The magazine for members of

Kinetic power comes to the Risc PC

Oregano browser offers speedier surfing

Looking forward to the RISC OS 2000 Show

The Interactive Tutorial which shows how to do more with Draw

Issue 35 — Autumn 2000 Let’s Show Them The Alternative

hat would you think about a Advertising is expensive but if some Wmajor piece of software which, of the bigger companies in the RISC according to a report in The Times, OS community could get together and has had a 50MB upgrade issued to organise some demonstrations at correct 65,000 individual bugs computer shows, in public areas or reported by users? It probably doesn’t even in enterprising supermarkets take you too long to work out what the there should be no lack of enthusiasts software is likely to be. It could only from local user groups willing to be Windows! The upgrade is the first show off their computer’s qualities. service pack just released for Windows 2000. This is something that RISCOS Ltd might like to consider when they have Its issue followed that of the latest 5·5 sorted out their more pressing current version of Internet Explorer. This was problems. There has already been too not, however, included with the much uninformed speculation about service pack as Microsoft themselves the company so suffice it to say that considered that it was “not reliable an internal reorganisation is going on enough”! and an announcement should be made soon — even if it has not RISC OS does not need any advocacy appeared by the time you read this. when the so called ‘industry standard’ operating system produces facts like RISCOS Ltd is now a key figure in the those. What it does desperately need former Acorn community but there is some publicity to draw it to the are other companies, who have attention of the big majority of heavily invested both time and money, computer users who have never heard who also have a strong interest in the of it or who still think that Acorn survival of our computer system. machines are still just the Model Bs they enjoyed using at school. Peter Jennings

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 Kinetic comes to the Risc PC 32 ARM Arena A new, faster, computer and a What's new and what's coming to card to boost earlier models get a the RISC OS games scene, detailed assessment. including an old favourite with some new features. 11 Oregano Better, speedier, surfing with the 39 Oxford Reading Tree clip art new browser for RISC OS users. A collection of favourite characters from the children's 16 Draw Interactive Tutorial educational programs. How to do, the easy way, things you never knew were possible in 42 Living with a PC: Having to use it Draw. Is it love or loathing when you get to know it better? 20 Site Seeing The unexpected variety of 45 The ARM Club Midlands Show subjects on open.government.uk. A date for your diary in December.

23 Oxford Literacy Web 46 Have a chat with IRC Recognising the shapes and Your Tuesday evening invitation sounds of letters makes a game of to visit a chat room and join in the learning to read. gossip.

26 RISC User …in a Nutshell 48 Viewfinder All the best from the former Get the speed of a PC graphics BEEBUG magazine. card on your Risc PC.

29 Linux 2000 Show 53 Can we help? The Show that's helping to Questions to our Technical Help establish the all-platforms Service with replies that may help operating system. solve a problem for you.

2 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Mental Maths Olympics — page 74 68 Gill’s Journal: Food for Spods Gill reveals what not to eat fresh 58 What is FTP? if you really are a spod. Here's the answer to another question sent to our Technical 74 Mental Maths Olympics Help Service. Olympic medals for maths when you've learned how to calculate 62 Member’s Advertisement in your head. Acorns for sale. £50 each! 77 Now read on: Part 2 63 Return of the RISC OS Show We look at RISC World, the Last year's highly successful second of the two new CD-ROM Show at Ascot is being repeated magazines. and, this time, there's free admission for Club Members on 80 Club Contacts Sunday! Who does what and their address.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 3 Kinetic Comes To The Risc PC

ince the StrongARM was version of RISC OS, 4.03, will use the Sintroduced three years ago, the fast memory first and when that is Risc PC has remained unchanged, exhausted can still make use of all the and has not had any performance motherboard RAM, giving you the upgrades. At the time we enjoyed a potential to have a huge 514MB in massive boost of up to 7x over total. (Note it is always displayed as previous ARM processors but it was 4MB less, as the OS is loaded from

David Ruck looks at the biggest boost for the Risc PC since StrongARM, measures its increase in speed and suggests who can benefit most from it. always said that the StrongARM the slow ROMs into the SDRAM for could deliver more if it wasn't held extra speed). back by the slow memory bus on the Risc PC motherboard. The Kinetic is The Kinetic is being sold both as a Castle's attempt to remove this barrier complete system called the Kinetic and breathe a bit of new life into the Risc PC, and as an upgrade, the venerable Risc PC design to add a Kinetic processor card for existing new flagship to their range. Risc PC owners, which can be used in place of an ARM610, ARM710 or It contains the latest 233MHz revision existing StrongARM. T StrongARM and a 64MB or 128MB SDRAM DIMM memory module, If you already have a StrongARM which can be accessed much faster card, a trade-in of £50+VAT is given. than the memory on the motherboard. As it also requires a new version of This memory isn't used as a RISC OS 4 to work, again a trade-in secondary cache, such as on other of £50+VAT is given against the full systems, but is in addition to the price of £399+VAT for existing RISC memory you already have. The new OS 4 owners. However as these two

4 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 items are still in demand, it may be the card is designed. It should be worth considering if you could get noted that these figures are only for more through a private sale. accessing large files, some transfers of small amounts of data are actually Problems faster without DMA. Before getting to the results it is important to note a few problems that The first two cards are reduced to may be experienced with the Kinetic. around 60% of their peak performance but the PowerTec card, Due to the Kinetic's design it is not which was not designed to work possible to use the motherboard's without DMA, performs extremely DMA controller on the faster badly. Very few cards rely completely memory and as a consequence all on DMA, but cards such as Videodisk DMA on a machine fitted with won't work at all in a machine fitted Kinetic is currently disabled. While with Kinetic. Solutions have been this isn't a problem for the complete discussed with Castle and the card Kinetic Risc PC system, which uses manufacturers but as yet there has only the standard internal IDE disc been no progress. interface, many people who might consider upgrading to Kinetic will The second problem concerns PC have bought faster IDE or SCSI cards cards. A module (MemFix) must be which use DMA. placed in the boot sequence to allow the !PC software to claim Without DMA these cards will not be motherboard memory for use with the able to access the disc as fast, so some PC card. The latest version of this is operations will actually slow down available on Castle's website and with the Kinetic. (See table below.) should be shipped with new upgrades. The degree will depend on how well However, some people with early

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 5 Risc PC 600 motherboards, myself and PC processors. However when I included, found that the PC card started up the software after installing would not work correctly with any the Kinetic, before the MemFix combination of hardware and module was available, I had a serious software settings, including fitting the crash which resulted in my hard disc jumper that makes the Kinetic behave map becoming corrupt. This may well as a normal StrongARM. With the have been a coincidence but it is wise help of Castle’s John Balance (who to ensure that the MemFix module is designed Kinetic) and Aleph One’s installed and the PC card works with Wookey, we traced the fault to the !PC, before using the RC5 PC card capacitor C32. (Which was added by client. Acorn so they could use two home- made 128MB SIMMs to demonstrate Performance the Risc PC with the full amount of Castle has claimed substantial memory at its launch, before large increases in speed when using the SIMMs were commercially Kinetic; up to four times in some available). This capacitor degrades advertising. Before the Wakefield the signals in the bus and, as its show, where the card was launched, removal is the common modification Mark Smith and myself wrote some made by Reflex Electronics to cure memory benchmarking programs to timing problems, this may have test how much faster the SDRAM on already been done for a lot of PC Card the Kinetic actually was. (See table users. With C32 gone, the PC card below.) booted without problems. The Kinetic’s memory does show Another issue related to the PC Card itself to be substantially faster at is the RC5 code cracker. The RISC reading and faster but not quite as OS port of this can use both the ARM much as expected at writing — it

6 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 The Kinetic card should be very slightly faster than the Benchmarks specifically on the read speed — although not as fast as memory system don’t give a realistic it is possible to squeeze out of the view of overall system performance, StrongARM, and certainly not the 4x so the best way is to run a series of claimed (see the technical section for real world tests, using popular details). It should be noted that the applications to do common jobs and Kinetic accesses only the 64MB or comparing the results. 128MB of main memory at the improved speed. Any normal memory The following tests (shown on the used, including that of the screen next page) were carried out on a VRAM, will be no faster than before. Standard Risc PC SA 233 revision S running RISC OS 4.02 with 98MB The big question is how much faster RAM and 2MB VRAM in does this new memory make your 1152x896x32K screen mode and the system? Most benchmarks, such as same machine upgraded with a 64MB Dhrystone, test the processor speed, Kinetic (SA 233MHz revision T). as they are small and fit in the Some tests give a range of results, processor cache are not greatly which are representative of what was affected by the memory speed. achieved with different data.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 7 Application Test Improvement Pinboard Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 136% to 202% Filer Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 179% to 205% TopModel 2.13 Loading various models 113% to 115% Rendering various models 132% to 162% SparkFS 1.37 Zipping 233 files 2MB on RAM disc 174% to 182% Unzipping 233 files 2MB on RAM disc 197% to 211% Zip 8MB file on RAM disc (scrap file on HD)* 94% Unzip 8MB file on RAM disc (scrap file on HD) * 88% ArtWorks 1.70 Load application 211% Render complex blends 136% Impression Load large file with 30MB of images* 83% Publisher 4.17 Scroll down large file 137% Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 123% to 136% MoveDB 1.37 Find film 132% Display film 108% Display cast member 208% DDE Tools Diff Fast difference of identical directory contents 218% DDE Tools Find Find string in directory of files 181% Zap 1.44 Jump to end of 32MB binary in text mode 113% Find string with throwback in very large file 150% Thump Generate Thumbnails pages 121% to 128% Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 120% to 155% PhotoDesk 3.03 Various image processing ops on 48MB* 68% to 224% 36MB sprite with different DA sizes 80MB 103% to 110% Saving as optimised JPEG 121% to 125% Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 116% to 123% ChangeFSI 1.17 Load 512K JPEG 118% FireWorkz 1.30 Scroll up large spread sheet 199% ImageOut 1.00 Convert small 256 colour spite to drawfile 201% MakeMPEG 4% MPEG movie from 24 frame ARMovie 120% SPRtools Crop 10 sprites from 768x576 to 762x570 120% De-interlace 762x570 sprite 135% Browse 1.07 Render Window manager chapter from PRM CD 141% Fresco 2.13 151% Oregano 1.03 181% Redrawing speed in 256, 32K and 16M colours 120% to 173% GraphTask 3.53 Graphical apps running in Graphic TaskWindow 183% to 263% (Graphical programs running full screen ) (111% to 119%) Norcoft C 5.09 Compile and link 26 source files of 242K 182% Continued on opposite page

8 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Marcel 1.53 Open large mail folder 179% Show old newsgroup messages 167% Sleuth 2.01 OCR A4 page of 12pt text 131% Printers 1.63 PhotoDesk of sprite at 720dpi 172% (Print to file using ESC600 driver) Impression mixed text & graphics at 360dpi 143% ArtWorks complex blends at 1440dpi 119% Average 148%

*The APDL IDE card was used for all disc access, resulting in a speed decrease on the Kinetic for large file operations without DMA.

