HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: r_voisey@eggs.uwe.ac.uk (R Voisey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Student Offers
Date: 13 Oct 92 08:21:06 GMT
Reply-To: r_voisey@csd.bristol-poly.ac.uk
Organization: The University of the West of England (The Magic Roundabout)

In article <yorkr.718616481@p4.cs.man.ac.uk>, yorkr@p4.cs.man.ac.uk (Richard York) writes:
|> 	What is going on? Surely all of this discount is paid for by Acorn;
|> hense I have to fill in a form which the dealer then returns. Doesn't this
|> means the dealer makes no less profit? Why then can't he still offer me
|> one of his enducements?

Acorn don't usually cover the entire discount - the dealer is expected to
make do with a lower margin than normal.  That's certainly the case with
educational discounts and other promotions they've run at any rate, so
I assume it's the case with the Student Discount.

This is the main reason why there are so many back bedroom Acorn dealers
(or used to be, until Acorn decided to abandon them to their fates).  The
majority of machines sold have an educational discount, yet dealers get a
much smaller profit on such machines for (often) twice the work (lots of
before and after sales service required by schools).  If you have the
overheads of large premises and no second line things can get pretty
tight!

Bob

PS. All opinions are my own etc.

-- 
  Robert J. Voisey  :  r_voisey@csd.brispoly.ac.uk
         -- Probug Software Developments --
162 Staplehill Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, Avon, England
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: anita@cv.ruu.nl (Anita van Nieuwenborg)
Subject: modem-program
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:09:33 GMT
Organization: University of Utrecht, 3D Computer Vision Research Group

Hi!

Is there some (preferably PD) programm that handles ymodem or zmodem
protocols? I also am looking for a nice modem-programm for normal use (eg
connect to my university-computer).

---Anita
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: Re: Sidney font...
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 09:57:24 GMT

In article <26882@castle.ed.ac.uk> ainsjc@castle.ed.ac.uk (Steffan Corley) writes:
>I'm looking for a high quality Symbol font for the Archimedes.
[stuff deleted]
>
>Can anyone help me on the availability of an Acorn version of Symbol, or
>the capabilities of !T1toFont?
>

I don't know if this helps, but if you buy Artworks from Computer Concepts,
you get 14 floppy discs of fonts and clipart, including 220 outline fonts.
Perhaps you will find a suitable font amongst all of these?

Simon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk    Just off to the BBC Acorn User Show '92
------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Subject: A5000 keyboards
Organization: Nottingham University
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 11:30:44 GMT

Will issue three A5000s be supplied with a conventional Acorn keyboard, or
one of the new Acorn PC keyboards as supplied with the A4000?

Simon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Burrows   smb@cs.nott.ac.uk  psyhsmb@unicorn.nott.ac.uk  +44 533 712030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: marlow@sys.uea.ac.uk (K. Marlow PG)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: AU Meet
Date: 15 Oct 92 12:07:38 GMT
Organization: UEA School of Information Systems, Norwich, UK.

amell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Andrew P.Mell) writes:

[...]

>Allow me to confirm the exact details, Arcade users are supposed to be
>meeting at the Atomwide stand at the end of the show on saturday.
>They will then proceed, in a hopefully orderly fashion to the Pizzahut place
>on the Strand, then after that, proceeding onto the Coal Hole pub, which
>is also in the Strand.

>I wonder what the Pizzahut people will think when hoards of computer geeks
>carrying laden carrier bags occupy the top floor of the restaurant. :-)

  It was the bottom floor actually, on both occasions. They will probably 
respond with the same level of service as they have done for the last two
times.... panic mode...   ;-)

  Keith

--
Keith Marlow,              *  When you love someone; You're always insecure;
Information Systems P/G,   * And there's only one good way to reassure;
University of East Anglia, *    Tell her about it...
Norwich. Norfolk NR4 7TJ   *
From: exorcist@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (HORSNELL)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Some Quite Reliable Rumours I Heard
Date: 16 Oct 92 15:24:17 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London

VIDC 2 features

   256 palette registers
   2MD video ram
   24bit colour
   1 sync (kitchen style)
   built-in Pointer control circuit
From: martin@thed.uk22.bull.com (Martin Percival)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: : OOP ( missing persons )
Date: 9 Oct 92 08:51:03 GMT
Organization: Bull HN Informations Systems Inc.

