HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jtn@ukc.ac.uk (Jim Noble)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: A couple of questions.
Summary: What connector for the ARM is used in an A5000?
Date: 11 Jan 93 09:02:34 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.


This article didn't get much of a response in C.S.A, so I will now try
posting it in the correct group :-) Apologies if you have read it before.
There is some more tacked on the end though....

Can anyone comment on Eureka? How does it compare to using, say, Pipedream?
I know someone who is looking for a spreadsheet proggy and wanted to know if
Eureka is any good. Comments much appreciated.

Anyone out there got Pendown Plus? Do you think it could cope with small
reports/essays? Or do I need Impression (or Impress. Jnr)? Someone
mentioned that Icon Technology give a student discount on Techwriter. Can
anyone remember how much of a discount it is?

Also, could an A5000 owner tell me how the ARM3 is connected (Surface
mount/PGA/?). If it is Surface mount, does anyone know if you can get surface
mount PGA sockets? More importantly does anyone know a dealer willing to fit
such a socket to an A5000. Would it invalidate the warranty?

Thanks in advance.

[additional bit]

Are we going to get a press release from ARMLtd. about the use of ARM2's in
this new 3DO Console? A few (gasp) technical details perhaps? The byte
article mentioned the use of "proprietary" graphics chipset. Could this be
the first commercial use of the new VIDC?

Acorn, (bit hopeful this :-) are there any plans to replace the A540? Be
nice to know what you are working towards (I don't expect I'll get an
answer to that, ho hum).

--
Jim Noble
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: crj10@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones)
Subject: Poll words in RiscOS3
Telephone-Messages: +44 223 33 4900
Address: Christ's College, Cambridge CB2 3BU, ENGLAND.
Organization: U of Cambridge, England
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 20:32:48 GMT

Could someone please supply me with a demonstrably working example of
the use of poll words with Wimp_Poll(Idle) under RiscOS3, i.e. the new
extension allowing one to do a Wimp_Poll and have the wimp pass
control back to you when a given word of memory becomes non-zero?

I have tried using this facility - it didn't seem to work, either
under 3.0 or 3.1, although it was documented in the developer
pre-release notes. These notes also cited NetFiler as a module that
used the facility - I disemboweled that module and extracted the
appropriate code, which also failed to work...

--Clive.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: VIDC Programming Question
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 21:42:13 GMT

In article <20957@acorn.co.uk> mhardy@acorn.co.uk (Michael Hardy) writes:
>
>You'll find the info you need in:
>
>   Acorn RISC Machine family Data Manual. VLSI Technology Inc. (1990)
>   Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: ISBN 0-13-781618-9
>
>If you quote these details to your local friendly bookshop, they should be
>able to order the manual for you.

My local branch of Dillons bookshop has a couple of copies. The price
marked on them is 26.95 UK pounds. Unfortunately VLSI were recently
giving away free copies through Coin-Age Ltd, but there are none of
these free copies left.

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: gilbertd@cs.man.ac.uk (David Alan Gilbert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: NULL events and 'txt' in RISC_OSLib
Date: 12 Jan 93 08:46:31 GMT

Just a warning to all you who are using NULL
events a lot.  As far as I can tell the 'txt'
section of RISC_OSLib changes the event mask to 
allow NULL events when you drag in a window (be it
scroll bar or over the work area).  When it
has finished it then sets the mask to IGNORE
NULL's - no matter what the state previously.

So if your program relied on them a lot, your
program suddenly stops any background activity.

The way I confirmed this was to print event_getmask()
before I called event_process() - it suddenly became
1 after attempting to scroll the window with the
scroll bar - and definitly with a click on the
work area.

Dave
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- David Alan Gilbert - gilbertd@cs.man.ac.uk - G7FHJ@GB7CRG                   -
------(Programmers don't sleep - they just park their heads)-------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Glass template file format
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 02:30:57 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

>Thanks for forgetting my name (:-)
No problem! ;-)   (tim browse tim brows tim brous tom braus - I think
		   I've got it now, Tom ;-)

> and for the ideas on menus etc - I may
>even get around to it one day.  I'm sure you'll have a lot to say on this
>standard :-)

I suspect I will... but then I have a lot to say about anything I have
anything to say about. In fact, I tend to go on at length about... but I
digress... ;-)

>Feel free to post Glazier to comp.mumble.binaries/newky server/wherever - I
>don't mind and I'd rather people didn't have to use FormEd >:-)

OK. I'll queue it for posting... if I happen to recieve a more recent version
before I post, I'll post that instead (hint hint!). The email address is
cba@acorn.co.nz (hint! hint!)