Conclusions machine, and get a discounted price The average speed increase of 148% on RISC OS 4. For existing looks quite low on paper. I was StrongARM 200 or 233 users, it certainly disappointed it wasn't more. makes sense if you haven't already However, after using Kinetic for a got RISC OS 4, or need extra month, I really do notice the difference. memory. For people that already have It feels a lot faster; even more so than a Strong ARM and RISC OS 4, it is the upgrade to RISC OS 4. Screen quite an expensive option to provide redrawing is wonderfully smooth, and the extra performance, so you'll have things I do all the time such as to decide exactly how much the extra opening large mail folders are much speed is worth to you. I make so much quicker, which is a real benefit. use of my Risc PC, that any significant improvement, such as the Anyone looking to upgrade from an Kinetic provides, is worthwhile and, older Acorn machine and who feel after the initial teething problems, I they need better performance than that am quite pleased with the card. of the ARM7500 based systems should definitely go for a Kinetic Risc PC. Very Technical Section Contrary to popular belief, the Risc As for the Kinetic upgrade, if you PC's motherboard memory is not haven't you got a StrongARM card accessed at 16MHz but 32MHz. this is an excellent way to vastly However the fast paged mode improve the performance of your memory takes five clock ticks to

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 9 deliver the first word and two ticks for the 101MB/s we achieved. the next three, so you could consider this to be 2.5 and one tick of a 16MHz Writing speeds with SDRAM should clock. The Strong ARM always reads be even quicker, using 5-1-1-1 cached memory in 32 byte/8 word accesses. However as the chunks, so it takes 5-2-2-2-5-2-2-2 StrongARM is still being run in non- i.e. 22 x 32MHz cycles, giving a enhanced mode to enable it to access theoretic maximum of 44.38MB/s the motherboard via IOMD, the (There are various reasons why our StrongARM's write buffer cannot benchmark doesn't quite achieve this, work at its most efficient. (Writing of but too technical to discuss here). each of the 8 1-16 byte slots cannot be merged into sequential cycles). Our The Kinetic uses a different type of calculations suggest that 125MB/s RAM called SDRAM, which can be should be possible, but tests show that clocked up to 133MHz, although in it's only achieving half this at 63.3MB/s. the Kinetic it is clocked at 66MHz as We are trying discover the cause of this that is as fast as the memory bus on a shortfall with John Ballance. The StrongARM110 will go. It has Kinetic contains flash programmable different characteristics, in that it components which can be takes more ticks to get the first word reprogrammed (by returning the card) but delivers subsequent words on should any improvements be possible. each tick. John Ballance, the designer of the card, has published details on Kinetic Risc PC the Castle website that explains the Price: (from) £999 +VAT StrongARM will be able to read eight Upgrade card: £399 +VAT, less words in 7-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, i.e. 14 £50+VAT each to trade-in cycles 66MHz cycles, giving a StrongARM and/or RISC OS 4. maximum of 144MB/s. However we Supplier: Castle Technology see significantly less than this in our Tel: 01728 723200 benchmark and theorise that the Fax: (free) 0800 783 9638 timing is either 7-1-1-1-5-1-1-1, or Email: [email protected] 6-1-1-1-6-1-1-1 i.e. 18 cycles giving Web: www.castle.org.uk 111MB/s which compares well with

10 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Oregano

f there is one area that people have browser, and the result is an Iseen as being lacking on the RISC extremely good, up-to-date, fast and OS platform and made them consider reliable product — just what people using PC alternatives, it is access to have been crying out for. the Internet, and specifically web- browsing. An increasing number of Oregano comes on CD and has sites and facilities such as Internet options to install Oregano on its own,

David Ruck goes surfing with the new RISC OS Web browser and finds it a blisteringly fast way to travel to areas of the Internet never visited before. banking have been denied to us due to if you have an existing Internet set-up lack of progress within the web- such as ANT’s InetSuite or Acorn net, browsers we have available. or it can install a minimal set of freeware tools which will allow you This is now changing with the release to dial up an ISP. It’s not pre- by Castle of Oregano. configured for any particular ISP, so you will still have to choose one and Oregan, formerly known for register before you can get online producing RISC OS titles such as properly. Pro-sound and Cineworks, left the main RISC OS market a few years Surprisingly the CD contains only the ago and became involved in network demo version of the browser (which appliances. This led to them can also be downloaded from Castle’s developing the Oregano browser for website) but the page it displays on use on Acorn designed Network loading is a registration form. Filling Computers and Set Top Boxes. Castle this out with your details and the have bought the rights to produce a serial number from the back of the RISC OS desktop version of the CD case will automatically download

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 11 and upgrade you to the very latest later) is the speed — it’s blisteringly version. fast with pages rendering and images downloading faster than you thought Oregano has support for the main your modem was capable of. This is a sticking points which have prevented welcome side effect of it being us from fully exploiting the Web, developed for ARM7500 systems namely 128bit SSL for secure rather than StrongARMs.

Machine / Browser Fresco 2.13 Browse 1.07 Oregano 1.03 Risc PC SA 233 104.3 56.8 28.8 Risc PC Kinetic 69.1 40.3 15.9

Test of rendering very large Window Manager chapter from the PRM CD connections and a good Its apparent speed is also helped by implementation of JavaScript. It also the fact that it will start rendering handles the rest of the HTML 3.2 complex tables immediately, instead specifications with support for frames of waiting for a large amount of data and tables etc. to download first. It does have a small drawback in not using a local cache, Faking support is built-in, so it can so pages and images you have already pretend to be a different browser for visited have to be fetched again when badly written sites that lock you out if they are redisplayed. However if you you are not using the latest version of have Browse, you can use its Netscape or Internet Explorer. It has companion application, WebCache the standard plug-in interface, so if with Oregano too. you use Java, Flash, Sound or MP3radio plug-ins with your existing Its handling of JavaScript is very browser they will also work with good, which is essential as more and Oregano. more sites use it, albeit often for producing unnecessary features (such The first thing you notice when using as buttons which change when the Oregano (apart from the user mouse move over them) and are badly interface, on which I’ll say more coded. But without it some sites are

12 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 completely inaccessible. This has you have entered. The current URL is been a problem for both the existing shown in the window title instead of browsers that had some JavaScript the document title of the page, and a support; Webster XL understood only throbber activity indicator also a limited set and Fresco seemed to appears over the bottom right corner crash more often than not. of the page which is unexpected but by editing a configuration file it can Oregano has handled all the sites I’ve be moved to the status bar. tried it with, many of which defeated the others. People have found some These really aren’t a problem, as you sites which don’t work or have minor get used to them quite quickly, but the display problems but it’s a mere bookmarks window is quite crude and handful. Oregano has proved to be definitely needs redesigning to give a remarkably stable; in three weeks of hierarchical view with more than half extensive testing I’ve had only two a dozen items displayed. There are a crashes and both those were with the few features which I feel are very earliest version. With Fresco, I’d important missing from the interface: consider myself lucky to get away find on page — essential when trying with two crashes a night. to find information on very large pages such as the HTML PRM There are only two major niggles with chapters — save as draw file, handy Oregano: its interface and the fonts. for storing complete pages with The NC version of Oregano has quite picture for off-line viewing, and a simple interface suitable for a zooming in to see fine detail or small product which may be running on a text. TV and it is this that Castle have had to do most work on to bring it up to The other problem is the font system. the standard expected of a desktop One of the main strong points of browser. The main window is a bit RISC OS is the excellent anti-aliased different from other browsers. The font system, which is legible and area in the tool bar is shared between accurate at all sizes regardless of the the URL bar and the status line, so font. Oregano, being primarily you have to click to see what URL designed for the Far East market,

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 13 required the use of Unicode fonts to replace the main and typewriter fonts be able to represent the larger number with alternatives, although the process of symbols in the oriental character to do this is a little complicated. set. Acorn's version of the Font Manager shipped with the Network One thing you can use the TrueType Computer does not allow this, so fonts for now is changing the base and Oregano has had to come up with fixed pitch fonts used to display pages their own. (Ironically PACE who so, for example, you could have Arial bought the Acorn NC and technology in place of Old Times (equivalent to have extended the Font Manager to Homerton instead of Trinity). handle Unicode fonts as well but for Oregano looks can be changed whatever reason this wasn't used). extensively by the use of skins. These Oregano's font system is not as good allow the appearance of most aspects as RISC OS's. On the majority of to be altered, from background tiles to pages you won't notice much button icons. The fonts, icon size and difference but with small text or ordering, are all configured by a text coloured text against a coloured file and the icons, including the background (especially with the fixed throbber animation, contained in pitch font) the quality is very much standard sprite files. Two skins are inferior, lacking the hinting and sub- provided with the browser, and several pixel anti-aliasing of the RISC OS more are now available to download. font manager. In the rapidly changing world of the Although not implemented yet, its Internet, just as important as what font system has one advantage in that Oregano can do today is what it will it will recognise the HTML font face be able to do tomorrow. Good and tag, to use fancy fonts to display continued support is essential. pages as they appear on other Acorn's Browse was a good product systems. This is because it uses but is no longer being developed after TrueType fonts, which are the the demise of Acorn. ANT Fresco was standard on other platforms and many quite good before a very unstable free versions can be downloaded from version of JavaScript was added and the Internet. Currently you can sullied its reputation. Its future on

14 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 RISC OS now remains uncertain. suggest improvements. See: New versions have recently been www.smartgroups.com/oregano/. produced for PACE for their There are also a number of skins and combined TV and Set Top Box links to help pages, created by users, systems. It is rumoured that the to download from the document vault. stability problems have been addressed but we are waiting to see if An example of the continued Argonet can have any influence with development by Castle came about ANT to get a RISC OS build released. when I was chatting to the author on an Acorn talk room. I just The other alternative is Webster XL, happened to mention it would be which is still under development and good if Oregano saved the image has just had a major release fixing under the mouse on pressing F3, many problems However it is instead of going through three essentially a one man effort which is menus. Everything went quiet for an uphill battle against constant five minutes and then he replied evolution of the standards. Oregano “Done!”. Two days later, when on the other hand is maintained by a version 1.05 was released, the F3 team of programmers: Oregan, with saving feature was included. Now the backing of major Far Eastern that’s what I call support! manufacturers plus a full time David Ruck programmer employed by Castle to look after RISC OS specific matters. So it looks like our best bet at keeping Oregano up developments on other platforms. I Price: £49 +VAT wouldn't hesitate to recommend Supplier: Castle Technology Ltd Oregano to anyone one who spends a One Trading Estate, significant time on the Internet. Woodbridge Road, Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9LL A free trial version is available from: Tel: 01728 723200 www.castle.org.uk/oregano/ and a Fax: (free) 0800 783 9638 mailing list has been set up for users Email: [email protected] to report their experiences and Web: www.castle.org.uk

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 15 Draw Interactive Tutorial

hen I was asked if I would like your hard drive it will take up just Wto review a Draw tutorial I over 10.5MB. Alternatively, just thought: great, this will not take me leave the files on the floppies as it long. How wrong could I be? The runs fine from them. It would actually depth to which this product goes has be cheaper to produce on a CD (and got to have been a labour of love. The this is under negotiation). detail and devotion that has gone into this makes it by far the best tutorial I In addition to the main files there are have ever used. Most of the time with an index (in Impression and textfile

Ralph Sillett enjoys working through the best tutorial he has ever used, without skipping about, and learns things about Draw he never knew it could do. other tutorials I get bored after the formats), half a dozen worksheets, first couple of pages and just skip Drawfile clip art produced by the about. author, and a four-page introductory pamphlet which includes a student Do you use Draw as well as you progress check list. would like to? No? Then read on. Each tutorial page has been I, for one, purchased Artworks for completed in Draw, not in a DTP quite a lot of money so that I could get package. The sheer quantity and better at drawing on the computer. It quality of the material is a testament never happened, I still use Draw. to the versatility of the free software that comes with every RISC OS Draw Interactive Tutorial has been computer from the humble A3000 up developed by a teacher, Tom Beeley, to the current offerings from and arrives on eight 1.6MB floppy Castle/Acorn, RiscStation and Mico. discs. If you load everything onto

16 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 The files are not archived, so as not to confuse complete beginners and for ease of use.

The tutorial has two stages: for the complete beginner and for the more advanced. If you are a beginner then I would suggest that you follow the sequence of pages.

The files are organised into directories relating to the various The horseshoe chapters of the tutorial. As the files are all in Draw it is fully interactive. outstanding and gets 10 out of 10 from me. I thought I could use Draw The worksheets are provided in quite effectively but how wrong I Drawfile format as well as a colour was! A lot of the features are not printed copy of each. The clip art has explained in the Draw manual been produced by the author and is of effectively. very good quality, I particularly liked the horseshoe. The original is in full Because you will be using Draw colour. automatically it is very easy to interact with the tutorial either by having a I must say that on taking my time to blank Draw window to the side or by work through each page of the tutorial using the drawings on the pages. If it has given me some helpful hints and you use the pages, either make sure tips as well as things that I didn't that the floppies are write protected or think Draw could do, such as printing that you use the discard button only a four page poster. Read the tutorial to when closing the page (if you have find out how. installed to the hard drive).

As I have said before, the detail and The style for the pages is consistent work that has gone into this tutorial is throughout the tutorial (See example

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 17 Use the following pages to practise using !Draw.

To delete any object or part of a drawing you must first click on the "Select arrow" at the bottom of the real Toolbox.

This is the real Toolbox. The "Select Arrow" is at the bottom of the Toolbox and looks like this when you click on it. To Select the object to be deleted, place the mouse pointer anywhere over the object and click select. This will then happen: The object will be surrounded by a dotted red line with two small boxes attached, one at the top right corner and the other at the bottom right corner. The object has now been selected .

We will look at these boxes later.