In <1992Oct8.161629.16397@siesoft.co.uk> tomc@siesoft.co.uk (Tom Crossland) writes:

>gpcec@westminster.ac.uk (Tom Kirby-Green) writes:
>: Its got to be a native RISC OS version. From my point of view, while C++
>: would be nice, *any* OOP language would be a start. I don't image SmallTalk
>: ( old I know ) is available?

>SmallTalk 80 is available for the arc. If my memory serves me correctly it's
>been around for a while now, with it's own GUI bit aswell.

The only problem is its price....hardly an easy introductory offer as far as 
getting into Smalltalk is concerned.

I have 2 versions of freebie st running. One is the GNU version and the other
is "Little Smalltalk v3" by Timothy Budd. Currently they both run as CLI
apps only, but little smalltalk has an interface to something called stdwin
which look like a feasible half-way house to getting it running native
under RISC-OS. I keep saying "I really ought to try to get that running", but
time, decorating and wife wait for no man I'm afraid!


Martin

Ooops, I think I've deleted the GNU stuff after all :-)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin)
Subject: Re: OOP languages
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 13:57:27 GMT


In article <1992Oct7.114709.3670@westminster.ac.uk>, gpcec@westminster.ac.uk (Tom Kirby-Green) writes...
>Folks,
>	I'm sure this is a unoffical FAQ, but what the heck. Since I'm doing
>a module on Object Orientated Design I'd like to play with some of these
>concepts on the Arc in a language that has direct surport for 'em. What OOP
>languages are there. I remember a while back talk of C++ finally making an
>appearance ( first quarter next year? ). Are there existing languages.

There's Smalltalk, XLisp and TILEforth that all support OO.

Pete Goodwin
goodwin@system.enet.dec.com
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: That alleged bug with RO 3.10
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:14:06 GMT
Organization: Nottingham University

In article <2oaEPHj025n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz> banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes:
>
>   Incredible how slow news propogation can be isn't it? I only get to see
>this 8 days after it was posted. One point to notice about it is that the
>report of the error *in no way* states that it will 'crash the machine'.
>This was the whole thrust of earlier postings on this bug 'report/rumour'.

The 'Abort on Data Transfer' caused happens to kill off the Task Manager,
which for most users causes a swift movement of one's fingers towards the
RESET button. Have you managed to experience this yet?

Simon.
From: smiths@p4.cs.man.ac.uk (Little SteeeveS)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: A Beeb Dos Reader
Summary: I want a DOS reader for a Master
Keywords: BBC DOS
Date: 9 Oct 92 11:28:14 GMT

Does anybody know of the existance of a program that will let me read IBM 720K floppies on a Master Compact???
Where?? How much etc??
Thanks
Little SteeeveS
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: merlin@maths.tcd.ie (Merlin Hughes)
Subject: Re: Archimedes 'BBC Basic'
Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 00:35:24 GMT

Gavin.Flower@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Gavin Flower) writes:

>In article <9210140849.AA26892@vassal.cm.cf.ac.uk> Robert.V.Thomas@cm.cf.ac.uk (Detective sargeant Hobson) writes:
>>  create some sounds using BBC Basic.However the manuals that I have
>>  don't mention the 'envelope' statement.

>Acorn "havn't yet" implemented the envelope command...

Didn't it just allow you to manipulate the Beeb sound chip? If this
is the case, it would have been none too easy to implement, for the
few users who would need it.

Having said that, see the module 'Sarah' by Dominic Symes; I think
it's on Newcastle. Among other things, it provides a simulation of
Envelope; it's via *commands, so you'll have to do a bit more than
no work to get old beeb programs to work.

m.
From: jrg@doc.ic.ac.uk (James Grinter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: IRC channel open ...
Date: 12 Oct 92 12:19:06 GMT
Organization: Dept. Of Computing, Imperial College of STM, University of
	London, UK
NNTP-Posting-Host: oak45.doc.ic.ac.uk
In-reply-to: 2105995@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU's message of Thu, 8 Oct 1992 00:22:40 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.002240.6579@usage.csd.unsw.OZ.AU> 2105995@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU () writes:

   >In case anyone is interested, a channel called #Acorn is currently
   >open for IRC chatting.
   >
   Well, It AINT *NOW* - But that's probably 'cause you're all sleeping
   when I'm on it...

Of course. I did chat to you the other evening though :)

   >I don't have a 'bot sitting on it, so it will only stay open as long
   >as there is someone joined onto it.
   I am generally there sometime during the OZ Day - Monday to Friday.
   Drop in and say hi!
   the channel is (rightly) #acorn and I am usually the only person
   on there for most of the time.

