HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Andrew Hersee)
Subject: Re: Sprite dragging/New Filer/Replacement Toolsprites
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 11:21:00 GMT

davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis) writes:
>  As this project would seem to involve altering the filer in a fairly major
>way, how about allowing directories to have sprites anyway (rather that having
>to use up one of your characters labelling it) I don't know whether this would 
>be anything like possible realy though.
>  If we must have a 'special character' to mark a directory which has an icon
>then can we have somethin unobtrusive like '-' NOT '*' or '?' etc. "~' might
>be quite usefull...

Well I used to not have a label like you suggest. But the problem I had with
this was that if another application went and did an IconSprite to include a
sprite for it's windows and it so happened that I had a directory called that
my sprite would get redefined. (Good example Arch World's Waiter program
often had a sprite called Games)

I now use a special character I never have used '*'. In my original letter I
used * since the character I use does not exist in unix. I did in fact
state this in the article. The character I use is the one that looks like:


               \.-./
                | |
               /`-'\

Well nearly anyway :-) Nothing uses that at the moment and I have never seen
a sprite in the icon sprite pool with that character in it. Anyone know what
that character is called ?

Andrew Hersee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Email: ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk
                Snail Mail: Andrew Hersee
                            The Red House
                            Tallington
                            Nr. STAMFORD
                            Lincs
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: elsas@fwi.uva.nl (Peter Alexander van Elsas (I87))
Subject: Re: HELP: IDE Harddisk + RISCOS3.1 = error? == SOLVED!!
Keywords: IDE
Organization: FWI, University of Amsterdam
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 09:09:26 GMT

elsas@fwi.uva.nl (Peter Alexander van Elsas (I87)) writes:

>I just received RISCOS3.1 two days ago. After installing it I started up my
>computer and everything seemed allright. However when clicking on my IDE filer
>icon I got the strange error: Error from IDEFS Filer : Disk not Understood
>- Has it been formatted? I tried to set one IDE drive in !Configure but that
>resulted in another icon and a bad drive error when clicking on it. It seems
>that the two modules IDEFS and IDEFSFiler are loaded from my interface but
>this also results in having two configure options for IDEDiscs. Can someone
>please explain what is happening? I have a A410/1 with an IDEA harddisk 
>interface from Ian Copestake Software and SF & PS. The harddisk is a 120mb
>drive from western digital. Please mail me any comment or thoughts, or if
>you think others will benefit also post!
>		Thanks,
>			Alexander.
>(No point going on without my harddisk?!&*#$@)

Due to the fact that more people seeme to have this problem or are
affraid to get it when upgrading to RISCOS3.1 I will try to explain
how it was solved.
After fitting my IDEA interface on a A5000 from a friend we found that
we could still read his harddisk thus removing the possibility of a
faulty interface. This meant that the most likely cause was a dodgy
formatted IDE disk. It turned out that Rhodi James in his follow-up
article was right. I won't repeat his technical story here as I am not
a genius as it comes to disk formats etc. (I specialize in Image Processing)
What we did was reinitializing my harddisk at a slightly smaller size.
My drive originally contained 872 cylinders. After some trial and error
we found that my drive would be recognized by RISCOS3.1 if I set the number
of cylinders to a maximum of 869. It wouldn't work for anything larger.
I hope this will help people that experience similar problems. I would like
to thank everyone for responding (Especially Rhodi James of course) and now
I can finally enjoy RISCOS3.1.
	greetings,
		  Alexander

-------------------------------------------------------------------
in real life:	Alexander van Elsas
		Student at the University of Amsterdam
		email:elsas@fwi.uva.nl
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From: fj_maddi@csd.uwe.ac.uk (FJ Maddix)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: A4 power down
Date: 12 Nov 92 17:00:48 GMT
Organization: University of the West of England, Bristol

Ummm... this is a very low-tech solution to your power-down problem.
I had a similar problem - silly charge / discharge times, sudden power
loss etc.

