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.
| 2003 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2003 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2002 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2002 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2001 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2001 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2000 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2000 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan |
Nearly all my RISC OS software has been updated. A summary:
To those that don't know any or some of the apps, a brief intro:
Visit the 'Software' branch of:
http://www.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink
ROX-Filer 1.3.10 (stable release candidate 2) is out now!
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_filer.html
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.html
The filer now requires GTK+-2.0.x or GTK+-2.2.x (which easily install alongside Gtk+-1.2):
Screenshots:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
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 1.3.9:
OTHER NEWS
There are new releases of ROX-Lib and MIME-Editor, mainly to cope with recent changes in the MIME specification:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_lib.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/mime_editor.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.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/guide.html
You can read more, download ROX-Filer, read the comments people have made, and look at some screenshots here:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/comments.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
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.html
Enjoy!
Richard Murray has asked me to announce that he has uploaded the latest version (1.50) of his Teletext software to be available via:
http://www.heyrick.co.uk/software/ttx/
where you will also find a description and details of the latest improvements.
For those of you who don't know, Teletext is free software for standard IIC teletext receivers.
It offers many useful features including a powerful script interpreter. It also has a cache which avoids having to wait until already-viewed pages 'come round again'.
Many of you will be aware that Rick has quit the UK to lead a different life in the French countryside without a telephone connection to the outside world (il faut faire les economies!).
I will therefore be happy to pass on to him any plaudits or brickbats the next time I see him.
Responding to a question on csa.programmer, the need was discovered for some way to do calculations on dates.
For this purpose the Calendar module was released.
It can do conversions of dates between different types of calendar (e.g. Gregorian and Julian), and perform calculations on dates (e.g. how many days are there between 1961-APR-06 and 1988-AUG-22).
It should be very usefull for application programmers who want to handle dates that lie before the year 1900 or after the year 2248 (which is the limit to the values in the 5-byte RISC OS centisecond timer). This applies to historical databases, genealogy programs, etc.
It should also be of great use to people who work with different types of calendar. The full version of the module will support, apart from the above mentioned Gregorian and Julian calenders, the Hebrew, Islamic and French Revolution calendar (including the 10-day weeks).
Plans are in the making for the automatic calculation of religious holidays (such as Easter) which pertain to each calendar.
The module is Freeware and is 32-bit compatible. It has an official SWI base number. You can find it on
http://www.xs4all.nl/~erikgrnh/riscos/calendar.html
As a result of a healthy Wakefield show, we have been able to work with our suppliers to bring down prices on our ADSL and cable broadband gear. The price reductions are quite significant in most cases, cutting the cost of broadband for RISC OS users!
The new "all inclusive" prices are as follows:
4 port ADSL router - 119ukp
This product includes the ADSL modem functionality, and has four high speed network ports for connecting your computer(s). The unit offers hardware firewall protection, and comes with RISC OS software, special manuals covering RISC OS and Windows installation, full technical support etc.
4 port Cable router - 119ukp
Similar feature set to the ADSL unit above, but designed for use with cable modems (eg. NTL and Telewest). Again, includes hardware firewall protection, software, manuals, support etc.
4 port modem/cable router with printer port - 169ukp Similar feature set to above, but with added serial port for modem or ISDN. The printer port allows printer sharing. Includes our Network Printer Driver software, as well as all the usual bits and bobs!
ADSL-in-a-box kit - 230ukp
Our "in a box" kits comprise of the router, cables, RiscPC Net100 network card, a high speed Windows/PC network card, cables, manuals covering both RISC OS and windows, file sharing, internet sharing etc., technical support and so on.
Network-in-a-box kit - 260ukp
This kit uses the 4 port modem/cable router with printer port as its heart, so includes the printer port and extra software. Suitable for cable broadband or modem/ISDN.
Please note that all prices *INCLUDE* VAT and UK postage/packing. We provide comprehensive documentation and support at no extra charge, as well as RISC OS software with all units, so that they can be used on both RISC OS and Windows (as well as Mac/Linux).
R-Comp Interactive
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
As I write, I can't tell if my previous, premature, announcement will already have reached the newsgroups - if you're a moderator and reading this, please take it as a request to withdraw the duplicate announcement of SideDiff 2.00 before it gets posted.... :-)
I uploaded SideDiff 2.00 yesterday and promptly discovered several bugs, most of them fairly obscure, some of them potentially lethal. As a result, SideDiff 2.01 is now available, fixing bugs with
The additional features of SideDiff 2.00 are also included for free :-)
See the original announcement, below:
SideDiff 2.00 is finally ready for download at
http://www.bigfoot.com/~chrisbazley/utilities.htm#sidediff
SideDiff displays the differences between two text or BASIC files in a parallel scrolling display, making it easy to compare two versions of a file at a glance. You can also copy changes from either file into the other, and save out the display in the form of a 'diff' file.