   BTW, I haven't seen YOU on there before.

I am on IRC right now, and there's a bot from someone in Southampton
currently sat there, along with 3 real people.

#acorn and #Acorn are of course exactly the same thing to IRC.

If anyone in the *UK* needs help with trying to access IRC, send me
some email and I'll see what I can do to help.

BTW, Congrats to Ran for managing to get a working Archimedes client
for IRC!!

James.
--
James Grinter, c/o Dept Of Computing, Imperial College, LONDON, SW7 2BZ.
 or James Grinter, FELiX, Beit Quad, Prince Consort road, LONDON, SW7 2BB.
jrg@doc.ic.ac.uk (jrg@uk.ac.ic.doc for some uk'ers)         (AMS mail accepted)
                                            "If it ain't broken, don't fix it!"
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: koellner@galaxy.fernuni-hagen.de (Johnnie Walker)
Subject: A 310 (!!!) for sale (Germany)
Organization: FernUniversitaet Hagen
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 02:28:13 GMT

A 310 for Sale!

A310, ARM 3, 4 MB RAM (70ns), MEMC1a, ARM2+MEMC1 surplus, Seagate ST1169N
SCSI Harddisk (160/135 MB), Joystick Interface, 36MHz VIDC Clock (switch.)
200 Floppies PD, 2 Joysticks, RISC OS 2 Programmer's Reference Manual,
Data Sheets for ARM, MEMC, VIDC, IOC, PC Emulator latest version (original)
Original Arthur ROMS included!!! Cables for all common display types!!!
If you REALLY want to go for it, 1983 made SANYO MAGNASONIC green tube data
display!!!!!! (Perhaps interested in an original APPLE ][ europlus with 2
disk drives???, language card -THE REAL 64 KB!!! - printer card and Z80?)
Also for sale: 1982 model SHARP PC-1500 Pocket Computer with Printer/Plotter/
Cassette-Interface CE-150: 4 KB RAM!!!!! BASIC programmable!!!! 4-COLOUR 
Printout!!!
TI-25 -- THE ULTIMATE CALCULATOR!!!! NEVER REACHED!!!! not even by TI!
Addifix - Tin tool for addition/substraction of numbers  up to SIX DIGITS!!!

THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!! THE MOTHER OF ALL COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY!!!
NOW -- AND NEVER AGAIN!!!! 

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!!!
(not commercial -- dissolving collection -- each ONE piece --
 CLOSING DOWN FOREVER!!!!!)

Send your reply to:

koellner@fernuni-hagen.de

--
Peter Koellner 
Student of Idiocy at the university of Dortmund
EMAIL:koellner@fernuni-hagen.de
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: RO 3.1 Bugs Again!
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 22:32:13 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: My Arc.

blackbdj@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Dave Blackburn) writes:

> I have a bug but i dont know whether it has been discussed before since i've
> only just got back to Uni. If you bring up the Free space indicator on a disk
> that multitasks in its little window then when you dismount the disk it does
> not dissapear. Surely this is highly irregular and wouldn't have taken much to
> correct.

   Actually it is a feature and I am rather glad they did things this way.
You see as I co-run the Archive and I had the most blank discs when we
started I get the job of holding the floppy disc copies of everything the
Archive contains (sans TeX. I may be masochistic but not *that* masochistic!
:-) ). Now whenever something wanders in to be placed in the Archive I very
naturally want to ensure that I pack as much as possible onto my discs with
as little waste space as I can.

   Now what quite often happens is that a previously well packed disc
suddenly has a file pulled from it because I have received the larger and
newer version of that file. This leaves a gap on the disc. The ability to
have a freespace window *stay* open telling me exactly how large that gap is
is a godsend when I start scanning the other discs trying to see what I can
re-arrange to fill this gap as neatly as possible. Thus the free window
staying around after dismount a disc is a most useful feature...

   Besides which what is so strenuous about clicking on a close icon?

