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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| 2002 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2002 |
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I have recently completed a brief introduction to the proposed sequel to my first game 'Overcast'. It is intended to set the scene for the game and give an insight into what kind of game it will hopefully become. It is available from http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/awestern/overIIc.html.
Apologies for the large size of the download. This is due to graphics and music. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback and advice is always welcome.
I've just uploaded version 1.36 of VZap which fixes a bug that crept into v1.35 whereby you could sometimes get false alert warnings of the Millennium virus.
Some people reported problems when running !BookMaker, but v1.36 should fix this problem.
I will also be attending the Acorn Southeast Show on Saturday, so if you would like updates or a chat, do come along and say "Hi".
We are announcing our brand new RISC Nation website at http://www.riscnation.com/ which you can submit your website, software, games and reviews on. It also contains information about previous issues of RISC Nation and how to subscirbe. Thank you all very much.
I have just uploaded a new version of !SICK at
www.software-evolutions.de/download/free
SICK is short for System Information and Configuration Kit (whereas the configuration part of the program is still missing). It gives lots of details about the RISC OS system it is running on.
Even if it is V1.00 now, it's still a development version. People could help me a lot by providing me with 'result files' which I may use for future developments.
I would especially be glad about response from people using less common systems, e.g.:
Or with systems containing unusual expansions, like:
And of course result files with wrong results. :-)
But even result files of 'common' systems may help me a lot, so don't hessitate sending me _any_ result.
Oh, and of course I would like to hear suggestions for future enhancements.
!NumberFix 2.2 is on my website at http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tudor. It has a re-arranged front end with JPEG rotation in a separate window. The controls have been made easier.
I'm working on a new version that will allow you to merge two directories automatically, but this will have to wait for the summer holidays. NumberFix is shareware, which means that all proceeds are donated to Limavady College. It is the only one of my programs that I use all the time!
For those that don't know, this is what Numberfix does:
Certain programs, Spacetech's !Photolink is one of them, output files numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ..... 10, 11 and so on. Often one deletes some of the files and wants to renumber the sequence. Sometimes one wants to insert sprites at the beginning. To do this one has to renumber all the files to, for example, 31, 32, 33, 34.
Often one wants to add extensions to the files, i.e. 12/jpeg. One might even want to call them Hol_12/jpg were 12 is the number of the file.
When files are called 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 12, the filer will list them alphabetically and 10 is in front of 2 and 3. This can only be fixed by renaming all single cipher number to 01, 02, 03 etc.
All these operations have one thing in common - they are a pain in the neck. NumberFix was written to cure your sore neck. It will do all the above operations with a click of the mouse.
New skins for DigitalCD are available at
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Horizon/4471/
and Robert Kerr opened a DigitalCD section at
For those who still don't know:
DigitalCD is a desktop music player compatible with RISC OS 3.1 or later (including StrongARM). It provides independent control panels for any connected CD drive and music files playlists. Its main features are:
This is a general announce. Specifically, Joern-Erik LEO Burkert tested txt2pdf on Acorn-risc RiscOS 3.5 He also create !txt2pdf: a RiscOS frontend for txt2pdf Requires: JFShared-Library by Justin Fletcher, !Perl for RiscOS and txt2pdf You can find it in the contributed/Acorn-Risc directory or directly at LEO's RisOS-page http://www.burkert.org/leo/acorn/.
txt2pdf is a very flexible and powerful PERL5 program (5 penguins at LinuxBerg, 5 cows at TuCows Mac and BeOS). It's a converter from text files to PDF format files. Why do you need txt2pdf? Most of your documents are text files Usually, your reports from legacy applications, DBs, ERP applications, datawarehouse are textual txt2pdf is a PERL5 script, so you can use it in every operating systems supported by PERL5 (View the list of OS tested) txt2pdf is a native converter, you don't need to pass through PostScript format txt2pdf is specific for text to PDF conversion, so you can mark yellow, red, green, blue or bold, italic, bolditalic (with PERL regular expression) words in the produced PDF files you can produce a 2-columns PDFyou can add page number in every page you can add text at the beginning and at the end of every file you can add a border to every page every word like http://... ftp://... mailto:... https://... file:... ldap:... news:... will become an URL you can create a link to a specific page within a PDF document http://...pdfdocument#pdfmark every word like mime:... will become a link that launch the correct application and opens the file you can use a few parse commands (e.g.[!blue]...[!/blue]) you can use background and foreground layers txt2pdf supports STDIN and STDOUT the fee for every licence is $55 SANFACE Software is going to give you a free licence for every good idea or for every good modify
txt2pdf is shareware. The txt2pdf source code is our company core business. We trust you. You can test text2pdf and modify it. You can't use a modify version of txt2pdf for production purpose. You can't resell txt2pdf or a modify version of it without SANFACE Software authorization. You can't copy part of it to include in your source without SANFACE Software authorization.
