The magazine for members of We celebrate Eureka’s 50th issue Complete souvenir reprint of issue 1 Second thoughts on the optical mouse Join a group to write a game Issue 50 — Summer 2004 50 — Not Out elcome to the 50th issue of As already announced, this will be my WEureka. The magazine has last issue as Editor. I have previously been appearing regularly now for recounted how I joined the Club to get more than 13 years, with every issue the magazine — not to take it over but filled with contributions for and by just as a reader. Now, after eight years members of The ARM Club. and 32 issues as Editor, I am looking forward to rejoining the readership We are commemorating the occasion once again. by publishing a CD which contains all 50 issues of Eureka, with a complete I will miss all the friendly, interesting, index, the contents of all the and often witty emails and letters I magazine discs which once came with have had from our contributors and I it and some extra free software. would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have written So, even if you have not been with us for Eureka over the years for making since the early days of Club A3000, it possible to keep the magazine so the users’ club for all Archimedes well filled for so long. owners, as we were then, you can still look nostalgically back and follow all From the next issue onwards, Andrew the developments we have recorded Wyver will be using his long over the years with the added experience editing a musicians’ attraction of seeing most of the magazine to become Eureka’s new illustrations in colour for the first time. Editor. I hope he enjoys the job as much as I have and he has my very You can find fuller details of the CD, best wishes as he begins Eureka’s which is being offered at the bargain next 50 issues. price of £5, on page 10. It will be available at the Wakefield Show or Peter Jennings direct from the Club, post free. All opinions expressed in Eureka are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Club or its Committee members and officers. CONTENTS 4 How it all began Our founder remembers how the Club started and Eureka was born. 8 The Chairman Remembers Exciting events, news, reviews and some vital decisions, reported in Eureka over the years. 10 The Eureka CD Issues 1-50, with a complete index, all the magazine discs and bonus free software, all for a fiver. 11 Free for all The best of PD software, featuring AntiSpam, Swipe and PsiFS. First issue of the Club’s magazine 14 ARM Arena 31 Issue 1 The old favourites from earlier A complete souvenir reprint of machines which are being played our first Club magazine. again on new RISC OS computers. 39 The Double Cross puzzle 23 Site Seeing: Museums & War Grapple again with those words The attractive sites offering some which are not so simple to fascinating glimpses of ancient complete. and modern history. 40 All about RISCWorld 28 Optical Mouse long term test The Editor of the bi-monthly CD Does the cordless mouse really writes about his magazine (and make it easier to control your beer). computer? 2 Eureka 50 — Summer 2004 45 RISC OS Rhymes 62 If at first you don’t suceed... The Hunting of the Snag, from You can try sulking but be careful the days of DOS. of the furniture. 48 Winning games with logic 66 The Double Cross solution Part 6 of our regular series looks Check the words you fitted in and at how we can allow free will for any that eluded you. robots. 67 No bugs from Bill 56 Questions answered The Omegus family find some Some of the latest problems, sent safe software to download. to and solved by the Club's Technical Help Service. 68 Club contacts The names and email addresses. Join a games writing group Are you interested in games? If so, would you like to join a proposed group to co-operate in writing some? Barry Aulton, our Winning Games With Logic expert, would like to contact any members of the Club who would be interested in taking part. You would be free to contribute to the project, as and when you wished, with any aspect of it, including being a tester, helping with design or just offering advice. Barry, for example, can do his bit designing and programming but says he is not so great with graphics.Our ARM Arena contributor, Andrew Weston, will also be lending his expertise. It may even be possible to set up an advisory team, perhaps to work with the Club's Technical Help Service, to offer queries on games development. If you are interested, you can email Barry at [email protected] Eureka 50 — Summer 2004 3 EUREKA 50 How It All Began t all began about 14 years ago, Together we worked to realise our Iwhen I invested almost all of my dreams. We had a go and the result is savings and bought myself — a BBC what The ARM Club (originally Club B computer. This was somewhere in A3000) is today: I believe a great the year 1988-89 and was my first story of success! experience with a home computer. The Club’s Founders, Rene and Maria Barreto, recall how The ARM Club began life, as Club A3000, and brought out the first issues of its new magazine. Going through the computer manuals Why we formed the Club? got me nowhere and, in the process, Frustration at not making progress on all that the computer was being used my computer led me to believe that I for was for games by my children needed to find a solution. I thought Reuben and Deborah. the best way forward was to form a club — believing that clubs brought Having read about modems, I thought people together. I’d buy one as the idea of buying and selling on the Internet fascinated me. I dreamt that bringing people together I thought I’d impress my wife, Maria, would be beneficial to all members of but it was not to be. Maria did not the club. Those who knew would receive her flowers that I believed I share their knowledge with those less had ordered for her birthday and I did able to understand the ins or outs of better with the local flower seller! the computer. Despite that, Maria continued to I believed that all members would support me in making my dreams of gain in some way or another and I was building a computer club for the BBC right, as I can see by the results today. computer users in the UK. 4 Eureka 50 — Summer 2004 The ARM Club in its original form How I went about it I also had a few who wrote to me from I have never shied away from outside the UK; places as far as New approaching anyone to support my Zealand and South Africa. idea of forming a computer club. Invitation I read all the computer magazines that One early morning, I was pleasantly I could lay my hands on that were surprised by a call from Geoff Potter, associated with the BBC computers. the Organiser of the BBC Acorn While reading one of the magazines, I Users Show, inviting Club A3000 to got an idea. I thought I would share exhibit at the world famous Wembley my thoughts with the Editor of Exhibition Halls. I accepted the Archimedes World and I asked him if invitation without any hesitation and, I could have a small announcement 12 years on from then, we now have a inviting people owning BBC team that runs its own exhibitions. computers to write to me if they were interested in joining a BBC Computer At the BBC Acorn Users Show, we club. To my surprise, I received over recruited as many as 600 new 156 replies. members. It was hard work, but it was worth all the effort. I then had to compile a list of coordinators for the UK and these I approached the then Managing names were then published in Director of Acorn Computers, asking Archimedes World (March 1991) on for his support. His polite reply to me a full page, calling them local was: “I have seen and met many like contacts (coordinators). you. We have many coming for support but have seen no concrete Eureka 50 — Summer 2004 5 results from any of those who have responsible for setting it up and approached us.” running it. I believe that this library had a great part to play in making the He asked me to come back next year Club successful. and let him know about the progress of the club. I did just that. He was Computer classes impressed and promised his support A great attraction were our computer for us. study classes and workshops held at Mill Hill School under the guidance Open days of Bruce Dickson. Later, Steve Arnold One of our first open days was held at took over the running of these classes. Bishop Douglas School, in Hamilton Road, East Finchley, Lodon, where The magazine my children went to school. This was Those were the days when some of well attended and was the beginning our members would travel for hours of many more open days which we and spend days putting the magazine held from time to time.