Pressing the delete key on the keyboard will delete all that is selected

To de-select an object, place the mouse pointer anywhere away from selected object and click select once. This will remove the red dotted box and its two small attached boxes, so the object is no longer selected. This is called de-selecting. If you delete anything on this page by accident, just close the window and double-click on the "IntroPage" drawfile icon to load it again.

Now, practice selecting and de-selecting the flag below. Then delete the flag completely.

If you need more practise double-click on the IntroPage drawfile icon. Otherwise close this window and double-click on the Page 1 drawfile icon.

When you are ready, discard this page and© T.load Beeley Page1. July 1996.

18 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 opposite). As you can see the use of Draw in DTP is feasible as well.

How far does it go? All the way, near enough, including use of all the tools, the menus, keyboard shortcuts, selecting objects, printing and saving, Interpolation made easy text, frame layers, text and object alignment and justification, it says on the tin’. The author has put interpolation (grading), undo/redo, a lot of time and effort into this start and end caps, winding rule, product and it shows by keeping the poster/tiling, zoom, using Edit for presentation consistent throughout. input of commands within a text file for importing to text areas including This tutorial is a must for anyone columns, sprites and producing wanting to learn about Draw but it Drawfiles from sprites. will not happen in a day. Take your time and you will reap the benefits. The whole emphasis of this product is interactivity which it does well. I The package is a snip at its price. would thoroughly recommend this to beginners especially, whether adult or child. Draw Interactive Tutorial Price: £12·50 inclusive The tutorial is very comprehensive (£17·50 overseas) and very good value for money. Have Supplier: Tom Beeley you ever wondered how you could 1A Den Hill Drive draw such things as a flame? If you Springhead are as good an artist as me then you Saddleworth will realise how difficult that could be OL4 4NR but after reading through this tutorial Tel: 0161 652 0930 it will not be a problem. I was Email: impressed with the whole package [email protected] and, as the saying goes: ‘it does what

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 19 Site Seeing

his issue I am going to suggest too. See under the Younger readers Tthat readers take a look at one of heading on the next page. the Government’s Web sites, at www.open.gov.uk Log on to the address given and you will be presented with a well laid out The Internet has changed rapidly over page offering visitors a number of the last few years; now people log on ways to find whatever they are

Geoff Lane looks at one his favourite Web sites and explains some of the fascination of the subjects you can find connected with government. for an entertaining surf whereas a few looking for. There is an alphabetical years back it was the domain of the list which is quite huge but easy to academics who went online to get or navigate, click on a letter and you get share information. a manageable alphabetical list of links. Then there is the topic index, www.open.gov.uk is basically a which is an alternativeway to find a government run site that links visitors link. If you select this option you get to virtually anything that has a an alphabetical group listing such as connection with national or local ‘Defence, Health, Transport’, from Government. there you can navigate to the web page of your choice. It is an absolute mine of information that can be of use to people of all ages What is there on a boring old in relation to research, law, Government site? Well, I’m not going complaints, education, statistics, to list too many things but to give you claims etc. Younger readers are an idea there are links to the Duke of probably losing interest already but Edinburgh Award Scheme, English read on, there is something for you Heritage, Air Accident Investigation

20 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Everything with a connection to national or local government

Branch, Atomic Energy Authority, I could go on but the site is a mass of Science Museum and all the Tourist info and links and I could not do it Boards. There are also links to every justice. View the site and see what it Local Authority, Parliament, Police has to offer; you may be pleasantly Sites, Health Authorities, DHSS sites surprised. and further links that show local solicitors if you enter a postcode. Younger readers What on Earth could interest younger Aircraft safety readers in a Government site? Well, The Air Accident Investigation there are links to all the defence Branch actually lists dates and details departments, The Army, Navy and Air of incidents involving aircraft safety Force. giving dates, aircraft involved,airport and crew — quite fascinating really Go into these sites and you can find but probably not a good read prior to out about the equipment used by the leaving on holiday.

There is a list of the Schools and College Performance Tables as well as a page on OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education) and links to all local government and councils. You can also find your local councillor and MP showing email contacts if available. Government never sleeps

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 21 knows, by reading this article you may end up with a career..

There is also the Duke of Edinburgh Award page which gives loads of info if you are involved in this scheme or want to find out more.

Perhaps Royal history is your fascination, if so then link in to the Royal Site and find out about the Check up on a military career history of the monarchy in Great Britain, read about early monarchy, Army, loads of piccies and the Stuarts, Tudors and the present information on tanks, lorries, rockets, day Royal Family — not to be guns, radar etc. The Royal Navy site confused with the Royle Family. shows images of the various ships in use including aircraft carriers and James Bond subs and well, the Air Force — Overall, this is a site I have only images of aircraft both up to date and recently explored and as I have done historical. You can also find details of so I return regularly to see what else I forthcoming air shows. can find. Within the A-Z index there must be other obscure and fascinating Cadets Government departments with If you are a teenager find out about interesting sites. Come to think of it, the Army Cadets, Sea Cadets or Air didn’t James Bond work for the Cadets or, if you fancy a career in the Government? forces, each of the services has a section on job opportunities outlining Hmmm, must go as I want to search what you could train for. The Army is on 007. Britain’s largest employer and annually has over 15000 vacancies Have fun. covering a whole host of trades. Who

22 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Oxford Literacy Web

earning to read is a complicated youngest classes in schools. Three Lbusiness. The first stage requires CDs from Sherston: Big ABC, Sound the learner to identify the sounds Activities and SoundStories, will be a associated with the shapes of the most welcome addition to the letters in the alphabet Ð the armoury of the teachers concerned. phonemes associated with the graphemes, if you wish to be They cover the 26 letters of the technical. Once this is mastered the alphabet plus the ch, sh, th and wh

Di Hillage takes an approving look at three CD-ROMs which help children to associate the shapes and sounds of letters, as they learn to read while they play. next stage involves realising how digraphs and the activities are based these sounds are fitted together to on the Sound Activity Cards in the make words. Letters, Sounds and Rhymes strand of the Oxford Literacy Web. Many ingenious activities have been devised to help young children cover Each CD has a similar interface with this stage in their learning in the a teacher's page on which various choices can be made. The children are guided through the activities by a delightful cartoon spider called Webster.

Big ABC provides four activities for each sound. Firstly object starting with the sound must be chosen from a picture, then the three correct items Webster from a choice of four highlighted ones

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 23 Recognise the word in the T-shirt game (Sound Activities) must be found. The two spelling with the class.They are also in the pattern games involve choosing the Little ABC individual books. correct word to match an object chosen in the picture and the choosing The Sound Activities CD covers two the first letter to complete a word. listening and two spelling games for each sound. The games involve Rhyme choosing pictures with the required There is a rhyme for each sound initial sound and then choosing the which can be played at the beginning starting letter for the object. of each section, or not. The instructions and narration, as in These rhymes are printed in the Big each CD, are very clear and easy to ABC book and can thus be discussed follow.

24 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 The Sound Stories CD is my for those needing a bit more time to favourite. There is a short Talking pick up the essential basics. Story for each sound in the customary Sherston format in which the words Providing headphones for each are highlighted as they are read and computer would enable the programs the chosen letter or digraph is to be used to best effect. It is a pity displayed in a different colour. The that those who design computer cases stories are followed by a listening and do not take this into account when spelling activity with the latter asking they position the headphone the child to chose the correct word to connection on the back of the case. complete a sentence from the story. These programs will have a useful Each CD also contains a text file with role in any early learning classroom an extensive list of suggested and are thoroughly recommended. activities for the classroom. Each CD is in triple format for Work independently RISCOS, Windows and Apple Mac. The children would need some introduction to using the programs but once this has taken place most Oxford Literacy Web children would probably be able to Big ABC, Sound Activities and work independently. If the program SoundStories has been installed to a hard disc rather Price: £35 +VAT each than just being run from the CD, Packs (same CD): 3 CDs £52´70, individual records can be kept 5 CDs £70 both +VAT enabling the teacher to track the Supplier: Sherston Software Ltd pupils' progress. Angel House, Sherston Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 0LH Reception classrooms are very busy Tel: 01666 843200 places. Computer activities that the Fax: 01666 843216 children can use without adult support Email: [email protected] are a real boon. They also provide an Web: www.sherston.com opportunity for extra reinforcement

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 25 RISC User …In A Nutshell

ne of the big changes which and pictures have been collected Oreally illustrated the effects of together onto one commemorative Acorn’s withdrawal from the CD-ROM: RISC User …In a computer scene was the drastic Nutshell. down-sizing of BEEBUG, a major player since the days of the BBC-B, All this material, apart from the items which gave it its name (‘Beeb’ User never before made available, would

Peter Jennings finds everything you’ve ever read in RISC User (and more), all the monthly and special discs plus most of BEEBUG’s software all on one CD-ROM.

Group). Gone was the showroom once have cost hundreds of pounds (which had always been my local and, even if you think you probably supplier) and gone was the last of already have a good deal of it, you their magazines, RISC User. will almost certainly find enough desirable additions to make the This at least made a dignified collection worth having. departure at the end of Volume 12, unlike other Acorn magazines which The first thing to notice is that the ceased publication without prior compiler, former RISC User Editor notice. Richard Hallas, has painstakingly built an HTML front-end to index and Now all 12 volumes (the first seven as allow quick access to everything on Mac files), all the magazine discs the disc, which has also been given a including the end-of-volume specials, comprehensive Help section. most of BEEBUG’s commercial software, the source files for four There is a complete index in ArcScan published books and a mass of bonus format (with ArcScan provided to items including unpublished articles read it) and even an index listing all

26 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 the instalments of the various series which have been published, with, of course, icons to click on for any you want to read.

If you haven't got a Web browser that is no problem as one is provided, along with a range of other resources such as read- only versions of Ovation Pro and ArtWorks, a special version of SparkFS (only usable on the commercial programs now made the CD) to open archived files and the available, in their latest BEEBUG necessary fonts to recreate magazine, versions. These include: ArcScan III, manual and book pages. There are Basic Programmer's Toolkit, even programs to fix problems with ChartWell, DeskEdit 4, MenuBar, some CD drivers. PlayBack, PolyGlot, TextAid and Wimp Programmer's Toolkit as well There is no reader for the first seven as the contents of five RISC User volumes, produced on a Mac, (which fonts discs, a collection of more fonts are less relevant to the current RISC and font utitlities and a variety of OS scene) and no reader for articles games. written in Impression, although most of these are also available in DeskEdit The books included are: Getting Into text (with DeskEdit also supplied). Ovation, Internet Survival Guide, PC Survival Guide and Wimp Apart from the huge library of Programming for All (complete with information on this disc there are all programs from its software disc).

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 27 unpublished material from the magazine, utilities and files relating to its production and resources relating to the material used on the CD (which, incidentally, is the only one ever produced by BEEBUG).

All pre-ordered copies of the CD-ROM have now been sent out by BEEBUG but a limited number remaining can be bought, while they last, from R-Comp.

Whether or not you were a RISC User reader the Nutshell version is well worth having. The cover (and computer) that never made it

The CD is filled up with a diverse RISC User …in a Nutshell medley of Bonus items including the Price: £30 inclusive (£32 overseas) short-lived Acorn Action games Supplier: R-Comp magazine, digital photos taken for use 22 Moffat, High Legh, in RISC User, images and logos Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS including Acorn publicity photos and Tel: 01925 755043 some vector clip art, desktop Fax: 01925 757377 ‘wallpaper’ made up of RISC User Email: [email protected] covers, unused and previously Web: www.rcomp.co.uk

28 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Linux 2000 Show

he Linux operating system has exhibitors was obvious. Every stand Tbeen around since the early 90’s was handing out leaflets and glossy but has come to the attention of the brochures and you rapidly acquired a public and business only in the last ton of paper to haul round. few years So it hasn’t had an established show scene — until now. The Linux is market is dominated by the companies producing

David Ruck reports on the Show for the operating system seen as a rival to Windows and even a possible successor to RISC OS.