It is a RISC OS front-end to the GNU 'diff' and 'patch' utilities ported by Darren Salt, and can be used to display *any* unified diff file in a more user-friendly format. Note that due to problems with the 32-bit ports of these programs, the default SideDiff distribution contains 26-bit-only versions; Iyonix users may either use it via Aemulor or 'upgrade' to the beta ports in the add-on archive http://www.bigfoot.com/~chrisbazley/download/sidediff32.zip However, several testers (including myself!) have discovered that these are not yet entirely stable - those who can manage without are recommended to stick to the old versions for the moment....
This is a major new release of the program - the actual diff file loading code hasn't changed much, but almost everything else has! Most notable changes:
ROX-Filer 1.3.9 (stable release candidate 1) is out now!
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_filer.html
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.html
The filer now requires GTK+-2.0.x or GTK+-2.2.x (which easily install alongside Gtk+-1.2):
Screenshots:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
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 1.3.8:
OTHER NEWS
There are new releases of Edit and Memo, mainly to cope with recent changes in pygtk:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/edit.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/memo.html
A new ROX-Session release adds a Russian translation and a GTK theme selector, plus a few other improvements:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_session.html
Stephen Watson's ROX-CLib has been updated to support GTK 2:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/rox_clib.html
Geoff Youngs has created ROX-Rib, similar to ROX-Lib and ROX-CLib, but for Ruby programmers:
http://rox-ruby.sourceforge.net
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.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/guide.html
You can read more, download ROX-Filer, read the comments people have made, and look at some screenshots here:
http://rox.sourceforge.net/comments.html
http://rox.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html
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.html
Enjoy!
We shall be releasing 32bit versions of our products in the first 2 weeks of June 2003.
These include:
Other products which require direct programmatical access to the parallel port will not be made fully 32bit aware as the Iyonix does not offer such facilities.
PowerUSB - our USB Mass Storage solution for Castle USB cards and the Iyonix will be available shortly after this.
To use the 32bit features of our products; customers will need a Maintainance Contract with an expiry later than the end of May 2003.
I do not usually post announcements about bug fixes to my programs, but on this occasion the bug is so serious that I feel it to be my public duty.
Anyone who has downloaded version 2.05, 2.06 or 2.07 of my ScreenGrabber module should beware of using it - either get rid of it or upgrade to version 2.08 (released yesterday), which fixes the bug.
Insufficient memory was being allocated for the screenshot file path, leading to a several of bytes of RMA being overwritten every time a screenshot was taken. For the non-technical amongst you, corrupting the RMA will interfer with the operation of other modules and potentially even crash the computer!
By coincidence, the length of the default file path was such that (due to word alignment) no problems would manifest.
About ScreenGrabber:
ScreenGrabber is a module that allows you to take pictures of the screen display just by pressing a hotkey. The contents of the current graphics window is saved as a Sprite file, optionally including the palette. The snapshots are numbered, so you can take as many as you like without overwriting the previous picture.
A front-end program allows easy configuration of settings such as whether the hotkey is enabled, the current save location and base filename, and whether or not to include the palette.
You can download version 2.08 from:
http://www.bigfoot.com/~chrisbazley/games.htm#screengrabber
Sincere apologies to anyone affected,
The ARM Club has been lucky enough to be able to review the brand new MicroDigital Omega. To share this preview information and our opinion of the new machine with our members, we've prepared a pre-review of our first impressions of the new machine. This has just been emailed to all club members.
If you are a member, but haven't received the review by email, its likely that we don't have your current address on record. Please email your (1) correct email address, (2) name, (3) membership number and (4) postcode to membership@armclub.org.uk and we'll send you your copy of the review.
If you're not a member of the club, then you may want to consider joining in time for our in-depth review in the next issue of the member's magazine "Eureka". Membership information can be found at http://www.armclub.org.uk/membership/
Toby Smith
Chairman, The ARM Club
I'm pleased to announce the immediate availability of Gemini, the long awaited multi-platform version of the popular Messenger Pro mail and news client. Gemini is currently available for the Windows and Linux platforms and offers all the benefits and features of the RISC OS version and more, including:<
Further details may be found at:
http://www.intellegit.com/software/gemini/
Gemini is fully compatible with the Messenger Pro server edition and this combination is therefore an ideal way to share access to your mail and news across a mixed RISC OS and PC network.
Gemini is available on a 30-day free trial by visiting:
http://www.intellegit.com/trial.php
or may alternatively be purchased now, online by credit/debit card, from:
http://www.intellegit.com/purchase.php
Pricing is GBP 30 per platform per user, including VAT.
