BARUG News

September 2002

I'm just back from Canada - at least my body is. I think my brain is still somewhere out over the Atlantic.. (adjusts matchsticks in eyelids...)

The September meeting will take place at the usual venue and at the usual time of 1930, on Wednesday 25 September. This month sees a welcome return of Brian Jaques, author of the Archive magazine series 'Spinning your own Web' , and producer of a CD which explains and demonstrates with plentiful illustrations the basic techniques of HTML coding, now with a very large 'Introduction to JavaScript' section. Brian will be bringing copies of the latest CD version with him for those who wish to update an earlier purchase. Even if you don't feel the urge to rush off and construct a large website from 'HTML first principles', I believe that everyone should have at least an overview of HTML, even if it's only to understand some of the principles, as HTML has become a most important part of computer usage in the Internet era.

For your diaries, note that our October speaker will be Nat Queen of Birmingham University whose contributions on cryptography inform and enliven csa newsgroups.

I have been back again in contact with Chris Hornsby of Photodesk about progress on the USB cards and drivers for USB digital cameras. He advises that the expected release date for USB drivers for Olympus cameras will be the RISC OS SE Show in Guildford at the start of November. The USB podules are of course already available from Castle and Simtec. Apparently, these may not necessarily implement USB functionality in the same way, so it may be worth holding off until you see which drivers become available for each podule.

RISC OS hardware available:

Peter Belcher has a SA RPC with RISC OS 3.7 which is surplus to his requirements. He is looking for £250. Make him an offer on 01761 492966, or at next week's meeting.

I have acquired a number of non-RPC machines from a primary school which is converting to PCs for the usual nonsensical reasons. The master who brought them up to me did not want to see perfectly good computers put in the skip. They are offered on a first come, first served basis. These machines are essentially free, although I hope that recipients would make a donation which I can pass back to the school in question. Some of the machines have security markings.

Machines available are:

Several Acorn A7000+ without hard discs, with network cards. (Readers of the newsgroups will note that I am having problems getting one to work with a hard disk. Now that I am returned from holiday, I shall do battle again. Once I track down the problem, I'll make the solution available.)

One Acorn A7000 with a network card + a faulty hard disc.

Several Acorn A3020s

Two Acorn A5000s

Three nearly new AKF60 Monitors. Mice and keyboards also available for most machines.

Two 'User Guides' for RISC OS 3.5/3.6

Get in touch with me if interested. I have earmarked machines for those who have already contacted me. Any left will be offered to the wider RISC OS community later in October as they are clogging up my garage!)

For those looking for a newer machine, it looks as if the Omega may be getting closer to going on sale.  There is still no forecast date, but Microdigital have released revised specifications - see their website on:

http://www.microdigital.co.uk/newsdesk.htm

The Company has also announced price increases of approximately 15% for orders taken from October 1st. Orders currently placed are not affected. So if you are thinking of ordering, now would seem to be a good time to do so. Recent reviews of the prototype machine in RISC User and other sources appear very positive... :-))

Alas, the same does not seem to be true of the portable from RiscStation. There has been no update on their website since before the Wakefield Show in May. A recent newsgroup posting - not from RiscStation - suggested that there were still manufacturing problems and that delivery would now be delayed by a further few months. Personally, I treat all such postings as gossip unless they are made by the Companies concerned, so the situation may or may not be as bad as portrayed.

See you at the meeting!

Finally...

...the newsletter is YOUR newsletter. If you have suggestions for items to be included, or items to sell/items wanted, or need advice, please email me or contact me by phone (office phone 0117 913 1216).

Steve