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The following Dabhand Guides and software packs are published or planned for 1989. Publication dates and contents are subject to change. All quoted prices are inclusive of 15% VAT in the UK (on software, books are zero-rated), and postage and packing (abroad add £2 or £12 airmail). Foreign customers should multiply software prices by 0.87 to exclude VAT and add postage charges as appropriate. All are available from your local dealer or bookshop or in case of difficulty direct from Dabs Press.
Please note: All future publications are in an advanced state of preparation. Content lists serve as a guide, but we reserve the right to alter and adapt them without notification. If you would like more information about Dabs Press, books and software, then drop us a line at 5 Victoria Lane, Whitefield, Manchester, M25 6AL, (or phone 061-766-8423) and we'll send our latest catalogue.
Master 512 Technical Guide
Robin Burton
ISBN:1-870336-80-1. Price: £14.95. Available: June 1989. 250 pages approx
For those who want to delve even further into the secrets of the Master 512 co-processor, the companion volume, to the Master 512 User Guide is essential reading.
Written by Robin Burton with the full co-operation of Acorn computers this tome not only details the Master 512 at software and hardware levels but also includes several hardware projects including memory expansion and the addition of a 12MHz processor.
The proposed contents of the Master 512 Technical Guide are outlined below.
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Introduction | ||
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The Hardware | ||
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The Host, Facilities | ||
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The 80186 processor | ||
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The RAM, The ROMs, The Tube | ||
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DOS Disc Systems | ||
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6502 System Software | ||
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Acorn MOS, Tube Protocols | ||
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80186 System Software | ||
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DOS Plus 2.1, ROM BIOS Emulation, The XIOS | ||
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6502 OS Calls | ||
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The 80186 Monitor | ||
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Error Handling | ||
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Applications Compatibility | ||
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PIP – Advanced Use | ||
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ED – Advanced Use | ||
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MOVE File Transfer Utility | ||
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Program Types | ||
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EDBIN | ||
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Hard Discs – Partitions, Building | ||
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Z80 Emulator | ||
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Advanced Command Use | ||
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SKS, FIDDLOAD, CHKDSK, PATH, DEVICE | ||
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Hardware Projects | ||
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512k Memory Expansion, 12Mhz Processor | ||
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512 Circuit Diagram | ||
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The Master 512 Technical Guide takes up where this User Guide ends, and expands on the information, examples and ideas contained in this volume to provide all the information needed by the Master 512 user who wants to get the very best from his or her system.
Note: This book is an advanced state of preparation and while Dabs Press will try to ensure that the above details are correct, the publishers and author reserve the right to change them without prior notification.
Master 512 Shareware Collections
Volume One, Available Now. Price £29.95
Volume Two, Available April 1989. Price £29.95
Volume Three, Available May 1989. Price £29.95
Further volumes planned for later in 1989.
The subject of Shareware is discussed in Chapter 17 of this Dabhand Guide. Dabs Press are planning to release three volumes of Shareware discs which will contain a wide and variety selection of Master 512 programs that been tested on the standard Master 512, ie without the Solidisk expansion, and found to work correctly.
Any minor problems found are noted in the accompanying manual. This is not, however, a guarantee. Some of these programs could have little nooks and crannies which may he undiscovered for years, that contain some obscure system call which DOS Plus doesn't support. Also, the software itself may have leaks in it at certain points. All we can say is that we've run everything on these discs through each major function, and everything seemed to work as expected. Programs which require a printer were tested with an Epson-compatible Star NL10 printer with IBM interface cartridge.
The discs in the Shareware Collections are not copy-protected. The software may be used on IBM PCs and compatibles once transferred to a compatible disc format. Each Shareware collection is accompanied by a manual which gives brief details of the software and explains how to print the documentation for each program which is presented in the form of a text file on disc.
Volume One
Volume One of the Master 512 Shareware Collection comprises five 800k Volume (non-bootable Acorn format) discs.
The software is grouped into categories for each disc, these are:
| Disc 1 | Wordprocessors | ||
| Disc 2 | Business Software | ||
| Disc 3 | Games | ||
| Disc 4 | Printer Utilities | ||
| Disc 5 | Miscellaneous |
Disc 1. Wordprocessing
The major program on Disc 1 is a full-function word processor contains an amazing 'word anticipate' feature, which guesses the word you intend to use while you are typing. A box of suggested words appears, and you type a number or ';' corresponding to the word in the list. This is extremely useful if you have trouble finding keys on the keyboard. For touch typists the feature can be turned off. The program also has a spelling checker and many advanced word processing features.
