HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: sproven@cs.strath.ac.uk (Simon B Proven IE91)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn news release: Advance
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:34:09 GMT
Organization: Comp. Sci. Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland.

In article <1993Jan22.131726.21494@cs.nott.ac.uk> smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows) writes:
>
>I agree with what you say, but it sounds crazy! After all, the majority
>of machines currently in use do not have an ID chip, and so default to
>number zero, the same as if you rip the ID chip out of a newer machine.
>This protection seems to be of very limited use, and I can't imagine
>that it will do much to stop the problem of illegal software copying.

Actually, the protection is clever in that it produces a window on the
screen warning of the infringement, telling you to contact Acorn if you
have any problems.  The window has no back or close icons :-), and in
the pre-release version I saw you couldn't even drag the window though
that may have changed...  It could be a problem if the user had a window
open and it got covered by the Advance warning.

Also the program puts a warning triangle on the icon bar beside the
Advance Icon - which makes a pirated copy easy to spot.  As far as
older machines are concerned, well there's not much that can be
done about it, without some backup mechanism.

Please note: I am connected with Advance (I was CRM's tester) and have
a financial stake in the spreadsheet so don't expect be to be totally
unbiased. :-)

-- 
--Simon Proven sproven@cs.strath.ac.uk
  Health warning: being in a car can damage your health (BMA)
From: MMBCorle@cen.ex.ac.uk (Martin Corley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: New PC cards (was Re: Acorn news release: Advance)
Date: 26 Jan 93 11:57:32 GMT
Organization: University of Exeter, UK

In article <727652882snz@cryton.demon.co.uk>, altman@cryton.demon.co.uk (Hugo Fiennes) writes:

> In article <1jm1a7INNca@oak47.doc.ic.ac.uk> ijp@doc.ic.ac.uk writes:

[...]

>>In another of these releases (the one about the PC card), what I
>>really don't understand is : what's new?
>>
>>It says, basically, the the 'NEW' Acorn PC card IS the Aleph-1 PC
>>card, which has been on sale for ages - so what is this press
>>release all about ???

> (a) From what I hear, they're at least 100 quid cheaper

> (b) They come in A3000-minipodule form too, allowing you to have an
> A3010 with dual processors for example :-)

> Hugo

I also got the impression that they'd be able to use existing
expansions better; for example, I was told that you'd need to bolt an
Ethernet interface on to the back of the "old" PC cards, but the Press
Release mentions "using an existing Ethernet interface..."

Anyone care to illuminate / confirm / deny?

-- 
Martin Corley                                         ---------
University of Exeter                         M.M.B.Corley @ cen.ex.ac.uk
Exeter, UK                                            ---------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: Acorn news release: Advance
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 15:42:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan22.151636.24153@cs.nott.ac.uk> rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead) writes:
>Basically, has anybody ever heard of a software house going under because of
>illegal copying?  I suspect that the likes of FAST count all the ripped-off
>programs in existance, multiply by the price of the package and then get
>indignant at the figure. 

I'm rather more concerned by the current/forthcoming campaign by various
organisations such as FAST and ELSPA [sp?] to close down as many bulletin
boards and information systems as possible. They claim that these provide
a major forum for software piracy and that legislation should be introduced
forcing the people who run such systems to pay very hefty registration fees.
I am sure that someone will post the full details of their proposals, but
they strike me as being quite worrying.

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: andy@laguna.santafe.edu (Andy Mell)
Subject: Re: Acorn v Research Machines
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 93 02:04:57 GMT
Organization: Santa Fe Institute

In article <1993Jan22.123339.25009@aston.ac.uk> thompsmr@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mark Thompson) writes:

>
>	However, the older RMs (The RML380Z or whatever) were put to good use
>in the computer room - as foot rests.
>
>	RM #1 in education? Yeah, right.

Hey! I learnt to program on a 380Z before BBC micros came out, the 380Z is
a great computer. Well, great for its time anyway. it had a built in machine
code monitor which you could activate with ctrl-W or some other key.

You could get disc drives, and high res colour graphics addons for them too.

