The news is organised in chronological order, with the most recent stories at the top. Choose the month you require, then click on a topic heading to jump to the associated announcement.
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Spellings Computer Services Ltd and AAUG.net are pleased to announce a new email service to be launched at this years' Wakefield Show.
AAUG.net can now offer SPAM filtering and virus protection* on any aaug.net email address for 25UKP inc VAT per year regardless of the ISP you are with.
Our servers will virus check and SPAM filter all your incoming email before it gets forwarded onto your ISP, thus saving you the time, expense and risk of download unwanted emails which often contain viruses, explicit images or email scams.
We provide a web interface for all "quarantined" email so you can scan through it at your convenience to check for any legitimate email which has been filtered in error. You can then "whitelist" the sender so that email from that person will always be forwarded on in the future.
Our interface also allows you to "blacklist" senders and domains that you dont ever wish to receive email from, and future emails from those people will never reach your inbox.
Our advanced SPAM filtering uses a combination of Realtime Blackhole Lists (RBLs) which contain the source of thousands of known spammers, and advanced heuristics to spot SPAM messages which originate from sources not yet in the RBLs.
Customers who have domains registered through spellings.net may also add filtering and virus checking to their domain email for 70 inc VAT per domain per year.
AAUG.net will continue to offer their basic unfiltered email forwarding service, but this will now be priced at 5UKP per year (although existing customers will not be charged anything further for their unfiltered service)
Notes to editors
AAUG.net have been offering short, simple aaug.net email addresses which are forwarded to any existing POP mailbox for a number of years to fund AAUG activities.
Spellings Computer Services Ltd are the premier domain registration and web hosting company in the RISC OS market. With many 100s of domains and websites currently being hosted on our servers, we are pleased to offer this additional service to our existing and prospective customers.
*Virus filtering currently only scans for viruses known harmfull to PC and Windows users. Despite there yet to be any malicious RISC OS virus which speads itself via email, we recommend using a RISC OS virus checker (such as !Killer or VProtect) to scan any RISC OS executable received as an attachement via email.
www.aaug.net
www.spellings.net
The system will be supervised and demonstrated by its owner Adrian. The Domesday system is now part of a rather interesting collection of computing through the years. Full details on his website: http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk well worth a visit.
The Domesday system was a then state of the art electronic 'Domesday book' but for the modern era. This will be a rare chance to see a working system in action, so don't miss it!
10:20 Castle - The IYONIX pc - the fastest RISC OS computer. 11:20 Brian Jaques - Scribbles from a Web Writing CD
12:10 MicroDigital - Designing for the RISC OS desktop market 13:10 Simtec - USB on RISC OS
13:50 RISCOS Ltd - Select 3 Features
15:00 Castle - The IYONIX pc - the fastest RISC OS computer.
Please note that the theatre will this year be in the main hall, not upstairs. This is because the room we used upstairs (a keep fit room with treadmills etc) has been leased for 99 years to a private company by the council !!
So don't miss coming to this years show, tell your friends. Make sure everyone knows to come. Remember the prize draws!
So come and see a working Domesday system.
Try and win one of the many prizes including an Omega.
Its only 5 ukp entrance fee for Adults under 16's free if accompanied by an Adult.
Full show details on the show website http://www.wakefieldshow.org.uk
http://www.mikejs.com/riscos/amplay.html
There are downloads for the main application and text documentation, HTML documentation, and also update archives containing just the files changed since 1.50.
The AMPlay configuration program (AMPlayCfg) has not changed.
Documentation can also be viewed online at;
http://www.mikejs.com/riscos/amplay/docs/html/index.html
I've just uploaded version 1.07 of DirSync to my website. You can find it at http://home.c2i.net/jjvdgeer/riscos/ or the dedicated pate at http://home.c2i.net/jjvdgeer/riscos/dirsync.html
New features in this version:
DirSync is a program that allows you to visually compare two directorystructures. There are several ways of filtering the type of differences you want to see (only newer files, only files that exist only in one of the directories and so on). You can mark those files you want to be equal, select the direction of copying, and then synchronise them.
DirSync is almost freeware, but not quite. You must send me a mail that you're using DirSync if you decide to leave it on your harddisc...
Drobe Launchpad - http://www.drobe.co.uk/
The RISC OS news and information website Drobe Launchpad has just recently enjoyed some new additions and site developments. Here's the latest features added to the left hand menu on the website:
This is on top of the forums, article comments, the new FAQ section, wallpaper, newsgroups via html, the online republishing of Acorn User magazines, online StrongHelp manuals, two RSS feeds and not forgetting the comprehensive search facilities absorbed from AcornSearch.
Drobe updates daily with RISC OS related articles and commentary - visit:
Powered by ARM, fueled by caffeine.