SpellChecker is a stand-alone spelling checker, which reads ASCII files, and reports spelling mistakes. When an error is spotted, the whole line is displayed so that you can see the context.
Justify is, in fact, a print utility that could not be contained on Disc 4, which will fully justify an ASCII text file to the printer. The justification actually includes inter-letter spacing. Standard 80-column text mode should be used on the Master 512.
Style Checker is a stand-alone style checker, a program which reports how 'readable' your text is. The program works normally in 80-column mode.
Word Processing for Kids: A delightful program is a simple text editor for young children, with just six commands in a pictorial interface. On-line help is available at any time by pressing F1. The program works in 40-column colour and can edit with very large characters as well.
Disc 2 Business Programs
The major program on Disc 2 is a 'clone' of the world-famous spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3. It has graphics, macros, the lot! Any book on learning 1-2-3 should suffice as a tutorial for this program. Even the graphics work well on a Master 512! There are lots of sample worksheets.
FloDraw is a program allows you to design flowcharts and other graphic layouts on a large 16x16 screen sheet, (previewed in miniature with f2), which can then be printed out graphically to the Epson printer. A demo file is included to show how easy the program is to use. This program works exceptionally smoothly on the Master 512, with no flickering at all.
Disc 3. Games
The games disc includes nine interesting games which are detailed briefly below.
| Bridge | This is a full-function contract bridge playing game. | |
| Burger | You have to catch the bits of the hamburger in order to win. It is almost impossible to beat the machine. | |
| Checkers | This is a full-colour board game, not draughts, but something much more interesting. | |
| Entrap | This is a text Othello (also called Reversi). The squares are entered by typing co-ordinates. | |
| PC Chess | This is a nice colour chess game, with quite a few options, controlled from the function keys. Moves are entered in letter-number notation, and an autoplay mode is included. | |
| Sopwith | Enjoy the thrills and spills of the old biplanes, as you loop the loop, dodge the mountains, and generally behave in a rather antisocial manner to the buildings below! | |
| Wombat | This is a big, interesting text adventure game. | |
| Mono Chess | This is a simpler chess game, although the graphics are nicer! | |
| 3-D OXO | This is a text-based version of the famous computer game 3D Noughts and Crosses, or as the Americans say, Tic-Tac-Toe. |
Disc 4. Printer Programs
This disc contains a number of very useful programs that allow the printer to be expertly controlled from the DOS Plus prompt. Included is an editor which provides downloadable fonts for an Epson FX-80 printer or compatible. An LQ font is provided by a program that takes a text files and prints it out using a high quality font.
Other programs include a short utility which will send codes to the printer directly from DOS, ie if you type FXPR4 EJECT RESET ELITE it will formfeed up to the next sheet, reset the printer, and put it in Elite mode. Sidewriter prints text files out sideways on an Epson-compatible printer.
Disc 5. Miscellaneous
This disc contains a number of useful programs which will appeal to a wide range of Master 512 users.
| Casio | This is an on-screen digital watch. | |
| Finger Paint | This is an excellent monochrome 640x200 CGA drawing program, with many features controlled by function keys and ALT-function keys. | |
| NewSweep | This is a file handling utility, famous in its CP/M incarnation, and now implemented for DOS. Block renaming, deleting, moving, archiving and so on are all possible with the file tagging system. | |
| PC-Art | A nice four-colour CGA art program driven by function keys. | |
| PC-Outline | PC-Outline is an 'outline processor', a word processor which allows you to group ideas into 'levels'. | |
| World Map | This interesting program displays a map of the world in several orientations. Areas can be selected by latitude and longitude, or by city name, and there is a pointer system to move around the globe and to zoom in on a particular area. | |
| VSI | The Visual System Information provides a visual indication of the system configuration. | |
| What Am I? | A program to give system information. | |
| PC-Golf | This is a golf game which uses text graphics, but is nevertheless quite realistic, offering a range of courses, and the usual choice of woods and irons. |
Shareware: A Dabhand Guide by Wm. Gallagher
Available third quarter 1989. 250pp approx. Book: £14.95
This book investigates and explains the whole concept of PC shareware – where you can get it from, how much it costs, and reviews many popular packages. A must for anyone interested in shareware! The book is applicable to anyone using a IBM PC or compatible, including the Master 512 system.
