Acorn News Service Newsletter

Issue: 254 (20 September 2009)

Featured site this issue: http://www.riscoslondonshow.co.uk/

General News

Acorn World show reports

• Icon Bar
  <http://www.iconbar.com/>
• Acorn World
  <http://www.acornworld.co.uk/>

RISC OS London Show

ROUGOL, the RISC OS Users Group of London, will hold the first RISC OS London Show on 3rd October 2009, at St Giles Hotel, Feltham, London.

<http://www.riscoslondonshow.co.uk/>

Commercial News

4D offers

• Canon BJC5500 offer
  Large format A2 refurbished inkjet printer, reduced over GBP150 to GBP180 (parallel interface) or GBP195 (with USB adaptor).
• Iyonix TRM offer
  The Iyonix Technical Reference Manual (TRM) is a ring-bound folder and CD containing detailed technical specifications for the Iyonix motherboard. Now GBP64, GBP35 off the original price.
• Iyonix backplane offer
  4D can now supply a 2-slot backplane for the Iyonix. Suitable for Classic-cased models with a backplane connector fitted to the motherboard, this allows 32 bit compatible podules to be used in the Iyonix. Reduced from GBP48 to GBP29.

<http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/4d/>

Microchip PIC programming on RISC OS

PICprog, the software to burn Microchip PICs, has been enhanced to support an extra family of parts to bring the total supported to 99 in v1.54.

PICprog is part of the larger "PIC suite" which is a set of applications to allow Microchip PICs to be written/assembled/disassembled/simulated and programmed from the comfort of the RISC OS desktop.

The assembler/disassembler uses the same familiar syntax used to assemble ARM code in RISC OS and 6502 code on the BBC Micro from within BASIC. This allows development using your favourite BASIC editor.

PIC suite costs GBP99.99 including the software and programming hardware and is available now.

<http://www.sprow.co.uk/pics/>

New RISC OS magazine to be launched

"Drag n Drop", a new magazine aimed at the RISC OS market as a whole, will be published quarterly in PDF format. There will be no upfront subscription costs, you will be able to view sample pages online and if you like what you see, you can simply click to buy it.

The editor is looking for articles, both one-offs and as a series, and short assembler demos and unique Desktop screenshots. For more information see <http://www.dragdrop.co.uk/>.

PD/Shareware News

New software summary

• A9home patch
  The A9home patch consists of some updated modules and a piece of patch code which will solve some annoying bugs for the A9home computer:
  
  • IDEFSFiler Free option gives the Free window instead of an error 'Unknown filing system'.
  • Opening HTTPS sites and LegacyHAL module loaded doesn't bring your system down any more.
  • Dash line bug of the Draw module is gone.
  • Some other bugs solved.
  
  <http://www.theochem.ru.nl/~dtanis/riscos.html>
• Kevmon, Simon based game
  Kevmon is based on the late 1970s electronic game of Simon in which you have to repeat the sequence of coloured lights.
  <http://riscos.kevsoft.co.uk/>
• RCMini, USB toy driver
  RCMini is a driver for the Dream Cheeky USB RC Car. The car is a Mini look-alike, and drives quite nicely, given the limitation that its steering is not proportional.
  <http://www.apts04.dsl.pipex.com/>
• RCTank, USB toy driver
  RCTank is a driver for the "Executive Mayhem USB Roving Missile Launcher" - a drivable tracked tank with on-board missile launcher that can be raised, lowered and fired.
  <http://www.apts04.dsl.pipex.com/>

Updated software summary

• AltTab v0.42
  A small module that intercepts the Alt+Tab key combo and flips the backmost window to the front of the stack. Now 32 bit compatible.
  <http://www.users.on.net/~belles/software/desktop/>
• BASVars v1.07
  A command line utility for analysis and cross-reference of variable and routine usage in tokenised BASIC programmes. The new version has the following improvements: does not count LOCALs/parameters created but not used as hits; keeps track of the number of times procedures and functions were called; does not count DEF statements as hits; distinguishes between identically-named variables LOCAL to different procedures; has a new parameter to produce debugging output; can combine the results from more than one program (useful for libraries).
  <http://www.7thsoftware.com/software.htm>
• DismountFix v0.09
  This module fixes a bug when DOS (floppy)discs are dismounted. You will not get the error: "Too many discs" any more when using several DOS (floppy)discs at once. The new version uses the new RISC OS 4 service handler table.
  <http://www.theochem.ru.nl/~dtanis/riscos.html>
• Murnong v1.31
  Fetches videos from YouTube. This version places greater restrictions on the length of filenames and folder paths to avoid problems associated with long *commands on some systems.
  <http://www.users.on.net/~belles/software/murnong/>
• PasteKeys v0.6
  A small application that allows data from files and the clipboard to be "piped" through the keyboard to other desktop applications. Now 32 bit compatible.
  <http://www.users.on.net/~belles/software/desktop/>
• ScreenGrabber v2.21
  ScreenGrabber is a relocatable module that allows you to save screen shots even when you are running a single-tasking program such as a game or graphical demo. Bug fixes.
  <http://www.starfighter.acornarcade.com/mysite/games.htm#screengrabber>
• SmartMenu v0.21a
  This module ensures that submenus are opened to the left when you have no more desktop space left to open a submenu. The new version contains a new WimpSWIVe module which solves the problem that Firefox crashes on the A9home when WimpSWIVe is loaded.
  <http://www.theochem.ru.nl/~dtanis/riscos.html>

Club News

Upcoming meetings

• ROUGOL (London), 21st September
  <http://www.rougol.org.uk/>
• WROCC (Wakefield), 25th September
  <http://www.wrocc.org.uk/>
• RISC OS London Show 2009, 3rd October
  <http://www.riscoslondonshow.co.uk/>
• WROCC (Wakefield), 7th October
  <http://www.wrocc.org.uk/>
• ROUGOL (London), 19th October - Impact 2
  <http://www.rougol.org.uk/>
• RONWUG (North West), 21st October
  <http://www.ronwug.org/>
• WROCC (Wakefield), 4th November
  <http://www.wrocc.org.uk/>
• ROUGOL (London), 16th November - "Acorn and ARM" by Prof Steve Furber
  <http://www.rougol.org.uk/>
• RONWUG (North West), 18th November
  <http://www.ronwug.org/>
• WROCC (Wakefield), 2nd December
  <http://www.wrocc.org.uk/>
• Midlands User Group Christmas show, 5th December
  <http://www.mug.riscos.org/show09/MUGshow.html>

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