AcornUser006-Jan83.pdf

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For BBC micro, Atom and Econet users

Dealing with discs

Pet printing

BBC i i e

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We're best because we're biggest. The biggest Acorn Distributor you can get.

We've got the biggest range of hardware, software, add-ons, books, stationery, peripherals,

monitors and printers. And the most efficient distribution facilities in the country.

Don't try the rest—come to the best!

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CONTENTS

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ACORN

USER

JANUARY 1983, NUMBE S I X

Editor

Tony Quinn

Managing Editor

Jane Fransella

Sub Editor

Ann Nimmo

Production

Susie Home

Marketing Manager

Paul Thompson

Promotion Manager

Pat Bitton

Editorial Secretary

Jane Lake

Publisher

Stanley Malcolm

Typesetters and Designers

GMGraphics, Harrow Hill

Graphic Designer

Phil Kanssen

Printed in Great Britain

by E.T.Heron & Co. Ltd

Advertising Agents

Dealer Deals Ltd.

20 Orange Street

London WC2H 7ED

01-930 1612

Distributed to the News Trade

by Magnum Distribution Ltd.

72-8 Fleet Street,

London EC4Y 1HY.

Tel: 01-583 0961

Telex: 893340 Magnum G.

Published by

Addison-Wesley Publishers Ltd.

53 Bedford Square,

London WC1B 3DZ

Telephone: 01-631 1 6 3 6

Telex: 881 1948

ISSN: 201 -1 7002 7

-Addison-Wesley

Publishers Ltd 1982

2 Editorial

3 News

8 B B C TV series

Contents of the

ten new programs

11 M a c h i n e code p r o g r a m m i n g

Part three by John Ferguson and

Tony Shaw

19 H i n t s and tips

Joe Telford unravels

the mystery of discs

25 B e e b forum

lan Birnbaum gives you

micro p o w e r

57 L e t t e r s

Readers questions

get some answers

61 S u b s c r i p t i o n offer

Solve the hassles

of finding your issues

6 3 A c o r n d e a l e r list

Where to go

for your bits and pieces

29 M i c r o s in schools

Heather Govier sets our

new series rolling

37 P e t Printing

Tim Edwards puts a

Commodore printer on-line

46 C o m p e t i t i o n

Simon Daily sets a cipher

to sort out

51 A t o m w r i t e s to B e e b

C. J. Hollyman composes

BBC programs on his Atom

54 E x t r a A t o m m e m o r y

J. M. Charlton finds 2k

tucked away

o-01.11

PS I I U l e l I I 11•I I I 11•9 • I BOO

r•-•

CON M i n n IN SCHOOLS

CO•

•

1111111111161111111111111111111111111111

Cover design by Chris Gilbert

Photography by Malcolm Aird

Subscription Information

For UK Subscriptions, send

your cheque or postal order

made payable to Addison-

Wesley Publishers Ltd to:

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Annual subscription rates

Europe

Middle East

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How to submit articles

You are welcome to submit articles to the Editor of Acorn User for publication. Acorn User

cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped addressed envelope is enclosed.

Articles should be typed or computer written. Black and white photographs or trans-

parencies are also appreciated. If submitting programs please send a cassette or disc.

Payment is 5 0 per page or pro rata. Please indicate if you have submitted your article

elsewhere. Send articles, reviews and information to: The Editor, Acorn User, 53 Bedford

Square, London WC1 B 3DZ.

Coming soon in Acorn User:

• Dynamic procedures • Software reviews • Science programs • Hardware

modifications for the Beeb • Atom 3D graphics • Word processing reviews •

Guide to printers • More on Atom utility boards • Games listings • Sorting out

machine code errors • BBC telesoftware launch • Computer Literacy Project -

assessing the first year •

Au t i o t s reserved N o part ot this publication may be r, r i i i j . e r i wilhoul prior written permission al the publisher. The publisher

cannot accept any responsibility tor errors in articles, programs or advertisements published, The opinions expressed on the

pages of this journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, Acorn Computers Ltd, or

Acornsof t Ltd

Acorn, Acornsoft. and the Acorn symbol are the registered trademarks of Acorn Computers Ltd and Acornsolt Ltd

WILL ACORN COME GOOD?