>You may find some people hate it mind you - some people have said it's awful
>to use; FormEd is much better; Glazier's full of bugs and I should junk it
>and re-write it from scratch.  It's funny, but I've never seen such
>vitriolic reactions...

Well, they're right of course. That is, you should use FormEd 0.03 and
RISC OS Lib to write desktop applications. None of this High-Level User-
Friendly Productivity-Enhancing Low-Cholesterol junk you get nowadays!

Personally, I'm happy to continue using my version god-knows-what of FormEd
Hacked by thingummybob and the other dude, and passed on to the Wibble
brothers who improved it, and then passed it on to ARMs R Us hacker group
who added some useful functions, which I then hacked to not give
"Unknown or Missing Variable" errors when saving under RISC OS 3.10 (the
secret is to REM out the line, guys!)... but I digress... to use my version
of FormEd until such a time as Glazier supplies enough functionality to
keep me happy... around next week should do it. Glazier shows great promise
but I don't actually use it yet (mainly because the templates for DSEdit
are nasty and have deleted icons in them and stuff and I'm never sure just
how happy Glazier is with them...)

What people don't seem to realise is that if they pat an author on the
back and tell him that the software shows great promise (as Glazier does), then
he may just do more work on it so that it actually fulfils that promise...
instead they seem to think that not sending him money and abusing him
and his program will provide the encouragement he needs... That's the
sex bondage generation for you... ;-)

>reactions to a piece of FREE software before - is there something about

The thing about FREE software is that you know the author doesn't have enough
money to take you to court when you slander him... whereas a commercial
firm can and will, so the only way to get improvements is to ask nicely...

OOOPS! I forgot to quote the rest of your entire message! Ah well...

Perhaps you'll like my new 1993 sig then...

-- 
themasterofthearcanejwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nzthismessagewassentonrecycledelectrons
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: RiscOS 3.x Programmers Reference Manuals
Keywords: Riscos PRM
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 22:09:43 GMT

In article <C0DKJL.II2@ioc.co.uk> chris@ioc.co.uk (Chris Howard) writes:
>On a similar note has any body worked out how to add files to the 
>Resources folder under RiscOS 3.x yet. Looking through the ResourceFS
>module, I have come across two SWI's
>
>- ResourceFS_RegisterFiles &
>  ResourceFS_DeregisterFiles
>
>Does anybody know how they work and what the correct parameters are?

Andrew Hersee <ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk> has written a super little
module for registering files with ResourceFS. I'm not sure about its
distribution status, but it is far better than any of the alternatives
which I have seen.

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mhardy@acorn.co.uk (Michael Hardy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: VIDC Programming Question
Date: 8 Jan 93 10:03:27 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <1993Jan8.051650.17939@newsroom.utas.edu.au> u894776@postoffice.utas.edu.au (James McCoull) writes:

>Just posting to ask for help on some low level VIDC programming.
>
>I'm trying to program the VIDC to generate vsync interrupts after each scan
>line - for both screen splitting, palette changing and a few other odds and
>ends.  Unfortunately timers are no good for my task, I *must* have real
>vsyncs.  So far I'm having a little trouble due to lack of documentation
>(anyone know where I can find some documentation on the VIDC chip?

You'll find the info you need in:

   Acorn RISC Machine family Data Manual. VLSI Technology Inc. (1990)
   Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: ISBN 0-13-781618-9

If you quote these details to your local friendly bookshop, they should be
able to order the manual for you.

(There may by now be a newer version that covers more recent chips such as
the ARM 600 series, the ARM 250 and the new VIDC. Your local VLSI office
could probably advise you on this.)

- Michael J Hardy

  Technical Publications    Email:      mhardy@acorn.co.uk
  Acorn Computers Ltd       Telephone:  +44 223 254352
  Cambridge TechnoPark      Fax:        +44 223 254270
  645 Newmarket Road        Telex:      817875 ACORN G
  Cambridge CB5 8PB
  England                   Disclaimer: All opinions are my own, not Acorn's
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: idg10@phx.cam.ac.uk (I.D. Griffiths)
Subject: Re: A couple of questions.
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 17:25:16 GMT

In article <1ius6lINNk5g@clover.csv.warwick.ac.uk>, phudv@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr R B Birkby) writes:
|>  ... some blurb about A540 replacement.


|> Most of this information seems obvious but why would acorn want to sell a
|> product with the ARM610 ?
|> Surely an ARM600 with a FPU integrated or an external coprocessor bus would be
|> the best choice. Acorn wouldn't use this in a prototype either, they'd
|> construct a CPU board akin to the one in early A3010's with FPU support.
|> 
|> This sure does sound a nice machine though, especially the 66Mhz ;-) 

Well, he only said that the PROTOTYPE is using an A610.  I was under the
impression that Acorn aren't about to release any A600 type machine's, but
are waiting for the bigger and better (700 or 800) processors.  In the
meantime, rather than twiddling their thumbs, they are building prototypes
around what is currently available, so that they can have something good
to try out the new chips on when they appear.

