To: 999 (all members)
From: K3U (Lol Simmonds)
Subject: I want everything!
What would be good is if there could be
a split screen for the messaging
system. Possibly utilising sideways
RAM to stash the message being written
(in the bottom half of the screen)
scrolling the current issue's messages
in the top half of the screen?
To : 999 + 2J3
From : 483 (Daniel Shimmin)
Re : Disks damaged by microwave?
Microwaves certainly would damage a
disk, but most modern microwaves
should have sufficient shielding to
prevent any microwaves escaping. It is
also possible that the disks might
have been damaged by proximity to the
power supply for the microwave.
To : 999
From : 483 (Daniel Shimmin)
Re : Everybody sells, everybody
needs
I hope people aren't flicking past the
wanted/for sale section without
reading carefully, because there have
been an awful lot of cases where I
have seen someone advertise something
for sale in one issue, only for
someone else to put out a "wanted" ad
for the same thing a couple of issues
later!
With regard to Master Ref. Manuals,
I'm afraid I'm holding onto mine for
the moment, but they shouldn't be SO
hard to get hold of - there are
thousands of them out there unused!
If all else fails, get an old(ish)
issue of Acorn Computing or BBC Acorn
User and get in touch with the people
trying to get rid of their BBC stuff
(most of them still won't have found a
buyer, and should be happy to part
with a manual or two for ten quid or
so). Or even the ex-BBC warehouse
companies.
Alternatively, try flicking through
8BS back issues - there were three
Master Ref. Manuals advertised in
Issue 20 alone!
Just to whet your appetite a bit more,
here is what each contains:
Reference Manual Part 1:
System Overview/System Organisation
Using MOS commands and routines
(including interrupts, I/O, etc.)
The VDU driver
Hardware & memory usage/control
Filing Systems (standards/usage,
commands/SWRAM/m-code)
Introduction, Command Summary, M-code
Usage, Errors and Technical Info for:
- Cassette Filing System
- Rom Filing System
- DFS and ADFS
ADFS Utilities
Reference Manual Part 2:
Aspects of BASIC
Using filing systems from BASIC
BASIC syntax
Syntax/usage of all BASIC keywords
BASIC errors
BASIC technical information
(keyword tokens, BASIC memory map,
how BASIC uses MOS & filing systems)
BBC BASIC Assembler
(how to use, the environment, 65C12
op-codes and addressing modes, errors
and how to deal with them)
EDIT Guide
(a complete guide - includes e.g.
macros, "generating contents lists
and indices", many hints, much more)
TERMINAL emulator guide
(covers just about all its aspects)
Advanced Reference Manual (Watford):
Much info on Internal/External I/O
Detailed Circuit Description
Memory Organisation
Slow Data Bus (CMOS RAM, Alarm etc.)
Keyboard operation, matrix, timing...
Screen Display
(Output, Modes, h/w scroll, palette
and functions control register, CRT
controller, CRTC multiplexer, VDU
driver, multiplexing, refresh etc.)
User Port (lots of details)
Serial Processor
(UART,SERPROC,buffer,control reg.)
Peripheral Bus Controller
(again, lots of complex stuff)
1Mhz Bus (ditto)
Machine Operating System
(address space map, VDU workspace,
extending MOS, vectors and BRK
including dual-processor systems)
Dual Processor Systems
(Lots of architecture, protocols,
data transfer, interrupts)
Z80 2nd Processor
(calls, events, interrupts etc.)
80186 coprocessor
(system calls, errors, monitor etc.)
A few pages on DFS,ADFS,CP/M formats
ANFS (11 pages of details/commands)
Terminal Emulator (one page!)
EDIT (one page!)
VIEW/VIEWSheet file/memory format
Appendices:
Model B/B+ differences
B & B+ / M128 differences
M128 / Compact differrences
ANFS / NFS differences
BASIC IV changes
PCB links/test points
Cartridge interface
65C12 instruction set
In other words, the Advanced Manual is
mostly only for advanced programmers
or electronics experts, and the same
with Ref. Manual pt.1. Part 2 could be
quite useful to anyone interested in
using EDIT, TERMINAL or BASIC to their
full potential.