Mark Sawle
Intellegit Ltd
Version 0.20 of my free image processing program is now available for download from:
http://www.compo.iconbar.com/variation.htm
New in this version: Thumbnails may be scaled (useful for judging the change an effect will have on fine image detail), faster exif jpeg loading, lots of work on a new pointillist effect, basic image transformations (rotate, crop etc.) and a variety of other little enhancements.
There are also a couple of new screenshots available on http://www.compo.iconbar.com/variss.htm
...if anyone wants to 'try before they buy' ;-)
0.18 is still up in case anyone has problems. I'd suggest that those who already have it keep a copy tucked away until they're happy the new one is ok on their computer.
AMPlayCMD is a quick utility for people using AMPlay (my AMPlayer front end) 1.50 or later.
Its purpose is to allow you to use your favorite shortcut or launcher program to control AMPlay. AMPlay itself has keyboard shortcut support, but this only works when AMPlay has the input focus. Many launcher apps can assign actions to keyboard events even when they don't have input focus, and these can run AMPlayCMD commands.
You could also use AMPlayCMD commands from task alarms (via Alarm or Organizer), and have AMPlay wake you up in the morning, or automatically stop when it gets late.
AMPlayCMD v1.01, AMPlay itself, and various other AMPlay odds and ends are available for download from;
http://www.mikejs.com/riscos/amplay.html#download
Quentin Pain has generously allowed Transfer2 to become Public Domain software.
Transfer2 is a small utility which allows you to paste text from one writable icon field to another. It also allows you to save text to its icon and then paste it to another window. You can insert the text or replace it.
You simply select the text by clicking over the field with the adjust mouse button and then paste it in with the select button.
Its useful for example with browsers for pasting urls out to other applications or dropping in those long passwords for your banking pages.
Transfer2 should be 26/32bit neutral and is at
www.weatherpost.org.uk/transfer.zip (7k)
ENGLISH
Beginning on Saturday, 31. May 2003 at 11h until next Sunday, 1. June 2003 around noon is this years German RISC OS Show aka the big annual meeting of the German Archimedes Group.
Anybody is welcome, but please do drop me a line, if possible. (Entrance is EUR 7,-)
More details on www.gag.de/gag/treffen.html, or by email from me at mailto:hzn@hq.gag.de.
DEUTSCH
Von Samstag, den 31. Mai 2003 ab 11 Uhr bis Sonntag, den 1. Juni 2003 gegen Mittag ist die diesjahringe RISC OS Show aka das Jahrestreffen der German Archimedes Group.
Jeder ist willkommen, aber bitte schreib mir, wenn moglich. (Eintritt EUR 7,-)
Mehr Infos auf www.gag.de/gag/treffen.html, oder per Email von mir unter mailto:hzn@hq.gag.de.
Herbert zur Nedden
German Archimedes Group http://www.gag.de
Herausgeber DER deutschen RISC OS-Zeitschrift.
I've uploaded a new version of NetWatch onto my site.
Changes in this version:
NetWatch is available at my website:
<URL:http://home.student.utwente.nl/m.m.bezemer/netwatchuk.html>
For people who don't know what NetWatch is:
NetWatch is a program which keeps up with changes on the internet. The user has to mark the pages of his interest. NetWatch will fetch these pages at defined intervals and calculate a checksum (MD5). This checksum is compared with the store checksum of the page. When these checksum aren't the same the page has changed and NetWatch will warn the user. It's also possible for NetWatch to only download the header and to check the last modified date, so the page won't have to downloaded completely.
It's also possible to download something with NetWatch and when the download gets aborted for some reason, NetWatch is able to resume the download! (At least when the server is able to do)
ArtWorks 2 is the latest version of the most popular advanced vector graphics application for RISC OS. Create stunning graphics using advanced features like multiple transparency types (mix, stained glass, bleach), multi-column text areas, user-defined dynamic pattern fills, dynamic blends and replications, moulds and perspectives, bitmap and SVG export, linear and radial fills and many more. ArtWorks 2 graphics can be rendered (without transparency) by many third-party applications (e.g., OvationPro, Impression, PhotoDesk, OHP) and can be exported in standard Draw format for use in yet more RISC OS applications.
Released at this year's Wakefield Show, ArtWorks 2 is the first complete version of ArtWorks to be produced and published by MW Software. It is also the first version to run natively on Castle's XScale-powered Iyonix computer. Since ArtWorks 2 comes with the full set of plug-in modules released by MW Software it is the preferred upgrade path from now on. Attractive upgrade offers are available to existing ArtWorks users. Please note that ArtWorks 2 requires RISC OS 3.5 or higher. It works fine with RISC OS 4, Select and RISC OS 5.