The arcem-devel mailing list has been created to encourage discussion by developers, or other parties interested in arcem's internals. It's expected to be a low-traffic list.
You can subscribe by sending just the word `subscribe' in the subject or body of an email to arcem-devel-request@lists.sourceforge.net or on the web at
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/arcem-devel
arcem is an Acorn Archimedes hardware emulator released under the GNU GPL.
If you wish to bring an item to the show on the day, you can do so, otherwise if you have any items for donation that you wish to let us have prior to the show weekend.
Please either send or take your donations to:
Wakefield Hospice (Fund Raising) Ltd
Hemingway House
Thornes Moor Business Park
Thornes Moor Road
WAKEFIELD
WF2 8PG
They can accept deliveries direct by hand between 8:30 am and 4 pm Monday to Friday
PLEASE ENSURE YOU MARK THE PARCEL:
"FOR THE ATTENTION OF TERRY RIGG - WAKEFIELD 2003 SHOW"
Please do contribute something if have something to give, So far nothing has been received at the hospice, usually their office is full by now.
So start sending things NOW!
The list of prizes is not in any particular order of the draw, It is simply a list of the items in the draw.
Note the draws will take place at the following times approximately, 12 Noon, 13:40 and 15:45.
When you get your ticket on entry, you will also receive your entry form (its forms part of the ticket).
You MUST fill this form in to enter the draw. The entries should be placed in the designated competition entry boxes, the main one being on the WROCC club stand.
Please ensure your entry is legible (in capitals please). If you damage your ticket then a replacement can be done, but only on production of your entry ticket - enquiry at the WROCC stand (all entries are numbered and will be crossed checked to prevent cheating - we don't want a repeat of what happened three years ago when we had a few jokers trying to fill in dozens of entries forms !!)
We are also not doing advance tickets this year, they are only available on the day.
Following some discussion on csa.apps, a new discussion group has been created -- ROAST, the RISC OS Astronomy mailing list.
The list, hosted by SmartGroups, is for discussion of all aspects of astronomy related to the operating system RISC OS and the computers which run it. Typical subjects would include:
Note that astrology and similar pseudosciences are NOT suitable topics.
All levels of expertise are welcome, from beginners to advanced to astronomers of the armchair variety. You don't have to own a telescope!
The group has a home page at http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/roast
You do not need to access this web site in order to join the list. Just send an email to mailto:roast-subscribe@smartgroups.com
To leave the list, email mailto:roast-unsubscribe@smartgroups.com
Clear skies
http://www.photodesk.iconbar.com
Peter Killworth has re-released Tim Birks' excellent graph-plotting program !Tau, and updated it to include colour, definable linestyles, etc. !Tau is designed to produce publishable quality graphs first time (unlike almost any other package!), and yet is infinitely adaptable by the use of style files.
You can acquire a Packdir'd version of !Tau at Peter's website. Go to:
http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/JRD/PROC/people/pki/pki.hmtl and click at the bottom of the page where indicated.
Hi all,
check out my new website;
A site devoted to the restoration of Acorn computers, and Acorn related hardware. Showing proceedures for stripdown, cleaning, upgrades and repair of 8 and 32bit Hardware.
The site is in its infancy, alot more to go up, so keep checking back.
MP3ToWave is a little command line Perl script based on AmpApp with an FrontEnder II frontend that convert a directory with MP3 files to Wave files.
Chttp://www.arcsite.de/hp/cms/
Schema 2 is one of the award-winning spreadsheet previously published by Clares Micro Supplies. Boasting a huge number of professional features, it's also somewhat easier to use than many of the Windows and Mac OS offerings. Full details are available through the APDL/ProAction page on the APDL web site; but important details are:
The new price is just ukp59; but due to the wait of the manual purchases outside the UK will attract a ukp2 postage cost. If you have any queries please email info@apdl.co.uk, write to APDL, 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN or call 020 8778 2659.
ProArtisan 24 is the latest development in the hugely successful Artisan series. Designed for RISC OS computers running RISC OS 3.5 or later, ProArtisan 24 is a no compromise 24 bit graphics package that provides 16.7 million colours for image creation and display.
This means that the tools provided, such as chalk, water colour, pastels, etc, closely mimic their natural counterparts. These brushes can also be used to render intricate Draw paths, resulting in Draw images rendered in any brush type.
If you add to this:
With all of this together you have a very powerful image editing and processing tool.
The new price is just ukp29, and their is a ukp1.50 carriage charge for orders outside of the UK. For details, email info@apdl.co.uk, call 020 8778 2659 or write to APDL, 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN.
BeebIt is a freeware BBC Micro computer emulator for RISC OS versions 3.00 and above. It emulates the Acorn BBC Model B, BBC Model B+ and BBC Master 128 computers. BeebIt 0.50 has been updated so that it will now run on Castle Technologys Iyonix computer.