Anyone wanting to program in assembly
language will want both parts 1 and 2,
as will anyone who has exhausted
everything the Welcome Guide has to
offer.
There is some overlap between Ref.
Manuals 1 & 2 and the Advanced Manual.
Note that, although all the manuals
provide frequent hints and suggestions
with regard to how to do things, they
are intended mainly for people who
already know what they're doing (apart
from the EDIT bits); they do not aim
to TEACH you how to do things, only to
explain what facilities are available.
Also, you are not intended to read
them from end to end, but rather to
consult the parts of particular
interest (hence "Reference" rather
than "User Guide).
To : 999 + 15A
From : 483 (Daniel Shimmin)
Re : InterNet and JANET
InterNet is simply a very big network
connecting just about the entire
world. You can connect up by 'phone,
but most connections are by entire
sites with an on-site server and
multiple terminals, such as business
establishments who want e-mail or
other facilities, or academic or
research establishments (such as the
British Joint Academic NETwork). So
there is a whole variety of different
(and bizarre) people out there. The
software is mostly a variety of Unix
operating systems (and others).
The actual service of the network is
paid for partly by governments (i.e.
the JANET stuff, new American "info
superhighways" etc.), partly by the
owners of the individual sites.
It all gets very complex as just about
any organisation (within reason) will
let you wander in, all of them have
different structure and services (a
lot of university places have little
programs, e.g. AI ones, which throw
themselves open to anyone who wanders
in off the network and say "try my new
program and tell me what you think").
You can obtain a user ID at NASA
simply by e-mailing NASA and saying
"hi, I'm a student from England,
please give me an ID." The e-mail is
free for students,and NASA will then
helpfully send you an update of what
they're doing every day, plus allow
you to download megabytes of
(non-classified) data, pictures etc.
There are an awful lot of other
services, including on-line
discussion, comment and news groups,
some of which are local (everyone
using a particular server - but
remember, some servers, e.g. mine,
have 2000+ users), some national, many
international. There is one
"newsgroup" for every subject (yes,
bizarre ones too), and you can invent
your own, and most of them are very
lively (i.e. contain several thousand
articles at a time). There are other
services (lots) that I don't even know
about.
To : 999 + 2J3
From : 483
Re : Error in Issue 26
An error in one of my issues? Surely
not
To : 999
From : 483
Re : Watford et cetera
Watford are not really as bad as they
are made out to be (yes, I know people
who have had poor service, including
myself), they just specialise in
providing an incredibly large
selection of goods at very low prices.
They're not a user group. Fortunately,
we are!
To : 999
From : 483 (Daniel Shimmin)
Re : Master clock in year 2000
Is the Master 128 necessarily going to
stop working just because the clock
has gone wrong?
Hang on, I'll just check...
No, there's no problem, it just
displays 2000 as 1900, 2001 as 1901
etc. It will probably come up with the
wrong leap years though, so you'll
have to either check it at the end of
every February or not use the clock -
it doesn't stop you using the computer
for other things!
Perhaps there should be an extra
question in the questionnaire - "Will
you still be using your Beeb in 2000?"
To : 999
From : 483 (Daniel Shimmin)
Re : My new A3000 2Mb 30Mb HDD
No, actually it's not mine, it's on
loan from the university Computer
Society (originally donated by Acorn,
I'm told, so three cheers for them!)
Some very impressive games it has,
too, but I haven't used it for
anything else yet (OK, I admit it, I
haven't a clue about how to use most
of the functions of the DTP packages,
nor how to program it in any other way
than in standard BASIC). Issue 33 was
far more interesting (slightly faster
to boot up, too).
Perhaps I had better stick with the
Master 128; or get something with ARM3
and a bit more expansion?
To: 999 (all members)+2J3
From: 20G ((Roy Dickens))
Subject: THE ACORN USER SHOW
I would like to wish the ED. and
everyone helping him all the best in
'Club Corner'. Lets hope that it will
be a lot of fun and not too much hard
work. Please remember we don't want
you to convert to that Archi-wots-it.
We need you to keep us all together.
