HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aglover@acorn.co.uk (Alan Glover)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Acorn Press Release 8 of 8 (A5000 range)
Date: 27 Aug 92 10:30:48 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

Acorn Broadens its A5000 Range 

Acorn is expanding its high-power range of computers with
the introduction of a number of new models of the popular
A5000. The range has been augmented by the introduction of
two new hard disc variants as well as two floppy-disc-only
networking models. 

A new 2MB A5000 with 80MB hard disc capacity has been
introduced to re-inforce the earlier 40MB version's success
in Acorn's traditional education marketplace, concentrating
on secondary education and teacher training.

Aimed at the more demanding user, there is also now a 4MB
A5000 which comes with a 120MB hard disc. This version is
likely to have particular appeal for those involved with
desk top publishing, multi-media, software development,
image processing and other applications which demand large
memory or disc space. 

The new discless network models offer ideal client stations
for addition to either Acorn's proprietary Econet network -
allowing work in mixed environments of Acorn's 8 and 32-bit
machines - or access to industry standard Open Systems
networks via Ethernet.

All A5000 models are driven by an ARM 3 processor delivering
performance in excess of 20,000 Dhrystones - equivalent to a
486 PC processor. They have four interface sockets which
enable specialist expansion cards to be added where
necessary. The optional Acorn PC Soft software enables DOS
applications to be run concurrently with RISC OS
applications, allowing easy transfer of text and graphics
between the two operating systems.

Commenting on the new expanded series of A5000s, Acorn's
Marketing Manager, Mike O'Riordan said "With the
introduction of these new models, the A5000 range offers a
complete, coherent family of products capable of addressing
a wide range of requirements. The additional performance
provided by the ARM3 processor can be utilised across the
wide range of RISC OS applications available from Acorn and
its many partners. 

"The A5000 is the ultimate personal computer from Acorn" he
added. "Discerning computer users now have a real choice
when it comes to the provision of a range of powerful
solutions."

The new A5000 range of products, which come with a multiscan
monitor, will be available from early September 1992 and
will cost:

A5000 2MB HD80 (80 MB hard disc): #1399; 
A5000 4MB HD120 (120 MB hard disc): #1599; 
A5000 ES (Econet): #1299 
A5000; NS (Ethernet): #1399 
(All prices are quoted ex-VAT and include the cost of the 
multiscan monitor.)

In addition the A5000 Learning Curve costs #1699 inc VAT

Ends



_______________________________________________________________________________

aglover@acorn.co.uk, moderator of comp.sys.acorn.announce. Submissions to
announce-request@acorn.co.uk, other related mail to announcer@acorn.co.uk.
From: coxjp@cs.man.ac.uk (Jonathan Cox)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn Press Release 8 of 8 (A5000 range)
Date: 27 Aug 92 17:36:58 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester
In-reply-to: aglover@acorn.co.uk's message of 27 Aug 92 10:30:48 GMT


> In addition the A5000 Learning Curve costs #1699 inc VAT

So the price of A5000 LC has been reduced in price by 100 pounds.

Does anybody know if the 200 pounds reduction to students still applies or if
there are any other student offers?

--
Jonathan Cox.                              Email coxjp@cs.man.ac.uk
IT 301, Department of Computer Science,
University of Manchester,                  Tel: (+44) (0)61-275-6270
Manchester.  M13 9PL.  England.            Fax: (+44) (0)61-275-6280
From: osmith@acorn.co.uk (Owen Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn Press Release 1 of 8 (Summary)
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:20:59 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Ltd, Cambridge, England

In article <1992Sep1.151201.15236@odin.diku.dk> torbenm@diku.dk (Torben
AEgidius Mogensen) writes:

>>The A4000 incorporates an 80MB hard drive and
>>allows the use of low-cost mini-expansion cards for the
>>first time in an Acorn three-box system.

>What interface standard is this? In what way are the cards low-cost?

The A4000 mini-expansion cards are the same as the ones that go in the
A3000 (and the A3010 and A3020).

Owen.
From: lithgow@toy.usl.com (Malcolm Lithgow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: How do I get the RO3 hardware fix?
Date: 31 Aug 92 04:37:03 GMT

I see that old A440 machines need some dealer upgrade that costs #30!

