HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gpalmer@cs.strath.ac.uk (Gary J Palmer IE91)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: The new Acorn Machine
Date: 12 Nov 92 11:26:22 GMT
Organization: Comp. Sci. Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland.

In article <721419881snx@cursci.demon.co.uk> gtoal@cursci.demon.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:
->
->That will most likely be the NFS code which was released by Sun. RiscIx
->is based on the Berekely 4.2 tape I'm almost 100% sure.
->
->G

BSD 4.2??? Bleargh.... And with 4.4 nearly ready for release (I'm a bit out of
tuch so it may already be out..). 

Personally, i think that RISCiX is overpriced, and comes with too much...
if Acorn got rid of the Motif / X.desktop bundle, and perhaps made NFS,
TCP/IP (is SLIP available under RISCiX??) and similar optional, I'm sure
that for about 100 pounds for the base package, I'd buy it.....

(I've been told that Motif sources cost #1000 on their own, so how much is
it for a binary distribution, i.e. how much could Acorn knock off the
price if they dropped Motif??)

Yours

Gary J Palmer

Disclaimer : I have no connection to any company or institution, apart
from being a student at Strathclyde.
-- 
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Programmers do it on Archimedes. #include <std.disclaimer>
From: A.M.Wall@newcastle.ac.uk (A.M.Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: PostScript Convertor (Urgent!)
Date: 9 Nov 92 12:40:51 GMT
Organization: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU

So, does there exist a reliable RO3.1 application which can convert
PostScript to DrawFiles?

What I think might be useful would be a PD (or quite cheap) set of
programs which converts (in both directions) between all relevant
standard types of files - DrawFile, PostScript, TIFF, Sprite, HPGL,
etc.

I know some of these already exist, in the form of the printer drivers
and ChangeFSI, but would an all-encompassing set of utilities be
helpful?
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: amw@cs.bham.ac.uk (Andy Wood)
Subject: Re: DragASprite proper use.
Organization: School of Computer Science, The University of Birmingham, UK
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 15:22:53 GMT

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

> Perhaps Acorn could look into the idea of getting a *designer* or *artist*
> to do their frontends and icons, rather than their (very able but less
> than artistic in most cases) programmers...

I totally agree - the half hearted RISC-OS 3 icons are diabolical.

Acorn had a chance to create a very stylish product but they missed
it! (All the code's there - they just didn't sit a designer down in
front of !Paint)

Much as I hate to say it - take a leaf of out Apple's book - they even
tell *third-party developers* to employ professionals to design icons.

Andy...

-- 

Andy Wood : amw@cs.bham.ac.uk
From: coxjp@cs.man.ac.uk (Jonathan Cox)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Using BJ10ex with RISCOS3.1
Date: 5 Nov 92 14:23:49 GMT
	<Bx7BMI.47o@cs.bham.ac.uk>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester
In-reply-to: amw@cs.bham.ac.uk's message of 4 Nov 92 17:08:42 GMT

I phoned CC a couple of days ago and the technical bod who I spoke to gave me
the impression that CC would be producing a RiscOS 3 version of the BJ10ex
Turbo Driver.  Highly unofficial though.  In view of CC's enlightend upgrade
policy, existing owners will no doubt be offered a fair upgrade deal.

Jon.
--
Jonathan Cox.                              Email coxjp@cs.man.ac.uk
IT 301, Department of Computer Science,
University of Manchester,                  Tel: (+44) (0)61-275-6270
Manchester.  M13 9PL.  England.            Fax: (+44) (0)61-275-6280
From: A.M.Wall@newcastle.ac.uk (A.M.Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: sprite to draw
Date: 10 Nov 92 13:17:32 GMT
Organization: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU

In article <1992Nov5.161044.1039@news2.cis.umn.edu> alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu writes:
>In article <1davnsINN2mn@yarrow.csv.warwick.ac.uk> espgl@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr D Charalambakis) writes:
>>        Is there any PD utility which takes a sprite and converts it to
>>draw file? I know about !Trace but I think this is not PD.
>>
>>        Does this exists for a PC? (ie tiff/gif to coreldraw)?
>
>I don't know if anything which does this in the PD, but !Trace doesn't do
>a bad job for the price - the results are very dependant on the input
>sprite, but at only #5.99, it's well worth trying (it produces much better
>output than the atrocious Midnight Graphics !Tracer).
>

Image Outliner (from Iota, I think) is even better, but it is somewhat more 
expensive.
From: CDLatham@cen.ex.ac.uk (C.D.Latham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: SPRITE TO DRAW
Date: 11 Nov 92 11:23:16 GMT
Organization: Computer Unit. - University of Exeter. UK

David Pilling's !Trace does actually work reasonably well.  I bought
it for fun as it only cost a fiver (with buy 4 get 1 free offer) but
have actually found a serious use for it.  One of my colleagues here
at the university wanted a bit of design and artwork done for his
business so I boldly said "Oh, that's no trouble on my Archimedes".