So keep away from those sneering sales
men/women all saying "Cor wot a little
un yer got, ours is bigger than that".
Or "BBC 8Bit machines? Do people still
'play' with those things? Have those
people changed over to decimal
currency yet?" Take no notice of them,
but remind them that as seen on TV
Farnborough air, high tec. hospitals,
and a large car manufacture (and us)
still use them. So there!
EDITOR....... A point here is that if
anyone sneers at my machines I shall
just point out that they will be VERY
hard pressed to find anything like 8BS
anywhere else at all. I expect many to
be envious and to collect a lot of new
members that only have Archimedes.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K1H (J W FULLBROOK)
Subject: Thanks
My thanks to Bill Woodall and Tim
Parsons for there assistance and Fred
Nevin for his kind offer
To: 999 (all members)
From: 8J4
Subject: TAILPIECE.
Tired, yes, I'm tired. For several years
I've been blaming it on middle (?) age,
poor blood, lack of vitamins, greenhouse
effect, air Pollution, hormones, dieting
wax build-up, and another dozen maladies
that makes you wonder if life is worth
living after all.
I'm tired because I'm overworked......
The population of this country is 51
million, of which 21 are retired. That
leaves 30 million to do the work. 19
million are at school, leaving 11
million to do the work, of this total
some 2 million are unemployed and 4
million work for the Goverment, leaving
5 million to do the work. 1 million
are in the armed forces and 3 million
are in local authorities, cutting the
number who work to 1 million There are
620,000 in hospital and 379,998 in
prison (or on the roof!). That leaves
2 people actually working - you and me.
You are sitting on your backside
reading this....
No wonder I'm tired!!
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2F (John Davis)
Subject: 8BS
Did anyone else spot this item on
CEEFAX recently? (This page has been
transferred digitally direct to disc.)
P263 CEEFAX 263 Fri 01 Apr 21:43/57
EIGHT BIT SOFTWARE RIDING HIGH
On recent news of increasing
membership in 8BS, shares jumped
37 to 418p, making it overall one
the fastest risers in the first
quarter of '94. The share price
rise has been well supported by the
institutions and looks likely to
continue in the coming 6-12 months.
Recent rumours in the City of a
substantial bid for 8BS by Rupert
Murdoch's Compcon division have
been strongly denied by editor
Chris Richardson, as have suggest-
ions of his imminent move to Frank-
furt to head IBM's Euro operations.
Headlines 201 SHARECHECK 220
To: 999 (all members)
From: 3PM (DP-J)
Subject: Musings
TBI Disk Project?
The demise of our favourite magazines,
and the departure of many excellent
software writers and hardware
commentators from the 8 bits scene
will put greater dependence upon our
existing information sources.
For those of us who use our machines
for practical problem solving one
major reason for continuing with 8
bits is the readily available low cost
info/software/hardware base on which
to build the next project.
It seems to me that one most useful
function of 8BS magazine would be to
devote some TBI disks entirely to the
collation of info etc on selected
subjects of mutual interest to members
These could be divided into say
software and hardware categories
comprising articles, programs, demos,
literature refs, equipment, hints etc
all relating to that particular topic.
Topics for a TBI disk to be proposed
by the membership for our editor to
shortlist. Members contribute any way
they can with info, articles etc. Each
TBI disk project would be an on-going
activity correlated by a sub-editor
volunteer. (nominated by ed!)
The topics could be focal points for
lively comment with ideas, reporting,
requests for input etc in the 8BS
magazine as per the editors
predilection. (You're allowed to have
those Chris unless you're an MP).
Contributors would not be working in
isolation, with items subject to edit
as required. There is a wide range of
possible topics and no need to be too
ambitious for starters.
The end product could be TBITs (TBI
Topics) under the 8BS banner?
Anyway, there's a thought, a musing
even.
EDITOR........ Great! Let's have some
volunteer editors (name your subject).
To: 999 (all members)
From: 3PM (DP-J)
Subject: Overheard in the IT Centre.
Sprightly aged Paddy "Father, begorra
if I havn't got this luv'ly 20 year
old girl into trrubble now"
Father: "Thats a turrible sin for a
good catolic of your years Paddy.
