Acorn News Service Newsletter
Issue: 255 (25 October 2009)
Featured site this issue: http://www.drobe.co.uk/
General News
Drobe.co.uk takes a new direction
Drobe's RISC OS news service, which launched in October 1999, has now
closed. No more comments can be posted on articles and no articles will be
altered: all the content will remain frozen online as an archive of the
RISC OS platform's history after the breakup of Acorn.
<http://www.drobe.co.uk/beta/final/holdthefrontpage.html>
Commercial News
Luafox data analysis
Luafox is a new program for RISC OS offering many functions that make it
easy to handle and analyse data in a quick and easy way. Results can be
presented in publication ready graphs. The most important features
include:
- Data handling
- Import and export CSV and ODS files. (open document format as used in OpenOffice)
- Data can be moved and copied by drag & drop.
- A table object may contain several sheets.
- Functions can be applied to selected data or the whole sheet.
- The values of many scientific constants are built in.
- Data can be handled as columns, rows or block.
- You can transpose tables with just one click.
- You can sort tables in a number of ways, also with your own criterion.
- Delete every third row, copy every second column into a new table? No problem with the selection tool.
- Flip a column or row with just one click.
- Graphs
- Change the look of a graph in seconds using styles.
- Adjust every graph detail to your needs.
- Symbols and their colour, size and orientation may depend on the values they represent.
- Show graphs next or on top of each other.
- Fill the area below the curves.
- Show error bars in x- and y-direction.
- Use alternating tick label offsets to avoid overlapping.
Luafox is available for EUR89 (around GBP82) from:
<http://www.luafox.com/>
In the download section of the web site you can get a demo version of
Luafox to test it on your machine. On the same site you will also find a
link to download the PDF manual and some screenshots.
UniPrint/UniServer 4
Version 4 of UniPrint was released at the RISC OS London show.
- UniPrint, the headline component, gained the ability to control and
configure Microsoft Windows printers from your RISC OS desktop. UniPrint
also benefits from the new architecture which underpins the whole of
UniServer 4.
- UniScan gains a "photocopy" ability which allows a combined
scan'n'print operation to be done on the host PC, without leaving your
RISC OS desktop. Scanning now multitasks, so you can continue to work
with your computer whilst the process occurs in the background. There
have been additional enhancements to the scan component to cope with
quirks in RISC OS and Microsoft Windows for better results, especially
when using the results in other apps.
- New component UniClip provides a global clipboard between both RISC OS
and Microsoft machines, be it on a network or on VirtualAcorn. This
allows two-way cut'n'paste between applications on both platforms.
- A second new component, UniCom, allows commands to be executed on the
remote machine to allow you to remotely operate and issue commands to
the other machine.
UniPrint version 4 will be tested and supported on the new Microsoft
Windows 7 operating system, as well as Vista and XP.
<http://www.rcomp.co.uk/>
R-Comp updates
- DP Genealogy Records v1.02
The new version of DataPower Genealogy Records software features much
improved Gedcom data importing, which is now much more integrated into
the main database. Additionally, there is improved handling of parent/
family relationships and the "multi census" features have been
significantly expanded. The upgrade is free of charge to existing users.
- SafeStore v1.25
The main new feature in this version is "Force full backup". SafeStore's
normal mode of operation is to only copy files that have changed since
the previous backup. However, there are times when it is handy to force
a complete "from scratch" backup, either for peace of mind or to start
afresh on another backup device. The new version can do this at the
click of a button. Existing users will receive a free update.
- MessengerPro Win/Lin/Mac v2.60
The new version contains two features which RISC OS users will
appreciate - firstly the new hierarchical address book format introduced
in v5 of the RISC OS version is now supported by the Win/Lin/Mac
version, and also there have been numerous improvements to the IMAP
client network support. This will be a free upgrade to existing
Messenger Pro Win/Lin/Mac 2.50 owners.
- NetFetch v3.56
The new release expands the DirectMail feature introduced in v3.50.
DirectMail makes it easy for users, and other programs, to quickly send
e-mails without the need for a full e-mail app like Messenger Pro. It
allows other applications to be able to easily send messages directly,
for example, DataPower 3 uses DirectMail to send e-mails from a
database. Existing v3.5 customers will receive the update free of
charge.
- RISCubes/RISCBooks booting in 15 seconds
The latest RISCubes and RISCBooks are able to start (from cold/hardware
check stage) in times as low as 10/11 seconds, to a full RISC OS desktop
takes maybe 3 seconds more.
<http://www.rcomp.co.uk/>
New PostScript 3 driver
PS3 is a new PostScript 3 printer driver implemented from scratch as a
replacement for the old Acorn PostScript level 2 printer driver. This new
driver offers many improvements over the standard Acorn driver leading to
higher quality both when printing to PostScript 3 printers and when
creating PDF files using the PostScript printer driver and Ghostscript.
For more information and a graphical illustration of the improved quality,
visit <http://www.mw-software.com/software/ps3/ps3.html>. PS3 costs
EUR40 (GBP35).
PD/Shareware News
New software summary
- BrotherPDF, PDF for Brother duplex printers
PostScript Printer Definition File and feeds for PostScript 2 and
PostScript 3 printer drivers. It allows automatic double sided printing
flipping the paper on either the long or short sides, from both the main
paper tray and the multi-purpose tray.
<http://www.rjdarby.co.uk/riscos/>
- JDServer, JetDirect print server
JDServer makes a printer, connected to a RISC OS computer that is also
on a network, available to client computers also on the network, via the
JetDirect (Raw) protocol.
<http://www.apts04.dsl.pipex.com/>
Updated software summary
- Avalanche v0.20
VNC client. Changes in this version include fixes to full screen mode
and a new option has been added to pass Alt-Arrow key presses through
to the desktop instead of sending them to the remote machine.
<http://jamesp.drobe.co.uk/>
- EtherUSB v0.06
A network driver for USB ethernet devices. It requires a DeviceFS USB
API as used by RISC OS 5. The driver supports a variety of chips and can
control multiple USB ethernet devices simultaneously. Changes in this
version include: basic Asix AX88772 and MosChip MCS7830 support added,
ADMtek Pegasus support added, and bug fixes.
<http://jamesp.drobe.co.uk/>
- Murnong v1.32
Fetches videos from YouTube. Updated to work with new YouTube web page
format.
<http://www.users.on.net/~belles/software/murnong/>
- Rename v3.22
A smart file bulk file renamer using Edit-like wildcard features to
control file renaming. Rename allows the new filename to include an
incrementing file index. This version allows this "increment" to be
negative, so file order can be reversed.
<http://tigger.orpheusweb.co.uk/programs/progs.html>
Club News
Upcoming meetings
ANS Information
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