He wanted his company logo on letterheads, etc so I scanned it in on
a crappy little peasea which had a nice scanner attached, as a .pcx
file.  My colleague got his first surprise when I slammed the dos disc
in my A5000 and just double clicked on the icon in the filer window
which loaded it straight into !Translatr.

I had to do a bit of tidying up with !Paint to get rid of a few stray
pixels and a bit more work with !Draw after doing the conversion via
!Trace over lunch, but the result was excellent.

Some patience and effort is required to get the best out of !Trace but
it is possible to get impressive results with fairly simple solid-
coloured sprites.

Needless to say my business colleague is now a convert to the Acorn cause.
--
Christopher.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis)
Subject: Re: Using custom screen modes with RO3.1
Organization: Aston University
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 11:43:42 GMT

gpalmer@cs.strath.ac.uk (Gary J Palmer IE91) writes:

: ones that can not be easily cured (I don't call formatting the hard disc
: easy))

  Formatting the hard disc IS easy - keeping your data is the difficult bit

-- 
___________________________________________.
 Mik Davis at Aston University, Birmingham |   .  .  __          .
                                           |   |\/|  | \  _,_  _  _
E-Mail: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk           |   |  |. |_/ |_| \/ |/_'
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Norwich Computer Services & RISC OS 3.10
Date: 6 Nov 92 18:55:51 GMT
Organization: Nottingham University


I have been following the Norwich Computer Services / RISC OS 3.10 saga
with a remote degree of interest, but this month's Archive magazine really
amazed me.

In the editorial, the editor says that customers should not ring up NCS
to complain about lack of RISC OS 3.1 upgrades, but should actually ring
up the Acorn switchboard to complain (and gives the phone number in the back
of the magazine).

Surely if he wants more upgrades, Mr Beverley should use all his powers
of charm and persuasion on Acorn (or more accurately, Hugh Symmons), rather
than making NCS very unpopular by flooding Acorn's switchboard with point-
less phone calls.

(Later on in the magazine, he states that he hopes to fulfil all orders by
Christmas! Even existing orders are not expected to be fulfilled until the
end of November).

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: What are the best games around at the moment
Date: 8 Nov 92 22:58:45 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

>>>What I thought would be *really* nice with that technology would be a
>>>walk-through art-gallery with imaged *real paintings*...  not a game, 
>>>but a real way to view the art.  (Roger, you idle just now? :-) )
>>Nononono...
>>What you want is Replay films on the walls :-)

>That *had* crossed my mind!  Damn good idea, isn't it!  But could he do the
>perspective view *and* multiple screens a la Wolf-3D?  Probably not, but
>you could fudge the game play so that they were, say, static displays on
>virtual TV sets, and you had to be standing facing them before you could
>reach over to turn them on (by virtual touch-screen? - have to keep the
>interface really simple - this would be a *great* way to give 'VR' to the
>great unwashed...)

>The man is right.  We've found Roger's mission at last - bring a new
>computer access metaphor and VR to the masses :-)

Personally, I think it would be far more useful to have an MPEG player, or
at least an MPEG->replay convertor...

And as to walking around in a gallery looking at pictures, that sounds very
similar to some house-walks you can do on the domesday discs, and like
some stuff I've seen on Macs, and about 50% of all the VR stuff I've seen
on TV does it... doesn't seem very original to me... The only problem
with VR is that it takes processor grunt... but that's becoming less of a
problem every year...

-- 
_________________  "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
Subject: Re: WHAT ARE THE BEST GAMES AROUND AT THE
From: Ikki@BEIZ.mediatex.ch (064230062: Fernmeldedirektion Olten)
Date: 11 Nov 1992 17:20:39 CET
Organization: MEDIAtex AG, CH-8807 Freienbach/SZ

Similar scanner-display? So what.
F.O.F.T had a similar one too.


Greetings.