This is speculation based on a rumour that Acorn won't be release Arm610
machines.  Don't know how accurate it is.

Ian Griffiths
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: pmoore@cix.compulink.co.uk (Paul Moore)
Subject: Suppressing floating point errors in C
Reply-To: pmoore@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 21:16:00 +0000

The following code, when compiled, generates a stack backtrace,
and the program exits with status zero. How do I get the program
to continue to the "return 0"? (Note: I KNOW ignoring FP errors
is not good in the general case - in this case, and in the "real"
case where this is a problem for me, the naff value in d is never
used, and so is harmless.)

-------- Cut here --------
#include <signal.h>

/* Dummy - see below */
void a (double d)
{
}

int main (void)
{
        double d;

        signal (SIGFPE, SIG_IGN);
        d = 1.0;
        d /= 0.0;

        /* To ensure that the compiler does not
         * optimise away the floating point operation
         */
        a (d);

        return 0;
}
-------- Cut Here --------

Thanks in advance for any help.

Gustav.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: ph10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Philip Hazel)
Subject: Sprite for Perl - has anybody defined one?
Keywords: perl sprite
Organization: University of Cambridge Computing Service
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:10:10 GMT

The subject says it all...

--
Internet: P.Hazel@ucs.cam.ac.uk       University Computing Service,
JANET:    P.Hazel@uk.ac.cam.ucs       Computer Laboratory, Pembroke St,
Phone:    +44 223 334714              Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: bernhard@flipper.pvv.unit.no (Kjetil Bernhard Thomassen)
Subject: Re: What is 'disk error 4'?
Organization: The Norwegian Institute of Technology
Distribution: comp
Date: 11 Jan 93 04:10:43

In article <BERNHARD.93Jan8195453@flipper.pvv.unit.no> bernhard@flipper.pvv.unit.no (Kjetil Bernhard Thomassen) writes:

   I've got an A310 with RiscOS 3.10 and 2 floppies. One of them is a
   panasonic 2 MB (unformatted) drive. 

   A few days ago it started giving me 'disk error 4 at 0/00000000' when
   I try to open any floppy. 

   I tried checking out the PRM's, but to no avail.

That is, I tried checking out the RiscOS 2 PRM's.
                                         ^
   Anyone has any idea?

   Kjetil Bernhard Thomassen
   bernhard@pvv.unit.no

I have later found out that there is something wrong with my drive, as
a new one of the same type works without problems.

But it would still be interesting to know what this error means, as I
intend to track down the fault and repair that drive. That's a lot
cheaper than buying a new one for about 400 NOK (about 40 pounds
sterling). 

To anyone interested I can also say that all I had to do to get my
drive working as a 1MB drive is to change some micro-switches on the
back of the drive. I changed a switch from DC to MO and the drive
number to from 1 to 0. This drive is a standard PC drive.

Kjetil B.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: a909937@server1.tiuk.ti.com (Graham Barr          (0004 bodg))
Subject: Acorn RISC Machine family Data Manual
Reply-To: a909937@server1.tiuk.ti.com
Organization: Texas Instruments Ltd.
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 09:04:26 GMT


In article 5911@krafla.rhi.hi.is, adamd@rhi.hi.is (Adam David) writes:
>In <20957@acorn.co.uk> mhardy@acorn.co.uk (Michael Hardy) writes:
>
>>   Acorn RISC Machine family Data Manual. VLSI Technology Inc. (1990)
>>   Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: ISBN 0-13-781618-9
>
>>If you quote these details to your local friendly bookshop, they should be
>>able to order the manual for you.
>
>I tried this last year, after waiting a few weeks I got the answer:
>"Sorry, it's out of print." Does anyone know whether it has been reprinted,
>or do we have to rely on the chance of finding an old copy somewhere?
>
>--
>Adam David (adamd@rhi.hi.is)




I have recently aquired a copy of this book directly from VLSI in
Milton Keynes, UK. 

If you ring them on UK (44) 908 667595 and ask to speak to someone
about Data Books. 

I am sure that they will send you a copy if you ask. I did not cost me
a thing.

Graham Barr
a909937@server1.tiuk.ti.com

You Don't get anywhere without Risc's.
From: tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: New Template format discussion document
Date: 6 Jan 93 11:06:52 GMT
Reply-To: tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat)
Organization: K.U.Leuven, Belgium
Originator: tytgat@queneau

In article <1993Jan5.225631.27329@cs.aukuni.ac.nz> jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA) writes:
>tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat) writes:
>
>>(5) A last point what I would like to raise is that there is no support for
>>text (read : Indirected Data) in different languages.
> [...]
>Argh! What about simply specifying that the text held in the icon is a
>messagetrans tag? Then the template-loading code can lookup the necessary
>text from the specified language-dependant messages file.

