Introduction and News
NB: Use up and down cursor keys to
scroll Teletext articles, and BREAK to
exit.
The good news as far as this issue is
concerned is that the Teletext format
has been retained, the bad news is that
I'm not quite as skilful with the
Teletext Editor as Chris Richardson is.
This issue contains a wider variety of
articles than ever before (hence the
different menu screen), as well as over
200K of software on the DFS version,
and even more on the ADFS version.
Please note that virtually all software
on this issue is written or supplied by
8BS members, and so comments and
constructive criticism are welcome on
all programs & articles.
This issue also sees the arrival of the
32016 section, which aims to support
other users of the 32016 processor by
providing a means of interchanging
software, news, sourcecode, information
etc. BBC B/Master users will not be
abandoned though, as the number of
people using 32016's is relatively
small.
In addition, the ADFS L version of
issue 24 also contains some Archimedes
software, and I hope to continue this
in the future, although 8-bit software
will remain a priority.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Membership continues to grow steadily,
and looks likely to rise over forty or
perhaps even fifty; the expected
immediate distribution of issue 24 is
around thirty-five. A recent mention in
Beebug magazine has generated a new
stream of enquiries, and I am also
busily reruiting members by e-mail.
ISSUE 23
If anyone has still not received a copy
of Issue 23, please write to Chris
Richardson at the address below,
enclosing a disk, return postage and
packing, and 50p.
ISSUE 25
Issue 25 is to be edited and
distributed by Chris Richardson (2J3).
He can now handle 3.5" disks as well as
5.25". Send your disks with 50p, return
P&P and all your comments, software
submissions, articles etc., to:
The deadline for getting text and
submissions to Chris is 1ST FEBRUARY
1993; please try to contribute as much
as you possibly can, especially text,
articles and comments on other members'
programs. The issue itself will be
released sometime in mid-February. You
can phone Chris on
IMPORTANT: If you are submitting text
or software concerning the 32016,
please send your submissions to me
(address below), as Chris does not have
a 32016 and so I will be editing the
Issue 25 32016 section. I will then
forward your disk to Chris free of
charge.
ISSUE 26
This will be edited by me as normal;
the deadline for submissions will be
around 15th March, and hopefully the
issue will be released sometime in
early April.
Note that if you wish to obtain
software from the TBI pool you will
have to order it from me along with
Issue 26 since Chris does not have all
the disks.
CHRISTMAS CHARITY WORDPUZZLE
The disk magazine contains details of a
charity wordpuzzle organised by Gordon
Gray, with the money going to the
charity ASPIRE. Although the wordpuzzle
is complex enough to provide a
challenge to those who are experts at
wordpuzzles, there are also many clues
easy enough for absolute beginners.
8BS members have always been very
generous in giving to charity in the
past, and I hope that members will
continue this by giving generously.
Even if wordpuzzles are not your thing,
please send a donation anyway. NB:
entries and donations to the address
given in the puzzle article, NOT to
8BS.
REPTON COMPETITION
This issue sees (finally) the end of
the Repton competition. The four sets
of Repton screens entered are in
directory :0.S on the DFS version, and
in directory $.ReptnScrns on the ADFS
version.
Can all members who own a version of
Repton capable of using these screens
please send in, together with your
submissions etc. for issue 25 or 26,
your vote for which set of screens you
thought was best, and which was
second-best. The votes will be collated
by me and the result announced in issue
26.
CONTACTING 8-BIT SOFTWARE
The address remains:
8-Bit Software
1 Oakwood Drive
Heaton
BOLTON
BL1 5EE
Until mid-January, and from mid-March
onwards, you can phone 0204 492613 any
time after 7:30pm.
My e-mail address during term-time is
dgs%orion.physics@ox.ac.uk
ISSUE 22 ERRATA
Several members have reported problems
with the issue 22 disk.
Firstly, some members have been
attempting to de-archive the archived
software using Andrew Black's program,
which 8BS is NO LONGER USING. The
program needed to de-archive the
software is the file BDARK, included on
both versions, and the sytax is *BDARK
<archive filename>. Remember to copy
the archive and BDARK onto a blank disk
first.
Secondly, the Chain Letters game will
only run on machines with Sideways RAM.
My apologies for not documenting this
in the disk magazine.
Thirdly, I have developed suspicions
that the Messages section was missed
out from a few of the ADFS versions of
issue 22. If anyone is missing this
article, please let me know.
OTHER NEWS
8BS has finally managed to get back in
touch with J.G. Harston (W79), author
of the HADFS filing system, who is
currently in Hong Kong. One utility
from Harston PD is featured on this
issue, and two Harston PD disks are now
in the TBI pool.
I am pleased to hear that the game
Push-the-Bale, written by Carl Wheat
(204), which was first pulished in
Issue 22, has recently appeared on the
subscription disk of one of the
commercial magazines. It is always nice
to hear that members' programs have
received some wider circulation, and it
is certainly an indication of the
quality of software that members are
producing that this is the third piece
of 8BS software that has been featured
in a commercial magazine this year.
Meanwhile Miroslaw Bobrowski (L1J) has
written another game, named Robol,
which is based on the same
IBM-compatible game as Carl's version,
and I am told this has been accepted
for publication by Beebug magazine.
COMING SOON
Apart from all the other things that I
have been promised in previous issues
that have yet to appear; Michael
Farnworth (16C) has written a program
to allow BBC users to filetype files on
ADFS to make them usable from the
Archimedes Desktop.
I am also planning to finally write
(perhaps for issue 25) all the articles
that I promised some time ago, possibly
including:
32016 Second Processor Review
512 Upgrade Review
Reviews of various other BBC B upgrades
Introduction to PBM Gaming
Simple Programming on the BBC
Simple Intro to Assembly Language
FINALLY
My apologies to all those who were very
keen to see this issue appear by
Christmas, especially the programmers
who provided us with festive software.
However, I felt that it was more
worthwhile taking a little longer over
the issue and producing it in Teletext
format, than getting it out on time and
leaving everything in MODE 3. I hope
the absence of an 8BS issue didn't
spoil Christmas too much!