Internet: Ikki(at)BEIZ.mediatex.ch





|B                                    B|
|E           CH: VTX *3600#           E|
|I           D:  BTX *28881#          I|
|Z                                    Z|
Organisation: European Space Technology Centre (E.S.T.E.C)
Date: Wednesday, 11 Nov 1992 14:20:32 CET
From: C R Francis <RFRANCIS@ESTEC.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: VIDC20 again

Does anyone happen to know if the VIDC20 is used in the new Apple
PowerBooks (160 and 180) ?  Thier screen specs (16 grey levels etc)
sound very similar, and Apple do have a stake in ARM Ltd after all...

-------------------------------------        Richard Francis
Internet: rfrancis@estec.estec.esa.nl        European Space Research and
Bitnet  : rfrancis@estec.bitnet                Technology Centre (ESTEC)
SPAN    : ESTERS::FRANCIS
smail   : C R Francis, OEE/OWP, ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2200AG NOORDWIJK NL
From: cabr07@ccsun.strath.ac.uk ("G.N.Sinclair")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn demo CD
Date: 13 Nov 92 13:39:14 GMT
Organization: Strathclyde University Physics

In article <721610759snx@klaatu.demon.co.uk> steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk (Steve Loft) writes:
>I have a CD-ROM drive on my PC, but not on my Arc.  Would I be able to
>read the files off the Acorn demo CD on my PC?  If so, does anyone have
>a copy they would like to give/lend me?  I would refund postage costs,
>naturally.

I tried this using a CDROM on a unix machine, then using NFS from an arc
to read the files.  The files are readable all right, but all the file type
information is lost, and any !'s in filenames become something else.

So you need to do lots of renaming, and make intelligent guesses about
file types - which isn't really practical.  I eventually gave up and
put the CDROM directly on the arc.   This gave replay running at 25fps
with no problem.  Strangely, when films were copied to an attached hard
disc, the playback became quite jerky (in mode 28).  This problem went
away when full screen playback was used (with its lower bandwidth
requirement).   This was on an R260 running RISC OS 2.01

Gordon.
From: r_voisey@csd.uwe.ac.uk (R Voisey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: SPRITE TO DRAW
Date: 10 Nov 92 11:39:23 GMT
Organization: University of the West of England, Bristol

In article <2afa54f0.8cdafd.3@BEIZ.mediatex.ch> Ikki@BEIZ.mediatex.ch (064230062: Fernmeldedirektion Olten) writes:
>Cold anyone explain what exactly this Trace does?
>If I wanto convert a sprite-file into a draw-file I only drag the Sprite-file
>on the Draw-Icon on the iconbar.

No, if you drag a sprite file into Draw it is STILL a bitmapped sprite.  Drag
a small (say, 64x64) sprite in and then resize it up to 2 or 3 times it's
original size and you'll see what I mean.

Trace converts the bitmap sprite files into a vector file, so when it's
resized the result is an exact scaled up/down version of the original.  For
large images, the vector file will often take up less room as well.

Cheers

Bob
-- 
  Robert J. Voisey  :  r_voisey@csd.uwe.ac.uk
         -- Probug Software Developments --
162 Staplehill Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, Avon, England
Xref: sparky comp.sys.acorn:9403 comp.sys.amiga.audio:3838
From: bab@doc.ic.ac.uk (B A Batacharia)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn,comp.sys.amiga.audio
Subject: Sound Tracker player for Suns
Date: 5 Nov 1992 16:23:22 -0000
Organization: Department of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: oak49.doc.ic.ac.uk

Last year, I seem to remember a SoundTracker module player for 
SparcStations (+ Sun 3s?) being distributed, together with sources.

Does anyone know if this still exists, as I'd really like a copy.

Thanks,

Bobby.

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: /G=Owen/S=Smith/O=SJ-Research/ADMD=INTERSPAN/C=GB/@mhs-relay.ac.uk
Subject: Techy stuff in .tech please
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 21:08:57 GMT

Nick Smith said in comp.sys.acorn.tech:

>Actually it (ForceADrag) makes all apps use DragASprite from save boxes -
>but see the thread going on in c.s.a - it has now mutated (as threads do
>8-() into hacking about with the Filer, etc, etc.

I would point out that here at SJ we only get comp.sys.acorn.tech, so if you
want our input to this sort of technical discussion please hold it in the
correct newsgroup. The newsgroup split happened months ago so surely all
sites have seen the split by now! And please don't cross post techy stuff to
both comp.sys.acorn and .tech. I'd rather miss out on things completely than
be the cause of cross-posting.