The Linux 2000 show (does any show distributions and this was reflected by this year not feature ‘2000’ in the the large stands for RedHat, SuSE and title?) is the second annual show to be Corel on the first of the two floors. held at London’s Olympia 2. Although quite a small venue (smaller As Linux is a collaborative open than the Acorn World’s of old), it was source project, with thousands people well represented by large stands from working on various parts of the the major Linux distributors and system, a way is needed of bringing hardware manufacturers as well as together all the new developments smaller stands for a range of software and enhancements to making a stable products. working system. This is where the distribution companies come in; each It reminded me very much of the old produce a flavour of Linux which is Acorn shows too. The explosion in broadly similar (and, importantly, popularity of the operating system compatible) with each other’s, but was reflected in the large attendance differs in what tools and bundled for a mid week show and the applications are supplied and the ease enthusiasm of both the visitors and of installation.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 29 Various distributors are aiming at portables up to large Netfinity different markets. RedHat, which was Servers. SGI have always been one of the first, seeks to have the most known for their stunning 3D visual comprehensive and up to date systems, such as flight simulators, distribution, with a large number of now run Linux on their platforms, additional packages covering many which despite now being Pentium different types of applications. Corel based have far better multi-processor is aiming more at the consumer, with performance than a standard PC ease of use and installation being its system. strength. One thing shared by all the distributions, and indeed stipulated by For raw power the combination of the the rules under which Linux is 64bit Alpha processor and 64bit developed, is that they are all free for Linux cannot be beaten. A dual Alpha download from the Internet. system was churning out 1024x768 ray tracings in two to three seconds However most people and businesses per frame. Last time I did any serious choose to buy a CD boxed set for a ray tracing, It took me an entire day to reasonable sum. This has the do that on my A5000 and it would still advantage of convenience of take at least half an hour on a installing from CD and also the StrongARM. additional technical support which the distributor can provide. Linux has typically been making inroads into business mainly as a One of the new features of the show is development and server platform and the attendance of the large hardware has not been well provided with off manufactures who are now putting the shelf software. This is now their weight behind promoting Linux changing with a large variety of titles to run on their systems, rather than either of new origin, or ported from just acknowledging it was something other platforms. the user could do if they wished. A large section is still aimed at IBM showed Linux working across Internet and database servers but their entire range from ThinkTop there are now serious integrated

30 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 office packages from Corel and of the modern window managers such Applixware. They consist of word as Knome and KDE, which do much processing, spreadsheet, database and to improve the look and feel of Linux. presentation software and rival Currently the ARM version is built by Microsoft Office for features and, hand each time but it will shortly be importantly, offer file exchange with done by a build-engine, which is a the MS Office applications. machine that automates the work required and will enable it to keep up On the entertainment side, there have with versions released for all the other been freeware versions of popular platforms supported. games such Doom and Quake on Linux for some time but now the Although because of their design latest titles are beginning to appear for Acorn machines are best at running the OS alongside the Windows RISC OS, you can run Linux quite versions. respectably, giving you access to thousands of applications and Risc PC compatibility with other systems and On thing I wasn't expecting was to this serves as a good introduction see those familiar curves of a Risc PC without the expense of buying a on the Debian stand. A version of second machine. Linux has been available for Acorn systems for a number of years If you've already had to do the but has always been notoriously unpleasant process of getting a PC to difficult to install and was based on a gain access to particular Microsoft quite old version of the RedHat applications, installing Linux in distribution. Together with Aleph One addition to Windows is an ideal (of PC card fame) some of the solution. volunteers who form Debian are working on a port of this distribution You then have a very stable system to to the Risc PC. sit alongside your RISC OS computer, which is able to provide It aims to be much easier to install, fast and reliable file and Internet and more up to date, allowing the use serving at no extra cost.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 31 ARM Arena

his month I am bringing some Dignity had the priority release date) Tgaming news from the Wakefield it is an exciting prospect that the show as well as much of the latest RISC OS games scene will see a new news to be rumoured or announced strategy game. It is disheartening on the Internet. sometimes to see the constant release

Andrew Weston reports on what you can play now and looks ahead to some of the exciting new projects planned for the RISC OS games scene.

I'll start with news and releases from of strategy games on the PC platform the major publishers and then move (and even dedicated magazines!) so onto other news. it's to be hoped that this release proves popular. Wakefield The annual Acorn/RISC OS show Iron Dignity's release date has now was this year relatively exciting for been moved to 2001, which is RISC OS games enthusiasts for a disappointing in certain respects as it number of reasons. Perhaps the main would be nice to have this visually attraction was the presence of Artex impressive game to play this year. who were giving working demonstrations of TEK 1608 and Iron I was later informed that the Dignity. demonstration on view at Wakefield was running on a hidden PC. I have TEK looked quite complex and no not probed into the reasons for this doubt would require some practice but on speaking to Jan Klose of Artex, and a prior look at the eventual he explained that he regards RISC OS manual, I assume. Nevertheless, with as the best platform to develop on but a release date set for this summer that versions for other computer (surprising myself as I thought Iron platforms must be written

32 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 simultaneously to generate sufficient was not finalised until recently, sales to justify investment. With this thanks mainly to the efforts of Nathan in mind, Jan said that sales of their Atkinson of Visions of the Impossible RISC OS games must be good for (VOTI) who contacted RCI. The Artex to stay with the platform game has been well-received on the although I don't know how this will newsgroups and the Press and is be worked out exactly. significant in a couple of respects. As a top-down walk-about combat game Iron Dignity looked extremely it also allows the player to select from impressive at the show and one could a range of characters with different navigate one of the armed vehicles attributes. That is, basic role-playing from within, looking to the external elements are included in the game. scenery. Throughout the Saturday RCI also state that, if sales are good, there seemed to be a group of visitors future conversions from the original around the stand and I'm sure Artex's publishers may be possible. releases are being anticipated enthusiastically by many. With new The second major games release from hardware being developed for RISC RCI was the TBA Classics CD. This OS users, a healthy interest and the is released following negotiations apparent commitment of Artex, the with TBA Software who have future would appear to a bit more recently announced they are to close promising. as a publisher of RISC OS games. This comes after a large number of, in Adding life to the games field were general, very high quality and RComp Interactive, once again enjoyable releases into the Acorn selling their excellent range of games scene. Several of their titles are conversions and to new releases. The included on the CD: BHP (the 3D first was The Chaos Engine, a racing game), Cobalt Seed, Command conversion from the 16-bit platform Ship, Formula 2000, Merp and originally released in the early 1990s. Dragonball. Several of these made The conversion, I understand, was use of TBA's advanced graphic largely complete a number of years engine (TAG) which delivered some ago, but for various reasons a release quite impressive results, notably BHP.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 33 For those interested and capable of Paradise have demonstrated also the deciphering this kind of code, the advantage of having budding games source to the TAG engine, BHP and writers collaborate and contribute Cobalt Seed are also present on the various parts to a game. For many CD. people this would be necessary as coding a RISC OS game is usually a RCI also informed me that a release part-time effort but there are other of a classic-games CD is being obvious advantages to this strategy. considered. I believe this is to include a number of early Archimedes games, Other news that is those released early in the life VOTI are planning to release an of the 32-bit range. overhead-view racing game similar in principle to Micro Machines and Also at Wakefield were Paradise High Risc Racing, called Eat My Software who have been largely quiet Dust. The release date is uncertain but for several years since the release of the VOTI website is regularly Inferno in 1996. They were updated so I recommend this as the demonstrating and selling their new latest source of information regarding title Overload Ð a sideways scrolling any of their projects. After talking to shoot-'em up. Ian Jeffray of Paradise VOTI agent Nathan Atkinson, it said that the game had taken a long seems clear that VOTI hope to make time to develop owing to work and the game as enjoyable and attractive study commitments by the various as they possibly can before release. members of Paradise but, as he also says, releases generate more hope and More news from the VOTI interest in the games scene which will headquarters is the departure of one of hopefully generate more demand. their members, Paul Thompson, Overload certainly looks on the whose work commitments simply do surface a polished product and I not allow him to contribute to the understand it will run on most Acorn group's work. This is a great pity, computers with the top-end machines since judging by Mr Thompson's being able to run with improved previous work on graphical graphics. demonstrations for the DFi demo-

34 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 group and the 3D-helicopter game demonstration he released via Acorn User, he is a man of significant talent. This is a disappointing blow to VOTI in light of Nathan's aspirations given in an Acorn Arcade interview. Let's hope his work can be made use of in some way.

Another VOTI project New features for an old favourite maybe of interest to Eureka games fans is Sumisu Sam, a Elite platform game which VOTI received Elite: The New Kind is a project to incomplete from the departed GEK improve the original BBC disc games group. Details, again, are on version of Elite, imparting various their website. new features to the game.

In fact, VOTI mainman Mr Atkinson Several new changes have been made has often worked hard behind the to the freely (I understand) available scenes to bring new leisure software code and these are available from the to the market so its to be hoped this website, including improved planet can continue. graphics (such as solid, fractal landscape) and support for different PD projects consoles among others. Last month I reported on two projects to update classic games, Elite and Star Judging by the website for Starfighter Fighter 3000. The good news is that 3000, Chris Bazley has some these projects seem to be ongoing and ambitious plans for the game and I progress has been made. would enthusiastically recommend

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 35 An early development screenshot of Darklands visiting this site to read about them. work going on here. We’ll have to Already available is a texture editor keep an eye on the newsgroups! which allows the player to change the appearance of an SF3000 map. This, Darklands all being well, will develop into a full Anybody who closely surveys Gareth map editor allowing ‘editing of all the Moore’s 32-bit gaming pages may game elements’. Next to be released have noticed a project called will probably be a patch allowing Darklands a Civilisation-type game RISC OS 4 users with StrongARM where the player is responsible for processors to play the game. managing the growth of a settlement and its expansion etc. In other words, There are exciting plans for the future often the player can act as ruler or and, again, there is behind the scenes even a God in this game-genre!

36 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Since announced, little more has been Other features promised include said on this project. However, after MIDI music with in-built support and making a few enquiries, the author, hopefully a low memory requirement Matthew McKinnon, revealed a range (2-4MB). of details regarding Darklands. The delay, Matthew says, is due to all his Ambitious data being lost when his A3000 Overall, Darklands seems to be quite suffered a hard-disc failure! an ambitious project and I hope that it reaches completion, set at September The game is said to have been this year. Equally appealing is the improved dramatically (since first reasonable stated price-tag of previewed on the Web) in graphical £15-£20. At present there is no terms and will run in a range of screen official website but according to modes on machines using ARM2 Matthew, there will be one soon and it processors to RiscPCs using will be announced on StrongARMs. comp.sys.acorn.games.

Roman invasion Overcast The player will control a population If I may, I will just mention that a from just after the end of the Roman graphical exploration game I have invasion until the Middle Ages, created is available from my website adopting strategies to increase so, if you want, have a look for technology along the way. yourself! A sequel is planned.

Multiplayer capability is to be Finally included allowing single machine as Judging from the response to the well as network (local or remote) favourite-game poll I mentioned last playing. The strategy element will be time, I assume most people have had in ‘real-time’ (that is, events progress difficulty deciding! as in reality) and the game features battles as well as population If you would like to send me the name management. of your favourite ever 32-bit title then include the name in the title of the

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 37 email and send to me at: Acorn Arcade www.acornarcade.com [email protected] Paradise I'll hopefully include the result if a www.paradise-uk.net few more people respond. 36 Marlborough Drive Sydenham Also, a quick reminder that Acorn Leamington Spa User are planning to release a CD full CV31 1GD of old commercial and PD games with their August issue and some of the RCI titles mentioned on www.rcomp.co.uk comp.sys.acorn.games suggest 22 Robert Moffat this could be something special. High Leigh Knutsford Until next time, I hope the new Cheshire releases and developments interest WA16 6PS you. As ever, watch the newsgroups if possible or the magazines if not! Artex www.artexsoft.com Contacts and Websites www.iron-dignity.de Games distributed by RComp Andrew Weston Interactive. www.argonet.co.uk/users/awester n/over2.html VOTI www.visionsoftheimpossible.co.uk Elite: The NewKind 42 Wales Street www.newkind.co.uk/elite.html Darlington Co. Durham StarFighter3000 DL3 0LT www.dcs.ex.ac.uk/ug/cs99/cjb/my site/sf3000/sf3000.htm

38 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Oxford Reading Tree Clip Art

he software is supplied on the Sherston and Oxford pictures/logos to Tstandard triple format CD. The lead me to information about the cover is part of a handy manual which companies in question. not only contains instructions on how to load the software but also a host of Er....No! For some odd reason, they all ideas on how this CD may be used in send you to the opening menu for the the classroom. clip art! No, I couldn’t fathom it either.

