HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mre@ukc.ac.uk (Mike)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: RISC OS 3 Self-test result codes
Date: 24 Jan 93 11:37:11 GMT
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.



For all those people out there who have been unlucky enough to
experience problems when upgrading DIY-style from RO2 to RO3, here
is a breakdown of the self-test sequence.

The purple screen at power on indicates that the self-test has
begun.  A brief ROM, RAM, VIDC and IOC test is performed and then
the screen colour changes to blue and a full memory test is
performed, along with a second test of the VIDC and IOC.  When the
screen returns to purple, the machine is testing for an ARM3.  At
the end of this sequence the screen colour is set to green (for
pass) or red (for fail).  If the tests have all passed then the
machine starts to boot and the RISC OS 3 welcome screen is displayed.

If any test fails, the screen will remain red and the disc drive
light will blink a fault code.  A short flash is used to indicate a
binary '0' and a long flash indicates a binary '1'.  The bits are
grouped into eight nybbles (blocks of four bits) with the most
significant bit first.

The lowest seven bits are a status word.  The meaning of each bit is
given below in hex :-

00000001   Self-test due to power on
00000002   Self-test due to interface hardware
00000004   Self-test due to test link
00000008   Long memory test performed
00000010   ARM 3 fitted
00000020   Long memory test disabled
00000040   PC-style IO world detected

Bits 8-31 indicate the fault code and are described below.  Not all
the bits are used.

00000200   ROM failed checksum test
00000400   MEMC CAM mapping failed
00000800   MEMC protection failed
00004000   VIDC Virq (video interrupt) timing failed
00008000   VIDC Sirq (sound interrupt) timing failed
00020000   RAM control line failure
00040000   Long RAM test failure

Hope this helps all those with problems.

Good luck!

-- 
Mike Ellis, Darwin College, The University, Canterbury, Kent, England, CT2 7NY.

    ********* Views expressed are my own and in no way represent *********
    *********     the views of any past or present employers.    *********
From: hilbert@dialis.hacktic.nl (Hilbert Barelds)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Throw back messages
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 15:28:15

Hello,

I am writing an ASSEMBLER. When I want to report an error I want to do it with
the throw back mechanism. So my question to you all is:
What is that message protocol?
What are the Message numbers?
What is the message block of these messages?

Thanks in advance.

Hilbert Barelds, (hilbert@dialis.hacktic.nl)
From: mrp@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Translink type protocols...
Date: 25 Jan 93 13:07:27 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

Couldn't this stuff be done using impulse?

ChangeFSI and Translator would have methods like gif->sprite and ones
to set their options.  When Paint failed torecognise a file type (say
a gif) it would send out requests for any gif translators, then send
the options to the chosen task followed by all the (gif) data.
Translator would then chug away, and send a new sprite command to
paint followed by the (sprite) data.

Of course if two gif->sprite methods existed, a choice would have to
be made my the user, and the options would have to be set somewhere
along the line.  And something really clever would have to be done
about applications that could do the translation but werent loaded at
the time.

just my worthless ideas,
martin.
From: schade@vanilla.fmi.uni-passau.de (Oliver Schade)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Modula 2/3 and GNU make tool
Date: 22 Jan 1993 10:31:34 GMT
Organization: University of Passau, Germany
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: vanilla.fmi.uni-passau.de

Has anybody an pre-configured version of Modula-2 or Modula-3 (would
be much better -:) )? I also search the GNU-make tool for C-compilers...

Any hints are welcome....

Oliver

###############################################################################
#                                                                             #
# Oliver Schade                                                               #
#                                                                             #
# electronic mail     : schade@eva.fmi.uni-passau.de                          #
# 'conventional' mail : Oliver Schade, Langlebenhof, Alte Rieser Str 19A      #
#                       D-8390 Passau, Germany                                #
#                                                                             #
###############################################################################

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: bjorn@kih.no (bjorne malmanger)
Subject: My SCSI uses 52K/Directory
Organization: Kongsberg Ingeniorhogskole
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 08:59:16 GMT

I have got a Morley 16bit SCSI card, with an 100M RODIME SCSI
and 200M CONNOR disk. When formatting with the Morley SCSI_form app.
it uses 52K!!! on each directory. 