The following improvements have been done since 0.48.
You can get the latest version from
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mjfoot/ under the BBC link.
Topographer is a major application both for general use and the Geography curriculum where it allows children (and teachers) to have lots of fun whilst learning all about maps, contour lines, valleys, rivers, etc. In fact Topographer covers virtually all items found on Ordnance Survey maps.
The real breakthrough with Topographer is its 3D section which allows you to convert a 2D map into a 3D model on screen. Imagine turning a set of flat contour lines into a 2D map into a 3D model which clearly shows the hill - no more cardboard cutout models or papier mache! You define where you look from, and what you look at.
Topographer also covers aspects of the IT and maths curriculum with its modelling capabilites. Just stop for a minute and think of the projects that children could do with Topographer. They could make a map of the local area with churches, pubs, woods, hills etc and then view it from various places. If there is a new bypass proposed they could add it in to the existing landscape and see where it is visible from and what impact it is likely to have on the community. I'm sure you can think of a hundred and one topics.
Key features include
All this is available at a new price of just UKP19 inc VAT and carriage within the UK. For more information, email info@apdl.co.uk; call 020 8778 2659 or write to APDL, 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN.
Version 2.00 beta 3 is now available on the website.
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/daves/software/webgen2.zip
If I hear no more feedback I'll be making this version the full release version.
!Webgen2 is a simple application that will take a directory of images, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, SPRITE and PNG at last count, and turn them into a complete web site.
This message to advise readers that a new version of !Topten is available to download @ the URL below:
http://bgilon.free.fr/RISCOS/inettopten/tt32bin.zipBeyond porting the software to 32 bits compatibility, the new release offera some improvements in many aspects of its use.
For your info, !TopTen intends to provide the same functionality as the "Documents" sub-menu in the "Start" menu of the Windows 95/NT 4.0 shell. That is to remember in a single menu the latest objects (files, directories and now URIs) accessed from the Wimp desktop.
Althrough the software has been tested extensively on various architectures (from an RO3.10 A4 to a RO 5 Iyonix), the software is currently in beta status as some "advanced" features planned for the official release have been left out (at least until next official release given author's contingencies).
Bug reports or remarks are welcome.
Are you fed up waiting for your printer to finish so you can get back to using your computer? Then you need Spooler.
Spooler intercepts all printing from desktop applications and stores it temporarily on disc, then prints the document in the background so that you can continue working in the desktop. Spooler starts printing whilst the application is still sending the data, so you can get control of your computer much faster than you would normally.
Spooler can also produce extra copies of documents without the application doing any more work. It will also queue documents so you can send many documents at once, and then tell the printer to print them as fast as it can whilst you carry on working.
Spooler will work quite happily with any type of printer, with the exception of direct-drive lasers (such as the ArcLaser or LaserDirect offerings). Used in its simplest form, Spooler need just be loaded for it to work. No setting up is required. Spooler will install on the icon bar.
The new price of Spooler is just ukp9.90. If you have any queries please email info@apdl.co.uk, write to APDL, 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN or call 020 8778 2659.
Alpha Programming presents:
C O C O G N U T
peer-to-peer filesharing for RISC OS
The Gnutella network is based on the peer-to-peer organisation. In a nutshell, this means that there are no central machines on the network and anyone who joins the network becomes part of it. No-one owns the Gnutella network, which means that it cannot be shut down by hackers or government organisations, unlike networks such as the original Audiogalaxy system, where clients such as the Satellite client for RISC OS are no longer usable.
http://www.alpha-programming.co.uk/software/cocognut/
Things have been a little quiet on the DataPower front since we took it on back in February. Of course, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes, and it now seems right to tell you what we've been up to, and what our plans are for the product.
The purpose of the Registered User Scheme (RUS) is several-fold. Firstly, RSU members will receive the latest 26bit DataPower 2. This removes most of the infamous copy protection, and brings you bang up to date. The disc also allows reinstallation several times (on your own machine of course!) as needed.
Additionally, only registered users will be eligible for future upgrades, support and other items eg. we're working on the documentation/examples side of the product at the moment, as well as on the coding of the application itself.
The scheme also allows us (hopefully) to continue to fund DataPower development. Even if you're not interested in the 32bit version (on which the first phase of development is largely concentrated), all DataPower 2 users will no doubt be keen to see on-going development, and we have many ideas which we hope to be able to implement.
The registration scheme costs 25ukp for Single User (Site Licencees please email us) inclusive of VAT. Users who have bought/upgraded DataPower 2 from us since we took it on in February will already be registered, and therefore do not need to sign up again!