I am, I believe, a few thousand kilometres from the nearest dealer (I
assume there are none in Tokyo). What can I do? Can I do the fix
myself? Who should I get the stuff off? At a pinch I can take the
computer back to Australia with me for Christmas and try to get it done
there. I would prefer to avoid this, though.

Also, another question I was delaying until RISC OS 3.10 came along:
what IDE/SCSI cards work with it? Do any of the IDE cards also have
controllers for HD floppies that work with the RO3 drivers? Can anyone
recommend a card?

I want to get either an IDE card or a SCSI card and a 200MB or so hard
disk. What is the best recommendation? (SCSI has advantages in that I
could then connect a tape drive at some stage, whereas IDE is a bit
cheaper and may have HD floppy controllers.)

Thanks,

-Malcolm.  lithgow@usl.com  These are merely my questions.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: goodwin@edieng.enet.dec.com (Pete Goodwin)
Subject: Re: OS differences and improvements (Was Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 21:03:04 GMT


In article <1992Aug26.111525.18568@rtf.bt.co.uk>, duplain@rtf.bt.co.uk (Andy Duplain) writes...

>	UNIX is *not* user friendly... it is expert friendly.  Once you
>	have got to grips with the basics you hav a very powerful 
>	environment; e.g. piping output of one command into another, 
>	shell expanding filenames etc.  With this sort of power, the expert
>	is free to choose how his/her environment works, by building more
>	powerful and tailoured commands from the basic ones.

I think even experts would prefer to start life with a much simpler CLI. Or are
you saying you _need_ to be an expert? 8)

>	I like the Archimedes; I have one!  I like the windowing environment,
>	but I don't like the filesystem, and the command line syntax is
>	inferior to UNIX.  Also what idiot decided that the backspace key
>	would do nothing, and the delete key would do backspace ?  He should
>	be shot.

Since I don't use the CLI much and stay in the desktop, it doesn't make that
much difference to me. The filing system can be a pain - 10 character filenames
and only 77 files per directory, who imposed that!!!

Pete Goodwin
goodwin@system.enet.dec.com
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: New Acorn Kit out today (27/08/92)
Date: 28 Aug 92 22:21:30 GMT
Organization: Nottingham University

>>
>>>	RISCOS 3.1 FINALLY. START THE PARTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>>	(bet there will be massive delays supplying though !!)
>>
>>And what about the price!  #49 for the lot is another bargain (that price
>>will stay till mid-1993)
>
>I suppose after all the hassle over RISCOS 3 this upgrade is being done at
>cost, or minimal profit. Or I would hope anyway. 
>
>Gold Star to Acorn.

Ho hum. We'll see if you're still saying that when you actually get your
upgrade. Matters may not be as simple as they seem...

-Simon.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: merlin@maths.tcd.ie (Merlin Hughes)
Subject: Tertis v2.04
Organization: Dept. of Maths, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 01:24:33 GMT

                      un announcement de sick

  Version 2.04 of Tertis is almost on its way to c.b.a.  -  it  is
  just awaiting an ok from my playtester. A lot of the changes are
  cosmeticish, but there are some useful modifications.  Here's  a
  small list of the main updates.

  If there is any other change you really want made, tell me now.

                                -o-

. The scrolly message is now, as  requested  by  several  parents,
  politically correct. Ok, so sue me.
. The sprites and graphics have been done up a bit.
. The game takes up less space in memory; 512k, and on disk; 261k.
. The key to start a game on another level has been moved to 'X'.
. Escape is now valid to abort level entry.
. Any key is valid to skip high-score tables.
. Space can be used in your three initials.
. Your initials are accepted after the third letter.
. Backspace is valid as well as delete.
. For the benefit of Econet users, the high-score table  has  been
  altered to cope with multiple users of the  same copy of Tertis.
. The level 35 limit on starting in on levels has been removed.
. Lots of state (sound, keyboard) that is changed by the game,  is
  restored on return to the desktop.
. Volume controls have been added.
. The feature that caused the game to crash when you won  it,  has
  been removed.
. The entire application and screen memory  allocation  thing  has
  been cleared up, so that the game will  run  in  any  situation,
  provided the sum of free application and  screen  memory  is  at
  least 512+160k.
. Scoring has been revised.