Ok, but what about the practical implementation ? Do we specify a bit which
determines the kind of text : plain text or messagetrans tag and define a
path where the template, euh sorry, Glass editor can find the messagetrans
files ? Or do we define more explicitly in the Glass file which languages
are supported with explicit filenames (instead of a path) ?

I hope we never *have to* deal with messagetrans tags ourselves.  Automatic
generation of such tags would be very helpful.

John
tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be
BASS
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: New Template format discussion document
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 22:56:31 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat) writes:

>(5) A last point what I would like to raise is that there is no support for
>text (read : Indirected Data) in different languages.

>A solution for this could be different Indirected Data tables.  IMHO this would
>make the GLS_WIND chunk rather heavy.  Therefore I suggest to define a new
>chunk as :

 [chunk format for including millions of different language versions of the
 program text all in the one mega-massive file deleted]

Argh! What about simply specifying that the text held in the icon is a
messagetrans tag? Then the template-loading code can lookup the necessary
text from the specified language-dependant messages file.


>- All the window title texts are indirected and there are only indirected
>  icons.  So the 'indirected data' bit *in the Glass file* can be used to
>  hold other information (eg. should we allow that other people can change
>  all the text strings in a Glass file, like copyright strings, version
>  numbers, etc. ?)

Yes. Allow anyone with an editor to edit anything in the file. However, as
a programmer, my advice to you is to fill 'sensitive' fields such as version
numbers in from within the program after loading the templates. (Normally
I create a string with a version number plus C's __DATE__ which automatically
includes the version date when I recompile...)
-- 
_________________  "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.tech
From: erikp@blade.stack.urc.tue.nl (Erik van de Pol)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: SCSI Disk Errors
Date: 11 Jan 93 12:05:34 GMT
Organization: MCGV Stack, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Captain_Kwok (ssudavss@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk) wrote:
[stuff about symptons removed]

We have had similar problems. I do not _exactly_ know what caused it, but
we solved it eventually:

We tightened the drive too fast, which probably caused the structure of the
	hard disk to be bend. It does *not* like it. Try to loosen the
	screws a bit, or use 3 in stead of 4 screws.

We eventually fixed our hard drive with 2 screws and double-sided adhesive
foam tape. It cured our problem, and the strange construction has been working
for the last 2 years without a problem. Weird eh?

: Any Ideas (or should I bin my SCSI disk?)

Try it. If it does not work: contact me!

Erik.
-- 
.....................................................................
>> Erik van de Pol -- (erikp@stack.urc.tue.nl) -- Phone: 01659-4625
>> Snail: Mgr Nelislaan 10 / 4741AB / Hoeven / The Netherlands
>> Send flames to your local Fire Squad; they know how to handle them.
From: erikp@blade.stack.urc.tue.nl (Erik van de Pol)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: What is internalError=5 in Edit???
Date: 4 Jan 93 13:35:00 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: MCGV Stack, Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Oliver Flimm (flimm@ph-cip.uni-koeln.de) wrote:
: Hi,
: 
: since I installed acorns scsi-interface (AKA32) and a connor scsi-drive
: edit doesn't work anymore.
: When loading edit, it installs on the iconbar (thats alright), but as soon
: as I click select on the icon or try to click on a textfile, edit
: tells me about an .....internal error =5 ..... and exits immediately.

internal error 5 means (most of the times) that a memory fault occured. Strange
that you have this problem since you installed the interface. Most of
the times I get this error in my own programs if I write to memory somewhere
in hyperspace. 

: 
: My question: what does this strange error 5 mean, an how can I fix this
: problem.

Try to slightly enlarge you 'wimpslot' in the !Run file. Maybe it works. 

: 
: Thanx in advance 
: 
: Oliver

Erik.

-- 
.....................................................................
>> Erik van de Pol -- (erikp@stack.urc.tue.nl) -- Phone: 01659-4625
>> Snail: Mgr Nelislaan 10 / 4741AB / Hoeven / The Netherlands
>> Send flames to your local Fire Squad; they know how to handle them.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Administrivia: Postings update
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 21:14:19 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (me) writes:

>[Date: 05/01/93]
>		     comp.sources.acorn postings during 1993

...

Did anybody spot the fact that this message is in the wrong place?
I was just testing of course!

That's what comes of having a dial-up line and using
it 2 minutes after you get out of bed! Argh!

;-)

Apologies.
-- 
themasterofthearcanejwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nzthismessagewassentonrecycledelectrons