Acorn News Service Newsletter

Issue: 172 (28 November 2004)

Featured site this issue: http://www.armclub.org.uk/shows/midlands/

General News

The ARM Club Midlands Show

Remember, this weekend the ARM Club will once again be running a show at the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham. The show will be open from 10am to 4:30pm on Saturday, 4th December 2004.

For more details visit the show web site: <http://www.armclub.org.uk/shows/midlands/>

Frobnicate issue #22

Frobnicate, a free, user-contributed, slightly bizarre computer magazine, has been 'upgraded' to a new release. Highlights of issue #22 include:

Gavin Wraith introduces us to the Lua language, and compares it to BASIC. Lua is a new generation interpreted language that offers some very C-like features, as well as features not found on the usual assortment of languages.
The spArchive takes a look at some really old adverts in the computer press and discovers a day when RISC OS machines were great value for money, and harddiscs cost shocking amounts of money!
The IIC series concludes by translating the TurboC code into nice, efficient, ARM code.
Regular article "Qu-est-ce que c'est, ca?" looks at some of the limitations of BASIC and makes some suggestions of how it should evolve in the future.

You can download this issue, and the previous two issues, in Adobe PDF format. For best results and quality, however, download the OvationPro version.

<http://www.heyrick.co.uk/frobnicate/>

Links to ANS and ANS Filebase

This year both the ANS and ANS Filebase web sites have moved to new addresses. Although we forward people who try to access the sites at their old addresses, and have no intention of ever removing this redirection service, it does make access quicker if links and bookmarks are updated to use the new addresses.

So if your web site links to one of our sites, if you have our pages bookmarked, or if you are using one of the ANS Filebase RSS feeds, please check that you are using the current addresses:

ANS <http://www.ans.org.uk/>
ANS Filebase <http://www.filebase.org.uk/>
ANS Filebase updated entries <http://www.filebase.org.uk/updated.rss>
ANS Filebase new entries <http://www.filebase.org.uk/new.rss> etc.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who links to the ANS and ANS Filebase web sites.

Commercial News

Special Christmas offer from RISCOS Ltd

RISCOS Ltd want everyone to enjoy the latest version of RISC OS, so here is their bit of Christmas cheer:

Buy a RISC OS 4.39 (Adjust) ROM image and get a year's subscription to the Select scheme for just GBP35 extra. The normal price of Select is GBP99 for Foundation members, or GBP155 if you are joining Select for the first time, so this is a saving of up to GBP120.

This offer is only valid until 7th January 2005, and for purchasers who are NOT already subscribers to the Select scheme. It is only for the standard Select scheme, it does not cover subscriptions to the Select 32 scheme.

The price for the Adjust ROM is GBP130 for users who upgrade from RISC OS 3.x and GBP115 for users who are upgrading from RISC OS 4.0x. The total price for RISC OS 4.39 with a year's Select subscription is therefore GBP165 for users who upgrade from 3.x and GBP150 for users who upgrade from 4.0x.

To claim the extra discount for upgrades from RISC OS 4.0x you must supply the RISC OS 4 ROM serial number. There is also a further discount on the above prices if you return your RISC OS 4.02 ROM set.

RISC OS Adjust ROMs are suitable for Risc PC and A7000 computers. They may also be suitable for MicroDigital and RiscStation computers but RISCOS Ltd cannot guarantee this.

<http://www.riscos.com/news/news_items/PR191104.htm>

PD/Shareware News

New software summary

RemotePrinterFS, network printing
With this module you can use a printer that supports either the JetDirect or LPD protocols over your network via RISC OS' Printers application. The module is tested and known to work correctly with RISC OS 4 and 5 and Printers versions from 1.64 to 1.91 and a series of printers and print server boxes.
<http://www.sbellon.de/sw-modules.html>

Updated software summary

Fade v0.65
A simple slide show application. This version includes the following changes: allow fade details to be set for multiple pictures at once; vastly improved speed of most transitions on newer hardware; improved GUI and added hourglass for lengthy tasks; removed unnecessary reference to ChangeFSI when using ImageFileRender; Run file bug fix.
<http://www.really.demon.co.uk/Pages/normal/software/software.html>
NurseW v4.10a
A macro-inserter for the Dr Wimp programming library, Functions and Procedures can be entered at the click of a button. Bug fixes.
<http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/riscos/soft.html>

Club News

Upcoming meetings

ICENI (Ipswich), 1st December - Old computers and games
<http://www.btinternet.com/~icenicomputerclub/>
WROCC (Wakefield), 1st December - AppBasic
<http://www.wrocc.org.uk/>
Acorn Midlands Show (Birmingham), 4th December
<http://www.armclub.org.uk/shows/midlands/>
IRUG (Kent), 4th December
<http://hosting.mixcat.com/irug/>
NKACC (Kent), 9th December - Christmas meal
<http://nkacc.roundel.net/>
WAUG (Wessex), 11th December
<http://www.mfraz.freeserve.co.uk/waug/>
DARC (Derbyshire), 13th December - Gadgets Galore
<http://www.darc-comp.org.uk/>
SAUG (Southampton), 13th December
<davehigton@dsl.pipex.com>
BAUG (Bottisham), 14th December
<http://www.baug.org.uk/>
EAUG (Essex), 14th December - A Christmas special
<http://www.watsnees.demon.co.uk/fw/eaug/>
LAUG (Liverpool), 14th December
<http://www.italia.co.uk/laug/>
ROUGOL (London), 20th December
<http://rougol.jellybaby.net/>

ANS Information

Contact ANS

Editor - James Sears - james@ans.acornusers.org
Webmaster - Stephen Courtney - stephen@ans.acornusers.org
Translator - Michael Gerbracht - michael@ans.acornusers.org
Founder - Eytan Abrahams - eytan@ans.acornusers.org
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ADL Moderator - Paul Johnson - paul@ans.acornusers.org

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