                                -o-

  As before, it is Rhubarbware (Rharbarberware), not public domain
  or anything like that. If you haven't planted your  rhubarb  yet,
  it's probably a bit late - you should have done it earlier.

  Tralala,
    Merlin.

--SICK--Merlin Hughes--    /| You've got to send tanks and flame-throwers
  merlin@maths.tcd.ie     //|     and everything - it's an invasion!
                         //_|    The aliens have got my mum, and they 
Acorn.. Deus et machina. /  |     might be laying eggs in her brain.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: zrzm0111@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (MUFTI)
Subject: Re: StrongED II version 1.10
Organization: User Help Desk, Comp. Cent. (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 07:39:43 GMT

In article <182movINNmu@frigate.doc.ic.ac.uk> bh2@doc.ic.ac.uk (B Hogan) writes:

>Looking through StrongHelp I noticed the comment on Wimp_ReportError
>saying not to use it "because it's non-multitasking". So what!?!
>I just hit escape to get rid of it, 

You can only hit escape, if you are there !
If you started 2 tasks, which should work a night long and do some calculations,
the silly Error-report on task 1 stops task 2, and the computer waits x hours 
and do nothing before you came back and hit escape ...
Not very useful ...
Is there a routine, which kills a task, if Wimp_ReportError doesn't get a
response (15/30/60/x ... minutes ) ?

so long
MUFTI
From: bhotvedt@usit.uio.no (Tor Houghton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Tertis v2.04
Date: 31 Aug 92 13:14:07 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.acorn
Organization: My Archimedes

In article <1992Aug27.012433.570@maths.tcd.ie>, merlin@maths.tcd.ie (Merlin
Hughes) wrote:
> 
>                       un announcement de sick
> 
>   Version 2.04 of Tertis is almost on its way to c.b.a.  -  it  is
>   just awaiting an ok from my playtester. A lot of the changes are
>   cosmeticish, but there are some useful modifications.  Here's  a
>   small list of the main updates.
> 
>   If there is any other change you really want made, tell me now.

Is it available by FTP?? I want it *now*! :-) And ho - we have rhubarbs in
the garden! LOTS!

Cheers,

Tor Houghton
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Why isn't everything PD ?y
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 10:33:42 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
 <bhotvedt-240892190425@usemac70.uio.no> <1992Aug31.181105.10474@waikato.ac.nz>
Organization: My Arc.

mcg@waikato.ac.nz writes:

> Then if Packdir (latest version) is public domain, why isn't it on any 
> PD server.... if it is, tell me which server so that I can check to see that 
> you're not joshing.

   Try the NZ server at actrix.gen.nz in the section
/files/archimedes/archivers. You might find a familiar name there... :-) And
as far as I am aware it is a) the latest version and b) Public Domain.

    Philip

--
Philip R. Banks  Syntax: mail < banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz >            @@@@@/|
                                                                        @@@@/#|
The Trojan Signature Virus :-                                           @@@/##|
Hi there! I am an anti signature virus utility. Copy me into your       @@/---|
signature to use me!                                                    @/    |
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: Steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk (Steve Loft)
Distribution: world
Subject: RISC OS 3.10 and non-standard modes
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.14 $
Organization: None to speak of
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 19:41:17 +0000

OK, I seem to have found the cause of my 'disappearing icons' problem.
It appears to be a nice little application called !ArmState, by Paul
Denize.  Any chance of a RISC OS 3.10 compatible version, Paul?  I'm
missing it already!

Steve
|  Steve Loft                                  steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk   |
|  Doncaster,                                                             |
|  South Yorks.                                                           |
From: mcg@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Internationalisation
Date: 1 Sep 92 22:09:31 GMT
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Sep1.034413.19776@maths.tcd.ie>, merlin@maths.tcd.ie (Merlin Hughes) writes:
> If we are to have support for multiple languages in a certain
> forthcoming product, what should we use to determine the country?
> 
> 1) User is asked when they first run the game. This is saved, but
>     can be changed later by selecting an option somewhere.
> 2) Defaults to configured country. This can again be changed, by
>     selecting the aformentioned option.
> 
> Then, what languages should we support? Due to limited resources
> we will only be able to support a subset of the global languages.
> What are Acorn's major foreign markets?
> (We'll probably do a few more countries than come with the main
> release, but you'd need to ask specifically for them.)
> 


O.k., here's the clincher:-

  Write it all in English!