Master 512 Products
Dabs Press can supply a wide range of Master 512-compatible PC software, and also are working on Master 512-specific products such as a mouse driver, Print Screen utility etc. Contact Dabs for further details.
Other Books for your Master
Master Operating System: A Dabhand Guide by David Atherton
ISBN 1-870336-01-1. Available now. 272 pages. Book : £12.95; 5.25in disc
£7.95; 3.5in disc £9.95. Book and disc together, £17.95 (£19.95
with 3.5in)
The Master owners bible. Acclaimed reference guide for programmers and users of the BBC B+ and Master Series micros. Contains a wealth of information on the operating system, including all the * commands, OSBYTE and OSWORD calls, the Tube, filing systems and the differences between the various BBC micros. David Somers in A&B Computing (Nov 87) said it's 'invaluable' – we agree!
C: A Dabhand Guide by Mark Burgess
ISBN: 1-870336-16-X. Available now. Book, £14.95. 512 pages
Book and disc £21.95 (Disc for BBC or PC – please state)
This massive 512 page book provides a comprehensive tutorial in C – fast becoming the de facto language for all micros. This book is ideal for the beginner and starts from first principles. It includes specific sections on the Master and PC. The draft ANSI standard (superset of K&R) is covered. So whether you are running C on the Master or on the 512 itself you have the perfect tutor. As the reviewer in PCW said: "I only wish this book had been available when I was learning C."
VIEW: A Dabhand Guide by Bruce Smith
ISBN 1-870336-00-3. Publication: Available now. 248 pages
Book: £12.95. Disc: DFS 5.25in, £7.95 ADFS 3.5in, £9.95
Book and disc together, £17.95 (ADFS £19.95)
This top selling guide to VIEW, now in its second edition, has received rave reviews and is an absolute must for all VIEW users. This is what they said: John Allen speaking on Radio London: 'It's very good...'
Mike Williams, Beebug magazine June 1987: '...much more to offer the competent VIEW user ... practical and down-to-earth ... for those who want a complete, thorough and readable guide to VIEW then Bruce Smith is your man.'
Bill Penfold, Acorn User September 1987: 'This is the first computer book I've read in bed for pleasure rather than to cure insomnia.'
ViewSheet and Viewstore: A Dabhand Guide by Graham Bell
ISBN 1-870336-04-6. Available now. 352 pages
Book: £12.95. Disc: DFS 5.25in, £7.95; ADFS 3.5in, £9.95
Book and disc together, £17.95 (ADFS £19.95)
A complete tutorial and reference guide for the Acornsoft ViewSheet spreadsheet and the ViewStore database manager, specifically written to appeal both to the beginner and to the more knowledgeable user. Also covers ViewPlot and OverView. The accompanying disc contains many example templates and utility programs.
"This guide is the sort of invaluable reference tool that all serious users of the View business suite need" Electron User June '88. "The practical examples are far better than those in the official Acorn manual" IT Education/Network User Sep. 1988 . "You certainly feel that the manual has been put together by someone who has explored the facility thoroughly." Oldham Evening Chronicle.
Bumper Assembler Bundle by Bruce Smith
Publication: Available Now. Two books, two discs and booklet, just £9.95
Five part package providing a complete tutorial in 6502 and 65C02 machine code at a third of their normal price. Two books, two discs, and booklet for Master series. Full details on request. Available only while stocks last!
Mini Office II: A Dabhand Guide by Bruce Smith and Robin Burton
ISBN: 1870336-55-0. Available now. 256 pages. Price £9.95. Programs Disc
£7.95 (£9.95 3.5"). Disc and book £14.95 (£16.95
3.5")
A complete guide to this award winning software covering every aspect of using this powerful software package. All modules covered including Wordprocessor, Spreadsheet, Database, Label Printer, Graphics and Comms. Full of practical advice and packed with examples. Programs disc contains a text spooler, sideways spreadsheet printer, and much more.