What's new in this version
Inside txt2pdf.cfg it's possible to use #!ENV#...#!/ENV# to specify environment variables The link box algoritm with Courier font is now correct
Test txt2pdf 3.5!
You can find it at http://www.sanface.com/
The Acorn Southeast Show will once again be taking place, on Saturday 1st July 1999 at The Alban Arena, Civic centre, St. Albans, Herts. The show is supported by the Welwyn Hatfield Computer Club.
St. Albans is ideally situated near M1, M25 and A1(M) motorways and is only 20 minutes by train from central London.
There are a number of car parks dotted behind and around The Alban Arena; which is situated in the city centre.
There is also a free bus shuttle service operating between both St. Albans train stations and the show. The first shuttle leaves the train station at 9.30am and the last leaves the show at 5pm.
| Acorn / Castle Technology | Fortran Friends | |
| Akalat Publishing | Icon Technology | |
| Aleph One Ltd | iSV Products | |
| APDL | Jonathan Duddington | |
| Archive Publications | R-Comp Interactive | |
| Association of Acorn User Groups | Really Good Software | |
| Blind Software | Reflex Electronics | |
| Chris Morison's Organizer | RiscAction | |
| CJE Micros | RISC OS Ltd | |
| CTA Direct | RiscStation Ltd | |
| Cumana / Cannon Computing | Serious Statistical Software | |
| Dalriada | Simnett Technology | |
| Digital Phenomena | Spacetech Ltd | |
| Electronic Font Foundry | Tau Press | |
| ExpLAN Computers | The ARM Club |
Games Arcade - Play the latest games for the Acorn
Charity Bring & Buy
Show organiser: John Stonier
I've just uploaded version 1.38 of my popular AntUtils application to my shareware site at http://www.vigay.com/shareware.html.
I've added a few new features, fixed a couple of minor bugs and changed the distribution status to 'Shareware' - to reflect the time and effort put into continued development of it. :-) (a full history documenting each version is on my web site)
Registered users should have received their registration code via email by the time you read this, but if you haven't, please email me for it.
I hope people continue to find it useful. As always, feedback is welcome and a mailing list is available for registered users (details on my web site).
First of all, the ROX web-site and mailing list have moved!
The new web-site is at:
Instructions for joining the mailing list are at:
http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=7023
Please update your links.
The ROX desktop aims to provide a RISC OS style GUI on Unix/Linux machines. Currently the filer is mostly finished and the desktop already supports drag-and-drop loading and saving, application directories and an iconbar. The desktop is stable and fully usable - I have been using it as my only desktop for many months now without problems.
The desktop 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 listed below were added by other ROX users and posted as patches to the mailing list.
Changes since the last post here:
Added the 'Set Run Action' minibuffer, which allows you to define the default application to handle a file by simply dragging such a file to the application! You can also enter a shell command...
Added the 'Select If' minibuffer, which selects all files matching the entered expression (eg 'size > 10Mb').
Changed the sort order for Sort By Type so that directories come before files (suggested by Chris Garrett).
`Single-click navigation' and 'Ignore case when sorting' now both default to On.
Fixed a bug which prevented tilde expansion from working in the shell command minibuffer.
Setting a run action by dragging to a symlink now dereferences the link (suggested by Ewan Mac Mahon).
Default search path for Choices is now:
~/Choices:/usr/local/share/Choices:/usr/share/Choices
Fixed (possibly) a bug which sometimes caused the redraw to miss bits.
Fixed a bug which could cause directories to appear empty when using VFS.
Replaced all the old toolbar icons with nicer ones stolen from GNOME ;-) Same for some of the file icons, plus some previews of Andrew's new icons.