I discovered that the CATCH on the batt. pack could appear closed, but be
just 'on the sneck' as my Yorkshire mother-in-law used to say.

the consequence - intermittent contact and silly buggers.

So give the weighty old thing a good shove

(the battery, not your M-I-L.

Frank.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: jna10@cl.cam.ac.uk (J.N. Abley)
Subject: Modula 2/3
Reply-To: jna10@phx.cam.ac.uk (J.N. Abley)
Organization: U of Cambridge Comp Lab, UK
Distribution: comp
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 12:46:10 GMT

And while I'm here, has anyone ported a modula 2/3 compiler to the Arc?
I had an idea that most m2/3 compilers actually "compile" to C, so
a port might not be all that hard...

Joe
From: ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Andrew Hersee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: DragASprite / Modified filer.
Date: 10 Nov 92 18:40:18 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England

This is from the thread 'Re: dragASprite / Modified Filer' description
on comp.sys.acorn I have posted an article to comp.sys.acorn to suggest
the discussion is moved over to comp.sys.acorn.tech so that those who can
only read this group will be able to join in.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, I have been thinking about implementing the multiple dragging in the 
Filer. One problem or dilema I have come across is that when you select an
icon it gets inverted so would you drag an inverted icon? I think it would
look a little silly if you dragged a normal icon leaving an inverted icon
behind. In fact maybe it will look silly altogether.

Anyone got a good edge algorithm so that a rotating dash could be drawn around
the icons ala mac?


Andrew Hersee
From: wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Keeping windows open after mode change
Date: 13 Nov 92 16:51:30 NZST
Organization: Welligton City Council, Public Access.
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

In article <92314.134332SMARTIN@ESOC.BITNET>, <SMARTIN@ESOC.BITNET> writes:

> I have a small problem with an application I am writing, in that whenever I
> change mode whilst the application is running, the windows for this
> application and most other applications open at the same time are not
> redrawn. If I then quit my application and change mode again, the windows
> for the other applications all reappear. I suspect that I am neglecting to
> take some action when I receive ModeChange messages, but I don't have access
> to the PRM's, and so I am unable to find out. I do handle OpenWindow
> messages, which I am fairly sure is correct because dragging windows works
> fine.

It sounds like some task is intercepting the Message_ModeChanged message rather
than allowing it to be passed on to the other tasks. Either that or whatever
is doing the mode changing is not using Wimp_SetMode. Could any of the
tasks you are running fall into this category?

    Cheers, Julian.
From: dcw-a@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Ada
Date: 12 Nov 92 11:48:00 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

In article <721427694.8949@minster.york.ac.uk> rmp-a@minster.york.ac.uk (Roger M. Pimlott ) writes:
>OK is it possible to get the Ada programming language on an Arc?
>If so how?
>
	Well, all that i have seen working is various versions of PC Ada running under the emulator.
This is a question that comes up at this time of year on this group every year, and lots of people reply,
but very few of the questioners ever bother implementing it, because the chance of getting even a small
program to compile in a naff, memory-intensive language like ada, is v.slim indeed, esp. under emulation.

All of this is IMHO and if you wish to flame, please do it by mail...


>
>================================================================================
>
	Doug.
From: rocky@nnsgs50.lon40.nt.com (Dave Kennard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: RiscOSLib for ISO-Pascal
Date: 9 Nov 1992 11:59:38 GMT
Organization: Northern Telecom Europe
NNTP-Posting-Host: nnsgs50.lon40.nt.com

In article <1992Nov8.054645.1589@news2.cis.umn.edu> alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu () writes:
>In article <BxDLw7.DHH@ibmpcug.co.uk> gtoal@ibmpcug.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:
>>Oh - I should have said this earlier; I only recently discovered that Acorn
>>ad released Edward's excellent Pascal to the world, non-commercially.

>>*FULL MARKS* to acorn for an excellent decision.  It really was the
>>right thing to do given that you had good reasons not to market it.

Agreed.

>>I was wondering though - it des *not* seem to have been well publicised.
>>Why don't you arrange with one of the magazines (BAU?) to publish it
>>as a cover disk?  That would be a major coup for a magazine and excellent
>>publicity for Acorn.