I have tried formatting with the Linginuity card and software v.1.99
then the directories take about 15K of space, but the disk gets slower.

What should I do? Is there any software that will work on my SCSI-card?

    Bjorne M.

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: S.Hickinbottom@lut.ac.uk
Subject: *CheckMap Error
Reply-To: S.Hickinbottom@lut.ac.uk (Stuart Hickinbottom)
Organization: Loughborough University, UK.
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 15:19:45 GMT

Hiya,

I've just started getting an error when I do a *checkmap command - when it seems
to have checked the entire map it then says "map inconsistent with directory
tree". What's going on? I thought *CheckMap would offer to overwrite the
bad map, or is this a different case?

Should I be on my knees looking skyward, or what?

Stuart

******************************************************************************
* Stuart Hickinbottom, Department of Computing,   * S.Hickinbottom@lut.ac.uk *
* Loughborough University of Technology, England. *                          *
******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: amclintock@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Cray Communications, Alex McL")
Subject: Re: Hard Disc Prices AGAIN!
Reply-To: amclintock@cix.compulink.co.uk
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 09:23:00 +0000


Hard Disk Whinge
I don't like my IDE drive/controller
which I bought from ICS.

1) 25second boot up time (with RiscOs2)
2) window bugs in filer, paths longer
   than 40 chars (or so) cause windows larger
   than they need to be. (big gaps to the right)
   Or perhaps this is a riscos bug.
3) The occasional bad drive error.


I still haven't got a satisfactory answer to these
questions. I suppose I can't really complain
though since I have had it for three months+

Does anyone know why the "*map" command
fills my screen with bits of free space.
Shouldn't it all be in one continuous block?
*compact reduces it a bit...

 


>>>>>>>>>>>>>-----insert standard disclaimer here-----<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Alex McLintock BEng  (work phone 0923 258440) (fax 0923 258218)
amclintock@cix.compulink.co.uk  <---- text, and cix binmail 
alexmc@case.co.uk               <---- uuencoded binaries
From: spt1@ukc.ac.uk (S.P.Thomas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: ARM risc speed?
Date: 23 Jan 93 12:11:11 GMT
Reply-To: spt1@ukc.ac.uk (Stephen Thomas)
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.

In article <1993Jan21.114022.5930@cs.nott.ac.uk> smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows) writes:
>A while ago Acorn sent out some guidelines on code sequences which should
>no longer be used if compatibility with future processors is to be maximised.
>They were issued before the ARM250 was brought out, so probably apply to that?
>The problem is that such things are only deemed to be of interest to
>registered developers!

Well, I'm not a registered developer, but I am very interested in this,
as I've built an, um "experimental" lazy functional language compiler
that generates ARM assembler as its target code.  I don't use any
kind of NOP instructions, but I would like to know if I'm doing anything
else naughty.

In a similar vain, one of the optimisations I do is to cause the
code to be generated such that the starting addresses of the
code sequences that can be jumped to are aligned to have an address
of &XXXXXX4.  This maximises the number of consequtive (sp?) sequential
memory cycles when using MEMC1a.  I have three main questions.

1) The effect of this alignment is quite significant on an ARM2
machine.  Would the effect be as significant on an ARM3 (or ARM250,
although I suspect the answer is yes, in this case)?

2) In the next generation of memory controllers, are different rules
likely to apply?  If so (I suspect this is highly likely), can anyone
give me an idea what they might be?

3) Is it possible that certain orderings of instructions are "better"
than others (ie, faster), even though they achieve the same effect?  For
example

        ADR    ad1,blk1                    ADR    ad1,blk1
        LDMIA  ad1,{r0-r7}   compared      ADR    ad2,blk2
        ADR    ad1,blk2        with        LDMIA  ad1,{r0-r7}
        STMIA  ad1,{r0-r7}                 STMIA  ad2,{r0-r7}

These sort of sequences occur a great deal in the code I'm generating.
If there is a difference, what are the rules?