Changed the Find and Permissions action windows to use the new Help icon instead of a text button.
Removed the 3D borders from the help and toolbar buttons when not selected (suggested by Ewan Mac Mahon).
Moved most of the icons from pixmaps to MIME-icons (outside ROX-Filer). Updated several of the remaining icons by copying them from the GNOME desktop (suggested by Volker Braun).
Added some code to truncate long filenames.
Just a small note that my email address will change from today. Because today is my last day at KITT Engineering, the old email can (and will) be removed in the future. So please if you want to email me about problems, ideas or whatever (except spam and junk mail) please email me on my new address: melis000@teenagewildlife.com.
For people who don't know what AcornICQ is ... AcornICQ is the RISC OS client from ICQ. Info about ICQ can be found on : http://www.icq.com. And AcornICQ version 0.21.1 can be downloaded from http://www.vigay.com/riscos/icq/.
And be ensured that I keep developing AcornICQ. But because of the changes in my personal life (new job, start living together with my girlfriend etc), development is a bit slow at the moment. I hope that development will speed up in a couple of days/weeks.
After a long delay, VZap version 1.35 is now available to download from my Shareware site at http://www.vigay.com/shareware.html.
Incorporating new and improved virus detection, including some new strains, better error handling and improved text messages.
It's also been fully tested with RISC OS 4 and Kinetic cards.
I've pleasure in announcing !Steg for RISC OS.
This is a simple application I've written in order to help people hide secret data files within seemingly random backdrop tiles. You can PGP encode your data file first and datafiles can be any file type you like. !Steg will then allow you to choose various colour schemes and options before creating a sprite file for you, which you can then use as a backdrop or an 'innocent' looking image in case the 'spooks' come round.
I've also uploaded !Tiler which is exactly the same application but with NO encoding facilities - ie. it ONLY creates random backdrop tiles. This is actually a decoy for !Steg in case the 'spooks' start suspecting anything.... :-))
Both are available now to download from my redesigned RiSC OS software site at http://www.vigay.com/shareware.html (redesigned in the sense that each of my applications now has its very own web page for clarity).
Please enjoy - and death to R.I.P. ;-)
PCPro 3 has been upgraded to 3.06 and all registered users may obtain the new version by completing the upgrade form on The Aleph One web site: http://www.aleph1.co.uk/.
Here is a list of new features by version since version 3.03
Full list of upgrades since 1.72 is available on the Aleph One Web site.
Announcing the release of version 1.62 of !WavEdit, a simple disk based WAV file editor for use in the production of Audio CDs. If you currently edit large sound samples using !Zap, goto......
http://www.tophole.freeserve.co.uk/software/index.htm
Please note. There are some reports of it locking up under RISC OS 4 when you try to play the sample. I am still trying to locate the problem but rather than delay the release any longer, I am posting this version now. If there is sufficient interest in the program, I will try to find a fix for all you RISC OS 4 users.
!SIBOConv is my RISC OS portation of a collection of file converters of Andrew Brooks which converts Psion S3 files from and to more common formats which can be used under RISC OS. Please note this software is not Freeware but PostCardWare. That means that if you are using this programs regulary you have to send a postcard of the city where you live to:
Andrew Brooks
c/o Satellite Station, Dundee University
DD1 4HN
Scotland
You can use the programs in command line mode but normally I prepared !SIBOConv for usage with PsiFS of Alexander Thoukydides.
Following tables show how the files will be translated:
| Psion S3 file type | RISC OS file type | Remark | ||
| Word | Text | - | ||
| Word | HTML | - | ||
| Agenda | TSV | - | ||
| Sheet | TSV | - | ||
| Sheet | HTML | - | ||
| Data | TSV | - |
| RISC OS file type | Psion S3 file type | Remark | ||
| TSV | Sheet | - | ||
| TSV | Data | - |
Note: Because I don't now a TSV-File type under RISC OS the TSV files have text file type but TSV format
Version is 3.81 according to the version of Andrew Brooks. You can download !SIBOConv from my Homepage:
http://home.t-online.de/home/thomas-milius/indexE.htm
The latest version of my freeware BookMaker hotlist management tool is now available, both as a Voyager VIX and as a stand-alone application.