They have - sort of!  The Desktop Pascal compiler has been released
by Archive magazine through Norwich Computer services 'Careware' disks
(i.e. PD with a small charity element).  The disk {Careware 17 if memory
serves) is L5.00 from NCS.

>This is an excellent idea - but it might need to have quite a lot of other
>bits and pieces included for it to be useful to many people (ie, those who
>don't already have Desktop C). It would need to have the FrontEnd module,
>etc, and the linker, to start with, and maybe the 'C' libraries too. Now,
>*that*, as a fully-functional Pascal setup, would be an amazing
>non-commercial release! Probably rather too much for Acorn to contemplate
>though... I guess the libraries account for most of the cost of the C
>package. I just can't help feeling there might be a lot of disappointed
>people when they realise they have this Pascal compiler but can't use it
>without buying Desktop C or Assembler. Not Acorn's fault, but you can see
>how it might rebound publicity-wise. Still a nice idea, well worth
>thinking about. 

It is (virtually) a pre-requiste that you already have Desktop C in order
to be able to run the Desktop Pascal compiler - for the reasons stated
above.

Having had the oppurtunity to play with it, it seems OK.  The debugger
(DDT) has no direct support for Pascal-like syntax, but you still have
symbolic debugging with a 'C' like syntax.

See recent articles in Archive magazine - Languages' column - for more
details.

>Graham						allan@mnhep8.hep.umn.edu

Hope this is of interest.

Dave Kennard.

-- 
+-+ +-+ +- | | |  |  Regards,  Dave Kennard.
| | | | |  |/   \/  Dept. 92941, Northern Telecom Ltd, Oakleigh Road South,
|-+ | | |  |\   /  New Southgate, LONDON. N11 1HB, England, UK, (etc..)
| \ +-+ +- | | /  Voice (+44) 01-945-2195 <rocky@nnsgs50.nt.co.uk>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: braindl@uhura.aston.ac.uk (DL BRAIN)
Subject: Re: IFEL ARM3
Organization: Aston University
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 14:06:53 GMT

Just out of interest where exactly is the FPA socket in an A5000
when I opened mine up I didn't see any likely looking holes....

mind you I wasn't looking that hard


-- 
===============================================================================
|David Brain at Aston University (Comp. Sci.)     Braindl@uk.ac.aston.uhura   |
|             Smile. All the time. (It'll really get to them.)                |
============================Beyond the Pale====================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: nas20@cl.cam.ac.uk (Nick Smith)
Subject: Re: Modula 2/3
Reply-To: nas20@phx.cam.ac.uk (Nick Smith)
Organization: U of Cambridge Comp Lab, UK
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 12:44:38 GMT

In article <1992Nov12.111817.7166@infodev.cam.ac.uk> grlw1@phx.cam.ac.uk writes:
>|> crj10@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones) writes:
>|> : In article <1992Nov11.124610.22046@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, jna10@cl.cam.ac.uk (J.N. Abley) writes:
>|> : > And while I'm here, has anyone ported a modula 2/3 compiler to the Arc?
>to tempt us all.  Ah well, maybe Gnu will implement it for us, and we can just port it across; maybe someone
>wants to hack the SRC version so that it produces the intermediate code that gcc uses as its output, so it
>can be chained into the last half of the gnu compilers? It'd be nice...

I think GNU is already working on a Modula3->gcc compiler. Check the comp.lang.
modula3 FAQ for more details.
--
Nick Smith, Rm.226, Churchill College, Cambridge ! Email: nas20@uk.ac.cam.phx
.sig quote wanted - must be under guarantee.     ! Tel: (0223) 465596
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Andrew Hersee)
Subject: Re: Sprite dragging/New Filer/Replacement ToolSprites
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 11:28:16 GMT

davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis) writes:
>MJW19@phx.cam.ac.uk (Michael Williams) writes:
>: Being able to rename a file by editing the filename a la Macintosh would be
>: nice too, oh, and how about using a saveas dialogue to move files in the same
>: way as you can to copy? Finally, a "nice" feature would be if it could allow
>: spaces in filenames (on renaming, copying etc.) and convert them to hard spaces
>: in the software before telling FileSwitch what to do.
>
>  hum, editing filenames isn't very 'RiscOS-like' and could incurr the wrath
>of Apple ltd.
>  A move option on the menu is reasonable but it isn't THAT hard to hold down
>SHIFT is it?