    Philip

--
Philip R. Banks  Syntax: mail < banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz >            @@@@@/|
Moving swiftly throught the waters, Cannons blazing as she came,        @@@@/#|
Brought a might metal War Lord, Crashing down in sheets of flame,       @@@/##|
Thinking fortune must have smiled, People started cheering,             @@/---|
"Come on Thunder Child!" ---"Thunder Child"                             @/    |
From: rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: RISC-OS 3.10 Features
Date: 7 Oct 92 16:58:52 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Shell Centre for Maths Education , University of Nottingham

In article <1992Oct7.135457.16121@rdg.dec.com> goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin) writes:
>
>Unfortunately I think there's a bug in 3.1's 3d icons - a friend and I have
>descovered an Address Exception on Quitting applications written by us - the
>address is always in the Window Manager. I've not tracked down the fault as
>yet. The Address Exceptions disappears if we don't use 3d icons.
>

That was mentioned in the last Acorn developers note.  The solution is,
before exiting, keep calling WIMP_Poll and checking the mouse buttons
until all the mouse buttons have been released.
From: lithgow@usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Heia guys: (ok, let's do it civilized...)
Date: 15 Oct 92 00:48:16 GMT

[In message "Re: Heia guys: (ok, let's do it civilized...)", sgitokyo!VNET.IBM.COM!nicho writes:]
>In <1992Oct13.142353.19091@csd.uwe.ac.uk> R Voisey writes:
>>I would also debate that the performance is no longer amazing.  I was
>>looking through some data sheets, and I was unable to find another
>>RISC chip that gives the same performance per pound (that's especially
>>true for ARM2 - and ARM250 is INCREDIBLE value for money, if only
>>sample quantities were readily available).
>
> The performance is not amazing. The price/performance ratio is.
>There is a not so sublte difference between the two.

Bla, bla, bla.

Therefore the performance of the Alpha is unimpressive, since the new
Crays are quite a bit faster at almost everything. The performance of
the x86 has never been impressive. The performance of the SPARC was
never worth noticing. The performance of the HP-PA was a load of
cobblers. And the performance of the RS-6000 is a mildly funny joke.

Wake up!

If you had done a bit of engineering, you'd know that there is no such
thing as 'performance', it is always a something/something performance
ratio. For example, the ARM6 has an incredible MIPS/Watt performance
ratio, as well as a good cost/integer speed performance ratio.

I was amused at an article that was comparing the new Tsunami
(MicroSparc, which runs at 50MHz) to the 486DX50 (also 50MHz) in FPU
performance. It seems they were afraid to measure integer performance
because then the ARM and probably the Hobbit would beat both chips in
the areas they were lauding. ;-)

Anyway, remember: performance is in the eye of the beholder -- almost
every chip is the best performer in the market, in some fashion. It is
up to the designer to decide which area of performance is the most
important for their current design.

And the ARM is still a good performer by a number of measures. (Had to
get that one in. ;->)

-Malcolm.  lithgow@usl.com  These are merely my opinions.
From: johny@cogs.sussex.ac.uk (Lord Yak Da Hairy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Artworks
Date: 16 Oct 92 12:26:08 GMT
Organization: The Devastating Rear Shot, Inc.

In article <9210160419.AA15523@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> lithgow@usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow) writes:
>I presume that this means that Artworks is available.

Yes...

>If so, how much is it?

#200, inc VAT.

>Also, I presume the 220 outline fonts are RISC OS 3 fonts. Do they have
>hinting and stuff? (It'd just about be worth buying the package for the
>fonts alone if they were good.)

The fonts look good, but (except for the Acorn ones like Trinity, and the
CC ones like Pembroke) most of the ones I looked at are unhinted. However,
I haven't come anywhere near looking at all 220 (or even fitting them on
my hard disk :-)

>Oh, finally, when will Impression be able to handle Artworks format,
>and does Artworks use Impulse?

I don't know if it uses Impulse; I didn't see anything about it in the
manual, so I would presume not. Impression will (according to the supplied
leaflet) be able to handle Artworks files from v2.18, which will be out
soon (if it's not already available)...

-- John Yeates (Lord Yak Da Hairy) ---------------- johny@cogs.susx.ac.uk --
-- ...THIS definitely takes, eats and shits the cake. - allane@unsw.oz.au --
From: lithgow@usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Artworks
Date: 16 Oct 92 02:02:41 GMT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9210160419.AA15523

[In message "Re: Sidney font...", Simon Burrows writes:]
>I don't know if this helps, but if you buy Artworks from Computer Concepts,
>you get 14 floppy discs of fonts and clipart, including 220 outline fonts.
>Perhaps you will find a suitable font amongst all of these?

I presume that this means that Artworks is available.

If so, how much is it?

(I've already read the mini-review of it, which looks favourable.)