Andy
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Mell, Applied Physics Department,  |   andy@santafe.edu
University of Hull, Hull, HU7 6RX       |   amell@nyx.cs.du.edu
England.                                |   torq@gnu.ai.mit.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: Acorn news release: Pocket Books in use at BETT
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:22:23 GMT

In article <21086@acorn.co.uk> bsalter@acorn.co.uk writes:
>
>Under the scheme a group of work experience students from the London Borough
>of Newham will each carry Pocket Books loaded with data about every
>exhibitor on every stand. 

I found these "Information Providers" very helpful, and it freed up the
Acorn people to deal with visitors.

The Acorn representatives at BETT on Wednesday were also extraordinarily 
friendly and helpful. Thanks & well done!

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: blacka@logica.co.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Protection (was Re: Acorn news release
Date: 23 Jan 93 15:39:37 GMT

In article <1jrjskINNg5k@flipper.pvv.unit.no>, dhmyrdal@flipper.pvv.unit.no (Dag H}kon Myrdal) writes:
> The *best* form of protection is:
>  .... Give excellent after-sales service, with free upgrades
>  .... This is why I bought Impression :-)

This is not the impression I have of CC's support (sorry about the
awful pun).

When I first bought Impression, it worked fine, until I tried to print
- Impression complained about lack of dongle when I turned on the
printer.  They told me all sorts of things - turn printer on first, 
turn printer on before starting impression, try new cable, try new
printer....
Eventaully they admited that the dongle might be faulty.   Sent of
dongle.  For the next week, instead of a DTP package that I could use
but not print, I had slashed out for a DTP package that would not run
at all.  
New dongle - everything fine.

A year later, I wanted to import a text file ignoring all CRs in the
file. A call to CC support might sort me out  
  CC answer : 
    -  you have to buy the Business suplement 
  Further trawling through manual reveals the real answer
    -  Make sure you have the LOADRETURN (or similar) in place - which 
       I had already done.  AND set the type of the file to DATA.

>  Free upgrades
Only if you have ARTWORKS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
   /|        |)
  /-|ndrew   |)lack      blacka@logica.co.uk
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: BETT '93 Show
Date: 21 Jan 93 19:46:44 GMT
Organization: Nottingham University


Acorn is making a special offer at the BETT Show. If you buy an Acorn
Pocketbook at the retail price, they will throw in a free A-Link worth
50 UK pounds. (If you buy a proper computer at the same time, they'll
give you the Pocketbook and Link for only 199 UK pounds inc VAT).
The Acorn Assist (Lecturers, Teachers & Students) scheme is also 
available at the Show.

A selection of Acorn merchandise is also available - in fact, there
is an Acorn stand dedicated to selling umbrellas, mouse mats, mugs etc.
They are also giving away Acorn pens.

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: smp@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Samuel Penn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn v Research Machines
Date: 23 Jan 93 14:24:03 GMT
Reply-To: smp@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Samuel Penn)
Organization: Laboratory for the Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh U

While on the subject of Rm Nimbus's (the computer my previous school insisted
on buying), here is a bit of info which I thought anyone out there who is
lucky enough not to have used these machines may be interested in, just so
you can see how BAD they really are:

When I got my Arch, I naturally did some speed tests to compare it with my
BBC Master. One simple one was a simple FOR..NEXT loop for 1 to 1000000
(I think - it may have been 100000, I'm not sure). Anyway:

A3000 : about 4 seconds
Master : about 40 seconds
RM Nimbus : Since RM BASIC doesn't have a time function like BBC BASIC does,
            I used a stop watch. I got bored and wandered away after 2 minutes.
            this was on a Nimbus 186 (?)
And these are meant to be 16 bit computers?

-- 

Sam (aka The Eternal Halfling).  | "Ilharessen zhaunhil alurl"
smp@uk.ac.ed.dcs                 | ---------------------------
samuelp@uk.ac.ed.castle          |   STMFD junk,{intel,unix}
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: vulch@kernow.demon.co.uk (Anthony Frost)
Reply-To: vulch@kernow.demon.co.uk
Subject: DeskLib 1.04
Organization: VCS Kernow
X-Mailer: ReaderS for the Acorn Archimedes
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1993 22:48:05 +0000

 
  >> Has there been any advance on DeskLib from version 1.04? I'm
  >> about to start on something that will benefit from its use
  >> and I'd like to be using the latest bits... 
 