Owen. (owen.smith%gb.interspan.sj-research@mhs-relay.ac.uk)

(I can post to this group but I can't read it.)
From: agodwin@acorn.co.uk (Adrian Godwin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Arc's RTC
Date: 5 Nov 92 18:30:55 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, UK

In article <1992Nov5.121703.1830@cs.utwente.nl> kortink@cs.utwente.nl (John Kortink) writes:
>In article <1992Nov3.133310.27976@dcs.warwick.ac.uk>
>gothick@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Matthew B. M. Gibson) writes:
>
>
>I recently had the same effect on an 'old' A440 and had to replace the RTC
>chip. Assuming the 440/x also uses the same clock (PCF8583 I think), you
>should first check the voltage on pin 8 of the RTC. If this shows about 2.8
>V then it's almost certain that you'll have to replace the RTC. Luckily,
>replacement is easy, just a matter of unsoldering/resoldering the clock.
>Nevertheless, I would advise 'socketing' the new chip on the board just in
>case the same thing should ever occur again.
>

Before you spend any money, try removing the batteries and leaving the machine
for several hours (until the voltage on the clock chip really has gone to zero).
Then, refit the batteries and do a power-on-delete.

There's a bit in the clock control register which can stop the clock : removing power
from the chip performs a hardware reset on the device and ensures that this bit is in the
proper state.

DoubleDisclaimer : this is my advice, not Acorn's.

-adrian



-- 
Adrian Godwin : agodwin@acorn.co.uk : adrian@fangorn.demon.co.uk : g7hwn@gb7khw
ObDisclaimer  : I believe this rubbish .. don't imagine that anyone else does.
From: ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk (Ian Palmer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: dragASprite / Modified filer.
Date: 9 Nov 1992 10:11:10 -0000
Organization: Department of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.
NNTP-Posting-Host: oak6.doc.ic.ac.uk

In article <1992Nov9.113146.12042@waikato.ac.nz> shunger@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>In article <1992Nov8.153647.27295@dcs.warwick.ac.uk>, ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Andrew Hersee) writes:
  
>don't have a sub directory in the sub directory of !directory
>e.g that !run opens up <Device>.<path>.!directory
>(filer_opendir "<Obey$Dir>")
>

I don't think you even need this. Now this I'm dragging up from the
deapths of my memory (an odd thing at the best of times) and as I'm
currently many miles away from my Arc I can't test it out, but :

One when I was writting a test application (to test something :-) ) I
forgot to create a !Run file in the application dir (easy to do). When
I double clicked on the application dir, what I got (this is where my
memory may have got it wrong) was the filer opening the application
dir (This was RO3.00, if that makes a difference).

So if this is the case, and appears in all versions of RO, then all
you'd need would to have is a !Sprites file in all the directories and
start each of the dirs with a !. Not much overhead at all really, of
course you could place all the sprites in one file and read it at
boot, and you wouln't even have much delay when it came to opening the
directory that containsed the directory...

Of course I may have gotten this all twisted, but it's worth a try.

Ian

-- 
                            E-mail : ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk
 ___           __       Snail mail : Department of Computing, Huxley Building,
  /  _   _    /_/ _   / _ _   _  _   Imperial College, 180 Queens Gate,
_/_ (_|_| )  /   (_|_(_| ) )_|/_)    London. SW7 2BZ. England.
From: duplain@rtf.bt.co.uk (Andy Duplain)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: The new Acorn Machine
Date: 12 Nov 92 09:24:22 GMT
Organization: BT Customer Systems, Brighton, UK

In article <721419881snx@cursci.demon.co.uk> gtoal@cursci.demon.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:
>
>In article <lfubeqINNkrj@cronkite> andyf@yama.uk.sun.com writes:
>>Incidentally, I was having a look through a friends RISC iX machine the
>>other night, and I came across loads of code bearing 'Copyright 19**
>>Sun Microsystems'. I was wondering if RISC iX is based upon Sun OS.
>>If anyone knows, cos' I obviously don't, please e-mail or post.
>
>That will most likely be the NFS code which was released by Sun. RiscIx
>is based on the Berekely 4.2 tape I'm almost 100% sure.

#pragma pedantic_bar_steward on

	Surley 4.3BSD ?