BBC and Master Software Packs
MOS Plus by David Spencer
Available Now! ROM, £12.95; disc for Sideways RAM, £7.95 (3.5in,
£9.95)
For the Master 128. Provides ADFS *FORMAT, *VERIFY, *BACKUP, *CATALL and *EXALL in ROM and new * commands such as *FIND – which finds a file anywhere on an ADFS disc. A complete alarm system is present using the Master 128 alarm facility, as is an AMX Mouse driver.
'MOS Plus is an excellent product', Dave Somers, March 1988, Beebug.
HyperDriver by Robin Burton
Software pack disc and ROM, £29.95. (£31.95 3.5"). Sideways
RAM version, only £24.95 (3.5" £26.95).
HyperDriver is the ultimate printer ROM. And if you have a printer, then this will be the most significant purchase you can make. It's absurdly easy to use and provides you with many of the facilities missing from your current software including: on-screen preview, CRT graphics, NLQ font and user-definable macros to name but a few. No matter what you use your printer for, wordprocessing, spreadsheets, databases, programming you will have in excess of 80 * commands available for instant use from within applications such as VIEW, InterWord and so on.
The HyperDriver pack contains a 16k EPROM, and a Sideways RAM image on disc. A full and comprehensive 100-page manual and reference card complete this value for money package.
'The thought that's gone into the way HyperDriver is used with wordprocessors and a million over good design features make the value of this ROM stand out ... an ingenious blessing.' Geoff Bains, March 1988, Beebug.
Fingerprint by David Spencer
Available Now! Disc & manual, DFS version, £9.95; ADFS version, £11.95
A unique single-step machine code tracing program allowing you to step through any machine code program. Fingerprint will even trace code situated in Sideways RAM/ROM – learn how BASIC works! "It is simple to use and there is little it doesn't provide for the machine code programmer". Tubelink.
SideWriter by Mike Ginns
Available Now. 5.25in DFS disc, £7.95; 3.5in ADFS disc, £9.95;
For Sideways RAM owners this is a pop-up notepad which can be used from within any application. Notes taken in SideWriter can be saved to disc, transferred to a wordprocessor, or printed out.
Other Books from Dabs Press
Archimedes Assembly Language: A Dabhand Guide By Mike Ginns
ISBN: 1-870336-48-8. Available now 1988. 368 pages
Price: £14.95. 3.5in disc, £9.95. Book and disc together, £21.95
Archimedes Operating System: A Dabhand Guide
By Alex and Nick van Someren
ISBN: 1-870336-48-8. Available now. 320 pages.
Price: £14.95. 3.5in disc, £9.95. Book and disc together, £21.95
BASIC V: A MiniGuide By Mike Williams
Available Second quarter 1989. 120 pages approx. Price: £9.95.
AmigaDOS: A Dabhand Guide by Mark Burgess
ISBN 1-870336-47-X. Publication: July 1989. 300 pp approx. Price: £14.95
Covers Workbench 1.2 and the new 1.3.
WordStar 1512 A Dabhand Guide – Including WordStar Express
by Bruce Smith
ISBN 1-870336-17-8. Suitable for the Master 512. Available now. 240 pages. Price
£14.95.
SuperCalc 3.1/3.2 A Dabhand Guide by A A Berk
ISBN 1-870336-65-8. Suitable for the Master 512. Available now. 240 pages. Price
£14.95.
PCW 9512: A Dabhand Guide by John Atherton
ISBN 1-870336-50-X. Publication: Second quarter 1989. 300 pages approx
Z88: A Dabhand Guide
Publication: Second quarter. 300 pages approx.
Z88 PipeDream: A Dabhand Guide
ISBN 1-870336-61-5. Publication: Second quarter. 300 pages approx.
PostScript: A Dabhand Guide by Paul Martin
ISBN 1-870336-54-2. Publication: Third quarter. 300 pages approx.
Ability Plus: A Dabhand Guide by Geoff Cox
ISBN 1-870336-51-8. Publication: Second quarter. 300 pages approx.
If you have an idea for a computer book, or if you are an established technical author, and you would like to write for us, we would like to hear from you. An initial submission should ideally include a one page synopsis of the proposed book. We publish books for any microcomputer system with a large user base in the UK and Europe.
We also publish computer software. Submissions are welcome for the Commodore Amiga, IBM PC, BBC Micro, and Acorn Archimedes.