Paddy: Oh, but I'm not a catolic,
father, do y'see now.
Father: Not a catolic? Well what are
y'tellin' me for?
Paddy: Father, at 92 I'm tellin'
everybody.!
To: 999 (all members)
From: K4V (Trevor Crapper)
Subject: General Comments
As a newcomer to 8BS I would like to
voice my first impressions, amazing
now I know where some of the
subscribers to Beebug have gone to!
Seriously though I am greatly
impressed by the setup, it is very
businesslike and very slick indeed.
Unfortunately I am virtually a
none-producer and only then it's
cosmetic, tarting up somebody elses
damned hard work in a very minor way.
My function is to use other peoples
endeavours for my own benefit. About
the only thing I can do is write very
basic articles. Back to reality, I am
very pleased to learn that the Beeb is
alive and kicking, my association goes
back to 1985 so I am fairly well
versed with it's potential. Back to
praising 8BS now, it appears that most
of you do take an active part and
don't just leave it all to one person.
I am more than willing to offer my
meagre services in any way to promote
the continuance of the Beeb for the
benefit of all.
As an aside if anyone is interested in
correspondence chess or plays the game
by post and would like further
informaton please contact me at the
addess given. I am for my sins the
Team Captain of International Friendly
Matches for the British Postal Chess
Federation.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2T (Jack Tourle)
Subject: Weights of coins, etc.
In issue 33, 3WU gave us some very
useful information about weights of
coins. Unfortunately, since the
predecessor of Royal Mail abandoned
the good old Imperial grain and ounce
in favour of the European gram, we
need to know, for postage purposes,
how to convert from one unit to
another. There are 7000 grains to 1
pound(avoirdupois), whose metric
equivalent is 453.6 grams. Thus there
are 15.43 grains to the gram. So
3WU's figure of 100.8 grains for the
weight of one 10p piece becomes 6.53
grams; one 50p piece (208.9 grains)
weighs 13.54 grams; and I reckon that
a £1 coin accounts for about 9 grams.
Now for the practical stuff. The
envelopes which I use weigh about 8
grams each; one of my discs with
sleeve goes 16 grams, and a stiffener
(corrugated cardboard or plastic)
about 10 grams. Therefore traffic to
and from 8BS accounts for:-
1disc 2discs 3discs 4discs
gr gr gr gr
2 envs. 16 16 16 16
Discs +
stffr. 26 42 58 74
Coins50p 14 14 14 14
.. 10p . 7 14 21
## ## ### ###
Total wt.56 79 102 125
Only 1 envelope for return, and no
coins,
so wts...34 50 66 82
First class postage for 1 disc,etc.
might be 25p* (60gr); 2 discs, 38p
(100gr) but return 25p; 3 or 4 discs
47p*, return 38p. (*These should be
checked at the Post Office, since they
are near the line).
If you are contributing 50p for EACH
disc, then the total weights go up
accordingly, but you can save by using
£1 coins where appropriate, or a cheque
where the amount is significant.
Perhaps 2J3 would comment on the use of
cheques.
BEWARE if you are using heavier
envelopes or discs!
E & O E. (which means don't be too
hard on me for any mistakes).
To: 999 (all members)
From: 15A (Steven Flintham)
Subject: BAS128
I notice from the issue 33 program
documentation that Castore was
originally written to use BAS128. I am
shocked to find that anyone has
managed to do anything with it - I had
a quick fiddle when I first got my
Master and then gave up. It seemed to
crash at the slighest provocation -
especially when using even fairly
simple and legal OS calls. How about
someone writing an article on BAS128
and how to get the best out of it?
To:999 (All members)
From : 3WU
Subject: Verse
Well I hope you enjoyed our four legged
water logged friend Pete in the
last issue and I hope our editors wife
enjoys this next one < So please
note this one Chris > and it's Title is
Footprints In The Sand which you
will find listed as "B.FPRINTS" it is
dressed to the left so if you can
center your printer do so < Now you
know why I want the VDU statement >
Dont forget to load the paper as it
fires straight away on run.