For DataPower1 users upgrading to DataPower2 and joining the registration scheme costs 50ukp at present. However this may rise shortly to reflect the on-going development, so now would be a good time to upgrade if you are thinking of doing so.
Please note: When joining the scheme we require you to return your old DataPower1/2 discs and would ask too for your IOTA registration number (this can be done by phone - the number is shown when you run Datapower, and in the Info box).
It is anticipated that this will appear in time for the Wakefield show.
As an incentive, you can become a Registered User (see above) AND pre-order the 32bit upgrade for 37ukp until the end of April. Remember that upgrades will only be available to Registered Users, and that the launch price of the 32bit upgrade will be higher.
R-Comp
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
GedcomWeb 3.01 is now available from
http://www.sinenomine.freeserve.co.uk/software/
This fixes a bug in the Javascript code used in version 3.00, which was released in November.
GedcomWeb enables you to convert GEDCOM files into JavaScript family tree Web pages. Even if you don't want to display your family tree on the Web, the output is still very useful for sending to relations who may not have genealogy software, as it will work with any modern web browser on any type of computer.
Improvements in 3.00/3.01 over version 2.04 include:
>From version 3.00 onwards GedcomWeb is 32-bit compatible. This means that if you are using it on RISC OS 3 or RISC OS 4 you will need to upgrade your System modules to obtain the new Shared C Library, if you have not already done so. These are available from the Castle web site, http://www.iyonix.com/32bit/system.shtml
And - if you were wondering - the output does work with Oregano 2, which is much faster at rendering the pages than Oregano 1 was.
Version 0.26 of MakeTable can now be downloaded from
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tigger/programs/progs.html
in the "Desktop Utilities" section.
MakeTable is a utility to convert CSV or TSV files into HTML tables, with various user options to control the format of the generated table. It will also read HTML files and convert any tables found back into CSV or TSV.
The latest version provides a command line interface in addition to the existing GUI, and corrects a minor bug (a typo in a glyph).
See our website for further details: http://www.doverltd.co.uk
We have a long history of coding for, supporting and documenting Acorn machines and can provide excellent support and advice to help your business complete any transitions which may be required.
This is to announce that DDF2Html version 1.02 has been available for download from http://www.bigfoot.com/~chrisbazley/utilities.htm#ddf2html since March 17th :-)
DDF2Html is a utility for converting Impression documents into HTML files, enabling you to send them to your PC-owning friends without losing quite *all* the formatting! It produces very clean HTML (although badly nested styles will be translated into badly-nested HTML tags). Notable features are that it produces correct 'paragraphing' (<P></P> tag pairs) and converts Publisher's auto-numbered lists into HTML lists, in addition to taking a good shot at converting all the default styles/effects and allowing you to define your own corresponding to specific HTML tags....
Changes since version 1.00:
For those of you that remember/still use !WebGen, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I am still developing it.
For those that don't !Webgen is a simple application that will take a directory of images, GIF, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, SPRITE and PNG at last count, and turn them into a complete web site.
Webgen2 Expands on the options Webgen offers, making the generated site much more flexible, both the generate in the first place, and to use and view.
All the code generated is as close as possible to the W3C's html standards, and should validate to 4.01 transitional.
I've just uploaded the first beta release of WebGen2
This has a large number of improvements and additions to the original !Webgen.
This is just an outline of the changes.
To get the latest copy, please go to
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/daves/software
Or, if you have the current !webgen, just load it to the iconbar and click on the 'web' icon on the info window.
!Webgen2 is NOT an update for !Webgen, it is a replacement.
!Webgen and !Webgen2 are applications that will allow you to generate a complete website from a directory full of images.
This is a beta version, please report any error you find, to support@starfiend.co.uk
With immediate effect, the Simtec USB card from Stuart Tyrrell Developments will be available at a lower price of UKP69.95 + Carriage + VAT = UK89inc.
In addition the price of our Simtec USB card + Epson 1660 Photo + FREE Drivers + FREE DP's Scanning software will reflect this change and will be reduced from a total of UKP278inc to UKP268inc.
Simtec's USB podule enables the addition of USB peripherals to RISC OS machines, including the RiscPC, A7000 and A5000 series machines.
Stuart Tyrrell Developments are committed to commissioning drivers for an increasing range of USB devices, including:
Keyboards, mice etc (included)
USB Hubs (4 port UKP10 when purchased with card)
Epson 1660 Photo Scanner (pack inc USB card UKP278inc). USB Wireless LAN devices (UKP79.95inc)
USB MP3-playing pen drive (UKP79.95inc).
We have a wide range of devices due for release over forthcoming weeks.
The USB Podule joins many offers in our UKP89 range, including: Simtec IDE podule + 40G drive offer (UKP89inc)
Simtec IDE podule + Zip250 offer (UKP89inc)
Keyboard controlled KVM switch (UKP89inc)
NET100 network card (UKP89inc).