ArtWorks 2 is available for only 169 Pounds (inc VAT, plus postage). Upgrades from ArtWorks 1.7 vary between 50 and 125 Pounds (inc VAT, plus postage), depending on the set of plug-in modules already purchased. More detailed pricing information and online ordering links can be found by clicking on the "Ordering" tab on the MW Software WWW home page.
You can find more information about ArtWorks 2 including a feature list and information about the free ArtWorks 2.1 upgrade at: http://www.mw-software.com/
I've finally recompiled !Amp to be 32 bit compatible, and some other bits of software on my website too. You can find it all on my website at http://homepage.eircom.net/~djkoshea
For those of you who don't know, !Amp is a desktop music player similar to WinAMP on a PC. It plays many formats such as MP3, MOD, S3M, etc. and can use the skins from WinAMP to customise its appearance.
I've also uploaded a few new apps, such as:
!psql - a postgres database client which allows you to remotely connect to any postgres server and run SQL commands. I use it to connect to a Linux postgres server.
!ListVars - a utility to take a snapshot of the variables of a running BASIC task. Very useful for debugging!
Brain Games congratulates the Wakefield Club in providing yet another successful show. As a result of the testing of Solitaire for the show, three small bugs have been corrected and the new version is now available (as freeware) from the Solitaire web-site at:
http://solitaire.riscos.org.uk
Solitaire has been available for RISC OS since 1991 as a desktop application and recreates the traditional game whose target is to leave one peg in the middle of the board, by jumping one peg over another and removing the latter.
We are very pleased to announce that a new version of MelIDI, the premier MIDI sequencing package for RISCOS, has been released. MelIDI is now into its eighth year of release (and tenth year of development). Version 1.15 fixes a number of outstanding bugs and also adds new features. These include:
Further information and upgrades can be found on the MelIDI website (http://www.melidi.co.uk/). MelIDI is available for purchase from Liquid Silicon (http://www.liquid-silicon.com/).
'PinWay' is a new pinboard type application for RISC OS 3.10 to 5.03 available now
Version 0.07 from http://www.bapfish.org.uk/
Its main features are:
http://www.bapfish.org.uk/ for RISC OS software
This year's Wakefield show was certainly another resounding success - our sales of the Simtec USB card, especially, exceeded all expectations.
Previously we had a small batch of cards which had not had their disks duplicated correctly - specifically they had a missing !RunImage from within !USBSetup. These packs should have had their disks replaced, but in the rush to source more stock it would seem that a couple may have "slipped through the net".
These disks will report an error regarding this missing file when one attempts to enable USB via the configure application (or manually under early RISC OS versions).
The simplest and recommended solution to this issue is to download the latest stack archive from http://www.riscos-usb.com , and update the software on the machine and card. Alternatively contact me directly and I can forward the missing file, although, obviously, this will not update the rest of the stack!
This only affects a small number of cards sold at Wakefield (it may even only be one!), although we'd recommend that people keep an eye on the RISC OS USB website to take advantage of the newest stack features and updates.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisers and helpers of the Wakefield Show for their exemplary work, Vince Sanders and Jonathan Briggs for their sterling assistance, and of course Matt and Keith. I'd like to publically apologise to whoever owned the credit card that Matt managed to "explode".
CVS port 1.10b is right now available at my website.
The changes included in version 1.10b are:
I haven't tested this CVS version a lot, but I've used it for 2 days and I haven't found any problems yet.
KeyAgent is tesed with prowl.org and CVS managed to login using keys (both SSH 1 and SSH 2), I don't know whether it works with other SSH servers... So please let me know whether it does or not.
I dropped CVS server support, since it wasn't used (as far as I know) and it included a lot of work to maintain it.
For more information about my port or for a copy of it (or its source files) please have a look at my website:
http://home.student.utwente.nl/m.m.bezemer/cvsuk.html
What is CVS?
CVS is a version control system. Using it, you can record the history of your source files. This means that it stores all changes made by one or more developers to one or more source files.
For more information about CVS itself and what it does, please have a look at the documentation on the official CVS website at one of the following locations:
http://www.cvshome.org/docs/manual
[Note: This is a re-send as the first version didn't seem to make it through to comp.sys.acorn.announce on 2nd May.]
[Note to posters: please remember to use the csaa@owlart.net email address rather than the old owlart.co.uk address - Mod.]
On 2nd May 2003 I've released GnuPG 1.2.2 for RISC OS. It's mainly a bug-fix release. If you are keen to know the exact changes, please refer to the NEWS file inside the distribution or linked to from my web page.
GnuPG itself is a commandline tool without any graphical stuff. It is the real crypto engine which can be used directly from a command prompt, from obey scripts or by other programs. Therefore it can be considered as a backend for other applications.