Keep well,

Stephen Thomas

P.S. while I'm currently at the University of Kent, I will be very
shortly (in about a week!) be moving to the University of Nottingham.
My account here should still be active for a while, though.
--
| "You've been having a nightmare.  | Stephen Thomas -------------------------|
|  And it's not over yet."          | Computing Lab, University of Kent,      |
|   -- Roger Waters, "The Pros and  | Canterbury CT2 7NF, UK                  |
|      Cons of Hitchhiking"         | Tel: +44 (0)227 764000 x 7754           |
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: a909937@tiuk.ti.com (Graham Barr          (0004 bodg))
Subject: Re: RISCOS_lib and alternatives
Reply-To: a909937@tiuk.ti.com
Organization: Texas Instruments Ltd.
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 14:28:01 GMT

In article 1k624eINN74o@motmot.doc.ic.ac.uk, ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk (Ian Palmer) writes:
>
>Just as a matter of interest, has anyone worked out a way (if there is
>one) of making (or persuading) RiscOSLib's saveas library to use the
>RO3 drag-a-sprite if appropriate - or does it need total replacement
>(ie. by the updated RiscOSLib that Acorn keep telling us isn't
>necessary, but must exist internally).
>
RiscOSLib is included in the sharedClibrary in the ROM's of
RiscOS 3.10. What is required is for Acorn to release the object
file to link with, so come on Acorn where is it.


***************************************************************************
       Graham Barr                
       MOS Design                 Email: a909937@server1.tiuk.ti.com
       Texas Instruments Ltd      Phone: (work) (0234) 223419      
       BEDFORD                    

                 You don't get anywhere without Risc's !!!
***************************************************************************
From: ainsjc@castle.ed.ac.uk (Steffan Corley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Disc writing problems and RO 3.1
Date: 26 Jan 93 12:37:47 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University


Ever since upgrading my A5000 to RO 3.1, I've had an annoying problem: a
surfeit of disc errors when transfering discs between computers.

It started like this:
I format a disc to 1.4Mb PC format on the A5000, then take it into Uni
and use a PC to write to it. When I get home I find that trying to read
or verify the disc reports a large number of disc errors.

So far, I thought this was probably a problem with the PCs (though I was
using several different PCs, and only one Arc) or, at worst, with DOSFS.
It only happened occaisionally (about one in every four or five discs),
so I decided to live with it.

However, over Christmas, I took an E format disc home to use on my
parents A3000, having dumped my current work onto it. When I tried to
use this on the A3000, I got a disc error reported. Verifying the disc
revealed two "bad sectors". Later verifying the same disc on my A5000
reported it to be fine.

Now, I've never had any problems reading and writing stuff if I didn't
use another computer, so I assumed the disc drive must be misaligned
(slightly). This seemed strange, because I'd expect the whole disc to
then be unreadable to another computer, but still. I also assumed that
the drive had been in someway knocked when the shop had fitted RO3.1,
and this explained it.

So I took the computer in for repair immediately after Christmas. The
shop has (finally) reported back to say they can find nothing wrong with
it. Which leaves me puzzled - why am I experiencing a large number of
disc errors, when swapping discs with other computers, since having
RO3.1 installed?

Anyone got any ideas? Anyone experiencing similar problems?

Thanks for any help.

Steffan.

P.S. In the majority of cases, the errors occured with first time
formatted branded discs. They didn't all occur on one particular batch
of discs. And I didn't format any double density discs to high density.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat)
Subject: Re: Problems...
Originator: tytgat@neruda
Reply-To: tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be (John Tytgat)
Organization: K.U.Leuven, Belgium
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 13:12:13 GMT

In article <1993Jan18.164510.5347@cs.nott.ac.uk> smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows) writes:
>Could anybody who has been having similar problems with the Ground Control
>36MHz ARM3 unit please telephone Ground Control on Maidstone (0622) 833023.
>When I telephoned about the problem, they said that nobody else had reported
>the same problem, despite the fact that I now know of several people
>suffering in the same way.

I do not have that kind of problem, and I know someone else in Belgium how is
also very satisfied with his 36MHz ARM3.  We are both using 4 MByte A310's
(with RO2) with Ground Control's ARM3 software v1.03, maybe that makes the
difference.

John
tytgat@esat.kuleuven.ac.be
BASS
From: ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk (Ian Palmer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: RISCOS_lib and alternatives
Date: 27 Jan 1993 13:19:10 -0000
Organization: Department of Computing, Imperial College, University of London, UK.
NNTP-Posting-Host: motmot.doc.ic.ac.uk

In article <1993Jan27.122843.99@condor> blacka@logica.co.uk (Andrew Black) writes:
>
>Perhaps someone could summarise what the problems are with RISCOS_lib,
>and what the alternatives are? (There has been some detailed
>correspondance on this subject, but must confess to not having
>followed the details - please don't flame me for going over old ground
>;-) )
>

I can't speak for anyone apart from me, but the main problems I have
with RiscOSLib are as follows.