I am not sure as to why you think it is not 'RiscOS-like' as the only place
it could occure would be in the filer as there is no where else you find a
directory viewer. Ok editing text in draw pops up a window but other apps
allow you to alter the text on screen. Anyway if we implemented hot keys
you could click say Ctrl-R and a window could be popped up for rename
like the one off the menu.

I doubt if it would offend Apple as the Sun File Manager does it as well!

Hardspaces - Yes an idea I had not thought about :-)

Andrew Hersee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     Email: ahersee@dcs.warwick.ac.uk
                Snail Mail: Andrew Hersee
                            The Red House
                            Tallington
                            Nr. STAMFORD
                            Lincs
                            PE9 4RP

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis)
Subject: Re: Modula 2/3
Organization: Aston University
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 17:18:24 GMT

styrrell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Stuart Tyrrell) writes:
: crj10@phx.cam.ac.uk (Clive Jones) writes:
: 
: Acorn reckon they had a M2 compiler for their own internal use in the
: early days, but they have no intentions of releasing it to us (I mean, the
: Arc's so good, it doesn't really NEED a nice lovely structured language
: like M2/3, does it? Acorn would rather we hack around in C)
: 

  So what are the chances of someone implementing M2 on the Arch (Acorn, 
GNU or anyone else) in the near future - how difficult would a compiler be?
  oh, yes, do any of the PC M2 compilers work under the emulator?

-- 
___________________________________________.
 Mik Davis at Aston University, Birmingham |   .  .  __          .
                                           |   |\/|  | \  _,_  _  _
E-Mail: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk           |   |  |. |_/ |_| \/ |/_'
From: pip@muppet.bt.co.uk (Philip Rutter DNM22)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: ST506 hard disc for A5000
Keywords: ST506
Date: 6 Nov 92 19:47:38 GMT
Reply-To: pip@muppet.bt.co.uk
Followup-To: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Organization: British Telecom

Hi architypes

I have been looking to add another hard disc to my A5000 and
would like info from anyone who knows about a particular HD.
The drive in question is a Maxtor XT1140 which I am told has
a ST506 interface. It is 112 Meg , 5 1/4 full height, MFM 
(don't know what MFM means !). Does anyone know anything at
all about this drive or any similar? Is it worth going for
an ST506 drive now or should I stump up the cash for an IDE
or even SCSI ? The price being asked is 120 UK pounds. I
presume I also need to get an ST506 interface ?

Please e-mail rather than post.
TIA
Phil
---
------------------------------------------------------------------
|        Philip Rutter,  Network Management Department           |
| BT Labs, Martlesham Heath , Ipswich, Suffolk IP5 7RE, England  |
| e-mail : pip@muppet.bt.co.uk    |    phone  : +44 473 648134   |
------------------------------------------------------------------
From: alien@opal.cs.tu-berlin.de (Marc Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Architecture
Summary: The ARM family
Date: 5 Nov 92 17:32:35 GMT
Organization: Techn. University of Berlin, Germany

Hi!

This semester I decided to hear a seminar about RISC-Processors.
I already know a bit about the ARM-Family and would like to complete
the Seminar with a lecture about this processor-family.

Now is my question, wether there are persons, who can give me further
information about the newer developments of ARM Ltd.