This version can handle Oregano hotlists in addition to those already supported (Browse, Fresco, Webster XL and ArcWeb). Integration with Oregano is to all practical purposes seamless.
The BookMaker help files (or Voyager manuals) have been updated to include instructions for sharing a hotlist between any of Oregano, Fresco and Browse.
BookMaker can be found by pointing your browser at
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/tigger/programs/progs/
and following the "Voyager-related" link.
Just to let anybody who's interested know that an upgrade to version 0.45 of RiscPCB can now be obtained from http://www.idealist.demon.co.uk/.
This upgrade fixes a few bugs concerned with printing it stops RiscPCB mixing up its colour settings and trying to print tracks as white on a white background not very useful :-)
So if you are going to use printing from RiscPCB I would download this upgrade.
For those of you that have never heard of RiscPCB here is a short description of what it does.
RiscPCB is a FreeWare printed circuit board designer for Acorn RISC OS computers.
RISCPCB MAIN FEATURES ARE:
I have uploaded some utilities I wrote to tripod that people might find useful:
All of these are avilable from:
http://members.tripod.co.uk/~john_duffell/ silly banners included.
Comments, bug reports and possibly to tell me how good they are:
john@duffellb.freeserve.co.uk
These are not 'finished' software, but are fairly stable and there's no point in leaving them on my hard disc in working order.
!Stego, which implements a form of steganography, has been released at
http://web.bham.ac.uk/N.M.Queen/pgp/acorn.html
Steganography is the process of hiding messages in files which appear to represent something totally different. !Stego hides an ordinary text file or a PGP encrypted message in a sprite file. When the sprite is viewed, it looks like the sort of texture that might be used as a backdrop. This can be useful for people who need to conceal the fact that encryption has been used, or to conceal the nature of a plain text message with more casual security.
I've just uploaded a page to my website detailing how a Linux computer can be used as an internet router (masquerading) for a RISC OS computer. The method and instructions have been very kindly supplied by Jérôme Mathevet.
Serial Networking Website:
http://www.clementlee.freeserve.co.uk/
Some users of the DMI50 MIDI and sampling card have reported problems when using the card with RISC OS 4. In particular some people find that their machine will not Boot with the DMI card installed once they have installed RISC OS 4.
We have found a fix for this problem that we believe will enable the DMI50 card to be used sucessfully with RISC OS 4. Details of the fix can be found on our website at:
http://www.ESPMusic.co.uk/acorn/
Comming soon to a web connection near you:
Just look at some of the new-to-come features:
The address for all this will be http://come.to/acornsite/ as usual and will be up soon after the GCSE Exams have finished.
Please start sending requests to join, and articles for the magasine to me now so that I can start to compile a database of people that wish to recieve it.
Plus a design-the-mag-logo thing, where you can send me a logo for the mag or site, and the best one will be picked and used on the site/mag. It must clearky show AcornSite for the site and the mag one must be done in PLAIN TEXT and say AcornSite and SiteMag on it.
After it's been running a while, I've just realised that I never announced my RISC OS hardware resources website. So here goes...
http://www-stu.cai.cam.ac.uk/~atm26/
Contents include:
also various hackery on Cumana Indigo 300i (aka Panasonic CR562) CD-Rom drives. And other things vaguely RISC OS related...
I have just uploaded the latest patch to my freeware graphical exploration game 'Overcast' to my website:
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/awestern/over2.html
Please note that this patch supersedes the first small joystick support patch I released and can just be installed onto the downloaded game regardless of whether you have already installed the first patch.
For anybody who has already downloaded the game, this patch adds a number of features and fixes a known bug. The featurs are described on the website but the main ones are
I hope you enjoy the game.
For any help, as always, please email me.
PatchCDFS (my patch to enable long filenames in CDFS for CDs with RockRidge extensions) is now available in ROM Patch version thanks to Darren Salt's rom patch utility.
This version may be useful to those of you who were having problems with the patch before, and it also means that you don't have to load a new module into RAM on every boot.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~djkoshea/
Just launched at the new RISCOS.NET is 'The RISC Directory'
It's the most comprehensive links directory for RISC OS related websites and software, ever complied. Featuring well over 500 links in a 'yahoo' style directory system, you're sure to be able to easily find whatever RISC OS site you want.
