8-Bit Software Online Conversion

                To: 999 (all members) From: D6F (JOHN CRANE) Subject: General (intro) Well I've just recently joined 8BS, so I thought I'd write in and introduce myself and have a go at this messaging set-up. I am not a total computing nut. I dabble in Electronics and while I don't profess to really know what I'm doing I do enjoy fiddling. Thus computing, to me, is an extension of this. It all started a few years back, when someone gave me an old Electron to have a go at. I started searching through Micro`Mart and the like and bought some 2ndhand stuff, expanding my set-up to give me a Plus 3 (Disc Drive with ADFS) and a Plus 1 for those all important cartridge slots, to allow the use of various Roms. More recently I had my Electron upgraded to 64K and had SP64 fitted. This is a rather good Desktop Publishing package made by Slogger, which is basically an improved AMX Stop Press. Previously available in DFS only, the SP64 version will work equally well in both ADFS and DFS, even both at once, if you have both fitted. It was while I was scanning various issues of Micro-Mart that I saw an article on EUG (Electron User Group)written by Will Watts (who ran it at that time). Back then the magazine was a paper product, but later it turned into a disc based format, similar to 8BS. It was in Dec95 edition of EUG that I learned about 8BS and from what I've seen so far I'm impressed. At first I wasn't sure about 8BS, because I had some doubts about compatibility. I don't have Mode7 on my Elk and the version of ADFS I have has page at 1D00,which can cause problems. However I found out most problems could be overcome by switching to 64K. A little while ago I relieved a friend of mine of an A3010 for a small sum and have been trying to get to grips with that. Now, I thought,I shall be able to read and access 8BS in its true form (Mode7), via !65Host (BBC emulator). At first I had 1 or 2 problems. However I noticed the version of !65Host I had been using was dated 1988, which was from an old disc of "Lets compute".I tried using the 1992 version supplied with the A3010 and found everything worked perfectly. I must thank our glorious leader Chris while I,m about it as well. To cut a long story short (something I'm not very good at),I've had DFS available as 2nd choice on my Elk for some time, until my chip went walkabouts. I had a rom image which could be loaded into SWR, so it didn't matter too much.Then my SWR cartridge packed up. Anyway 8BS offers an Eprom blowing service so, I thought, the end to my problems. To cap it all my rom image somehow got corrupted, so what should have been a simple task has taken on more nightmarish proportions Chris has taken it all in his stride though and persevered on my behalf and I now have a working DFS rom.Thanks a lot Chris,I'll look after it now and won't let it out of my sight,I promise. Anyway that's it from me for now.See you all again soon.  To: 999 (all members) From: D5B (Jon Ripley) Subject: Coming soon! Under development, graphical adventure game with 3D graphics unlike any that have been seen before! Watch this space (and the JJR catalogue) for further information. It should be available for release at the start of the summer and will be available from me. A demo will appear in 8BS.  To: 999 (all members) From: D5B (Jon Ripley) Subject: Interactive archives... I am developing an interactive archive filing system to allow archives to be used without de-archiving them first. Currently it is loaded into main memory and should act like any normal filing system. It will be read-only and will support DFS style archives allowing 1 letter directory names. All normal filing system calls are intercepted and treated accordingly. Only one archive can be open at once and archives within archives will not be supported. Chris Richardson's archiver is supported at the moment as it seems to be the most commonly used for archives appearing in 8BS issues.  To: 999 (all members) From: D5B (Jon Ripley) Subject: Apologies! I would like to apologise to everyone who has written to me in the last couple of months because it has taken me quite a while to reply to your letters/phone calls. This is due to unfortunate personal circumstances, however, do not despair, I will be writing/phoning back as soon as possible. In the future I hope to be able to introduce a same day postal return service for enquiries and purchases of PD discs, etc. Also, I'd like to say that it might take me a few minutes to get to the phone, so please don't ring off after a few seconds (like so many have). I live in a large house (with 10 other people) at the point furthest away from a remarkably quiet telephone. (The house is quite sound proof which adds to the problem.) So, please hold the line for a few minutes and nearly all of the time your call will be answered!  To: 999 (all members) From: D5B (Jon Ripley) Subject: JJR PD Update Recent additions to the JJR section of the 8BS library. All JJR discs are available from myself and Chris at the usual prices. Discs whose names are prefixed with an asterisk '*', are only available from me directly and cost 50p extra. These discs are not PD and where PD programs are present on these discs, only these programs may be freely distributed. *JJR-08 Extended Repton Editor This was described in more detail in the previous issue. It contains four sets of Repton 3 screens and one of the most complete lists of Repton passwords ever! The editor is meant to be used alongside the one included with the game and includes several useful features including protecting screens so they cannot be edited and converting screen files between the BBC and Electron. *JJR-09 Adventure games disc 1 See the adventures section for more details on this disc. JJR-10 Wordsquares This disc contains a selection of 23 various wordsquares, ranging in difficulty from very easy to impossible. JJR-11-1 Fractals A-I The first in a series of discs each containing 18 stunning fractal images. Reference Sides Size Files *JJR-08 1D 159k 14 *JJR-09 1D 87k 20 JJR-10 1D 27k 25 JJR-11-1 2D 363k 20 If you have written any software you would like to be included in the JJR section please send it to me or if you want to order discs from me. Jon Ripley, 37 Ceylon Place, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3JE Tel: 01323 721091 Anytime  To: 999 (all members) From: 3PM (dp-j) Subject: IQ Last month Roy Dickens asked how come a man with high IQ had problems. Well, the converse is worse. A man with low IQ doesn't know he's got problems. But if he knows the man with high IQ has problems then he has a higher IQ than the man with the high IQ ? Congratulations Roy. I feel qualified to debate this topic as I have similar attributes to Jon Ripley. I'm 150 with an IQ of 18+, miles from Bristol that is. No, not the IQ, the furthest one. The nearest one's in the opposite direction. See, I have got problems. Wow, that must put me up in the 19+ class. I'm glad I got involved. Now I've got something to worry about. What was I going to Bristol for? Anyway it must be nearer now the nearest one is further away, or was that my IQ. I'm sure you see my point depending on whether you are lower or higher than me. I hope that, to quote our illustrious Premier, 'makes it perfectly clear'. But then he's further away than ..... any of us. Bristol even. Any time Roy, it's a pleasure. You only need ask. Incidentally, a motor mechanic friend went along to see a psychiatrist and crawled under his couch. The bloody fool gave him treatment and now he sits on cars.  To: 999 (all members) From: 3PM (dp-j) Subject: PUZZLE ANSWER 8BS-47 from Jon Ripley (and there's more) Hello Jon. Nice to see all that enthusiasm. You're giving us plenty to think about. An interesting solution to Puzzle but did you notice that successive RUN's always return alternating times of 6.2 and 2.76 secs on the Master128. But occasionally the result takes 16.56 secs and the answer is wrong. Viz 8m,23w,69c. Now there's another puzzle! My own contribution was a vehicle to provide some text to demonstrate the !Fred text file reader. However if the additional condition AND x=INT(x) is put in Line 40 to eliminate the non- integer totals you will see more clearly that some totals such as #104, #112 and #115 have two solutions. For the puzzlers. Can you identify integer totals having two solutions either of which is not simply a direct multiple of a lesser total amount? For example, 6m,86w,8c and 9m,7w,84c both give #104 total but the former is simply double the #52 result, whereas the two solutions to #115 are unique in the above sense. Do such totals have some overall functional form? Is there an upper limit? (Clue: do any prime number totals have two such solutions?). What about three answers?  To: 999 (all members) From: K2F (John Davis) Subject: As if you cared... Some idle thoughts on getting, randomly, 1 or -1, from quickest to slowest: 1) A=SGN(RND) 2) A=1-(2 AND RND(1)>.5) 3) A=1-(2 AND RND(2)=1) 4) A=1-(RND(2)-1)*2 5) A=1+(RND(2)=1)*2 6) A=-1^(RND(1)>.5) 7) A=-1^RND(2) 8) A=2*(1.5-RND(2)) and perhaps: 9) A=RND(2)^1.584962503-2 and even: 10) IF CHRIS HAD EGGS FOR BREAKFAST THEN A=1 ELSE A=-1 This condition was implemented in some very early Acorn basics, but, unaccountably, was later deleted. Perhaps it was thought too slow, as it only allowed one iteration per day, and also involved peering through windows, telephone calls, etc. These basics are now rare and valuable.  To: 999 (all members) From: 3WU (Fred Price) Subject: The Month Of March This not related to computers but it is of interest to the month MARCH. I came across this little story a few years ago and in my hospital radio program I usually play a piece of music called THE MARCH HARE and read this out: The expression Mad as a March Hare comes from the fact that March is the rutting season for Hares. It also refers to Hares running wild in marshes or where there are no hedges or other cover to hide in. On the other hand the term MAD AS A MAD HATTER dates from the time when Mercury was used in the making of hats. Mercury is very poisonous and it also produces symptoms similar to those encountered in brain disorders. ----- So if any one wants to have a tea party please don't ask me for a MAD HATTER as the IDES OF MARCH has got him. SO BEWARE  To: 999 (all members) From: 3WU (Fred Price) Subject: MASTER At last I have managed to join the MASTER class. Yes I am now a MASTER owner since last December an what a difference it is but it does give you some extra thoughts being a bit different to straight Beeb but I won't part with them yet until I obtain another Master. On a slow course I am getting to know the brute popping in and out of DFS and ADFS and I have found that I can go into View very easily, in fact I found that if I wanted to change one of my scrips into ADFS it was easier to load it in DFS then go into ADFS and save it doing it that way saved me using a utility program to change from DFS to ADFS. I use Mick Needham's View suite a lot and I have found that the full program will not go in so can it be that the Full Stop is the one thing that stops it from working and if it is altered will it work OK? It does make me think a bit more as to what I have to do but I have got an escape route which I use now and again and I must say that my namesake FRED is always very helpful when I ring him I know that I have had him tearing his Hair out with some of the questions so I must give a big thank you to Fred Nevin for helping me out but be warned Fred you are not off the hook yet so beware of the IDES of March. Fred Price 3WU  PRESS SPACE