Most people in the U.K. can understand English (although I have my doubts about 
this), and it's almost useless trying to speak French in France as so many 
French speak English anyway.......

The alternative: Chinese; as more people in the world speak it, next to 
English.
From Martin Glanvill		(mcg@waikato.ac.nz)

Dept. Maths 							      @@@@@/|@
University of Waikato						      @@@@/ |@
Hamilton							      @@@/__|@
New Zealand							      @@/   |@
								      @@@@@@@@

----------------****=====| A quote to make your day |======****-----------------
Take everything in stride.  Trample anyone who gets in your way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: zrzm0111@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (MUFTI)
Subject: Re: OS differences and improvements (Was Re: new PC's, what's happening acorn?)
Organization: User Help Desk, Comp. Cent. (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 11:10:59 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.090935.12119@bnr.co.uk> row@bnr.co.uk (Reuben Wells) writes:
>Look at the amount of *really* good free software from GNU for unix,
>such as gcc, g++, bash, bison, lex, ... the list is end less, its just a
>shame that all this software isn't available to Archimedes users :-)

bison and flex is available for the archimedes, but the compilers are not
available and very more important ...

so long
MUFTI
From: gjocc@brt.deakin.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Archie to DOS connection
Date: 3 Sep 92 14:50:53 GMT
Organization: C&CS, Deakin University

In article <Btt8B2.IJA@ibmpcug.co.uk>, gtoal@ibmpcug.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:
> In article <1992Aug30.094109.8027@brt.deakin.edu.au> gjocc@brt.deakin.edu.au writes:
> :I would like to network my A5000 and PC clone together in some fashion.
> :
> :I am running OS/2 2.0 on the PC and would like to file serve the A5000.
> :
> :One solution would be an ethernet card in each machine and run Acorns
> :TCP/IP stuff and IBMs TCP/IP stuff respectively.
> :
> :The cost of the software and hardware to do this seems to be a little bit
> :expensive.
> 
> How expensive?  Aren't PC ether cards around seventy quid?  That's
> what I use, with SOSS (Stan's Own Server) - a PD NFS server - on the
> DOS end.  If it's just file transfer you want, any of the free ftp's
> would do too.

Expensive in total,
       Acorn TCP/IP                  200 pounds
       Acorn Ethernet card           200 pounds
       IBM TCP/IP 1.2.1 for OS/2     100 pounds (an estimate based on U.S.A.
                                                 pricing)
       PC ethernet card               70 pounds (your estimate)


 Hmmm, 570 pounds.

I am after transparent file access.
I could use SOSS, to reduce the cost, but the Acorn end of the network is
still a problem .... 400 quid.

If Atomwide are listening, a PC client/server for RemoteFS that works over
the printer port is just the sort of thing I am looking for.


Greg O'Sullivan
(gjocc@brt.deakin.edu.au)

> 
> G
> --
From: sproven@cs.strath.ac.uk (Simon B Proven IE91)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: NEW ACORN KIT OUT TODAY (27/08/92)
Date: 28 Aug 92 12:09:54 GMT
Organization: Comp. Sci. Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland.

In article <2a9e0dea.8cbfae.4@BEIZ.mediatex.ch> Ikki@BEIZ.mediatex.ch (0642210101: Fernmeldedirektion Olten) writes:
>Re: Somewhere: "Now it s the best time
>to write games on the Arc" I agree 1000
>percent. BUT: IF they program all the
>games that are then based on the 3010 or
>3020, they will run well at the 12 Mhz
>ARM, but they will be a bit too slow on
>the Arc 3000 wich runs at 8 Mhz. IF I
>upgrade my A3000, up to ARM 3, then the
>games will be too fast, cuz ARM 3 runs
>at 25 MHz. Buy a 3020 would be the best
>solution, but I hang on my A3000 because
>it has the expandable podule socket.

This is a perennial problem with upgrading computers and games that
were written with assumptions about the speed of the processor.

MiG 29 is a good example of how to avoid problems with this - it

a)  Limits the frame rate to a given maximum (25fps I'd guess)

b)  When the frame rate drops (eg large buildings around, many
    planes around, explosions etc), the program times each frame
    and takes larger movement jumps per frame to keep the
    aircraft velocity constant.