Many of the links have a handy description and star rating so you can see which sites are the best; plus you are able to display the listings by either rating, hits or alphabetically.
Another great feature is that anybody can instantly add a link to the directory with just a couple of mouse clicks. And we would encourage as many people as possible to do this, so we hope the online RISC OS community can become much stronger, thanks in part to the directory.
Also on RISCOS.NET this week, we've got new feature article on Riscster, the mp3 sharing software, and some great cool clipart sites.
Finally just a reminder that you'll soon be able to sign up, FREE OF CHARGE, for a @riscos.net email account. Be sure to sign up quickly to get the name that you want.
riscos.net is published by zenta.com with portal services by oregan.net
This is the new 1200dpi replacement for the Kyocera FS-1700+ and was exhibited at the Wakefield Show last month. The increased resolution produces finer halftones for greyscaled objects.
Kyocera laser printers use a ceramic drum technology to facilitate low cost-per-page by replenishing only the toner. Like the FS-1700+ the new FS-1750 runs at only 0.3p per page (5% coverage), each toner cartridge lasting up to 20,000 pages.
Other specifications:
These are PostScript printers, and are offered with ExpLAN's PrintControl driver utility to facilitate ease of set-up. The driver includes paper-size definitions and feed command sets for manual feed, second cassette and duplex (double sided) operation, subject to the requisite options being fitted.
Pricing:
FS-1700+, 12ppm, 600dpi; ukp699, B-grade unit ukp509
FS-1750, 14ppm, 1200dpi; ukp749, B-grade unit ukp549
DX-21 duplex kit, ukp429
4Mb RAM upgrade (for FS-1700+) ukp13.50 fitted
Other models are available, please ask.
B-grade units are supplied subject to availability and have a 12 month rtb warranty.
Prices exclude VAT & carriage.
Site licence users should apply for terms/pricing before ordering.
ExpLAN have extended their range of printer drivers to include this model, which replaces the BJC-6100.
It is approximately 10% faster than its predecessor, but omits the features to handle oversized A4+ paper and the rear feed slot which could take cardboard up to 550gm/sq.m. Note that this is contrary to advertisements published elsewhere which was based on a flawed information sheet released by Canon UK to dealers in error last month.
The BJC-6000 series uses 4 separate ink-tanks held within 2 cartridges. Black-only printing is approximately 50% faster than colour, and is supported up to 1440x720dpi. Colour printing is offered from 180dpi draft mode up to 720x720dpi.
Speed comparisons are difficult, but for identical output Canon publish the following:
BJC-6200; draft colour 7ppm, monochrome 10ppm
BJC-6100; draft colour 6ppm, monochrome 9ppm
BJC-3000; draft colour 4ppm, monochrome 5.8ppm #
# Note that the BJC-3000 can clock up to 9ppm in black draft mode if you install the optional BC-30 monochrome cartridge.
All these models use 4 separate ink tanks.
Pricing:-
BJC-6200; ukp149 +VAT
BJC-6100; ukp149 +VAT (special offer whilst stocks last, was ukp179)
BJC-3000; ukp119 +VAT
Prices include a single-user copy of ExpLAN's PrintControl driver software which requires !Printers 1.64 or later (available direct from RISCOS Ltd). The driver for the BJC-6100 & 6200 is identical. Driver software available separately from ukp30 +VAT.
Note also that ExpLAN still has stocks of the discontinued BJC-7100 printer, which has larger ink capacities, cheaper to run, will handle cardboard (550gm) and has plain paper optimisation including a paper sealant fluid, which produces water resistant output.
The BJC-7100 runs at up to 600x600dpi at a comparable speed of 5ppm in draft colour (slightly slower than the BJC-6100). However the build quality is higher, as is the specified lifetime, due to the more chunky gearing necessary to handle the heavier cartridge system.
We are including the standard BC-61 colour cartridge (worth ukp32) which is normally omitted from this model.
BJC-7100 offer; ukp167 +VAT (was rrp ukp249 +VAT)
For discontinued models, Canon warrants that consumables will continue to be available for at least 7 years.
All prices given exclude VAT and carriage.
Site licence terms for driver software avail on request.
We have updated the database for EuroClac again this month with the May average exchange rates as received from our Bank ABN Amro.