Messenger Pro 2.50 already supports GnuPG in a beta stage, later versions (2.60 onwards) have GnuPG support in release quality. Pluto supports GnuPG since version 2.04 as well.
Currently those are the only two mail/news reader for RISC OS that have built-in support for GnuPG. I hope that other mail/news reader authors will support GnuPG in the future in a similar way like PGP 2.6.3ia is supported today. And I'm still hoping for front-ends to GnuPG. Authors, please get in contact with me. ;-)
You need the two above and this in order to build yourself a version which supports IDEA. You don't need any compiler or programming experience in order to create this version.
But you only need it for backwards compatibility and are only allowed to use it non-commercially!
Have fun and a Pretty Good Privacy,
Simtec Electronics announce the latest version of the driver software for their market-leading USB podule for RISC OS Computers. Version 1.4 can be downloaded from
www.simtec.co.uk/products/AUUSB11POD/resources.html
The Simtec USB podule fully complies with the power requirements of Acorn's expansion card specification and is compatible with RISC OS 3.1 to RISC OS 4.33, allowing A5000, A540, A400 and A300 users to enjoy the same wide range of USB peripherals as RISC PC and A7000 owners. Additional ports can safely be added using an externally powered USB hub.
Through continuing development by Simtec and an increasing number of third party developers, a wide range of USB devices are now supported.
Included with card are drivers for:
Input Devices (HID Class) - fully parsing HID driver that automatically scans and configures any attached HID class peripheral. All HID class devices should work immediately, although RISC OS may require additional drivers in order to use the advanced features of some devices. HID class peripherals include:
Keyboards
Mice
Trackerballs
Gamepads and joysticks
KVM switches
Printer class peripheral supported as standard are: parallel adaptor
usb printers
Other peripheral drivers included with the cards are USB hubs
Dlink DRU-R100 FM radio
Not included as standard with the USB interface are specific drivers which are available from third parties for:
mp3 player/pen drive
digiflash card readers
pen drives
Epson 1660 photo/slide scanner
802.11b compatible wireless networking
SEN equipment
Advanced printer drivers
The latest list of available drivers can be found at
Gavin Simpson
Following the successful launch of their MP3-playing pen drive, Stuart Tyrrell Developments are pleased to announce the immediate availability of a range of USB pen drives for use with the Simtec USB interface.
These miniature drives allow for data transfer between machines fitted with the Simtec USB card and other USB equipped machines such as PC's and MACs. Why be worried about backups of your data when you can just carry a copy of it around with you? They measure a mere 75mm x 27mm x 10mm (approx) and are simple to slip into a pocket or carry using the neck strap provided.
The drives are USB 2.0 certified, and will run in this mode on PC's which have such a capability. They of course also communicate in USB1.1 mode when used on most current PC's or the Simtec USB card. They require no batteries and are completely silent in operation.
The drives come complete with RISC OS drivers for the Simtec USB card and are available now in the following formats and prices:
64MB : UKP29.30exc + carr + VAT = UKP37.95inc
128MB: UKP46.32exc + carr + VAT = UKP57.95inc
256MB: UKP80.36exc + carr + VAT = UKP97.95inc
Contact:
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
PO Box 183
OLDHAM
Lancs
OL2 8FB
Tel: 0845 458 8803 / 01706 848 600
Fax: 0870 164 1604
Email: info@stdevel.co.uk
In keeping with my technical support and networking help for RISC OS users, I'm happy to be able announce the availability of Solwise ADSL routers.
Widely regarded as one of the better quality ASDL routers, the SAR705 is a very reliable single port router and the SAR715 is a four port version (run up to 4 computers, or 3 and an additional switch) and both come with web front-end configuration, build-in firewall and external console input - in all, one of the best routers available.
These are available to order direct from me at the following prices:
SAR705 (Solwise ADSL single port Router [VPN capable]) 78.00 ukp inc. SAR715 (Solwise ADSL Router + 4 port hub [VPN capable]) 95.00 ukp inc.
Please add 5.00 to cover UK p&p.
An additional discount of 5.00 ukp is available to subscribers of my Ant Support Scheme.
Please email me for further details.
Our SpaceCube "shoebox-sized" PC computers, which can be driven directly from your RISC OS desktop, have proven very popular. As a result, we have been able to work with our component supplier to offer some great deals on machines bought at the show....
Firstly, you'll get a free upgrade to a high performing 40Gb hard disc! Secondly, you'll get a free upgrade to 512Mb DDR memory! Thirdly, you'll get a free 64Mb Nvidia AGP graphics card FREE! Finally, whilst stocks last, you'll get a free upgrade to 2000+ processor!