CAN A c o r n C o m p u t e r s t u r n o v e r a n e w l e a f

and s h a k e o f f i t s b a d reputation f o r delivery

and marketing - a situation c o m p o u n d e d b y

poor s u p p o r t , u n s e t t l e d d e a l e r s a n d

permanently engaged p h o n e lines? This is the

question m a n y u s e r s a n d s u p p o r t e r s o f t h e

BBC micro are asking as a New Year begins.

The reasons behind t h e problems are many

- impossible promises, t h e unusual n a t u r e o f

the BBC-Acorn link, a n d t h e w a y sales h a v e

outstripped t h e company's capacity to support

them.

But n o w i s t h e t i m e f o r consolidation, a n d

pressure p u t o n A c o r n s e e m s t o b e bearing

fruit. T h e c o m p a n y ' s h e a d q u a r t e r s i n

Cambridge - a c o n v e r t e d w a t e r w o r k s - h a s

been expanded, Ve c t o r Marketing h a s a t l as t

got t o grips w i t h distribution, a n d m o r e s t a ff

are b e i n g t a k e n o n t o i m p r o v e c u s t o m e r,

dealer and sales support.

And t h e name o f the game as 1 9 8 3 unfolds

will b e s y s t e m d e v e l o p m e n t t o f u l f i l t h e

promise o f expandability g i v e n b y t h e B B C

machine's design. Expansion is what the Beeb

is a l l a b o u t - t h e a b i l i t y t o u s e networks,

telesoftware, the Tube, second processors and

language ROMs_

Then w e have t h e Electron, i t s launch n o w

set f o r March. Acorn i s playing i t cool on this

front a n d s e e m s d e t e r m i n e d t o a v o i d t h e

production a n d delivery disasters which h a v e

hit the company's image with the BBC micro.

Will A c o r n c o m e g o o d ? W i l l c u s t o m e r s

accept A c o r n ' s s t a t e m e n t o n o p e r a t i n g

systems? Only time will tell.

For the final word in this editorial, I hand you

over t o K a t e Burns, a g e d 10. H e r p o e m s e t s

out t o explain what this computer madness is

all about.

Clever little bits of nothing

Telling this, telling that.

And when you start there's no ending,

It gets in heart, mind and brain.

It's like the plague

Catching, spreading

Moving fast,

People dreading that they'll catch

COMPUTER PLAGUE

P o m o . . 6 * dwileato•••

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YOU'VE SEEN THE PICTURES, NOW SEND FOR THE WORDS

BBC Microcomputer or Acorn Atom

Acornsoft is the software

division of Acorn Computers,

designers and manufacturers, of the

BBC Micro and Atom. We know

better than anyone the capability of

the machines, we know how to get

the very best from the hardware. And

we have produced a range of

exciting games, exacting business

and useful household software.

The Biggest Range Available

Acornsoft software ranges from

authentic arcade games like

Snapper t o Algebraic Manipulation

to Desk Diary to other languages like

FORTH and LISP. Striking colour,

amazing sound effects and powerful

graphics are all used to the full. And it

does not stop there. There is a

complete range of manuals,

accessories and plug-in ROMs.

Free Brochures

Just clip the coupon or write to

us and we will rush our catalogue

absolutely free. Can't wait for the post

ring 01-930 1614 now! Don't delay—

do it today. Let Acornsoft help you

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open the doors to your imagination.

Acornsoft and Atom are registered

trade marks of Acorn Computers Ltd.

F l e a s e rush me

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Acornsoft.