Sincerely, Marc Fischer
Organisation: European Space Operation Centre (E.S.O.C)
Date: Monday, 9 Nov 1992 13:43:32 CET
From: <SMARTIN@ESOC.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Keeping windows open after mode change

I have a small problem with an application I am writing, in that whenever I
change mode whilst the application is running, the windows for this application
and most other applications open at the same time are not redrawn. If I then
quit my application and change mode again, the windows for the other
applications all reappear. I suspect that I am neglecting to take some action
when I receive ModeChange messages, but I don't have access to the PRM's, and
so I am unable to find out. I do handle OpenWindow messages, which I am fairly
sure is correct because dragging windows works fine.

(The reason that I have no PRMs is that I have been waiting over a year for the
RO3 version. If I'd known I would have been waiting this long, I think I would
probably have bought the RO2 version in the first place, and hoped for some
sensible upgrade deal......minor grumble off...)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
From: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis)
Subject: Re: Sprite dragging/New Filer/Replacement ToolSprites
Organization: Aston University
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 09:51:00 GMT

  As this project would seem to involve altering the filer in a fairly major
way, how about allowing directories to have sprites anyway (rather that having
to use up one of your characters labelling it) I don't know whether this would 
be anything like possible realy though.
  If we must have a 'special character' to mark a directory which has an icon
then can we have somethin unobtrusive like '-' NOT '*' or '?' etc. "~' might
be quite usefull...

  comments?

-- 
___________________________________________.
 Mik Davis at Aston University, Birmingham |   .  .  __          .
                                           |   |\/|  | \  _,_  _  _
E-Mail: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk           |   |  |. |_/ |_| \/ |/_'
From: ee91mds2@brunel.ac.uk (Mark D Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: A5000 FPA socket (was Re: IFEL ARM3)
Date: 8 Nov 92 12:49:44 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK


In article <1992Nov5.140653.8142@aston.ac.uk> David Brain writes:

>Just out of interest where exactly is the FPA socket in an A5000
>when I opened mine up I didn't see any likely looking holes....

>mind you I wasn't looking that hard

Its under the hard drive, close to the ARM chip. The easiest way to see it
is to remove the backplane, but to fit anything in it you'd have to remove
the hard drive.

Regards,

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  M    M   AAA   RRRR   K  K   Janet email: ee91mds2@brunel.ac.uk            |
|  MM  MM  A   A  R   R  K K    Subject: Microelectronic Systems Design       |
|  M MM M  AAAAA  RRRR   KK     Establishment: Brunel University, U.K.        |
|  M    M  A   A  R R    K K                                                  |
|  M    M  A   A  R  RR  K  K                                                 |
From: pdenize@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Windows and Pains :-) OK, Panes ...
Date: 13 Nov 92 15:18:56 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand


I have written a program and it has a window in a window.  The two are intended
to be joined together so I made the one on top a pane.

But when the user clicks on the top of the back window I get an open event and
then have to open the other in front again.  Thus when the user holds the title
bar the pane flashes (albeit very fast)

Can someone tell me how it should be done ?

Paul Denize.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Denize                                Internet: PDenize@Waikato.ac.nz
Department of Computer Science
University of Waikato                         phone: ++64 7 8562-889
Hamilton                                                          Ext 8743
NEW ZEALAND                                   fax  : ++64 7 8560-135
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Help message problems
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 02:42:50 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

gpcec@westminster.ac.uk (Tom Kirby-Green) writes:

>wimp library - I figure its the ONLY way to learn ). Now the problem is I
>don't seem to be receiving Message_HelpRequest from the !Help app.
>        This message no. is 0x502. Now I know I can pick up messages because

Are you sure? I though it was 0x501... and the Helpreply was 0x502 (or is
my memory failing me again?!)

---

An easy test to do is to put a debugging 'printf' into your message handler
and print out the recieved message numbers... I use

bbc_vdu(26); bbc_vdu(4); /* get the cursor in VDU4 mode at top left of scren*/
printf("Message number: %x", blah);

or you could just use the printf, and redirect your programs output to
a file
(in !Run, change
  Run <Obey$Dir>.blah
to
  Run <Obey$Dir>.blah > <Obey$Dir>.output
)

This way, you'll know *what* messages you're actually recieving, which is
always a good place to start working out why nothing's happening...

-- 
_________________  "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)