As a programmer I like to be in control. As far as I'm concerned a
library should supply (in general) tools to make life easier. In this
respect consider tools that I like as leaves in the program tree.

The real problem with libraries such as RiscOSLib (and it is in no way
the only on like this, for example the Motif library for X, etc.) as
far as I'm concerened is that they interrupt the tree structure of the
program by placing a procedure (or more than one) which is fundimental
mid way into the tree (ie. wimp_poll). Thus you, as the programmer,
need to (during initialisation) spend a great deal of code attatching
things to event handlers. When things start to go wrong you can't find
out about it. For example :

Say I attatch an event handler to some event in ROLib. If this doesn't
ever get called, for some reason, how do I find out why? All I know is
that the wimp_poll function is eneterd into and then it exits again -
very handy.

This would be helped if RiscOSLib came with source, but it wouldn't
get away from the problem that it tries to do too much for the
programmer (which sounds like a good idea, but in reallity isn't).
RiscOSLib would be much improoved if it allowed the programmer to take
control of the program. I don't object to also allowing a system where
by the library can take control, as long as it is optional (which
isn't really the case in RiscOSLib).

Just as a matter of interest, has anyone worked out a way (if there is
one) of making (or persuading) RiscOSLib's saveas library to use the
RO3 drag-a-sprite if appropriate - or does it need total replacement
(ie. by the updated RiscOSLib that Acorn keep telling us isn't
necessary, but must exist internally).

Ian

-- 
                            E-mail : ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk
 ___           __       Snail mail : Department of Computing, Huxley Building,
  /  _   _    /_/ _   / _ _   _  _   Imperial College, 180 Queens Gate,
_/_ (_|_| )  /   (_|_(_| ) )_|/_)    London. SW7 2BZ. England.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: torh@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Tor Houghton)
Subject: Re: My SCSI uses 52K/Directory
Organization: University of Sussex
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 16:10:51 GMT

bjorne malmanger (bjorn@kih.no) wrote:
                        ^^^^^^ get your server fixed - can't reply mail you

: I have got a Morley 16bit SCSI card, with an 100M RODIME SCSI
: and 200M CONNOR disk. When formatting with the Morley SCSI_form app.
: it uses 52K!!! on each directory. 
: 
: I have tried formatting with the Linginuity card and software v.1.99
: then the directories take about 15K of space, but the disk gets slower.
: 
: What should I do? Is there any software that will work on my SCSI-card?
: B
:     Bjorne M.
: 

Write to Morley Electronics - they'll probably send you a floppy for
free.

Cheers,

Tor.

-- 

----------------------------------------------------------------------
email: torh@cogs.susx.ac.uk           "Then we will wonder if machines
                                       will steal each others dreams."
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu (Graham Allan)
Subject: Re: Thanks for Help ! and some new ?'s
Keywords: VIDC, FontManager
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 18:38:48 GMT

In article <1jph4kINNqur@nz12.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de> ig06@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de (Goetz) writes:
>
>200 DM+pp for a new VIDC did cure the problem but if the situation is
>as Ralph Barrett wrote in his e-mail:
>
>- The A305/310 ... suffer from this problem. It is due to the lack of any
>- protection circuitry on the video interface. Later machines have additional
>- components ... to protect the VIDC.
>
>then I'll need another 200 in a week when my brother visits us with
>his 3 year old monitor-cable-unplugger ...
>
>Or does anybody know if such protection circuitry exists for the A310
>and if so who is selling it, how much does it cost and can you install it
>yourself ?

It *is* possible to add some protection for the VIDC, by adding some
diodes to the output or something, but I'm not too clear on the details
and I didn't bother, myself. If you are careful with the machine, and make
sure you never plug or unplug the monitor cable when either the computer
or the monitor are switched on, then you shouldn't have any other
troubles.