Contact:
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
PO Box 183
OLDHAM
OL2 8FB
email: info@stdevel.co.uk
phone: 0845 458 8803 / 01706 848 600
fax: 0870 164 1604
Clarification and addendum to the Press Release titled "ArtWorks 2 and Crystal fly on the Iyonix" of 07-April-03:
I would like point out that the reported five-fold speed-up was observed when rendering Henk Huinen's illustration to a 1280 by 1024 pixel screen mode with 16 million colours. Rendering less complex files or rendering at a lower screen resolution is unlikely to show such a high speed increase.
Please note that this overproportional speed-up does not mean that the Iyonix is five times faster than a StrongARM RiscPC. The surprising extra speed-up is caused by the way Crystal works: Due to the fact that Crystal updates the screen at a configurable fixed time interval while rendering complex illustrations, a slower machine spends a higher proportion of the overall time updating the screen than a faster machine. Therefore, these figures cannot serve as a general machine benchmark. For the record: The screen update interval of Crystal was set to its default value of 2 sec.
In the context of comparing the computing power of two computers, publishing such a speed-up would be cheating, but please note that I am not comparing a StrongARM RiscPC to an Iyonix here. I am comparing a real-world task in two graphics design setups. As far as the end user (i.e., the graphics designer) is concerned, the important thing is productivity. When working on Henk Huinen's illustration a graphics designer using ArtWorks 2 on the Iyonix can enjoy the same quality of service (rendering to a 1280x1024x16M screen with a 2 seconds update interval) while getting control back 5 times faster than someone using a standard RiscPC based setup, which means that the ArtWorks 2/Iyonix setup provides the basis for a significantly higher productivity.
For those interested, the timings were as follows (1280x1024 screen mode):
The timing on a RiscPC without ViewFinder had to be made in 256 colours (because this is the highest colour depth supported at the given resolution) and is remarkably similar to the ViewFinder result in 16M colours, which is not surprising because this is a Crystal-based drawing and Crystal eliminates most of the significant slow-down imposed by ViewFinder on applications rendering graphics directly to the screen.
Hi, i have just uploaded a new game to my site
http://www.cloudsprinter.com/software/
This game is quite addictive and involves guiding your 'blob' along a moving conveyer belt avoiding hazards and collecting red 'blobs'. Shocking storyline i know, but dont let that put you off!
It will only work on computers with MODE 28 but i doubt it will run very well on anyhting less than a StrongARM.
Features:
Fully 32bit complaint.
6 Difficulty levels.
Level Designer.
0k of hardcore progressive house music.
59k of graphics.
19k of sound.
As promised in the "Epson Stylus C62" thread on .hardware last month, I have written a short tutorial for setting up TaborcaGS to enable printing to a PDF.
This allows any RISC OS user to generate files which can then be printed on almost any computer system in existence (as long as it can read and print PDFs).
This is especially useful bearing in mind RISC OS' current printing situation, where drivers for new printers are becoming scarce. Users can now print to PDF and send these files to any Windows/Mac/Linux box for printing using the native drivers for these systems.
There have been complaints that TaborcaGS can be very hard to set up intially, so my short tutorial aims to clear up these problems.
It should be noted that R-Comp provide a similar, very effective solution in UniPrint, which is in many ways more easy and fluid to use than TaborcaGS, and is also fully supported by R-Comp. This does cost money however, and so in order to avoid monopoly situations arising ;-) the TaborcaGS method is also available (and free of charge) although I don't know how much support the author is willing to give.
Available now at http://www.tamias.co.uk
First benchmarks of the current development version of ArtWorks 2 running on Castle's XScale-powered Iyonix computer have shown stunning results beyond expectation.
Henk Huinen's well-known "raindrop" illustration, the front cover of the June 2002 issue of Acorn Publisher, renders more than 5 (FIVE!) times faster on the Iyonix than on a StrongARM RiscPC with a ViewFinder card.
Compared to emulating ArtWorks 1.7 using Aemulor 2.10 on the Iyonix, rendering this illustration in ArtWorks 2 running natively still shows a threefold speed-up.
Henk's illustration requires more than 80,000 shapes to be rendered and makes heavy use of Crystal's transparency options. It is undoubtedly one of the most complex ArtWorks illustrations ever created.
ArtWorks 2, the new 32-bit compatible version of the platform's best-selling advanced vector graphics application, is planned to be released at this year's Wakefield Show on May 10th. More details about MW Software and ArtWorks can be found at http://www.mw-software.com/
I just released version 4.4.2 of my Doom port DIY. It mainly fixes some bugs in version 4.4 Darren Salt and I came across:
Download the archive containing the DIY source code from my homepage at http://home.t-online.de/~zarquon/DIY.html#diy442
Enjoy,
I've recently uploaded Verma 0.22 to my site:
<URL:http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/lenny/riscos/soft/index.html>
Verma is a utility that displays detailed information about Modules that are located in memory or on disc.
