     loop2                  ;
                  SUBS    R0,R0,#1               ;
                  BNE     loop2                  ;
                  LDMIA   R13!,{PC}


Any help would be appreciated.

Reuben Wells
Reuben O. Wells	- BNR Europe Ltd - (+44) 279 403704
From: thsa@grun.is (Thorvaldur S. Arnarson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: IconFlag "NeedsHelpToBeRedrawn"
Date: 20 Jul 92 12:50:12 GMT
Organization: G.Run hf

jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA) writes:
>thsa@grun.is (Thorvaldur S. Arnarson) writes:
>>I've been trying to figure out what happens when the "NeedsHelpToBeRedrawn"
[stuff deleted...]
>I think this means that to get any effect you must have needs-help set in
>the icon, AND auto-redraw turned off in the window.

>the icon, AND auto-redraw off in the window...
>-- 
>_________________  "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)

I allways thoght the NeedsHelp bit was a means to get redraw requests for
a small portion of the screen, but as I have now found out it works
something like this:
  o If the AutoRedraw bit of the window is on this bit produces no effect
    at all!
  o If AutoRredraw is set the area under the icon is redrawn regardless of
    NeedsHelp.
  o If NeedsHelp and Autoredraw are set and SWI "Wimp_SetIconState" is
    executed a redraw request is issued for the area behind the icon.

In my oppinion this behaviour is rather mildly usefull.  It would have
given more exact control over redraws if this bit caused redraw requests
for the iconarea in an AutoRedraw window. 
-- 
Thorvaldur S. Arnarson (thsa@grun.is)  Short .sig rules!
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Menues in RISCOSlib
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 07:16:22 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin) writes:
>Consequently, I use menues sparingly in C applications. If only Acorn would fix
>them. However, since I've never seen Acorn respond to problems correctly (as in
>release fixes for a reasonable charge) I don't expect this situation will
>change for a LONG time. A shame really, the C package has some very strong
>points, and seems to be let down by this kind of thing.

Ah... menus work just fine, so long as you use the perfectly good OS SWI
interface to them (Wimp_CreateMenu et. al). It is merely RISC OS Lib's
interface to the SWIs which stinks horribly!
Don't stop using menus just because RISC OS Lib is awful - stop using
RISC OS Lib instead...
-- 
_________________  "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)
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: FAQ list posting needed (was Re: info?)
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 18:57:26 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: My Arc.

rogersh%p2c@uk.ac.man.cs (Huw Rogers) writes:

> There really should be an item in the FAQ for this kind of question,
> of which there are two examples today. Whoever's in charge of the
> FAQ, if you're still online, can you please fix this (and post it)?

   Yes I am still online. I'll look into this as there has been a spate of
recent enquiries along this line...

    Philip

--
Philip R. Banks  Syntax: mail < banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz >            @@@@@/|
                                                                        @@@@/#|
                                                                        @@@/##|
Radiation emissions from Quirium are perilously high, therefore repairs @@/---|
should not be attempted by pilots with vertigo. ---Arc Elite Manual     @/    |
From: alex@winx06.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de (Alexander Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Ethernet price?
Date: 28 Jul 92 10:24:21 GMT
Organization: University of Wuerzburg, Germany


Hi!
I want to connect my Archimedes to the local Ethernet here at the University.
I looked up the prices for the Hard-/Software needed and I got shoked:
The functionality I want would cost about the same as a complete 386-40 
doing the same thing!

In detail: I'd need the Ethernet podule (255 pounds), the TCP/IP suite (199
pounds) and the Gnome X-Emulator (199 pounds). In order to programm anything
like a Newsreader or similar I'd also need the TCP/IP Programmers kit (forgot
the price). This summs up to over 650 pounds (about 2000 DM)!!

For this price I can get quite easily a 386-40, 4MB, 100MB HDD, ET4000 card 
and Monitor, a NE2000 kompatible Ethernet card (158 DM = 57 pounds!) and
Linux (free! thanx linus :-) . That configuration will not only be a X-terminal,
but also its own X-Server, i.e. X-tasks will run locally and remote...

I can understand that the prices for Archimedes peripherals are not cheap,
because the market is much smaller, but is there anybody out there who can
tell me why the Archimedes solution would justify this price? As far as I 
could follow it did the price for the Ethernet podule and the software not
change in the last 3 or 4 years. At the time it came out it was high but
not outrageous as it is now as I look for the competition...

yours

Alexander Jung

P.S.: does anybody want a A310 with 4MB, 52MB OAK SCSI, VIDC Enh, ARM3 ...
      Reasonable Offers only  ;-)



Grad. physics student at                    Snail mail: Alexander Jung 
State University of Bavaria at Wuerzburg                Kopernikusstrasse 19
                                                        D-8708 Gerbrunn
Email: alex@winx06.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de          Germany
From: crj10@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: IconFlag "NeedsHelpToBeRedrawn"
Date: 21 Jul 92 19:39:40 GMT
Organization: The National Society for the Inversion of Cuddly Tigers

In article <1162@grun.is> thsa@grun.is (Thorvaldur S. Arnarson) writes:
>jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA) writes:
>>thsa@grun.is (Thorvaldur S. Arnarson) writes:
>>>I've been trying to figure out what happens when the "NeedsHelpToBeRedrawn"
>[stuff deleted...]
>>I think this means that to get any effect you must have needs-help set in
>>the icon, AND auto-redraw turned off in the window.
>
>I allways thoght the NeedsHelp bit was a means to get redraw requests for
>a small portion of the screen, but as I have now found out it works
>something like this:
>  o If the AutoRedraw bit of the window is on this bit produces no effect
>    at all!
>  o If AutoRredraw is set the area under the icon is redrawn regardless of
>    NeedsHelp.
>  o If NeedsHelp and Autoredraw are set and SWI "Wimp_SetIconState" is
>    executed a redraw request is issued for the area behind the icon.
>
>In my oppinion this behaviour is rather mildly usefull.  It would have
>given more exact control over redraws if this bit caused redraw requests
>for the iconarea in an AutoRedraw window. 

No - this is a useful thing to happen. If you think about it, you'll
realise that the alternative isn't actually very useful.

If the NeedsHelp bit meant "Send redraw requests whenever this icon
needs redrawing", then you would be fed a redraw request for the
window, to which you would have to respond by asking for rectangles to
redraw.

But why is this any more useful than clearing the AutoRedraw flag on
the entire window? In that case you would merely be sent redraw
requests for larger bits of your window. Since you wouldn't be
plotting anything anywhere except at this icon's location, there would
be no speed increase, and no added complexity of coding.

--Clive.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: amell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Andrew P.Mell)
Subject: Re: A540 Processor card changes?
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 04:29:37 GMT

In article <5139@shum.huji.ac.il> mybg@shum.huji.ac.il (Michael Ben-Gershon) writes:
>My A540, bought at the end of March, has a processor card with a socket for
>an FPA.  I am still eagerly awaiting its arrival :-)

Ah yes, but why havnt *I* got a socket for the FPA on my processor card?