A good arcade game might run at 50fps on the ARM250.  All you need
to do to make the game OK for the ARM2 is to double the step rate
of all objects on ARM2.  You could ask the user what model of
machine the game is running on, or you could possibly monitor the
frame rate and adjust for it.  This is necessary to make sure that
your game has the biggest possible market.

I hope to write a game on the ARM2 then try it on the ARM250 later
and see what happens.  What I may do is simply increase the detail
level (I'm thinking of writing a 3D game) on ARM250 or ARM3.

mad@bike
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
From: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
Subject: Re: WimpPoly
Organization: (DESY, Hamburg, Germany)
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 15:59:07 GMT

In article <2egKR7j017n@khantazi.welly.gen.nz>, banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks) writes:
> directories have garbled files. This archive is definitely becoming one of
> the harder to obtain... :-)

Serves you right for wanting to use FORTRAN :-)

e----><----p | Stephen Burke           | Internet: burke@vxdesy.desy.de
 H   H   1   | Gruppe FH1T (Liverpool) | DECnet:   vxdesy::burke (13313::burke)
 H   H  11   | DESY, Notkestrasse 85   | BITNET:   BURKE@DESYVAX or SB2@UKACRL
 HHHHH   1   | 2000 Hamburg 52         | JANET:    sb2@uk.ac.rl.ib
 H   H   1   | Germany                 | Phone:    + 49 40 8998 2282
 H   H 11111 | HERA, the world's largest electron microscope!
From: smb@cs.nott.ac.uk (Simon Burrows)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: Acorn Press Release 1 of 8 (Summary)
Date: 2 Sep 92 19:11:04 GMT
Organization: Nottingham University

In article <1992Sep1.151201.15236@odin.diku.dk> torbenm@diku.dk (Torben AEgidius Mogensen) writes:
>aglover@acorn.co.uk (Alan Glover) writes:
>
>>The A4000 incorporates an 80MB hard drive and
>>allows the use of low-cost mini-expansion cards for the
>>first time in an Acorn three-box system.
>
>What interface standard is this? In what way are the cards low-cost?


The cards are the same as used in the A3000 - 8 bit internal fitting.

I get the strong impression that the A4000 was very much a late addition
to the Acorn family. I have various items of Acorn literature which
mention the A3010 and A3020, but not the A4000 (eg RISC OS 3.10 Release 
Notes). Also at the pre-release demonstrations, it was fitted with a
standard A5000 keyboard (so I am told), whilst at the actual launch it
was fitted with a PC standard keyboard.

Regarding all of the new machines, will it be possible to increase their
speed at all? ARM250 is not particularly fast, and I would doubt if an
ARM3 could be fitted. Perhaps we will have to wait for future developments?

Simon.
From: banksie@khantazi.welly.gen.nz (Philip R. Banks)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: VIRUS (Authorities ?)y
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:56:56 +1200
Reply-To: banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: My Arc.

sks@cs.man.ac.uk (Steve Smith) writes:

> What if someone were to write an anti-virus virus. (very old)
> Not an innoculator against 1 particular virus but something like Protector
> that looks for strange writes to disk, lengthening of files etc and gives
> the user a warning. But unlike Protector and other such virus checkers is
> actually a virus so you don't install it yourself and it spreads around the
> world copying itself and hopefully protecting your machine!

> This would have to be a secret thing (if only because viruses are illegal)
> so that virus writers would not easily be able to just keep getting the
> latest version and getting round it.

> anyone?
> No I'm not writing it I don't know how!

   This is not something I would care to even try and implement. The problem
with such an idea is how does the anti-virus code decide what is a 'safe'
filing operation and what is not? And virus writers, being the antisocial
sorts they are, will automatically make a virus that alters files in a way
deemed safe by your virus protector.

   The only way to stop viruses (virii?) is to stop people writing them in
the first place. Any other scheme is basically stop-gap.

Philip

--
Philip R. Banks  Syntax: mail < banks_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz >            @@@@@/|
                                                                        @@@@/#|
This is Philip's backup .sig file. If you would like to apply for       @@@/##|
advertsing space in it please send email to him. Of course if you       @@/---|
merely want to talk to him then email will do too...                    @/    |