This release extends the detail provided by the single module window - it now lists flags info and commands/keywords as well as SWIs. Also, this window's contents can now be saved.
Suitable for use with RISC OS 3.10 - 5, though does require the new 32-bit CLib (AND CallASWI 0.03) on pre-RISC OS 5 machines.
Lenny.
ALLIGATA MEDIA [kinda...]
6TH APRIL 2003
The first in our new series of RISC OS books is a relaunch of Martyn Fox's excellent First Steps in Programming Acorn RISC OS computers. This first book, details of which will be available shortly, focuses on providing a clear introduction to many aspects of RISC OS programming. There is a sequel focusing on WIMP programming; and as such this book advoids the subject entirely.
This book is different from others to be released in this series as it will be on a not-for-profit basis only; with at least 4.99ukp from every book going to the Cats Protection League.
The book, including supporting disc, is to be priced at 12.99ukp; postage is an extra 2.00ukp. It's an expensive book to produce, so I do apologise; and as it's a charity effort postage is an extra - if you'd like to save some money, I'll try and have some copies available at Wakefield.
This title will be on a strict print run - as such, if you'd like one please email david@alligatagroup.co.uk to confirm your interest.
This is to announce the stable release of version 0.33 of Director
All the archives can be downloaded from:
http://director.sourceforge.net
or
http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/director
Director doesn't memorise whatever <wimp$scrap> equates to. Director does memorise files which had been MenuMenu-ed. Fixed checking for pre-RISC OS 5 before setting up the BackIcon filters. (Richard Hallas)
Since the last stable release of Director the following changes have been made:
32-bitted Director and associated utilities.
Added French resources, with thanks to Jerome Mathevet. Added RISC OS 5 Sprites. (Richard Hallas)
Checks for pre-RISC OS 5 before setting up the BackIcon filters. (Richard Hallas)
Added -maxwimpslot to DirectorOptions.
Added CVSMenu and added support for this into MenuMenu. (Dan Ellis) Expanded FilerMenu and added support for this into MenuMenu. TreePick can now accept multiple filetypes in one go. (Lenny) Miscellaneous MenuMenu changes.
Fixed Memoriser to handle badly formed data load messages. (Matthias Faust)
Fixed the "Close Filers" menu option and removed its keyboard shortcut. (Harriet Bazley)
Fixed handling of long system variables under RISC OS 3.1 (Harriet Bazley)
Bug in DirectorEdit fixed.
Bug in DirectorURL fixed (and other changes to DirectorURL). (Lenny) Bug fixed if there is an error when starting Director. (Harriet Bazley)
Other miscellaneous bugs fixed.
Director also allows an alternative and faster view onto files in the form of directory menus and allows these menus to be attached to other menus also.
Director has some other useful features such as remembering the most recently used files, the ability to add key strokes into the keyboard buffer and the ability to produce directory menus over drive icons.
Director is fully customisable by the user, and can do many or all of the functions of Pinboard+, TreeMenu (AKA DirMenu), Filer-, QuickDir, DeskUtils, Memorizer, Menon and some of the functions of Filer+.
Pleased to announce the release of a '32 bit' version of !DrawGen.
The new version can be obtained from the page at
http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/DrawGen/dgen.html
The new version is functionally identical to the previous '26 bit' version. Hence if you have a RiscPC you do not require the new version, although it should work OK on a RiscPC. The 'old' 26 bit version remains available via the above webpage.
However if you have an Iyonix you will require the new version if you wish to use !DrawGen.
!DrawGen is a module/system to ease the process of creating DrawFiles from programs. It can be used from BASIC, 'C', 'C++', FORTRAN, etc. Example programs and explanations are provided on the DrawGen pages.
You are welcome to use !DrawGen without charge, and may make or distribute copies as you choose so far as I am concerned. Use and enjoy. :-)
Please note, though, that !DrawGen uses the ABC Library module. This is a commercial product. My understanding is that you may copy and use the ABCLib module I include for 'private' purposes, but may need permission from the copyright holders of !ABC for any 'commercial' use.
I've just uploaded version 1.06 of DirSync to my website. You can find it at http://home.c2i.net/jjvdgeer/riscos/ or the dedicated pate at http://home.c2i.net/jjvdgeer/riscos/dirsync.html
New features in this version:
DirSync is a program that allows you to visually compare two directorystructures. There are several ways of filtering the type of differences you want to see (only newer files, only files that exist only in one of the directories and so on). You can mark those files you want to be equal, select the direction of copying, and then synchronise them.