>Here's another ?
>
>I have problems when rendering text using anti-aliased fonts - now that I
>have 4 Mb, a new VIDC, AtomWide's Enhancer and a colour monitor !
>
>If FontManager 1.15 is installed !Draw and !DrawPlus have no troubles with
>Acorns 'standard' fonts (Corpus,Porthouse,Trinity - I am RO2)
>
>When FontManager 2.44 is loaded and I try one of those outline fonts from
>Newcastle then:
>
>- !Draw doesn't display anything
>- !DrawPlus displays text only when I'm typing and the line disappears (with
>  a beep) after a RETURN. Now I select it and switch to the system font -
>  it appears again

Well I don't remember the various version numbers of the font manager, but
some things I do remember are...
FontManager depends on a module called SuperSample. The SWI numbers for
this module changed at some point, so if you are using a new fontmanager
with an old supersample module, it would be understandable if things
didn't work properly.
Secondly, I found that 'RISC OS 3' fontmanagers didn't work properly under
RISC OS 2 anyway - they come very close to working, and are fine on the
screen, but when it comes to printing, some of the colours come out wrongly
(eg black fonts come out as a grey shade). If you ask me, it's not worth
the trouble to deal with: just upgrade to RO 3.1 and be done with it!

Graham.
From: pwatson@lincoln.gpsemi.com (Philip Watson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Help needed on Acorn/PC Networking
Date: 28 Jan 93 09:35:43 GMT
Organization: GEC Plessey Semiconductors
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A78D5B2BB1017097@mac_ldc1.lincoln.gpsemi.com>
X-Xxdate: Thu, 28 Jan 93 15:43:07 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12

Posted on behalf of Alan Benson.

Start...

Hello netters,

My local school is in the process of setting up a school-wide network, and
wants to incorporate thier PC's (currently with the secretarial staff) and
Arc's in one network.

At the moment they are looking at cabling up the whole school, so
decisions
need to be made about the 'flavour' of cable to use.

Now I'm quite familiar with PC networking, but know nothing about Arc's
(except my friends keep wittering on about how superb they are!!! (OK I'll
probably have to conceed that!))

Some of the questions which spring to mind are:

1) Is a mixed Econet/Ethernet feasable?

2)	What networking software exists for the Arc and how well does it
     co-exists with other flavours.

3)	What are the 'common' pitfalls with Acorn networking.

4)	Can you remote mount other disks across the network Al'La NFS.

I'm sure that you can think of other relevent questions/answers.

So It's over to you.

And many thanks in advance...

Alan.

Ends...

And there you have it. I know b.gg..r all about networking so I've not
been
much use to him I'm afraid. And as to the vexed question of why the school
has'nt contacted the LEA's computer resource centre, or other local
schools,
for guidence? Well I'll leave that one well alone!!!!

Cheers,


====================================================================
Philip Watson			Tel:   (0522) 500500 (switchboard)
GEC Plessey Semiconductors	Tel:   (0522) 502210
Doddington Road			Fax:   (0522) 502393 (Dept Fax)
Lincoln LN6 3LF			GNet:  Code 595
England				EMail: pwatson@lincoln.gpsemi.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Fabricati Diem, Pvnc"		Standard disclaimer applies
====================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Translink type protocols...
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 23:53:30 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

mrp@minster.york.ac.uk writes:

>Couldn't this stuff be done using impulse?

No better than with WIMP messages. Impulse is little more than a different
method of sending messages. It has a few differences like the messages being
text-based commands and being able to talk across networks, etc., but is
fundamentally the same as the WIMP message passing system.
-- 
themasterofthearcanejwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nzthismessagewassentonrecycledelectrons
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: m_sattle@informatik.uni-kl.de (Matthias Sattler)
Subject: A540 CPU clock problem
Organization: University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 13:17:32 GMT

Hi

Thank you for your friendly mails, but I still have problems using a higher
cpu clock frequency in my A540. I've tried the things you told me and I've
upgraded to RO 3.1 but its still the same problem.
The selftest seems to be ok, but after that the screen stays black.
I think that maybe dma configuration goes wrong, but I'm not sure.
What can I do? I'm sure that my cpu can do 35 MHz or even more ?
Can I configure the A540 so that it takes some default values for dma?
By the may, my ram runs fine at 16.66 MHz.


Matthias Sattler

email: m_sattle@informatik.uni-kl.de