This means that at the show, "base" specification (599ukp inc) SpaceCubes will be:
Athlon 2000+ processor
40Gb hard drive
16xDVD, 40x CD (including DVD movie player software) 512Mb DDR RAM
64Mb Nvidia AGP graphics (improves Remote Control performance significantly)
WindowsXP Home
4x USB 2 ports
3x Firewire ports
5.1 surround sound
10/100 Networking
Remote Control software
All in the space of a shoebox!
Higher spec machines are also available - despite the size, there's no need to compromise on speed!
The machines are designed with networking in mind, for linking up to RISC OS machines. The Remote Control software then allows you to drive your SpaceCube from RISC OS, in a similar way to PC cards of yore.
STOP PRESS! We are now able to offer "6-in-1" media card readers (for digital camera discs, and the like) which fit in the floppy drive bay. You can then access these via the network direct from your RISC PC. Your SpaceCube becomes your RiscPC's gateway to all manner of exciting peripherals (passing mention of our UniPrint printing software).
PS, If you can't make the show, we'll endeavour to hold deals and prices for the following week, although there will be carriage on top.
R-Comp Interactive
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
Stuart Tyrrell Developments and ExpLAN Ltd are pleased to announce a parallel port interface for use with the Simtec USB card.
The interface plugs into the USB podule on the computer and offers a second parallel port. This allows the use of printers with Centronics parallel interfaces to be driven from a USB card, whilst using their standard RISC OS driver (a special USB driver is not required).
Although the Simtec USB card has supported printers with built-in USB ports since its release, this interface allows users who already have, for example, a parallel port-based inkjet printer, to add a parallel port based laser printer via the Simtec USB interface. Documents may be printed to either printer via the standard RISC OS drivers without the need for switch boxes or similar. Many printers of the same or differing type may be used on a single machine, using multiple interfaces. Informal tests show data transfer over a USB interface to be somewhat faster than the internal standard parallel port. In addition this method offers a solution for those users who have struggled with compatibility issues when using both a printer and another peripheral device (ZIP-drive, scanner or card-reader) from their existing parallel port.
The interface is also recommended for those with an existing inkjet printer who also wish to add one of the special B-grade Kyocera laser printers, as supplied by ExpLAN, but obviating the need for a printer switch. The low running cost of these printers has made this a financially attractive proposition for many RISC OS users. Although !Printers is currently in a state of "flux" with third party releases, current Official versions of !Printers from RISC OS Ltd are supported fully.
The interface costs UKP13.95 + carriage + VAT = UKP19.95, and is available, along with Simtec's USB card (UKP69.95 + carriage + VAT =UKP89.00) from Stuart Tyrrell Developments and ExpLAN. Customers who purchase a printer from Explan may add a pack comprising Simtec USB card and Parallel Port Interface for only UKP99.00 inc carriage and VAT.
Contact:
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
PO Box 183
OLDHAM
Lancs
OL2 8FB
Tel: 0845 458 8803 / 01706 848 600
Fax: 0870 164 1604
Email: info@stdevel.co.uk
ExpLAN Computers Ltd
P.O. Box 32
Tavistock
Devon
PL19 8YU
Tel: 01822 613868
Fax: 01822 610868
Email: sales@explan.co.uk
The Fourth Dimension are pleased to announce that the Impact 3 Relational Database has now been converted to be fully 26/32bit neutral. Impact 3 will now run on all RISC OS computers from RISC OS 3.1 upwards.
As well as being 26/32bit neutral, version 3.20 of Impact 3 has had a number of minor bug-fixes and improvements, including password checking of cards. LabPrint has also been upgraded to be 26/32bit neutral.
Upgrades from version 3.xx to the latest version (v3.20) cost 25ukp at the Wakefield Show or by post by returning your original disc.
To join the Impact 3 mailing list for Impact 3 related discussion, please go to http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/4d/Circle/
We hope to be able to continue to support and improve Impact 3. Any suggestions for new features, improvements and bug reports can be posted to the mailing list.
Impact 3 is an easy to use, fully relational database suitable for any application where data must be stored and retrieved quickly and easily. A database can be created and used within a few minutes of installation, by simple drag and drop methods. The program presentation conforms to conventional standards, and data cards can contain familiar desktop features such as radio and option buttons, pop-up menus and action buttons making it the ideal database for the busy office, home or school. The database has an enthusiastic following amongst RISC OS users.
To celebrate this update Impact 3 is now available at the special price of 75 GBP inc UK postage. Normal price 96 GBP (No VAT to pay as The Fourth Dimension is not VAT registered!)
Multi user licences are available.
The ARM Club is pleased to announce that it has taken over the distribution of ArcFS and that the latest release will be available from their stand at the Wakefield show this Saturday.
This version of ArcFS is 26/32 bit neutral and fully compatible with the Iyonix PC as well as earlier machines. A read only version can be downloaded from the club web site at:
http://www.armclub.org.uk/products/arcfs/
ArcFS can also be purchased online using a credit or debit card at the same location.