Teacher Chris Price looks through a collection of clip art containing the familiar Oxford Reading Tree characters and scenes for children to use in their own stories.

On set up you are presented with the Anyway, onward and upward! The option to use the browser (local CD main menu divides the groups up into use) or to install the software to the five groups: Main characters, hard disc. Objects, Scenes, Story characters and Keywords and anybody familiar with On clicking on the Browser software the ORT will know the various you reach an opening screen with a characters and scenes. bright bubble in the centre, with the legend ‘Oxford Reading Tree Clip Clicking at random on one of the sub Art’ emblazoned across it and the groups (Objects) I was presented with Sherston and Oxford logos in the top a page full (12 objects) from the corners and it was here that I series. encountered my first problem. To access these one simply has to Now call me old-fashioned (I’ve been press on one of the two buttons by the called much worse!) but when I see side of the object; one is grey this set up I expect the central picture (monochrome image) and one is to lead me to the clip art and the coloured (polychrome image). Doing

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 39 Each sub directory consisted of at least two pages with the exception of the Keywords directory which, for obvious reasons, is rather deeper. Incidentally, the font used in the this means that a Drawfile pops up Keywords will be familiar to anyone which can be dragged to the used to the Oxford Reading Tree, appropriate area of your hard disc. perhaps obvious but still useful to see the continuity maintained. At this point I have to say that I would have liked the option to have been This is a simple idea for children to able to double click on an image to use to create their own stories or work see it in greater detail just so that I cards. The idea is very easy to use knew that I had got the right one, but and, within minutes, I had put up a maybe I'm being pedantic. Drawfile and was merrily dragging

Two separate pictures of a boy and his dog put together can suggest a story

40 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 A Victorian street for your setting characters and words into it in order Again this is another simple idea that to make up simple stories! It would be Sherston have executed with due care equally feasible, given the and diligence. Highly recommended. appropriate constraints, to use a word processor to form the story, although Oxford Reading Tree Clip Art I am not sure that this approach would Price: £25 +VAT be quite as flexible. Supplier: Sherston Software Ltd Angel House, Sherston The idea of providing both a colour Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 0LH and black and white image is also Tel: 01666 843200 useful as it would allow children to Fax: 01666 843216 colour the images in themselves, Email: [email protected] either to match the ORT ones or to Web: www.sherston.com invent their own characters.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 41 Living With A PC: Having To Use It

hen I first accepted that I would I certainly haven't come anywhere Whave to get a dreaded PC to be near to loving my new PC, which I able to do all I needed in digital still find just a necessary and photography (as explained in the last intensely irritating evil. issue) I had a sneaking feeling that I might find myself discovering more Of course there are a few good points. and more uses for it with its advanced It is useful to be able to put a file in a

In the second of our series, Peter Jennings reveals what he is using his newly acquired PC for and whether it is now starting to take over from his ageing Acorn. specification and vast array of new directory by just dragging it onto the software, at the expense of my Risc unopened directory icon and there are PC. the neat little USB (Universal Serial Bus) sockets for connecting It hasn't happened! The PC is used peripherals. regularly for just two purposes: it gives me free access to the Internet, Actually, the main reason why the easily set up without having to use a USB sockets seem so good is that mass of separate programs, and it they simplify the usually tedious allows a direct connection to business of having to install hardware download and manipulate the images to get the PC to recognise its from my new digital camera. existence.

I have bought just one CD-ROM, the I have to use the USB connection to Encyclopaedia Britannica, but for download the images from the digital everything else I still thankfully camera's Smartmedia cards; done by switch on my mature but still active either plugging in the lead directly old Acorn. from the camera or using a reader (an

42 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 expensive optional extra) for a faster I found a problem with some archived transfer. I save the images onto a PC- attachments sent from RISC OS formatted Zip disc and, as this is fully machines which Outlook Express compatible with my Acorn, I can then sometimes saves out as zero sized switch from the IBM clone to my Risc files. PC and use the pictures in a more friendly and familiar environment. More experienced PC users may know a simpler way to deal with this Digital image but the method I use is to save the Sometimes I enhance or otherwise whole email, switch over to the Risc manipulate the digital image on the PC and select and save the attachment PC using the free program which from the bottom of the email came with the camera. message. I change the DOS filetype to text and drag it onto the SparkPlug There is also a good supply of free icon, which unarchives it as a data programs (usually cut down or older file. This can then be given its original versions) on the CD-ROMs which filetype. come with PC magazines. I subscribe to one of the half a dozen or more Compatible magazines published to help This ability to use hardware and Windows owners learn to use the software compatible with both program and to cope with its many computers is a real asset. One of the difficulties and failings. (There has most useful packages for this purpose never been the need for anything is the multi-facetted Textease, which similar for Acorn/RISC OS users.) began life as a simple word processor for the Acorn and has developed into I also use a Zip disc to save emails and a versatile package now offering attachments, which I can reread at desktop processing, a spreadsheet and leisure on my Risc PC. These include a database interchangeable between most of the contributions to Eureka RISC OS, PC and Apple computers. which can be dropped into an Ovation Pro page although this usually entails Files saved on any of those computers some change of filetype first. are equally at home on the others.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 43 A live spreadsheet, text and a graphic, all in a Textease file created on a Windows PC and loaded onto a Risc PC

Where the original font does not exist We would welcome a contribution to on another platform the nearest match this series from anyone who is now is used to preserve as near an identical using a PC along with their RISC OS appearance as possible. computer.

This ability to transfer files between Let us know why you have to use the machines has been found particularly PC and any of the problems you have valuable to schools which have a met and how you have overcome mixture of platforms. them.

There will be a review of the new Send your article to The Editor at the spreadsheet and database, which can Club’s usual address, on page 80, or be used with Textease or on their email to [email protected]. own, in the next issue of Eureka.

44 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 On December the 2nd 2000 rocket down to

at the National Motorcycle Museum next to the NEC in Birmingham 10:00am till 4:00 pm

For a galaxy of companies and products. All the latest computers and software at show prices on more than 45 stands packed with bargains.

7 M6 NEC Birmingham

6 A45 National Motorcycle Museum signposted off the roundabout M42 M42 3a M40 Adults £2·50 ARM Club members £1·50 Children under 14 FREE! 10:00am to 4:30pm

For more details contact Ralph Sillett Tel: 01785 714535 Email: [email protected]

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 45 Have A Chat With IRC

ould you like to be able to If you want to take part you are Wcommunicate directly with welcome to join ICENI and the other Acorn/RiscOS users online in Welwyn Hatfield Computer Club who live time; have the opportunity to have their own specific ‘room’ where meet new friends, share interests, anyone with a computer interest — solve problems and generally have an yes, even PC users — can join in interesting time? every Tuesday from 8·30pm onwards.

Want to have a chat on line? Geoff Lane invites you to join in a regular session, where everyone's welcome, every Tuesday evening.

You can do so with IRC (Internet Normally when an IRC program is Relay Chat). This is one of the oldest running the screen divides and in one Internet fuctions and was originally section is a list of people within the used by the academic institutions to chat group while the other section, exchange text messages and conduct which is generally bigger, shows the real time discussions and lectures. conversation.

IRC has developed into an interesting All you do is type what you want to facility whereby groups of people say and on pressing Return it prefixes participate in keyboard conversation. your input with your identity so Like a group within a room there can everyone knows who’s said what. be a number of smaller groups each chatting about a different topic but You monitor what each person is each can immediately join in another. chatting about and join in whichever you want to. Once you get the hang of It works by launching a special IRC it it is quite simple to join in a number program, logging on to an IRC server of chats at the same time. and then joining a ‘chat’ room.

46 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 wizzco: I don’t think you’ve met Vic …. he’s from Launceston ’ansome Wissco ..where be ’e frum mate? Ipswich boooy Long time no see Ipswish. Are the streets still as narrow as there used to be? narrower, thanks to bus lanes :(

Newcomers are always welcome Our participants cover the complete age range from teens to senior citizen If you are new to it just join in and see so, whatever age you are and what is going on. There is no need to whatever experience or interest you participate but I bet you will want to. have, you will be made welcome.

There is no joining or registration Naturally when you learn how easy it requirement and there is no obligation is you may like to set up your own to stay on for a certain period. Some group meetings among friends or participants stay on for an hour or family across the country or globe. longer and others pop in for a few Give it a try and see how easy it is. minutes to say `Hi'. There are numerous decent IRC You can do all your other Internet programs about but if you log on to business at the same time so while www.wolfchat.org you can downloading that file, sending those download Acorn or PC IRC messages, getting those Newsgroups programs. you could be exchanging ideas and chat with other computer users. Go on to www.bigfoot.com/~whcc and select the IRC link for an Our meetings are not Acorn/RISC OS explanation about how to connect or specific but most participants are email me directly at the address current or former users of that below. platform so you will not be met with blank expressions when you mention Give it a try. You will not be sorry. RISC OS. Geoff Lane: [email protected]

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 47 ViewFinder

or years people keep coming up and all come with features to Fwith wacky ideas on the accelerate 2D window redrawing newsgroups, such as “Why can’t we operations and often 3D acceleration put an accelerated PC graphics card in for use with games. a Risc PC”. I’d usually reply with reasons such as: it wouldn’t fit, you John has taken a small form factor couldn’t interface the podule bus to an ATI AGP graphics card and piggy

David Ruck said it couldn't be done but is now delighted to find that the wacky idea of putting a PC graphics card in a Risc PC has now come true.

AGP bus at any decent speed and backed it on top of a podule card so it you’d have to re-write most RISC OS fits in a Risc PC. The card has 8MB to use it. Well I’ve been proved totally on memory board, which is enough wrong, John Kortink (best know for provide the modes such as:- the popular graphics programs !Translator and !Creator) has done • 1280x1024 in 256/32K/16M colours exactly that! at up to 120Hz • 1600x1200 in 256/32K/16M colours When the Risc PC was launched back at up to 82Hz in 1994, its graphics capabilities were • 1920x1440 in 256/32K colours at phenomenal — up to 1600x1200 in 60Hz 256 colours and 800x600 in 16 million colours — compared to most Of course you will need at least a very PCs of the day using 640x480 in 256 good 17” but preferably a 19” or colours and 800x600 in only 16 larger monitor to benefit from the colours. However, these days, PC greater resolutions and higher refresh graphics cards which can exceed the rates. The 17” AKF85 shipped with Risc PC’s capabilities are very cheap most Risc PCs is limited to

48 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 1280x1024 at 76Hz and 1600x1200 at 66Hz.

After installing the new podule, you swap the monitor cable from the socket on the motherboard to the one on the back of the podule.

The first thing you notice is that you don't see the The Viewfinder piggy back podule boot messages Ð currently they are still being output on There is no need to write monitor the standard connector. So if you have definition files. So, to select a new a problem booting, you either have to mode which you have not previously swap the monitor cable back or, if used, just enter a string into the your monitor supports a second input, display manager's mode box, such as wire in two cables. `V X1600 Y1200 C16M F82' (note the new V for ViewFinder prefix). On reaching the desktop you see, You can then use the menu to add this well, nothing different. The mode to the list of those available ViewFinder emulates your current from the ViewFinder icon. mode (as long as it's 256 colours or more). On closer inspection a new One of the main concerns of such a monitor icon has appeared next to the design is what would the speed be display manager. This has a simple like? Having to transfer large menu to allow you to select the larger amounts of data across the slow modes, greater number of colours and podule bus to the video memory on higher refresh rates that the card gives the graphics card is going to be slower you. than writing to the VRAM on the motherboard. To get round this the VF

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 49 uses the 2D acceleration features of colours and 800x600 in 16M colours, the AGP card to speed up operations whereas the ViewFinder used such as moving and scrolling 1600x1200 in 256, 32K and 16M windows and plain filling with colour. colours. The differences are given So this is actually faster in some cases between the normal StrongARM with than the standard Risc PC. and without the ViewFinder and the Kinetic with and without the However the redrawing of certain ViewFinder and the Kinetic + applications' windows can be much ViewFinder combination compared to slower, which makes the VF slower a standard Risc PC. than the same size and colour depth mode on a standard Risc PC overall The ViewFinder is able to use DMA if but not distractingly so. placed in the lower two backplane slots to improve performance and the Remember if you normally work at results show that the Kinetic, which 1600x1200 in 256 colours and start isn't able to use DMA, is slower on using 16M colours there is four times some tests, such as redrawing the as much work for the system to do. pinboard, but is faster at most other things, making the combination The table opposite shows the result of worthwhile and giving redrawing timing various applications speeds closer to the standard system. redrawing their windows when a John promises further use of the smaller window is moved over the top acceleration features to improve 100x under program control. performance with later versions of the software. Tests were done on a Risc PC StrongARM 233 with 2MB VRAM The software is still at a very early and the same machine upgraded with stage and there are some major issues a Kinetic card. to sort out. It is currently not possible to use programs which work outside The normal Risc PC used its the desktop as only the *WimpMode maximum resolutions of 1600x1200 method for changing mode is in 256 colours, 1152x896 in 32K supported. Also, the AGP card is not