  > Nope. It stalled at 1.04 due to lack of time on my part and
  > a decision on my part to shift the emphasis onto a lot of
  > small, useful functions that can go into a shared desktop
  > library module in the future. Work will probably start back
  > up on DeskLib or an equivalent replacement after D-Day (the
  > day I have to hand in my thesis, February 26),
 
I remember that state of mind!
 
  > So if you do start writing something with DeskLib and you
  > find you have to implement something yourself, perhaps you
  > could consider implementing it in 
 
One thing I will need are some alarm style functions as used by ROLib. I'll
forward them when I get something sorted if noone else beats me to it.
 
  > If anybody is interested, a kind gentleman sent me some code
  > that fills the menu code 'hole' with a RISC_OSLib-like
  > Menus() system (i.e creation of menus from menu_new() type
  > strings, etc), 
 
YeahYeahYeahGimmeGimme! That's what stopped me using it for something else a
while back.
 
        Anthony

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: gothick@dcs.warwick.ac.uk (Gothick)
Subject: Re: Watford Electronics
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, England
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 10:55:17 GMT

eivind@kih.no (eivind hagen) writes:

>FLAME ON:
>These guys are serious major league SUCKERS!!!
>They NEVER ansver ANYTHING, I hate them!
>FLAME OFF:

<Applause>

Matt
-- 
 Matthew B. M. Gibson:
 gothick@dcs.warwick.ac.uk - mgibson@nyx.cs.du.edu -  csudo@csv.warwick.ac.uk
 "Great.  I'm a million miles from home, about to be killed, with a 
  gung-ho iguana who tells me to relax"
From: sdes91hk@ap23.cip3a.tu-harburg.de (Holger Klingspohr)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Best buy ARM 3 for old A440/RO3.10
Date: 25 Jan 93 14:15:10 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.acorn.tech
Distribution: comp
Organization: Technische Universitaet Hamburg-Harburg

In article <MICROSOC.93Jan25103847@black.oxford.ac.uk> microsoc@oxford.ac.uk (Robin Watts) writes:
>In article <Random-Number@J.Random.Domain> Simon Burrows writes:
>>In article <1993Jan22.121139.8140@infodev.cam.ac.uk> JNA10@phx.cam.ac.uk writes:
>>>Does anyone have any opinions as to where to get an ARM3/MEMC1a at
>>>a *really low price*? :-) 
>>
>>Simon
>
>As far as I know, the IFEL upgrade that supposedly gives FPU support has
>always had a double row of pins for a second (vertically mounted) board
>on top of the first. this has been carefully done so, a) No probs with pinouts
>b) It will fit easily next to the floppy without problems.
>
>Robin

Correct, the FPA will (hopefully) go flush with the main casing. The problems of course
are that a) you will have to buy your FPA upgrade from IFEL and b) there is yet another
connector - you lose valuable nanoseconds! Seriously, what kind of worries me is that
the ARM3 datasheets warn about floating CMOS inputs generating too much heat. I can't
see a resistor array or similar on the board - what did Acorn do in the A5000? Or is
the clock speed high enough to not make a difference to the current consumption anyway?

On the whole I can definitely recommend the IFEL board, it looks _very_ good to me
(even the plcc header (much better than the one found in their 4MB board)) and it is
reasonable cheap. Imho it is false economy to have a top-quality machine and equip it
with a cheapish made CPU upgrade.


-- 
Holger Klingspohr (TUHH, Microelectronics Dep.)
email: klingspohr@tu-harburg.dbp.de
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: braindl@uhura.aston.ac.uk (David Brain)
Subject: Re: Acorn news release: Advance
Organization: Aston University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL241235]
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 11:27:52 GMT

: 
: As Simon has commented, you may find that other dealers have them. I
: certainly had no trouble getting mine last October (the first dealer I
: phoned, Dabs, had them in stock). I would also agree with Simons
: comment about being patient and seeing what happens.
: 
: Tom.
 