Users wishing to upgrade older versions of ArcFS 2 to the latest version can do so at Wakefield by presenting their original disc at the club stand. Upgrades will cost £5 with the full product costing £10 with, as always, a 10% discount for club members.
Surftec and Stuart Tyrrell Developments are pleased to announce their DigiFlash2 card readers for use with RISC OS machines fitted with the Simtec USB interface.
DigiFlash2 is a dual-format card reader enabling both CompactFlash type 1 and SmartMedia cards to be read and written. The readers are compatible with the FAT filing systems used by most digital cameras, MP3 players and other devices which use Compact Flash or SmartMedia cards. The reader may also be used on PC machines in order to allow file transfer etc.
Digiflash2 comes complete with RISC OS drivers and full instructions, and costs UKP59.95 inc VAT and delivery. The Simtec USB card is available for UKP89.00 inc VAT and delivery.
This collaborative project was intended to culminate in the release of versions of this product for both Castle/Iyonix and Simtec USB cards, and would be the first in a range of joint USB releases scheduled by both RISC OS developers. Despite significant investment in coding for the Castle API, recent changes forced upon us have made this version untenable in the short term.
Digiflash2 for the Simtec USB interface and the Simtec USB interface itself are available immediately from Surftec and Stuart Tyrrell Developments. Further details regarding Digiflash may be found at http://www.digiflash.co.uk
Contact:
Surftec Ltd
Burma Cottage
Glen Road
Beacon Hill
Hindhead
Surrey
GU26 6QU
Email: sales@suftec.net
Tel: 01428 608121
Fax: 01428 608123
Stuart Tyrrell Developments
PO Box 183
OLDHAM
OL2 8FB
Email: info@stdevel.co.uk
Tel: 0845 458 8803 / 01706 848 600
Fax: 0870 164 1604
'PinWay' is a new pinboard type application for RISC OS 3.10 to 5.03 available now from http://www.bapfish.org.uk/
Its main features are:
We have been pleased with the response to our UniPrint printing system, which allows RISC OS machines to print via networked Windows PC machines for improved quality and range of printers. We have now expanded on the original product, to make it relevent for even more RISC OS users, and added a number of attractive additional features.
Firstly, by popular demand, we have produced a version which will allow printing from VirtualAcorn, and (by extension) also work via a PC card on a single machine.
The Virtual Acorn support works well, allowing the RISC OS 3.1 system supplied with that product to print via any of the printers available on the Windows-side of the machine. Windows 2000 or XP are recommended (this applies to all versions of UniPrint) as they do seem to have better printing (whether it is the printing system, or the drivers, it is hard to say) compared to 95/98. However, our test Epson C62 inkjet remains happy on the older Windows versions too.
The PC card mode is very slow, of course, (A test with Win98 on the slowest 486SX PC card took about 20mins to print, but the results were as good as you'd expect from UP), and the limitation of only being able to use Win95/98 may well restrict printer combinations. Nevertheless, it is now possible, perhaps for one-off photo prints.
Secondly, we have added a new feature - Sprite printing. This mode allows you to print from any RISC OS application direct to a sprite file (akin to David Pilling's Sprinter). This is in line with our intention to allow UniPrint to offer as much functionality in one program as possible. This feature will be useful for people preparing pages for magazines/printers (where hi-res TIFFs are often the prefered format) or for web graphics (eg. create a web image from a flyer/ad created in Impression). Further, with sprite printing in mind, we have increased the range of resolutions supported by UniPrint.
The next feature represents the beginnings of our "UniServe" idea - the ability to have web links open in Internet Explorer on the Windows PC, direct from RISC OS applications. For example, you can click on a link in Messenger Pro, and have it open in IE. This is particularly useful when used in tandem with our recently released Remote Control software, which allows you to view the Windows PC's desktop in a window on your RISC OS desktop. (Whilst complete enough for test purposes, this feature will most likely be added via an update.)
The UniPrint family of products is now as follows:
UniPrint VA/PCcard edition only - 25ukp
UniPrint standard edition - the existing UniPrint 40ukp
UniPrint Deluxe - 50ukp - this version will "do everything". Well, UniPrint 'standard' plus all the new things listed above!
If only it really would wash the dishes....!
(thinks... uniprint controlled electronic dishwasher....)
Existing owners should have received information and upgrade details with the recent 1.30 release of UniPrint.
R-Comp Interactive
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
We are pleased to announce that we will have four more applications ready to run on the Iyonix, and available at the Wakefield show:
DataPower 2
The 32bit work on this application (3 months of work) was completed last week, and will be released at the show, along with the new CD edition of Datapower 2, which features an updated user interface, expanded documentation, additional examples and tutorials, and avoids the old protection systems.