DirSync is almost freeware, but not quite. You must send me a mail that you're using DirSync if you decide to leave it on your harddisc...
I've just had a burst of organisation and finished off updating all of my freeware that was easy to update and uploaded it. I've even managed to update some of the programs that weren't so straightforward too, where they were more vital.
The updated programs are:
WinEd - A template editor
FormText - Paginates and formats text for plain-text printing THSound - A programmer's module for playing sound samples Jpeg2Spr - A front-end for converting JPEGs to sprites NewsFind [1] - Searches emails and news messages in Newsbase StripOSLib - Strips the OSLib C library, making it easier to use in conjunction with other libraries (and faster compiling) SmartOpenDir - Changes filer display sort and format options on the fly in response to number of objects and patterns in the directory name
ArtToSpr - Creates sprites from Artworks files with a wealth of scaling options
WinSnap [2] - Makes windows stick/snap to the edge of the screen like X window managers
Follow the URL below for more information and downloads.
[1] I heard the old version didn't work properly with the new SharedCLibrary. I hope this will fix it, but if it doesn't, at least the source is now available, so somebody else who still uses it might be able to find a cure.
[2] A complete rewrite, now works properly with Toolbox applications.
The !Reporter application enables the easy display of text and variable values in a debugging window from Wimp programs (especially BASIC), Obey files and more.
!Reporter v2.50 is now available, and the main changes are...
Many thanks to those who helped with Iyonix testing, especially Ian Hamilton. The RISC OS community at work!!
Full details are available from http://www.avisoft.force9.co.uk/ and it can be downloaded from there as a zip archive file.
Also available for download are ...
Any comments on the web site, or the applications, always welcome.
Following the full release of Aemulor Wimpbasic.org has taken the oportunity to test all of the software held on the site. We are pleased to advise that the amount of compatible software has now risen to approx 95%.
If your favourite piece of Wimpbasic software did not work under the trial version of Aemulor then please check the site again, as it may well work properly.
Wimpbasic.org would like to thank the Aemulor team for a brilliant piece of software.
Wimpbasic.org is the new home for all things Wimpbasic. We are on the lookout for new programs written in Wimpbasic along with any half completed projects. We are also interested in taking on completed projects for maintenance reasons, especially if the author has left the scene.
Wimpbasic.org would like to hear from users/programmers intersted in up to date versions of Wimpbasic.
ROX-Filer 1.3.8 (developer release) is out now!
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_filer.php3
ROX-Filer is a small, fast, powerful filer for Unix, Linux and compatible systems. Its user interface is based on the RISC OS filer, and it supports similar concepts, such as application directories, drag-and-drop saving and popup menus. It also implements a RISC OS like pinboard, and a panel which can be used in a similar way to the RISC OS iconbar. It also supports many features not found in RISC OS, including thumbnails of images, keyboard short-cuts, many more options, powerful search facilities, etc.
ROX-Filer can be used on its own, with another desktop (such as GNOME, KDE or XFCE), or as the core component of the ROX desktop. The ROX desktop aims to bring all the good features of RISC OS to modern systems. Get ROX-Filer here: (source and Linux-x86 binary archives at present):
http://rox.sf.net/rox_download.php3
The filer now requires GTK+-2.0.x or GTK+-2.2.x (which easily alongside Gtk+-1.2):
Screenshots:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/index.php3
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.php3
The filer is distributed under the GNU General Public License, which means that anyone can modify it, use bits of it in their own (GPL) programs, etc. Indeed, many of the improvements made to the filer were added by other ROX users and posted as patches to the mailing list.
Changes since 1.3.7:
New features:
Changes:
Translations:
Bug fixes:
OTHER NEWS
The new MIME-Editor application can be used to edit the MIME database used by the filer (this database allows files to be assigned MIME types based on their names, and human readable textual descriptions given in any number of languages for them):
http://rox.sourceforge.net/mime_editor.php3
There's a new tutorial, showing how to add menus and options to your applications:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/tutor_applet2.php3
The tutorial examples are written in python. You may like to read my 'Python for BBC BASIC programmers primer' here first:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/BASIC/basic_python.html
ADDRESSES
There are installation and getting started guides available. The getting started guide has lots of screenshots and may be interesting to people thinking of trying ROX, or wondering what it looks like.
http://rox.sourceforge.net/install.php3
http://rox.sourceforge.net/guide.php3
You can read more, download ROX-Filer, read the comments people have made, and look at some screenshots here:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/comments.php3
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.php3
There are two mailing lists; rox-users and rox-devel. You can subscribe here, or look at the archives:
http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=7023
A selection of tutorials on writing ROX applications is available on-line:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/tutor.php3
Enjoy!