I haven't received mine yet. I ordered it in November from an Acorn dealership
in Reading ... oh well perhaps I'll ring them up and harras them some more (-:
 (I realise it might not be their fault but harassing Acorn isn't very 
satisfying emotionally)
--
===============================================================================
|David Brain at Aston University (Comp. Sci.)     Braindl@uk.ac.aston.uhura   |
|     "The only trick I can remember now is turning butterflys into worms"    |
============================The Triffids=======================================
From: rap@bnr.co.uk (Richard Porter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Watford Electronics
Date: 27 Jan 93 14:05:04 GMT
Organization: BNR Europe Limited
NNTP-Posting-Host: bnsgs193.bnr.co.uk

In article <C1IBLD.Ew9@cs.bham.ac.uk> sdl@cs.bham.ac.uk (Simon D Levitt) writes:

>Incidentally I suppose I'd better try and phone them again, I still
>haven't recieved my manuals and disks for my ARM3 and RISCOS3.1 upgrades,
>Not bad for 4 months after I ordered them!

Ditto RO3.1 upgrade. Acorn may be responsible for the delay, but Watford
didn't waste any time in debiting my MasterCard account. They won't sell me
any more computers if they behave like that.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis)
Subject: Re: Cut and Paste... ???
Organization: Aston University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL241235]
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 13:05:31 GMT

Simon B Proven IE91 (sproven@cs.strath.ac.uk) wrote:
: 
: Yes - a new protocol... hopefully someday Acorn will tell everyone about it
: -- 

  Apparently achieved by lots of message passing, applications saying "Ive got
file-type xxx for export and others saying "I can cope with that, gimme".
  Strikes me as being reasonably similar to one of the protocols suggested on
here a little while back...
--
___________________________________________.
 Mik Davis at Aston University, Birmingham |   .  .  __          .
                                           |   |\/|  | \  _,_  _  _
E-Mail: davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk           |   |  |. |_/ |_| \/ |/_'
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead)
Subject: Re: Dongles affecting Printing
Organization: Shell Centre for Maths Education, University of Nottingham
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 14:24:45 GMT

Note that it when the manual for Artworks says that the Artworks dongle
should plug in to the computer and the Imprssion dongle should plug into
the Artworks one it means it!  I ignored this and, every time the printer
went offline Artworks died!  People having strange dongle trouble may
wish to check this!

Incidentally - my BJ10 TurboDriver is in imminent danger of getting thrown
out of the window after it twice hung up while printing from Impression.
My first impression of the TurboDriver was good, but it looks as if it may
prove to be just too flaky for serious use. Shame.
Xref: sparky comp.sys.acorn:10575 comp.sys.acorn.tech:1430
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn,comp.sys.acorn.tech
Subject: Re: Monty Pythons most used sentence
From: jwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (TMOTA)
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 23:40:04 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland

rap@bnr.co.uk (Richard Porter) writes:

>In article <1k11shINNgps@info2.rus.uni-stuttgart.de> zrzs0111@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (Helmut Springer) writes:
>>"And now to something completely different"

[3 billion million trillion quoted lines]

>>MUFTI

>I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition :-)


Arrrrrrrgh!!!!!!
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's someone who quotes a huge message
in it's entirety and then adds a single line on at the end (except in
alt.fan.monty-python, but it's expected there). And people who ... Damn!

If there are two things I can't stand it's people who over-quote, and people
who can't quote things properly (The correct quotes are:
  a) "And now for something completely different" - I'll let MUFTI off
     because he's a forrener.
  b) "I didn't expect some kind of Spanish Inquisition")
and people who ...DAMN!

If there are three things I can't stand, they are ...

;-)

So be warned! THe next person I see doing this sort of thing will get...
The COMFY CHAIR!

-- 
themasterofthearcanejwil1@cs.aukuni.ac.nzthismessagewassentonrecycledelectrons
From: julian@bridge.welly.gen.nz (Julian Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: 6502 Emulator
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 01:46:05 +1300
Reply-To: wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: USS Enterprise, NCC 1701a

davism@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mik Davis) writes:

> I'm not entirely sure this is what you mean but there is a chapter on setting
> up 6502 programs in the user guide. This method (I think) tells you to copy the
> emulator once for every app but you can get the same effect by inserting a path
> into the run line
>
> Run <adfs::whatever>.!65Host &B03 !Boot

If the emulator is already loaded you can get the same effect by putting
  Set 65Host$BootOptions &B03
  Set 65Host$BootFile !Boot
  EmulateBBC
in your !Run file. This avoids the need to re-run !65Host every time you
run a BBC program from the desktop (which could get quite annoying on
floppy-only systems).