50 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Application Colours SA233 Kineti Comb c Pinboard 256 50.0% 38.0% 51.9% (T6L texture) 32K 54.2% 29.5% 41.0% 16M 50.0% 17.6% 35.7% Filer Window 256 54.3% 41.1% 77.8% (Large) 32K 49.7% 36.2% 63.1% 16M 38.9% 22.8% 46.6% Thump 256 92.6% 88.5% 128.4% (Viewing JPEG) 32K 64.9% 59.9% 74.1% 16M 39.3% 36.0% 43.4% ArtWorks 256 36.5% 44.2% 48.5% (Complex blends) 32K 23.5% 27.5% 25.3% 16M 8.9% 13.3% 9.5% Impression 256 80.6% 73.4% 100.0% (Text only document) 32K 79.8% 70.8% 87.6% 16M 71.4% 62.8% 77.1% Oregano 256 57.0% 56.0% 86.7% (Textual page)

32K 58.9% 54.4% 70.9% 16M 78.7% 80.9% 97.3% PhotoDesk 256 47.6% 43.4% 53.3% (24bpp image) 32K 30.2% 27.7% 32.2% 16M 43.5% 39.2% 47.1% Average 256 60.1% 56.2% 77.8% 32K 41.8% 36.7% 45.6% 16M 33.7% 28.0% 35.8% Overall All 43.5% 37.5% 49.0%

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 51 capable of supporting less than 256 all graphic work easier and more colours so some very old (mostly pleasurable. BBC era) software won't work. Combined with the extra processing John will be working on a solution to power of the Kinetic, it certainly this but he is mainly concentrating on dispels the need to looking to other desktop performance and platforms for better graphics compatibility at first. facilities.

While most desktop applications I However probably the biggest have tried so far work perfectly in all question in potential purchasers' the new ViewFinder modes, a few minds will be the launch of the Imago, desktop programs show which has even better graphics incompatibilities with the card. facilities (2048x1440 in 16M colours Certain display options in Zap cause at 72Hz) and will be at least twice as the program to crash, TopModel (and fast as a Kinetic Risc PC. The Imago TMViewer) run but corrupt the screen is still at least six months away and when redrawing their windows and will cost in the region of £2,000 and Photodesk displays some funny so is considerably more than the effects in 32K colours but is correct in combined cost of both ViewFinder 256 and 16M modes. and Kinetic, which are both available for purchase today. Some problems have already been tracked down and John will be working ViewFinder with the other authors to iron out these Price: £235 inc VAT & UK delivery problems as quickly as possible. Supplier: CJE Micro’s 78 Brighton Road, Worthing, Thanks to the ingenuity of John West Sussex BN11 2EN Kortink, a wacky idea has been turned Tel: 01903 523222 into a very useful product. The Fax: 01903 523679 difference of being able to work in Email: [email protected] larger screen modes and with mode Web: www.cje.co.uk colours makes photo-retouching and

52 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Can We Help?

DAT Drive Backup the DAT drive supports anything Question: greater than this you won't be able to I have a StrongARM Risc PC and make use of all the tape. have borrowed a DDS DAT Drive, which I have been trying to backup PowerTec's !Backup will work with my system with. I have tried TAPEFS tape drives, but it will only work with with very little success, and I cannot their SCSI interface or ones with the

Some recent queries sent to our Technical Help Service.The solutions shown are mostly composed of answers given from several members of the Help team. find a copy of tar corrected for PC PowerROM upgrade. archives. Disc drive errors Is there any other software to allow Question: the backup of hard discs to DAT tape? (1) I own an eight year old A5000 computer. Recently I have Richard Keefe experienced problems with my 1.6MB floppy drive. Several discs Answer: gave an error (sometimes at Simply attach and terminate the DAT &00000000 Ð which seems drive as normal, check it is listed in unlikely). Sometimes the disc's *Devices then load !PowerMgr, directory window will appear but no choose `Advanced Install' then files can be loaded (again a disc error `Define and Create Partitions' select is given). Other times it claims that the DAT drive and initialise the tape. the disc is not formatted although it is Note that RISC OS is limited to a formatted. Do I need a new disc drive maximum of 2GB per file (in fact it is or could I buy a head cleaning disc to just slightly short of 2GB) and so if fix the problem?

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 53 Programming languages Electronics can supply replacements. (2) Also, I would appreciate some advice on programming languages. I (2) There is a JAVA compiler am already competent at using BBC (http://free.prohosting.com/~choc BASIC and I am now beginning to ky/java) but to run it you will need use the assembler and software Acorn's RiscCafe Java CD which is interrupts in my programs. I am hard to obtain at the moment and does thinking of buying a C or C++ not support the latest version of the compiler but I believe that the language. software is very expensive. Which is the best compiler, or are there other Screen scan fault `industry standard' languages that Question: might be better? I write this in the hope that it will not be interrupted by a most irritating and James Shaw unpredictable fault in which the screen suddenly begins to scan Answer: rapidly but giving the impression that (1) You can try a drive cleaning disc, it is filled by about nine icon bars, all as there could be a build up on scrolling together but at a slower rate. material on the head after all this time. The fault can occur at any time from If it doesn't work and you feel start-up to shut-down and may last confident about taking the machine from a few seconds to an indefinite apart, examine the floppy drive for a period and in the latter case it build up of fluff and grime. Don't use becomes necessary to enter a anything mechanical to clean it; use a Ctrl/Break. This response usually can of compressed air to remove any clears the problem but, of course, will dust. While you are doing this you can cause the loss of any unsaved file. check the floppy drive leads are firmly attached. If that still doesn't I have put up with the problem for help, the heads are probably out of well over a year although I have alignment and it is usually cheaper to sought help from two Acorn dealers obtain a replacement drive than have one of whom had my machine, a Risc it fixed. Acorn dealers and Reflex PC 700 using OS 3.6, for a few days

54 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 but without experiencing the fault. I It could be a dry joint on part of the also sought the advice from Reflex video circuit (notoriously difficult to Electronics who suggested that my track down). It seems most likely to computer equipment and cables be a loss of sync, so possible on those might be too close together. This lines, or a failure in the associated prompted me to rearrange things but logic components. If it is a sync without noticeable improvement until problem, it's still being corrected (at much later when I was almost led to least temporarily) by a reset if it believe that the problem had cured doesn't correct itself. That suggests itself. However, disillusion has that the problem lies within the returned together with the VIDC20 and that something in the troublesome fault. reset sequence is enabling it to work correctly again. Perhaps attempting a As has often happened after mode change (albeit blindly Ð so it `scrolling' has cleared itself there has would probably be a case of going to been no more trouble for the the command line) might recover it? remainder of the session, sometimes lasting for several hours, but of course Printer driver there is no certainty of this. In fact the Question: fault occurred twice for a few seconds (a) I have an Epson Stylus 860 and, before starting this email which is having enquired of Castle about an why I began the way I did. Acorn printer driver, they sent me a small archive with drivers for all the Ken Causer new Epson printers. These appear to work fine until you decide, rather than Answer: using the graphics printing of an It may be stating the obvious, but has application, to drop a text file on the it been tested with a different printer icon to print it, whereupon you monitor? It could be a slightly get every line printed on a new page! damaged monitor cable? (b) I also found something funny Is there a mobile phone/TV/radio or when trying to print images in the even a washing machine nearby? normal way. I thought it would be a

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 55 good test to print the same image in Answer: various dpi settings on the same page (a) Check the text margins for the for comparison. So I loaded a small paper size that you are using. I've image into Draw at the top of the found many are setup with a height of page, set up the coarsest dpi on the 0 lines, which will cause this sort if printer driver and printed it. Fine. thing. Then I moved the image down the screen page a bit, reloaded the same (b) This is the sort of thing I do a lot bit of paper, set the next better with my Epson Stylus Colour 600 and definition on the printer driver and have not noticed a problem. It could printed it. Fine. But all subsequent be a small change to the printer attempts to print anything starting control codes for the 860, causing it to more than about a third of the way have a problem with the large vertical down the paper cause the paper to be movement command which will be ejected and a new page to be loaded used to skip the blank area at the top and printed upon, albeit in the of the page. Try putting a white expected place (but not the same rectangle at the top of the page. It sheet, spoiling the test). obviously won't print anything but might fool the driver into thinking (c) I also get the impression that in there is something there and not using some dpi settings the first thing a large movement command. printed at the top of the paper may well be being printed in a different (c) This could just be the arrangement definition to the rest of the page, as of the heads. With most inkjets each the printer head seems to make more colours and black are offset so that all passes at the top of the paper than the ink is not deposited on the same subsequently. part of the paper at the same time, staturating it. The yellow nozzels are It seems as though the set of Epson at the bottom, with cyan managenta printer drivers may be pretty much and black further up, so for each pass untested. of the printer yellow is layed down on clean paper, cyan covers the yellow David Dade prom the previous pass, maganeta on

56 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 top of previous yellow and cyan, and pops up when I try to print. If I change back last on to of the three previous the boot partition back to the old drive passes colour. This does mean that at with the original boot structure it is the top of the page the printer has to to business as usual. Printing from Edit four passes to do one strip, where as is OK on the new setup. I thought I for middle each pass does 4 strips had cured it but the problem came (although still only completes one). back just now when my son wanted to Incidentally micro weave compounds print some homework. Is it an out of this by doing eight passes per stip date module or something, or have I using alternate lines, so there is not an done something odd? obvious join between the previous dry band and a new wet one. James W Robertson

I obviously can't vouch for the later Answer: drivers and printers but there have When you updated to the new Boot always been a few driver/firmware structure did you copy the contents of incompatibilities with the Epson !Boot.Choices.Printers from the old range. My ESC600 works fine at all to the new? Did you install an resolutions except 720x720 non upgrade of !Printers at the same time? interleaves, which just causes paper to If so make sure you deleted the old be spat out. It's a consequence of the printers completely before installing manufacturor not giving the RISC OS the new one. That includes the developers the information they need. contents of both the Printing directory and !Boot.Choices.Printers. Printing from Ovation Question: In either case, when using the new Can you help me with a printing Boot structure, try loading !Printers problem from Ovation? I changed to and removing all the existing installed the New Boot structure and a different printers and adding them again, boot partition on a new hard drive and remembering to do a Save Choices do not seem to be able to print from before exiting !Printers. This often Ovation. An error message `Invalid solves configuration problems. address print cancelled' or similar

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 57 What Is FTP?

tp is a protocol used across the just the opposite of a download Ð FInternet for file transfer. that is, sending a file to a computer Specifically, ftp (upper or lower case? instead of retrieving (downloading) it. Ð answers on a postcard), the File Not to be confused of course with Transfer Protocol, allows a file stored what the BBC Microcomputer used to on one computer to be retrieved by call `downloading', which was to another computer anywhere in the load a page of memory and then copy

Among the recent queries to the Club's Technical Help Service was a request for some detailed information on using ftp. Darren Grant explains. world, as long as both computers are it to a lower page, if my memory connected to the same network (such serves me correctly. as the Internet). In short, ftp can be used for uploading Why do we need it? data files to another computer for You may be wondering why we need backup, for downloading public this protocol when this seems to domain programs from software happen without any fuss every time deposits such as Sunsite you go to a web page. We say without (src.doc.ic.ac.uk) or for uploading a any fuss in the belief we aren't using website to a server. Windoze. If you've ever used Internet Explorer on a PC you may well have Most free webspace providers experienced quite a lot more fuss, (GeoCities, AngelFire, Xoom, even the infamous Blue Screen of YellowPages to name but a few) use Death. some form of web-based upload (for security) but if you are paying for Ftp is designed specifically for large webspace or you have webspace uploads and downloads (an upload is included with your ISP (Demon,