You can find it on http://www.ekels.nl/eurocalc/index.html.
For those that don't know:
EuroCalc is a currency exchange calculator, in which you can calculate from one currency into all other 'Euro' currencies at once. For the non-'Euro' countries we have added 4 extra currencies that can be chosen by the user in the full version of EuroCalc.
EuroCalc has been made with S-Base, a very flexible database programmer. from Bluewater in New Zealand. See:
http://www.bluewaternz.com/
Hello everyone!
There is new stuff available on my homepage (www.patrick-mortara.de/):
This weekend is our tenth anniversary. After a lot of delays waiting for lines to be installed, Arcade BBS went online on Monday 11th June 1990.
To alert past Arcade users who we hoped might like to to celebrate the occasion by calling in again, I mentioned it some months ago in Acorn User.
As luck would have it, the actual day 11th June 2000 is a Sunday, but as luck wouldn't have it, David and I both have immovable other arrangements occurring this weekend. We will probably be able to logon on Sunday at some point, so we hope lots of people will call in again.
We think the best compromise for an actual meet is to have an informal get-together; a meal and/or a bevy to remember past times, this Friday evening 9th June. So at least YOU will be at home and at the keyboard ready to call in on Sunday!
As a reminder of that classic post-show meet in the early Nineties when the Pizza Hut in the Strand was taken over by Arcaders, that same venue has been suggested, and a meet time of 7pm, if it's fine, outside Charing Cross station. (Inside if wet - like the church fete!)
Anyone who can't make that time should come straight to the Pizza Hut in the Strand a little later to look for us. Turn right out of Charing Cross, and go about 200 yards (183m) up the south side of The Strand, away from Trafalgar Square.
If you'd like to come, would you kindly contact me so we can gauge the numbers, either by e-mail to david@arcade.demon.co.uk, BBS mail to #2, or the e-mail address below.
Regards,
Please note that Cerilica has now moved premises locally. This process took longer than envisaged and it is only now that we are back on-line after a break for more than a week due to the move.
Please ensure that you use the contact details as listed below. The PO Box postal address remains the same and the new customer phone number has been gradually phased in over the past three months.
Cerilica Limited
PO Box 40
Ross-on-Wye
HR9 7WH
ENGLAND
Any previously given postal address is now obsolete.
0870 2411731
(all calls charged at UK national rate)
Any previously given phone number is now obsolete.
Due to the move which followed directly on from the Wakefield Show, we have now got a number of oustanding RiScript and MMK orders. These are currently being processed as a matter of priority along with the update for Vantage to existing customers as per demonstrated at Wakefield (see the Cerilica WebSite, especially the screenshots and news pages, for further details). We are also working though the mound of e.mails that we have received over the past week, so rest-assured we will respond shortly.
Finally, thanks to all those who expressed such interest in Nucleus. No progress has been made since the Wakefield Show apart from the major website update but all news of its progress will be made on the Cerilica mailing list.
Nicholas van der Walle (Marketing Director)
Well, I downloaded Acorn's 65Host from http://www.acorn-gaming.org.uk/ and it didn't run on StrongARM, so I've updated it to run on StrongARM and put it at http://www.toth.org.uk/~aardvark/downloads/bbc/65host.zip.
Sorry if it's already been done.
I've just uploaded an ammended version of my RISC OS peer to peer guide. It now contains information on how to share drives via the FTP protocol. This method is ideal for those users with small system memory, or those who don't have OmniClient/LanMan98.
Serial Networking Website:
http://www.clementlee.freeserve.co.uk/
My new website contains some of my Heroes of Might and Magic 2 maps available for download. All those interested point your browsers at:
http://zennik.hypermart.net/jpb/docs/HOMM.html.
Comments welcome/encouraged.
Paradise are pleased to announce the release of their second RISC OS game:
O V E R L O A D
Overload is a fast, frantic arcade shoot-em-up! Powerful, varied weapons must be used to complete a series of missions over the action packed scrolling levels.
Whilst travelling through a small planetary cluster, you recieve an urgent distress message. Intelligent life does exist in this system! You quickly despatch your explorer craft and set down on the first of the planets.
Gameplay takes place over a number of areas over the different planets of the system. Your task - to rescue the beings of the worlds and destroy the invading alien craft! Along the way, you will encounter more fearsome invaders - only by learning how to use your varied weapons will you stand a chance!