Also, I presume the 220 outline fonts are RISC OS 3 fonts. Do they have
hinting and stuff? (It'd just about be worth buying the package for the
fonts alone if they were good.)

Oh, finally, when will Impression be able to handle Artworks format,
and does Artworks use Impulse?

Thanks in anticipation.

-Malcolm.  lithgow@usl.com  These are merely my questions.
From: gpcec@westminster.ac.uk (Tom Kirby-Green)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re : OOP ( missing persons )
Date: 8 Oct 92 10:03:35 GMT
Organization: University of Westminster

>I'd appreciate details of versions for the Arc, and if that is not possible, >which ones will run under the emulator (Microsoft C/C++ 7.00 requires a 386, >doesn't it?).

	I've used a PC version of ML under the emulator and that wasn't much
fun at all. I've now got the Arc port - MUCH nicer.
	Its got to be a native RISC OS version. From my point of view, while
C++ would be nice, *any* OOP language would be a start. I don't image SmallTalk
( old I know ) is available? I guess porting the SmT environment might take a 
while. Any chance of Oberon II making it to the Arc? PCWs article on it makes it
seem very nice - seems to have removed a lot of the top heavy syntatic waffle
that Pascal and to a greater extent Modula II brought with them.
	I realise this is a user-base problem, but the no. of different langu-
ages available on the Arc is VERY small. Even <blush> the ST does better than
us on this front :-(

			Just trying to be, Tom.
-- 
/---------------------| The University of Westminster |--------------------\
| Tom Kirby-Green          Email : gpcec@sun.pcl.ac.uk  or  Silence@Arcade |
\-----------| "ARM or bust, this is a DOS / Windows free zone" |-----------/
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: sdaveyj@cc.curtin.edu.au
Subject: Re: RISCMAN modem-program
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 02:50:29 GMT


>> Is there some (preferably PD) programm that handles ymodem or zmodem
>> protocols? I also am looking for a nice modem-programm for normal use (eg
>> connect to my university-computer).

To the RiscMan, yes it is the infamous Alfred, very much alive and
kicking. I will tell him to try and FTP the modem prog to you.

     John Davey (Sorry I cant Email directly )
From: rsxdp@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (D.Pead)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: RISC-OS 3.10 Features
Date: 7 Oct 92 09:58:13 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Shell Centre for Maths Education , University of Nottingham

Ive seen talk about the "interface" style slabbed icons in RO3.1,
but some people may not have noticed that it also supports the
automatic pointer changing feature of "Interface".

Put the following in an icons validation string:

   Pspritename

..and when the cursor is over the icon, it changes to sprite
<spritename> (which must be in the WIMP sprite pool and follow
the rules for pointer sprites).  Unlike Interface, you don't need
to modify your polling loop to make this work.
From: alex@winx06.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de (Alexander Jung)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.advocacy
Subject: A Dealer with RO3.1 on stock?
Date: 12 Oct 92 09:49:47 GMT
Organization: University of Wuerzburg, Germany
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]


Hi!
for about five weeks I'm waiting now for my copy of RiscOs3.1. Since I live
in Germany, I went the 'official' way and ordered through GMA Hamburg on the
very first day when RO31 was officially announced. They still cannot supply
it.
So could anybody point me to a Acorn Dealer in the UK that has it on stock
and will accept creditcards (Eurocard)?

yours

Alexander Jung

Grad. physics student at                    Snail mail: Alexander Jung 
State University of Bavaria at Wuerzburg                Kopernikusstrasse 19
                                                        D-8708 Gerbrunn
Email: alex@winx06.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de          Germany
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn.advocacy
From: u894776@bruny.cc.utas.edu.au (James McCoull)
Subject: Re: The ARM Club
Organization: University of Tasmania, Australia.
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 06:34:23 GMT

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

>Heck, I can even look in the header of a module to find the names of its
>SWIs, determine roughly what they do (in many cases) from the sensibly-
>chosen names, and then find out how they work just by trying a few numbers
>in and seeing what comes out! Try that on the command-line of your PC,
>Amiga, Atari (I would say Mac but they don't even have a CLI), or UNIX
>box...

Of course if you are using a real OS like amiga-os, you just open up your
RKM's and read the truth.  Alternatively you just look in the C header files
for the various libraries.  IMHO AmigaOS is the best OS I have ever seen
(from a programmers point of view).  Sure it has quite a few problems on the
applications support side - and used to have a few problems at the user level
[everyone must remember the joys of taking a directory using a pre 3.0
kickstart].