#pragma pedantic_bar_steward off







-- 
Andy Duplain, BT Customer Systems, Brighton, UK.            duplain@rtf.bt.co.uk
#define	DISCLAIMER      My views and opinions are my own, and not my company's
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: MJW19@phx.cam.ac.uk
Subject: Re: dragASprite / Modified filer.
Reply-To: MJW19@phx.cam.ac.uk (M.J. Williams)
Organization: The National Society for the Inversion of Cudddly Tigers
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:32:48 GMT

In article <1992Nov8.153647.27295@dcs.warwick.ac.uk> ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Andrew Hersee) writes:
>Yes I do this for direcory 'links' unfortunately it does not work when
>you close the resulting window with adjust. It simply takes you to the
>directory where you have actually stored the propper directory. Is this
>getting confusing?

Create another application as a sub-directory. Give it a !Boot but no !Sprites.
Make the !Boot open the original directory. Under Risc OS 2 the Filer will run
run the !Boot when the filer window is opened as it doesn't have a sprite for
it. Risc OS 3 is, I believe, cleverer, and this may not work.

Mike
--
____________________________________________________________________________
\  /  / Michael Williams                     Part II Computer Science Tripos
|\/|\/\ MJW19@phx.cam.ac.uk                          University of Cambridge
|  |(__)Cymdeithas Genedlaethol Traddodiad Troi Teigrod Mwythus Ben I Waered
From: mhw@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Impression postscript errors
Summary: Works for me!
Date: 11 Nov 92 10:53:17 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

In article <1992Nov9.130105.12191@aston.ac.uk> robertej@cs.aston.ac.uk writes:
>In article 10004@vax.oxford.ac.uk, cstevens@vax.oxford.ac.uk () writes:
>>Hello out there
>>	I'm trying to use the postscript printer driver from acorn along with
>>computer concepts impression junior. If I use it to create a postscript file
>>and then carry this file onto our university mainframe (they have a postscript
>>laser printer I don't!) then pritn it on the OCE 6750 PS printer I get error
>>codes coming back and no output, things like Tx undefined command, or UM
>>unknown command. However if I print a drawfile or just a plain !edited text
> ....
>
>I too have troubles using PostScript files made at home on an Archie (R/O 2)
>files made with all versions of printerPs don't work from Impression Junior and
>DTP. This only seems to apply to documents as my title page from Draw+ works
>just .....

I'm currently using Impression 2.17 and the RISC OS 3.10 PS driver to drive
Apple LaserWriters and it works just fine. It'll even convert native RISC OS
fonts into PostScript on the fly and include them in the document. I did try
using Impression 2.14 for a short time and ran into all kinds of problems -
it wouldn't display the new format Draw files properly and insisted on creating
PostScript mappings for all the RISC OS fonts I had, not just the ones being
used in the document. I also had no problems using Impression 2.14 with the
release two printer drivers - apart from having to convert unknown fonts to
outlines.
I don't know if Impression Junior is significantly different, or what version
printer drivers you are using, but it is possible to get a workable system
together. My tip: get GS, the GhostScript interpreter and use that to test
your output before transfering it to the mainframe. GhostScript is less
robust than a proper PostScript printer - if GhostScript can interpret it
you should have no trouble.

-Mark.
From: A.M.Wall@newcastle.ac.uk (A.M.Wall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn Computers
Date: 12 Nov 92 10:36:31 GMT
Organization: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU

In article <1992Nov11.103524.21385@cs.nott.ac.uk> rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead) writes:
>In article <1992Nov10.224105.13623@cs.nott.ac.uk> smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows) writes:
>>In article <BxG8sv.6qt@newcastle.ac.uk> A.M.Wall@newcastle.ac.uk (A.M.Wall) writes:
>>>In article <1992Oct29.110459.1688@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> jabell@nyx.cs.du.edu (James Bell) writes:
>>>>
>>>>Does Acorn have a division in the US? Canada even? I`d like to contact
>>>>Acorn without having to mail a letter to England.
>>>
>>>Acorn does have links with Olivetti Canada, but I don't think there is an 
>>>actual division of Acorn in Canada or the US.
>>
>>At the BBC Acorn User Show I met some chaps who claimed to be from Acorn
>>Canada. I don't think they were crooks... Do the Olivetti folks call 
>>themselves Acorn?
>>
>>
>You must pop up and see my "Acorn Computers Canada Inc." mousemat some
>time, Simon!  They definitely exist because they lent us a load of
>110V Arcs in Quebec this summer.
>

My apologies - Olaf Trunzer and Dorothy Netherwood used to work for Olivetti 
Canada (I think). I was unaware that Acorn Canada had been formed.