If you are feeling really clever you can use RMEnsure to see if the
emulator is present or not and decide which method of starting up the
emulator to use based on that. :) ... Perhaps something like this:

  SetEval 65Host$Absent 0
  RMEnsure BBC6502Emulator 1.20 SetEval 65Host$Absent -1
  If 65Host$Absent Then Run <65Host$Dir> &B03 !Boot
  If 65Host$Absent Then Obey
  Set 65Host$BootOptions &B03
  Set 65Host$BootFile !Boot
  EmulateBBC

--
Question Authority!   WHY?
From: Phil Emery
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Comp.Sys.Acorn FAQ List Posting (Automatic)
Date: 21 Jan 93 10:49:18 GMT
Organization: The University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
NNTP-Posting-Host: ibm3090.bham.ac.uk

>Could any body tell me how to get the early versions of Impressions to work
>with RISC-OS 3.  At present it simply says address exception at ....
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==============================================================================
I imagine the best way is to contact Computer Concepts and ask them for an
upgrade to the latest version. It shouldn't cost you too much, and you'll
get a superior program.

Phil
From: u2prh@ohm.york.ac.uk (Paul R Hedderly - H601/92)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Dongles affecting Printing
Date: 26 Jan 93 19:27:49 GMT
Organization: Electronics Department, University of York, UK

From article <ssudavss.727956414@reading>, by ssudavss@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk (Captain_Kwok):
> Has anybody out there noticed a little anomily that happens sometimes to
> my system. I have an A5000, RO3.1, Canon BJ10EX and copies of Artworks and
> Impression 2.

> Now for the strange part.......
> 
> It does this every time I try it until ... I run ArtWorks. This seems to
> open up the parallel port and all printing is tickety boo. If I remove the
> Artworks dongle I don't get this problem.
> 
> Note. I don't have to have Artworks loaded all of the time, I just have to
> have run it and quit.
> 
> Any Ideas?
> 
> Steve
> ssudavss@uk.ac.reading

Yes - Artworx has to load a module, which corrupts your printer signal,
ready for the dongle to uncorrupt!

Sorry! ;> (I *may* be wrong, and of course any views expressed, ......)

Bungle!!
-- 
Alias ---- Paul Hedderly		Anyone got a spare `Victoria'
      (or u2prh@ohm.york.ac.uk)		that they wanna sell cheap?
      (or prhedder@nyx.cs.du.edu)	
					
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: Protection (was Re: Acorn news release
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 09:39:07 GMT

In article <11446@baird.cs.strath.ac.uk> sproven@cs.strath.ac.uk (Simon B Proven IE91) writes:
>In article <1993Jan24.131752.13657@cs.nott.ac.uk> smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows) writes:
>>(I hope that CC get a move on with producing a new version of Impression
>>with bugfixes and some new functionality)
>
>In the latest Archimedean CC say they're working on Impression 2.5 with
>Impression 3 to follow...

Yes, but they've been talking about better versions for a long time, and
we have yet to see them. Even version 2.18 isn't available yet, so there
is no way that Artworks files can be incorporated into Impression documents,
except as draw files.

Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead)
Subject: Re: Acorn news release: Advance
Organization: Shell Centre for Maths Education, University of Nottingham
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 12:17:46 GMT



Regarding my last message - Ive just registered the fact that they refer
to a code in the OS ROMS.  Either this is a material inaccuracy on
Acorns part or my last posting issued from the wrong part of my
anatomy, sorry.

Including an ID on the RISC-OS 3.1 ROMS sounds like a good idea.  I assume
that the ID chips are PROMS which are then blown with a unique number, so
it would sound like a good idea to produce a ROM incorporating a few
bytes of PROM for holding IDs.

The only snag will come if Acorn decide to produce RISC-OS 4!