Image Outliner
This popular program takes RISC OS sprite files as input, and converts them to smooth, scalable draw files. It provides a lot of flexibility over the shapes produced, and you can fine tune things easily within the software. Now 32bit, with a completely revamped RISC OS 4/5 user interface.
Remote Control
We launched this product at the show in February. It allows you to control a Windows PC from the comfort of your RISC OS desktop. By popular demand, we have re-designed the application with 32bit/Iyonix in mind, as well as continuing to support RiscPC class systems. When run on the Iyonix, it provides enhanced performance, allowing smooth running in true colour (PC capabilities permitting), thanks to the extra speed and networking of the Iyonix.
Quake 32
This is one of our first games releases for the Iyonix, and is significant because Quake was always pushing the limits of what was possible on a StrongArm RiscPC. On the Iyonix, the game is fast and smooth, and thus allows players to enjoy higher resolutions etc. The sound system has been completely re-done in order for it to work on the Iyonix.
Descent 1 and 2
These games have been updated for the Iyonix, allowing smooth gaming in high resolutions and colour depths. You can take advantage of extra graphics features such as transparences and smooth bilinear texture filtering for that "3D accelerated" look. Descent 2 also now contains working movies, giving cinematic cut sequences. At the time of writing, they lack sound effects on the Iyonix, but music is working.
R-Comp
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
Simtec Electronics announce final price reductions on their discontinued upgrades for Acorn computers. Memory upgrades are now available for ukp 1.00, RISC OS 3.11 ROM upgrades at ukp 2.00 and IDE interfaces at ukp 10.00
Full details of our clearance sale can be found at:
www.simtec.co.uk/products/clearance
Prices quoted are excluding VAT and carriage and are subject to availability.
Gavin Simpson
As the Wakefield Show rapidly approaches, it is with much regret that I am unable to attend; pressures of the real job kind of prohibit me from that. I am quite pleased however to give a progress update on our new book range, indicating that there's still life in the RISC OS market yet.
1. Beginners guide to RISC OS
This takes the form of a full colour* guide to key aspects of your RISC OS desktop; explaining in a clear concise manner the functionality of !Configure; the basics of using the desktop; where to go to buy software and much more besides. It's been revised somewhat from the original news posting, so I'll provide an updated breakdown of its contents shortly.
(note: I'll also make available a version with limited colour, as the full colour variation's gonna be expensive I'm afraid - it's more due to the costs of printing than anything else).
2. First steps in Programming RISC OS Computers
The second edition of Martyn Fox's excellent BASIC tutorial is shortly to become available in print. The price is, sadly, likely to change as I've as of yet been unable to secure a sensible printing quote. All things being well, the price will be settled in the next day or so; and I'll be able to accept orders. [we're going to give ukp5 from every copy to charity - only on this book].
3. Ovation Pro Survival Guide
Deliberately multi-platform, the Ovation Pro Survival Guide covers key areas of this vital application and explores the basic steps of using it. Not attempting to be a definitive guide, Ovation Pro users are taken through the basics of using the package and given a foundation to build upon.
This guide has 64 pages; and is to be priced at ukp4.99 - available at the end of July.
We have a further five titles under negotiation, including a number of potential DABS Press reprints.
It's certainly all go in the RISC OS market at the moment.
!AntiSpam version 1.00 is released today. Its purpose is to delete spam from your mailboxes according to a set of rules that you specify. It works particularly well in conjunction with POPstar and Messenger Pro or Messenger, but can be used (in different ways) with any of the e-mail tools available for RISC OS.
You will find !AntiSpam at http://www.apts04.dsl.pipex.com
There is a Smartgroup for support and communication. This group is open to anyone.
!AntiSpam is released under the Free Software Foundation's GNU General Public License.
We are pleased to announce that the 32bit version of DataPower 2 has been sent out to pre-registered customers today, meeting our goal of 1st May.
The 32bit release includes DPGraph (DataPower's charting add-on) and also the complex client/server modules which allow DataPower 2 to work in a network environment.
DataPower 2 is a powerful, relational database system, with industry standard SQL support and a friendly "DTP-style" approach to laying things out. This makes it an ideal choice for home or business use. It works on RISC OS 3.1 to OS 5 (thanks to the new 32bit version) and a "reader" is available for Windows.
Existing DataPower 2 users can upgrade to the 32bit version for 40ukp (includes joining the Registered User Scheme). The pre-release discount scheme expired on April 30th.
R-Comp
22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS Tel: (+44) 01925 755043 Fax: (+44) 01925 757377 http://www.rcomp.co.uk/
| 2003 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2003 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2002 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2002 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2001 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2001 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan | ||
| 2000 | Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | Jul | 2000 |
| Jun | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan |