THIS MIXTURE OF MESSAGES ARRIVED AFTER
THE DEADLINE.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: Free Local Calls
Reply to: D7Y
While certainly an interesting story
about what happened in America surely
the mistakes have been learned by both
internet providers and phone
companies. BT could limit free calls
to lets say 15 hours a quarter and
providers could limit free hours to 5
or so a month like they do now and
then be more reasonable in the cost of
extra hours like 10p per hour. It
certainly wouldn't be too difficult to
sort out a system that worked. I
certainly wouldn't agree with 'Thank
Goodness' as a comment with regard
having to pay for calls. BT are a
ripoff and a monopoly and who doesn't
hate them. You don't have shares do
you?
The fact that BT aren't going to give
free local calls is the important bit.
However I am not reasured by this.
At least we won't get bothered every
other night by timeshare and double
glazing sales people. Hmmm perhaps I'm
coming round to your thinking after
all.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: Reply to E2K (Mixed Drives)
I've been using a mixed 3.5 and 5 1/4
drive with my BBC (and Electron) for
some time. Originally the drive was
two 5 1/4 mechanisms but because I'd
got a Archimedes I wanted to transfer
a lot of my stuff onto 3.5 plus of
course 5 1/4 disks are now much rarer
and have always been less robust. So I
was beginning to use 3.5 disks in
preference even with the BBC.
I took out the top drive and replaced
it with a 3.5 drive in a 5 1/4
mounting. These are easily obtained
from PC suppliers. Mine came from
Hills. Also it came with the handy
power adaptor which converts the 5 1/4
type power connector into a 3.5 type.
I then got a 34 way IDC connector and
crimped it on the cable. I actually
used a right angle ruler thing to
write a totally level line across the
ribbon cable. So when I crimped it on
it was level. I say crimped but in
fact I just used a little bit of wood
and a hammer to start it off and then
left it under the foot of the main
living room table which applied some
pressure and later when I returned it
was fully crimped on. Its a very heavy
table. The little triangle bit marked
on the IDC connector should be at the
same side as the the markings on the
ribbon cable. How the ribbon cable is
marked is another matter. It will
either be coloured on one side or have
a slight ridge. Either way this
represents the pin 1 connection. The
other thing to remember is to have the
IDC connector on the same side as the
edge connector used on the 5 1/4
drive.
Another important bit is to set the
ids. I used a couple of switches so
that I could toggle which drive
represents drive 0 for booting
purposes. However this could be done
with one switch with more connections
but I'm not going to go into that. One
drive needs to be set to 0(if the ID
settings go from 0 to 3) or 1 (if they
go from 1 to 4).These are at the back
of the drive normally and set using
mini jumpers. The other drive must be
set to 1 or 2.
5 1/4 drives often have terminator
packs. These resemble a chip but are
more rounded. Unless you've got a
drive where its set by a jumper or not
needed at all. 3.5 drives don't need
terminator packs. Anyway I tried the
combination with and without the
terminator in the 5 1/4 drive and
found that it seemed to work better
without it. This may be bad advice
and it may be that you should have it
fitted. Perhaps my 3.5 drive
automatically provided the termination
or something. Its a Toshiba mechanism.
I've been using this setup for a
couple of years now or more with no
problems.
Hope some of this info is of use. I
know it could have done with a diagram
in places.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: To D6F (Other Formats)
This may or may not help but it may be
possible to create reference disks on
your 8bit computer and using a disk
copier on the Archimedes to copy them
and then use them.
So if you wanted to create a 80 track
single sided ADFS disk so that it
could be used between a Archimedes and
Electron with Plus 3 (single sided 80
track drive) you would need to make a
reference disk using your Electron.
This disk would be left blank but
formatted to 320k and write protected.
You would then copy it using one of
the Archimedes more sophisticated disk
copiers (not bothering to enable
copying of the second side of the
disk) and create your new blank this
way by using the reference disk. This
way you wouldn't have to setup the
Electron when you needed to create
320k disks.
You could use the same method for
single sided 40 track disks as long as
the 3.5 drive isn't a 40 track only
mechanism. It may still work depending
on how good the copier is but probably
not.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: Wanted Old Broken Arcs
Wanted any old Archimedes equipment.
Like faulty computers, controllers
etc. Especially any old Arm3 models
which I can raid for processors.
Anything really.
Always after Archimedes contacts.
Martin Wilson
32 Grass Royal
Yeovil
Somerset
BA21 4JW
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: Bransyeo BBS
A while back I think I mentioned the
existance of Bransyeo BBS in Yeovil.
As far as I can tell its now finished.
I've tried it several times on
various dates. When I say several I
actually mean a lot and have not got
through. Its constantly busy so
obviously the phone is off the hook.
On the rare occurences that it rings
nothing answers it. Then if you ring
back a minute later its engaged. So
you know someone was fed up with it
ringing and left it off the hook.
This is bad news for me as this is the
only BBS to me that was a local call.
To: 999 (all members)
From: 4WL (Martin R Wilson)
Subject: Microsoft & Apple
I suspect I'm not the only one to
notice that Apple is getting a cash
injection from Microsoft. Although I'm
more of a Risc OS fan I've always had
a lot of respect for Macintoshes and
their ease of use. Plus of course
theres a lot of great applications
available for them. So its grim news
that Microsoft have there foot in the
door and perhaps in time will get a
controlling interest. Theres no
doubting Microsofts success but in the
past they have often acted illegally
with respect to other companies code.
Not only that but Microsoft
applications always seem slow compared
to many similar ones and often a lot
larger too especially applications for
the Mac. Just compare clarisWorks to
Microsoft Works on the Mac. Not only
that but Microsofts internet software
on the PC it runs at a snails pace
compared to Netscape.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: *** ie IDs on discs
Further to comments over the past few
issues about our IDs not being put in
the top left corner of the issue disc
title screen. We have had reassurances
from Chris that it is quite easy to
put our ID in ourselves if we wish. So
I tried it. Naturally enough, I failed
miserably. Quite normal for me when I
start fiddling with software, and I
suppose I should have known better
than to have tried. I was left with a
disc which I could not use due to the
Boot file now being totally scrambled!
I was then forced to go grovelling to
Chris for a replacement disc, which he
sent me once he'd stopped laughing. He
can be so cruel! Howmsover, I resolved
to try again, this time working on a
copy of the Boot file on another disc.
I was amazed to find that it worked
the first time I tried it, even though
I had gone through the same steps as
before, ie load it into EDIT,
overwrite the three stars with my ID,
and save it back to disc. The only
difference was that the menu had not
been used, ie the bar was at the top
of the main menu, on About This Issue.
The previous time I had tried, I had
broken out of a submenu to do it. Our
Boot file/menu is a wondrous and
complex thing wot remembers where you
were when you chose an option, and
returns you to that place when you
leave it, but it seems that if you are
not right back at the very beginning
of the process, ie on About This Issue
when you try to alter it at all, it
gets all huffy and crashes. If I have
been trawling through the issue before
I remember to put on my ID, I always
call up About This Issue, then press
space to return to the main menu to be
absolutely sure that the Boot file is
'in neutral' before I try to alter the
stars to my ID. If you don't have EDIT
then panic not gentle reader, for it
is not vital. After ensuring that the
Boot file is 'in neutral', do a
Control-Break, LOAD"!Boot", LIST 40,
move the cursor up and use the COPY
key to copy the line up to and
including the space between REM and
the stars, then type in your ID and
press RETURN. SAVE"!Boot", and then
Boot the disc, and your ID should be
glowing gently in it's proper place. I
hope this will help other computer
illiterates like me, who have perhaps
been too worried about things going
wrong to try and put their ID on their
discs. Good Luck.
To: 999 (all members)
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: Spellign Chequer
To put Andrew Medworth's, and anybody
else's mind at rest, the whole thing
was indeed a little scam wot I cooked
up with the total connivance ( he
wrote the Machine Code ) of the man we
all ( used to ) trust, yes, indeedy,
CJR himself. The person who I claimed
to have written the whole thing for
NASA, was as near as I could get in my
mostly forgotten German to April Fool.
Mona T. Witz becomes monat witz, or
month joke in English. Apologies to
any German members for my mangling
of your language, but hardihar to
those who fell for it!
To: 999 (all members)esp.D2G
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: Sad of Harwich
I'm going to bite the bullet here, and
say what everyone else seems to be
fighting shy of. Accept it Neil, you
are a Sad Person. We all know it and
accept it, so why can't you? It does
not make you any less a person than
you alredy are ( it couldn't! ) and we
don't think any less of you because of
it ( we couldn't! ) so just get on
with your life and stop pestering the
rest of us happier peoples with your
boring whingy messages. When you have
something more positive to say, send
it in to Chris, I'll spend a couple of
hours laughing at and correcting your
spellign, and it'll get put out on the
issue disc. Think about it, eh?
To: 999 (all members)esp. D5B
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: Snibzy
Don't you just love it when you do
your best and then someone comes along
and denigrates your efforts? When I
sent in this prog a few issues back,
I put the following rider in the prog
notes wot I sent in:-
" I have no doubt that what I have
done could have been done more easily
and elegantly, but then my skills as a
programmer lie ( rather obviously! )
somewhere between minimal and nil, so
YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'VE GOT IT AT ALL!!!!"
The program was originally written by
Marshal Anderson, and was published in
Beebug Vol.12, No.2, June '93. It was
only intended as a starting point for
the game, accompanied by an invitation
to alter and improve it. Whether or
not I improved it by tailoring it to
the intended users ( read the rest of
my ProgDoc notes ) is debatable, but
I certainly altered it in doing so. I
offer no apologies for it's "ugly
insides" having offended Jon, in fact
I am glad that it prompted him into
doing what I wanted to do but couldn't
due to ineptitude. However, I am hurt
by having my insides called "ugly",
and I am going to go into the corner
now and have a little sniffly sulk and
I don't care wot's for tea, I'm not
coming out until I'm ready. So there!
To: 999 (all members)esp.D5B
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: Longest word etc.
Thank you, Jon, for confirming my
offerings for the longest words, and
adding a couple more, although as I
said before I was not counting plurals
in my list, and potpourri is French.
The ever-such-long word you mention
but could not remember is I believe a
medical term referring to a disease of
the lungs caused by inhalation of very
fine particulates (breathing in dust).
I did not include it in my message on
issue 55 for the simple reason that I
could not remember it either! Also, it
could perhaps be ineligible for
inclusion anyway as, in common with a
lot of the German language, it is made
up of several different words stuck
together to make one, and requires the
lung power of a glassblower to say
without having to pause for breath.
The actual answer to the longest-word
-from-the-bottom-row-of-the-keyboard-
challenge is so blindingly obvious
that I am amazed that nobody has found
it. It is in fact 'DELETE'. Simple eh?
To: 999 (all members)
From: K6X (Cluke)
Subject: Downloadering
I am going to fly in the face of my
Mum's advice, and show you all my
ignorance. There, I've done it, and
she was wrong, it didn't frighten the
horses. What was she talking about,
more to the point, what am I talking
about? I should keep more in the shade
in this hot weather, she was right
about that at least. Still with me?
Rightio then. What is a downloader? I
keep seeing reference to it all over
the place, Albert Schofield being one
of the main culprits. What is it,
where can I get one, is it free on the
N.H.S.? I think I need one, so could
someone out there send one in so we
can all have one? Some destructions
for it, preferably in words of one
syllable or less, would also be very
much appreciated. I'm going to go for
a lie down now, cos I've come over all
sweat and hotty whilst typing this.
Perhaps Mum was right after all?