58 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Pipex, FreeServe etc), the chances are just make up a password like you will only be able to upload pages [email protected]. The most that's ever through the use of ftp. done is that the password is checked to be in the correct format for an email Ftp has two sides to it: a daemon, but remember that nothing you ever (standing for Disk and Execution do on the Internat is completely Monitor) which in Unix is generally anonymous Ð your activities can called ftpd, which sits on the host nearly always be traced and if you're computer (the computer you are clever enough to stay really well connecting to) and multiple clients hidden then you probably won't be which connect to the daemon. reading this article ;-)

If you're not too sure of the ftp clients for RISC OS users relationship between the two, imagine In order to connect to an ftp daemon an ftp client to be to an ftp daemon as you will need an ftp client. Try FTPc an http client (a web browser, such as from Fresco or Netscape Navigator) is to an www.c-granville.freeserve.co.uk http server (such as Apache, the free or The ARM Club's or Argonet's ftp Ð and most popular? Ð web server client. They are generally quite easy for Unix and just about every other to use, especially the more graphical platform under the sun). ones, but even if you are stuck with DOS's plain-text Unix-ripoff (well, Unlike the web, you will always need imitation is the greatest form of to enter in a user name and password flattery I suppose) don't be too when accessing an ftp site. However, alarmed as a simple summary of the any public sites will allow you to log commands will show they are not in with the user name `anonymous' particularly different from the Acorn (or even easier, just `ftp') and your CLI system. email for the password. No, you won't always be forced to enter in Also, if you can't quite remember the your email, but it's polite. If you're order of parameters to a command, downloading really dodgy stuff and then generally using that command you want to remain anonymous then without parameters will get the ftp

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 59 client to prompt you interactively for usually the end of the world if a plain the information it needs). text file is uploaded in ASCII mode but I, for one, have downloaded more Here is a listing of all the commands than one large program file in ASCII DOS ftp supports: mode only to realise the error of my ways after half an hour of downloading Ð in this case the ! glo put Quake 3 executable ;-) ? hash pwd append help quit As can be seen, it's not exactly the ascii lcd quote most difficult command line interface bell literal recv in the world to get used to and you can binary ls remotehelp just use the help command to find out bye mdelete rename all the tens of commands I've not cd mdir rmdir included here. close mget send debug mkdir status On a PC? delete mls trace As I mentioned, Windoze comes with a disconnect open user DOS ftp program which is enough for get prompt verbose the basics. Likewise, any Unix or Linux distribution will also come with Unix ftp which will do the job These are all one-word commands for you. with one or two parameters following. Opposite is a description Possibly your distribution also has of some of the more useful nc-ftp (pronounced Nik-ftp) which is commands. somewhat more powerful than any other ftp program I've ever seen; The asc and bin commands are very recursive uploads, downloads, important. A file must be uploaded or resuming, blah de blah, the works. If downloaded in the correct mode for you're stuck in Windoze, check out the transfer to work correctly. It's not Cuteftp from www.cuteftp.com

60 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 open site Open a connection to an ftp site get file Download a file from the server (or get remote-filename local- filename) put file Upload a file to the server (or put local-filename remote filename) close Close the connection to the current site asc/bin Change to ASCII or binary upload and download modes mput Put a directory using recursive putting. Not supported by all clients/servers glob Toggles file name globbing, which permits use of wildcard characters (* and ?) in local file or path names. By default, globbing is on hash Toggles hash (#) printing for each data block transferred. The size of a data block is 2048 bytes. By default, hash mark printing is off pwd Displays the current directory on the remote computer append Appends a local file to a file on the remote computer using the current file type setting lcd Changes the working directory on the local computer. By default, the working directory is the directory in which ftp was started bell Toggles a bell to ring after each file transfer command is completed. By default, the bell is off ls Displays an abbreviated list of a remote directory's files and subdirectories. bye Closes the connection mdelete Deletes (multiple) files on remote computers rename Renames a remote file cd Change the remove directory (in Unix format, so directory separators are /) rmdir Remove a remote directory mget Get multiple files from a remote directory mkdir Make a directory on the remote computer delete Take a wild guess... help ask the ftp client for help Ð try also help command

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 61 which is probably the best you'll get ftp://username;password@site for no money and a serial crack off the Web. Feeling moral? Twenty bucks So, for instance, will sort you out with a license, but check out www.cdrom.com, ftp://joebloggs;[email protected] www.tucows.com and any other galofferings.org favourite software archives for alternatives. Well, that just about sums it up for ftp. There's really not much to say about What about doing it with a web it. It's a simple protocol to use and browser? one that is commonly used on the Internet. Most web browsers support the ftp protocol as well as the http protocol Any questions? Give a yell to: used for transmitting web pages down [email protected] the line. Try entering ftp://sunsite.org into the URL of Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer or any of the Acorn browsers Member’s Ad (I'm not sure which ones support it due to my modem having gone For sale walkies). Various Acorn machines A3000s, A420s etc. £50 ono each. Note that if you connect to an ftp site Buyer collects. in this fashion, your browser will have connected as `anonymous' and, Chris Price if you've so configured it, will have Merton Court School sent your email down the line as the 38 Knoll Road password (the default behaviour for Sidcup, Kent DA14 4QU most industry-standard browsers). If Tel: 0208 302 4078 you need to connect as a user, the Email: format for the URL is as follows: [email protected]

62 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Return Of The RISC OS Show

ast year saw The ARM Club enter now Wakefield) in early Summer. Luncharted territory with the This had given dealers and developers organisation of a major two-day two well-spaced major shows to show. Over the years, the Club had market their wares and talk to organised many one day shows from customers. local `church hall' events to the the larger National Motorcycle Museum The decision was taken that The ARM Show in Birmingham. Club would mount a two-day Autumn

The big Autumn show is back, at last year's successful Ascot venue. John Sawer tells how it has been organised and looks forward to some of the highlights.

The Wakefield Acorn User Group show at a suitable venue. Acorn has, for four years, organised the World had been at various locations superb Wakefield Show and has around London but all suffered from proved that there is a real demand for poor access and parking was usually bigger events. Virtually everyone in non-existent or very expensive. the RISC OS/Acorn market exhibits Eventually the Queen's Stand at at Wakefield, enabling visitors to see Epsom Racecourse was selected as a all the products and talk to the dealers suitable venue for the show. and developers. Easy access For many, Wakefield has become an This is close to the M25, providing annual pilgrimage but those in the easy access, especially for visitors South bemoaned the lack of a suitable from the Continent, with the venue show to replace the greatly missed only two hours from the Channel Acorn World. This had traditionally Tunnel. There is ample parking and been held in the Autumn; the this prestigious venue is in a superb Northern show (originally Harrogate, setting above the North Downs.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 63 Naturally we hoped exhibitors and Success visitors would not have time to After the success of last year it was admire the view! only natural that the show would be repeated in 2000. Mark had done an The Committee took on the many excellent job with RISC OS 99 but in tasks needed to organise such a large fairness it was necessary to spread the show but much of the responsibility load more evenly. was borne by Mark Smith. The Club backed the show financially but it The core of the organisational team is soon became obvious that enough drawn from The ARM Club but two exhibitors had been signed up to local user groups, Surrey and Sussex ensure the show would be financially Acorn User Group and RISCOS User sound. Group of London, have also been recruited to help. As a consequence Euphoria the show team is: The success of the show is now history but few will forget the Co-ordinator: Mark Smith euphoria of the first day, from the Venue and theatre: Rob Brown queues outside to the throng round Shell scheme: Toby Smith each stand and the packed theatre. Exhibitor contacts: Mark Smith and Ralph Sillett More than a thousand people came Publicity: SASAUG (led by John that day and many exhibitors had to Sawer and Geoff Arnold) re-stock overnight. Transport and first aid: David Ruck Tickets and passes: Tom Hughes Diana Rawnsley of RComp said “We Helper organisation: ROUGOL (led by sold out all of our Internet products — Dan Shimin and Andrew Harmsworth) one by 2pm on Saturday”. Other Treasurer: Simon Burrows exhibitors were equally complimentary: “Truly excellent” The venue to be used is, once more, from Aaron Timbrell of iSV and “A the Queen’s Stand at Epsom very successful show” from Roy Racecourse. Shuttle buses will run Heslop of RiscStation. from the main station in Epsom

64 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 (Please note, not Tattenham Corner or previewed at the Wakefield show. Epsom Downs). Details will be available in the next month, while presentations on the By June the list of exhibitors was machine will be given in the RISC OS rapidly growing. Those planning to 2000 Show theatre. attend include: The RiscStation sponsored small Spacetech exhibitor village is more popular than RiscStation ever, with more than half the stands Castle already booked. Other sponsors of the CTA Direct show are Spacetech and Acorn User. RComp Cumana/Cannon Computing Several of the palmtop community Icon Technology plan to be there including Palmtop Softease magazine and leading Psion and other Akalat (Acorn Publisher) dealers supporting the growing APDL number of RISC OS/Acorn users with Surftech such equipment. The planned Archive implementation of RISC OS4 on the Warm Silence Software new StrongARM powered Psion adds Jonathan Duddington to the relevance of the show for Psion Really Good Software Co dealers. Acorn User RISC OS Ltd New exhibitors are being added all EFF the time, so for the latest show CJE Micros information visit the Club web site on iSV www.armclub.org.uk/shows/riscos/ Cerilica The ARM Club The good news is that ARM Club, SASAUG and ROUGOL members A big feature of the show will be the members can get in free on Sunday! public release of the new RiscStation laptop portable RISC OS machine See next two pages for full details.

Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 65 RISC OS 2000 SHOW Organised by The ARM Club in association with SASAUG and ROUGOL

Saturday 21 October — 10:00 to 17:00 Sunday 22 October — 10:00 to 16:00

Queen's Stand, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey

Tickets: £4 in advance £5 on the door

Free entry on Sunday for all members of

· New hardware · New software

· Presentations in the purpose built theatre

· Local clubs

· All the leading RISC OS developers and dealers

The RISC OS Show of the year Sponsored by Spacetech and Acorn User magazine

www.armclub.org.uk/riscos2000/ [email protected] Tel: 07050 679264 Fax: 07050 679263 (call rates higher than national rate) Advance tickets from: RISC OS 2000, Merton Court, 38 Knoll Road, Sidcup, Kent DA14 4QU

66 Eureka 35 — Autumn 2000 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 67 Gill’s Journal: Food For Spods

resh tomatoes, tomato ketchup, So why, I have to ask, is it that most Ftomato puree, tinned tomatoes, of the spods I meet will eat any of the tomato soup. What do all these have above, bar the first; the fresh, the real in common? version of tomatoes? Why do they need to be crushed, peeled, canned, If you're as lightening fast as I'd hope creamed or packed with additives from Club members, you'll have before your average spod will eat

What's round, red and fruity but can't be eaten fresh if you're a real spod? Gill Smith reveals the fruits of her research in the latest look into the pages of her Journal. spotted that there's that word `tomato' them? There's clearly something in cropping up in all of them. I'm glad the destructive process of you spotted the similarity there. And repackaging the tomato that removes based on that, you'd expect some all its goodness and makes it suddenly similarity of contents Ð at least that a palatable. red, round fruit was somehow involved? Or is it just me? I've been trying to work out exactly what anyone could dislike about the innocuous tomato. Responses ranged from the articulate ªIt tastes nasty,º to the spoddier ªThere's a danger that it might be good for me,º with a quick tour via ªCan't remember, but I've never liked them, ever since I was a childº.

Recognise these? This is ketchup It warms your heart to know that these in its raw state are the well-rounded individuals you

68 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Before

chose to steer The ARM Club through in your fresh tomato, the pips are green. the murky waters of Acorn based As I have been told many times by the catastrophes and attacks of Windows various spods, green food is for girlies. mania. Mint ice cream Eventually I concluded that the `being Such delights as broccoli, asparagus good for you' bit must be the real and mint ice cream are clearly a problem. Tomatoes are packed with female preoccupation. Real spods vitamins, nutrients, minerals and don't eat green food. I presume this other stuff that's really good for you. includes the new green ketchup that It's that, combined with the fact that should be hitting the shops soon.