0 Atom

B B C Picase tick

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ACORNSOFT

4A Market Hill,

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ACORN USER JANUARY

ANL

Second processor

trials going well

PROTOTYPES of Acorn's 32-

bit s e c o n d p r o c e s s o r, t h e

Gluon are 'working fine'.

The Gluon is built around

three 3 2 - b i t c h i p s a n d i s

designed t o i n c r e a s e t h e

processing speed and mem-

ory c a p a c i t y o f t h e B B C

micro.

This i s achieved b y con-

necting the Beeb and second

processor through the Tube,

which is Acorn's high speed

data transfer interface.

The c h i p s u s e d a r e

National S e m i c o n d u c t o r

16032s. 'These are the only

true 32-bit microprocessors

available,' s a i d H e r m a n n

Hauser, A c o r n ' s m a n a g i n g

director.

'We a r e v e r y p l e a s e d

with t h e performance of the

NEWS

Five-station

networks

IF Y O U R s y s t e m i s n ' t b i g

enough f o r E c o n e t , t r y

Bootnet T h i s s o f t w a r e t o

control a n e t w o r k o f f o u r

BBC m a c h i n e s w i t h a

Research M a c h i n e s 3 8 0 Z

as f i l e s e r v e r c o s t s l e s s

than E35.

And modifications t o re-

place t h e 3 8 0 Z with a BBC

micro s h o u l d h a v e b e e n

completed by now.

Bootnet h a s b e e n o n

trial f o r three months at 18

Birmingham schools. I t was

designed a s a c h e a p

introduction t o n e t w o r k i n g

and t o provide disc storage

for several micros.

The 3 8 0 Z c a n b e u s e d

while acting as a file server,

except t h e f o u r s t a t i o n

micros have priority w h i c h

at t i m e s o f h i g h d e m a n d

means t h e 3 8 0 Z u s e r w i l l

just have to wait.

No s p e c i a l h a r d w a r e i s

required, a s t h e s y s t e m

runs t h r o u g h t h e I / O

(input/output) p o r t o f t h e

computers. A five-way cable

connects t h e m a c h i n e s ,

with n o screening as this is

thought t o b e unnecessary

over s h o r t d i s t a n c e s ( 1 0 m

of cable are provided in the

largest standard package).

Bootnet software f o r the

BBC m i c r o will b e provided

on cassette.

Details from Mace, West

Midlands R e g i o n a l Centre,

Four D w e l l i n g s S c h o o l ,

Dwellings L a n e , Q u i n t o n ,

Birmingham B32 1RJ.

, S 111

'New 32-bit Gluon is

something to look

forward to'

32-bit chips, t h e prototypes

are w o r k i n g f i n e . T h i s i s

something t o l o o k f o r w a r d

to,' he added.

With t h e Gluon, t h e BBC

micro will b e able to match

the p r o c e s s i n g p o w e r o f

some p r e s e n t d a y m i n i -

computers, said Acorn, a t a

fraction of the cost.

This m a k e s h i g h - l e v e l

languages available such as

Fortran a n d C o b o l , a l l o w s

up t o 9 6 k o f R A M t o b e

used a n d p u t s t h e B B C

machine a t t h e t o p o f t h e

benchmark stakes.

A review o f last year's

Personal C o m p u t e r W o r l d

benchmarks p u t t h e B e e b

in t h e third place, knocking

spots o f f Apples, Sinclairs,

Dragons etc. With a second

processor t h e B e e b c o m e s

out n u m b e r o n e , s a y s

Hauser.

Two o t h e r s e c o n d p r o -

cessors, a Z 8 0 b o a r d a n d

6502 ( t h e s a m e 8 - b i t c h i p

as t h e Beeb uses), are well

into the development stage

and e v e n t h e s e t r a n s f o r m

the timings.

Once t h e s e second pro-

cessors a r e available, t h e

BBC machine will take on a

serious business role, w i t h

the ability to run CP/M soft-

ware -

t h e standard

business language.

