23/02/95
* With the release of RISC OS comes a new 6502 emulator called !65Host. This
application substantially emulates a BBC model B microcomputer running OS
1.2. It supports direct screen accesses, paged sideways ROMs and direct
accesses to some hardware. As a result, the Customer Support department
would like your help in compiling lists of software that work under this
emulator, the 65Arthur Tube emulator and the PC emulator. If you know of any
packages which run under these emulators, please write in, stating which
version of the package you have used, what problems you have encountered,
which emulator (and version of emulator) and which computer you are using.


* In the Master Compact there is a chip called the EEPROM (Electrically
Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), this chip does almost the same job
as the CMOS RAM and battery backup in the Master 128. This chip basically
holds the configuration settings used in the Master Compact. The chip has a
limited life of about 10,000 writes to it before it needs replacing. This
may seem like quite a lot, but there are a number of software packages which
use the EEPROM to store values when they are running, or  to store
configuration values for when the software is used at a later date. If you
begin to have problems with the configuration after  using the Master
Compact for the period of 1 to 2 years this may well be the cause of the
problem. New EEPROMs are available for a small cost from your local Acorn
Dealer. This should be regarded in much the same way as replacing the
battery in other Acorn Computers.

* It is possible to create your own boot sequence when starting up RISC OS.
This will allow you to load in whichever applications you like when you
first start the Desktop. An example of this is below.

Create a Text file using !Edit, and type in:

  Filer_OpenDir adfs::Disc.$
  Run adfs::Disc.app1.!System.!Boot
  Run adfs::Disc.app1.!Draw.!Boot
  Run adfs::Disc.app1.!Paint.!Boot
  Run adfs::Disc.app1.!Edit
  Run adfs::Disc.app2.!Alarm
  Run adfs::Disc.app2.!TinyDirs adfs::Disc.app2.!Magnifier

(The name Disc is assumed to be the name of your disc. Choose a different
name if you prefer.) Save this as DeskTasks in your discs root directory.

Now add the following line to the very end of your !Boot file:
  *Desktop -file adfs::Disc.DeskTasks

Now CTRL-RESET your machine. Your boot sequence will execute, there will be
a short pause, and then you will enter the desktop with your Disc's root
directory open, with !Edit, !Alarm and !TinyDirs running, and !Magnifier
loaded into !TinyDirs.

What has happened is that the *desktop command has run each line of the
DeskTasks file as a task within the window world. !System.!Boot must be run
before !Edit is run: this is equivalent to !System being "seen" in a Filer
directory viewer, and tells !Edit (and anyone else who needs to know) where
system resources can be found.

Note that all applications are quoted with their full path-name, including
filing system name and drive name or number. It's an important principle of
operation in the desktop that, as far as possible, all objects are
identified by a full path-name, and so access to them is unaffected by
changes of current directory, drive, or filing system.