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 69 later

Lettuce, all million new varieties of it, Pale wan glow and other such vegetables that It seems to come to this: eating frequently find their way onto the side healthy food might make you lose that of a plate beside a good steak, or a pale, wan glow that allows fellow nice fatty pie, should be ignored. spods to recognise you as one of They can be pushed around a little, or them, from a hundred yards across a cut up, in a pretence of eating crowed room. You can picture the something but only if the waitress scene Ð their eyes met across a happens to be nice. Due to the green crowed racecourse venue Ð there hue of the pips in fresh tomatoes, they was something about the fluorescent cannot be eaten, while the I-sit-in-front-of-a-monitor-for-at-least- preservatives that allow your puree or 12-hours-a-day shade of her skin that tinned tomatoes to retain that instantly drew him. Moving swiftly brilliance of red also carefully hide through the sea of geeks he was the greenness of the pips. suddenly by her side ªDo you spod here often?º

70 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Sinister my cousin a diet of fresh tomatoes for Now we've got to the bottom of why the next couple of months, in order to these poor misguided individuals get the little darling a very early start, dislike healthy food, it still seems that will he turn out to love them, or to a specific dislike of tomatoes is hate them and be the next Bill Gates? inextricably linked with the affinity In terms of making his fortune that is, for technology. There's something not in terms of being considered the more sinister going on than a mere devil incarnate. Well, maybe both. anti-tomato prejudice. This needs more research. As a control, of course, I really ought to ban his brother, currently exactly a My little brother used to hate year and a day old, from any form of tomatoes but my mother wasn't fresh tomato. To make it really fair, he having any of it. Now aged 15, has the should have tomato ketchup on poor boy had his technical career everything in sight and eat fresh inwittingly ruined by my mother tomato only when it's well and truly insisting on feeding him his tomatoes curried. (I hope I haven't ruined any fresh? spod's abilities to enjoy a vindaloo there Ð sorry to have to break it to Or did his dislike of tomatoes just you, but they do put fresh tomato into wear off when he realised that four some curry dishes. older siblings were just too many to fight off the computer, so causing him Next Steve Jobs to give up his technical leanings? Again, the interesting question is Which came first, the tomato or the whether depriving him will mean that spod? he becomes the next Steve Jobs or will it lead to a passionate desire for Force feed fresh tomato and cause him to become Intrigued as I am, I feel it would be a an actor, or an Olympic athlete. little unfair to start experimenting on my cousin's small children. After all, At this point, I should exonerate my one of the little dears isn't due until husband, Toby. He complains that September. Mind you, if I force feed everyone assumes every sad `spoddy'

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 71 Afterwards thing in my columns is his behaviour. And no, that's not the same as I ask you, why on earth would I stick choosing brands of ketchup. to making fun of one spod, when we have them queuing up for ridicule? Yet, in spite of this fearlessness when No, I'm the generous sort, I'll mock it comes to that round, red fruit, Toby anyone. can out-techie some of The ARM Club Committee and is employed as a Choose software consultant by a supposedly Anyway, back to the case in hand. up-and-coming Internet site. He's Toby not only eats fresh tomatoes even the man in charge of making when offered them, he'll even choose sure their site runs properly on your types of tomato in the supermarket! Acorn.

72 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Still a spod going off at odd hours of the day and So we've established Toby is still a night simply because some idiot did spod and sent him off into the jungle something strange to a computer. of cables that is up-and-coming company's server room to do some Perhaps that is the key. All the serious research. previous advice I've offered about finding women may be utterly The first interesting specimen that he useless. Maybe all a spod needs to do came across was the Operations to make him (or her) self more Manager. attractive to the opposite sex is to eat fresh tomato. I know it's a tough For the less techie among you, that challenge but maybe, just maybe, it means the bloke that keeps the really could be you getting your dream big computers up and running and he ticket to the girl of your fantasies. has nothing to do with your position on the NHS waiting list. Girl of your fantasies OK, maybe not the girl of your The Operations Manager also likes fantasies, especially not yours Druck, tomatoes. This is strange. Any man that'd be illegal, but something who, like Toby, delights in the arrival coming faintly close anyway. of a new big Sun machine the way new parents coo over a baby cannot You never know, you may find it's so deny being pretty technically minded. long since you tried a tomato that they aren't that bad after all Ð or at least Wives the benefits may outweigh the So, other than a love for computers trauma. that are too big to fit in the lift, what do these two have in common? Perhaps the clue was there all along, Wives. as tomatoes are also called `love apples'! Mrs Operations Manager is a lovely lady, in a non-techie profession, who Cartoons by Jan Pearce puts up with the Operations pager

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 73 Mental Maths Olympics

The National Numeracy Strategy software has been installed to a hard aims to improve pupils' fluency with drive enabling records to be kept, in numbers and encourage the the customary Sherston fashion. development of mental calculation strategies with much less emphasis on The exercises are based on seven formal written methods. different Olympic style events:

Di Hillage finds how children can learn to do calculations in their heads and score their way to an ‘Olympic’ medal and a certificate of achievement.

To become fluent requires practice rowing, running, swimming, archery, and this range of CDs from Sherston, ski jump, javelin and shot putt. currently available for Year 4 (eight to nine year olds) or Year 5 (nine to 10 Once the user has chosen his or her Year olds), provides plenty of event a coach will guide them through stimulating opportunities for such the strategy being used. Although the practice. explanations are clear and accompanied by spoken narration and Each CD focuses on some of the animated diagrams, it would seem calculation strategies for the year very desirable for the teacher to have concerned, as listed in the Numeracy covered the strategy with the class Strategy. beforehand, encouraging comments and explanations from the pupils as In the Year 5 example there are 21 expected in this style of teaching. such strategies each of which can be tackled at three levels of difficulty. A Some pupils may still benefit from the teacher control panel allows the coaching in the program but most teacher to set the strategies to be used would be better occupied in tackling for each pupil Ð providing that the the tasks and possibly developing

74 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Solve the sum to be in the running for an Olympic medal their own modifications to the Some of the programs marketed as suggested method. useful for maths practice contain so many sound and graphic effects that Twelve questions are given for each the user is distracted from the point of event with appropriate visual and the exercise. This CD maintains a sound effects for correct and wrong much better balance with sufficient answers until a final score is motivation for the user to try to achieved. improve their scores.

A conversion chart is provided to A considerable amount of convert these times, points or organisation by the teacher in setting distances into medal points. The three individual levels and the strategies to best scores are used to compile each be used will be needed to make full user's medal rating. use of the idea. Nevertheless there is

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 75 Medals to be won with a printed certificate to prove it every encouragement to do this with Mental Maths Olympics printed resources such as medal Year 4 & Year 5 certificates, score sheets etc. included on the CD. Price: £49.95 +VAT each (multi packs available) There is very little, if anything, in the Supplier: Sherston Software Ltd Sherston catalogue that will not be of Angel House, Sherston use in today's primary classrooms and Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 0LH this CD is yet another excellent Tel: 01666 843200 example of a way in which computers Fax: 01666 843216 can be used to help children learn. Email: [email protected] Web: www.sherston.com

76 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Now Read On (Part 2)…

ast month we looked at two of the Lfour new magazines which have appeared this year: Foundation RISC User and RISC Nation. The other two preferred not to be judged on their first issue and so we agreed to hold back until the second one.

In our second look at the new magazines which have now appeared on the RISC OS scene, Peter Jennings sees what the second one on CD-ROM has to offer.

The first two copies of APDL's bi- the welcome message and an index of monthly RISC World appeared in the CD's contents. February and April, with a uniform appearance, in plastic envelopes and a Both issues have the same basic similar format. There is no title page; sections, including Regulars the CD presents a collection of comprising My World (Editorial directories, some HTML pages, one comment), PD World, Gaming World, titled Index. Clicking this brings up a Puzzle World, Portable World and brief Editorial welcome with links Disc World (supplied software). This into a RISC OS section with sprites, section is followed by Features, an alternative non-RISC OS one with Reviews, Programming and PNGs and JPEGs and a contact page Advertisers, which of course all have which has details of how to get in different subjects in each issue. touch, subscribe or place an advertisement. There were two non-technical features in the first issue; one on using Selecting the RISC OS section (or its support services and a Wakefield alternative) leads to another copy of preview. The second issue had more

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 77 techie features, on HTML authoring, RISC World TeX, and viewing PDF, as well as a Annual sub (6 issues) £17´90 (UK) look behind the scenes at Castle Overseas £19´90 Technology and an article on using 39 Knighton Park Road Ovation Pro. Sydenham, London SE26 5RN Phone: 020 8778 2659 Reviews covered a data analysis Fax: 020 8488 0487 program and a font collection, plus Email: [email protected] some mini review in issue one and Web: www.riscworld.com DrawWorks Millennium and the Programmers Reference Manuals on Smash (was RiscAction) CD (reviewed by someone called Price per issue: £4´50 (UK) Mark Smith) in issue two. Europe £5´50, Others £6´50 (cheques payable to ProcAction) To sum up, it's an interesting read and 40 Honiton Road, Romford the mandatory PD is up-to-date and Essex RM7 9AJ useful. It would benefit from having a Email: front end to provide an opening title [email protected] page, for both presentation and ease of use for the less experienced. The RISC OS Foundation Annual Sub: £30 + £5´25 VAT There are six issues a year, reasonably 3 Clarendon Road priced at just under £3 an issue. Cardiff CF23 9JD Tel: 02920 492324 RiscAction/Smash Fax: 02920 440071 The fourth of the new magazines Email: [email protected] — the only one to be paper based — has changed its name from RISC Nation RiscAction (which, it was thought, Annual sub (12 issues): £15 suggested a games title) to Smash. (cheques payable to V A Evans) We have not received a copy in time 72a Botley Road, Park Gate to review it in this issue. Southampton SO31 1BA Email: [email protected]

78 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Coming in Eureka 36

(If it all arrives in time!)

In our next issue we hear how a network of different Acorn computers is used, with some very special and expensive peripherals, in the work of designing gliders.

There will be a look at the amazingly easy to use new spreadsheet and database which form part of the latest Studio version of Textease.

We have the next part of our new series on sed and awk, begun in our last issue, and learn how to write a simple but useful script.

We review the latest version of BEEBUG's Hard Disc Companion backup utility.

Remember Chocks Away and Architech? There's a sentimental look at some old favourites dating back from BBC and Archimedes days which may not be entirely lost to us.

Among the regulars, there will be some more Site Seeing around the World Wide Web, we'll find some more new computer games to play, there'll be another of our popular word puzzles and Gill will be revealing more of her innermost thoughts from the pages of her Journal.

And, of course, there will be more about the big RISC OS 2000 Show at Epsom.

Look out for it all dropping through your letter box in the Winter edition of Eureka.

Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 79 Club contacts

Email: General queries [email protected] Membership queries [email protected] Members' technical help [email protected] Product sales [email protected] Magazine [email protected] Software [email protected]

The ARM Club, Merton Court, 38 Knoll Road Sidcup, Kent DA14 4QU

Telephone (higher rates): General queries 07010 709849 Technical help line 07010 708098 Fax: 07020 954018

Web site: http://www.armclub.org.uk/

Published by The ARM Club

• Chairman: Toby Smith • Secretary: Chris Price • Treasurer: Simon Burrows • Membership Secretary: Rilla Paterson · Technical Help Co-ordinator: David Ruck · Internet & Products Co-ordinator: Tom Hughes · Open Days Advisor & Quartermaster: Ralph Sillett • Open Days Organisation/Support: John Stonier Discount Scheme Organiser: Rob Brown • Without portfolio: Matthew Cook Martin Ebourne Mark Smith

Editor: Peter Jennings © 2000 The ARM Club. All rights reserved

80 Eureka 35 Ð Autumn 2000 Benefits of membership The national club for all users of 32 bit Acorn computers and Pocket Books

• The Club’s magazine, ‘Eureka’, written by members, is published and sent free of charge four times a year.

• Free software to accompany articles in Eureka is available on the Club’s FTP site or can be sent to members on disc.

• Free Technical Help Service. We will do our best to solve any problems which you may have, by email, letter, telephone or fax.

• Special discounts for Club members from well-known companies.

• Regional open days and shows are regularly organised by the Club. Other events can be arranged on request.

• Special offers at shows and open days.

• Regional contact lists of other members, available on request.

• Opportunities to get involved in the running of the Club itself.

• School and Affiliate Membership available on request.

• Joining pack includes an extra copy of a recent issue of the magazine and software.

Annual membership £12 (+£3 joining pack for first year) Europe £16 and rest of the world £19 The ARM Club, Merton Court, 38 Knoll Road, Sidcup, Kent DA14 4QU Email: [email protected] Tel: 07010 709849 (Flextel)