An MPEG movie player. This release provides,
I must again thank Andre Timmermans for a comprehensive overhaul of the Video decoder, fixing my bugs, and also for allowing me to include a set of suspiciously familiar controls.
Download your free copy from,
http://www.everett9981.freeserve.co.uk/pete.htm
KinoAMP is a version of Kino using AMPlayer to play the soundtrack. It is based on Kino v0.3 from eQ R&D, and was produced to provide improved operation on StrongArm machines. This version is 26/32 bit neutral.
I've just uploaded version 0.60 of !ConfiX, which can be downloaded free of charge from:
http://www.xat.nl/en/riscos/sw/confix/
New in this version:
Any questions, please write to support@xat.nl
Stuart Tyrrell Developments are pleased to announce a hardware MP3 player for use with RISC OS machines.
This device combines the convenience of plug-and-play FLASH storage with an on-board MP3 decoder to provide possibly the most convenient music solution available.
The player is fully supported by our USB podule from Simtec, and contains 64MB of flash memory. A full filing system is supplied and the device can be used for storage of important files, transfer of files over to a PC or to other machine equipped with Simtec's USB podule. Any MP3 files stored upon the device may also be played using the supplied headphones - it may be considered as an intelligent audio-playing USB pen drive. A simple intuitive wheel control is provided for play/pause/power/track forward/back and volume.
Total dimensions are just 9cm x 3cm x 2.5cm. Power is supplied by an internal Lithium-Ion battery which simply recharges when the player is plugged into the Simtec USB port.
A pack comprising the player, headphones and neck loop, RISC OS and PC software is available for UKP79.95 inc VAT and delivery.
The device requires Simtec's USB podule to upload files (or a PC). Iyonix not supported. Simtec USB podule UKP99.95 inc VAT and delivery.
Contact:
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
PO Box 183
OLDHAM
OL2 8FB
Phone: 0845 458 8803 / 01706 848 600
Fax: 0870 164 1604
email: info@stdevel.co.uk
The !TaskUsage application enables the processor usage of a RISC OS computer to be easily monitored for each task or reason code.
!TaskUsage v1.60 is now available, and the main changes are...
Many thanks to Dave Ruck for allowing me to use his Iyonix timing code, and to Steve Pampling, Ron Briscoe & Jan-Jaap van der Greer for testing on the Iyonix. The RISC OS community at work!!
Full details are available from http://www.avisoft.force9.co.uk/ and it can be downloaded from there as a zip archive file.
Also available for download are ...
Any comments on the web site, or the applications, always welcome.
ARMalayser version 0.44 is now available from http://www.armclub.org.uk/free
Manin enhancements and fixes in this release:
It has extensive analysis features to detect problems that may be encountered when converting code to 32bit, and the assembler output may be used as a basis to produce 32bit versions of code where the sources are not available.
It is available for 26bit and 32bit RISC OS variants with a desktop front end, and command line versions for Win32, ARM Linux, x86 Linux and Open BSD.
There was a problem when creating a title that had a comma in it which subsequently caused the image in a thumbnail view to be blank. Now fixed.
The background of the thumbnail view can now be transparent.
It will handle files and directories dragged to the iconbar for immediate views.
It also includes an editable image details database based on the EXIF tag standard.
Catalogues can be pre-built from a directory(ies) full of images or appended to by dragging from a filer window. Images can also be dragged from a Digiflash window :-) and applications.
It will create an HTML version of a catalogue.
Read-Only sources can be catalogued (including HTML).
Section : software (funnily enough)
!ScanUsingPrinter allows you to scan in a document using your printer. Due to the way this works, !ScanUsingPrinter uses some of the quantum mechanical properties of light, this software will unfortunately only work on laser printers.
When the laser in your printer fires a beam of light at the drum, all the photons are in phase, and hit the paper. To print on the paper requires toner to be placed on the paper from the drum and cartridge. This requires Energy. If ink is already there, then no energy is needed, and thus you can detect what is already on the paper from the electical resistance of the laser.
The orignal alpha version coloured in the rest of the paper black, which wasted toner and ruined the initial copy.
However using new supe rook technology, as used in quantum cryptography, we no longer need to use toner, and thus do not ruin the orignal. This detects what the impedence would be if toner were used.
Requirements:
SA RiscPC.
This has not as yet been tested on other SA RISC OS computers, but we believe that it could work.
http://www.f451.freeserve.co.uk/extra/ScnPrint.html
See also
http://www.f451.freeserve.co.uk/extra/ProSpeedUp.html http://www.f451.freeserve.co.uk/extra/extra.html
Coming soon, !SuperMemulisor, a utility to increase the memory by up to 2 times using software techniques. Bits in memory can have two states, zero and one. Memory only uses one state at a time, wasting the other. !SuperMemulisor doubles available memory by using boths states in memory gates concurrently.
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