This will enable Acorn t o

develop i t s o w n b u s i n e s s

machine a n d s t e p i n t o t h e

market against t h e likes o f

Torch. The existence of the

Torch business m a c h i n e i s

particularly galling, a s t h i s

uses B B C b o a r d s a n d h a s

captured a m a r k e t A c o r n

has been slow to move into.

Deliveries

and discs

UPGRADED B B C m i c r o s

with t h e d i s c interface a r e

now being s e n t o u t w i t h a

note t o t e l l u s e r s h o w t o

carry on using cassettes.

Many customers d i d n o t

know t h e *TAPE c o m m a n d

was needed t o switch from

the d i s c t o c a s s e t t e f i l i n g

modes.

Joe Te l f o r d , o u r h i n t s

and t i p s w r i t e r, h a d t h e

same problems. H e explains

how h e s o r t e d t h e d i s c

,••••••

system out on page 19.

IF Y O U h a v e ordered a

BBC m i c r o b y courier from

Vector Marketing, i t should

arrive within 1 0 days, s a y s

Acorn.

The c o m p a n y h o p e s i t

will take less than this, and

credit c a r d o r d e r s s h o u l d

be p r o c e s s e d f a s t e r t h a n

cheques.

Some computer industry

pundits h a v e p o i n t e d o u t

that bad publicity may have

convinced t h e p u b l i c t h a t

BBC m a c h i n e s a r e n o t

available, j u s t w h e n t h e y

are in fact being stockpiled

by Acorn.

tomers a b o u t t h e l a c k o f

support a n d f e a r s a m o n g

education a d v i s o r s t h a t

back-up m i g h t n o t b e

good e n o u g h have spurred

these efforts.

The d e a l e r a n d s a l e s

support s e c t i o n s w i t h i n

Acorn are b e i n g revamped

and e x p a n d e d t o m e e t

increased d e m a n d .

Orders h a v e a l r e a d y

been p l a c e d b y p r i m a r y

schools f o r c o m p u t e r s ,

and e a r l y f i g u r e s s u g g e s t

BBC m a c h i n e s h a v e c a p -

tured over half o f these.

The t o t a l n u m b e r o f

primary s c h o o l s i s o v e r

Training film

A V I D E O f i l m i s available

from l o c a l M E P o ff i c e s t o

demonstrate teachers train-

ing and the use of micros in

schools.

It is called Micros in Pri-

maries - Starting O u t a n d

was s h o t i n t h r e e schools.

and o n a weekend training

course.

The 4 0 - m i n u t e v i d e o

underlines three aspects o f

computer education: practice

and reinforcement; simulation

and data handling.

Producer R o b e r t Ve a l e

made t h e film f o r t h e DES,

and h o p e s t o s t a r t o n a

follow-up later in the year.

Customer

support

ACORN h a s r e - a f f i r m e d

its c o m m i t m e n t t o c u s -

tomer support, particularly

in t h e e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r.

Joint managing director

Hermann H a u s e r has con-

firmed t h a t the educational

series d i v i s i o n w i t h i n t h e

company will b e d o u b l e d

in s i z e - a n d r e c r u i t m e n t

has already begun.

Complaints b y c u s -

ACORN USER JANUARY

25.000. a l l o f w h i c h a r e

eligible t o b u y m i c r o s a t

half price w i t h D e p a r t m e n t

of I n d u s t r y support.

The o f f e r t o s e c o n d a r y

schools h a s n o w finished,

and t h e G o v e r n m e n t

seems s a t i s f i e d t h a t i t s

idea h a s w o r k e d , w i t h

virtually all s c h o o l s having

purchased a t l e a s t o n e

micro.

Junior education m i n -

ister W i l l i a m S h e l t o n

announced t h i s a t t h e

recent M E P M i c r o p r i m e r

launch a n d a d d e d t h a t i t

was s o m e t h i n g e v e r y b o d y

could b e p r o u d of.

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