The full version features:
Overload was released at the Wakefield RISC OS show, and is available right now, direct from Paradise, for just ukp 12.99 (Cheques to "Paradise Group")
A demo version is available from our website: http://www.paradise-uk.net/
---------------------------------------------------------
RISC OS "PlayStation" Joypad Interface
Also seen for the first time at Wakefield 2000, are the Paradise Joypad interfaces. The interface, which connects to the printer/parallel port, allows you to use "PlayStation" joypads, just as you would a standard joystick. Currently it supports the "Acorn" joystick system, which most games use, along with mouse emulation. Support for keyboard emulation is currently underway and should appear with in the next month. Right now, standard digital and analogue pads are fully supported with full analogue input from both sticks, and use of all 8 buttons. For full details of the latest supported pads and features, check out our website show below.
The joypad interface and support software is available right now, direct from Paradise, for just ukp 12.99 (Cheques to "Paradise Group")
The fourth release of PsiFS is now available for free download from:
http://www.thouky.btinternet.co.uk/software/psifs/
The most significant changes from version 1.20 are:
PsiFS is a freeware open-source RISC OS file system that communicates with a remote SIBO or EPOC device via the Psion Link Protocol (PLP). Files can be manipulated as if they were on a local harddisc, alebit a slow one, so copying is simply a matter of dragging icons between filer windows.
Reasonably complete descriptions of the Psion Link Protocol and EPOC SIS file format are also available from the same web site. These have now been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
I've set up a mailing list with eGroups, here's the charter:
"A forum for discussion of RISC OS Java related matters, including JVMs, compilers and Java-browser matters. Additionally, for discussion of RISC OS plugin issues - such as the Flash, SVG, Sound, etc plugins, and possible additons to the plugin specification."
This is an unmoderated group, anyone is free to join. Hopefully it will serve as a centralised forum and archive for the above matters, which is more relevant than newsgroups or Browser mailing lists.
To join, visit:
http://www.egroups.com/group/riscos-java-plugin/
!WimpDb 1.00 is a new interactive Wimp debugger released on 01-Jun-00.
What it does:
Supports debugging of BBC BASIC Wimp applications:
WimpDb seems to be the only debugger wich supports breakpoints so far. You can read/get about all details at http://members.aon.at/asl/RISCOS4/index.htm
WimpDb is shareware.
I've just uploaded a guide for linking two RISC OS machines together over the serial link. It describes how to initialise the link, and how to share resources.
Surf to: http://www.clementlee.freeserve.co.uk/
NB. Any suggestions/improvements regarding the new page, and the rest of the site for that matter, would be welcome.
The next official Version 0.09 of my Psion file converter !Psionconv is now avialable. You can download it from my Homepage:
http://home.t-online.de/home/thomas-milius/indexE.htm
!Psionconv is Freeware and Open Source. The program can be integrated into !PsiFS but can be used stand alone too. It converts Psion files and formats which can be used at RISCOS:
Following table shows how the files will be translated:
| Word | HTML | |
| Data | CSV or HTML table | |
| Sketch | Sprite | |
| MBM | Sprite | |
| Clip Art | Sprite | |
| OPL | Text file | |
| Recorder | ARMovie/Data file |
New at Version 0.09 is the conversion of Clip Art and Data files. There is also the possibility to translate single characters into other ones at OPL and Data to CSV conversion.
Data file conversion was a special problem because there was no information about its format before. So I had to decode it. Therefore there may be some bugs but all of the 20 files I tested were processed in a correct way.
If you are upgrading from an older version you have to remove or update your old configuration files by hand!
I hope you are enjoying the new version.
The Dutch Big Ben Club announces:
The major RISC OS show in the Netherlands:
RiscOS Expo 2000 - 17 juni - from 11.00h till 17.00h
Hotel Mercure Nieuwegein (near Utrecht)
Holland
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There will be stands from:
Holland:
The UK:
Germany:
Belgium:
The Big Ben CLub itself will have stands filled by members from Den Haag, Amsterdam, Kennemerland, Oost and Genealogy. Amsterdam and Kennemerland will show some ArmBSd/NetBSD systems.
Until the 17th!
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