07/08/94
* It has been some time since this information was last published and I
think from the number enquiries we getting about the subject it is worth
mentioning again. It has been brought to our attention that the Notify
facilities provided by the Network filing system under RISC OS can cause
headaches for teachers. The ability to send messages from one machine to
another is a useful facility for a Network Manager, but when this is
extended to Network Users it soon becomes apparent that this can be abused.
It is possible to protect the machines against receiving the notify
messages. To turn the protection on use the following call:

SYS &4000E, &10, %100011111

To turn the protection off use:

SYS &4000E, 0, %100001111

Attempting to send a message to a protected station will now produce the
error message 'Station ### not listening".

Systems that are running as Level 4 fileservers automatically protect
themselves from being notified so that if Level 4 is running in a
multitasking mode the server cannot be stopped.

It should be noted that the notify facility has been removed from RISC OS 3
fitted to the Acorn A5000.

* Acorn will be discontinuing the SID (Support Information Database) at the
end of October for general use. However, it will remain open for
Dealers/ASCs/ Education until a replacement system is set up.

There is no longer access to SID from Prestel/Micronet or from Fastrak. Instead
all registered users will need to dial the PSTN number 0223 243642. This number
has 3 lines supporting v21/22/22bis/23 modem speeds. 

For end-users, Acorn is centering its support on the 'Archimedes Echo' on 
Fidonet. This is a conference where users can read/write messages which are then
passed around to all the other boards that 'take' the Archimedes Echo.

There are also a number 'Acorn Support Areas' on selected bulletin boards which 
contain Acorn proprietary software (such as printer drivers/modules),
application notes, hints & tips and news. These are regionally placed to provide 
maximum coverage.

To find out more about Acorn's involvement in Fidonet, call the bulletin board
nearest to you:

Arcade          London          081-654-2212 or 655 4412
TUG-II          Droitwich       0905 775191
Enigma          Droitwich       0905 795002
I.C.O.N         Dublin          010-3531 971660
The Power House Malpas,Cheshire 0829 782676
DarcWorld       Oxford          0867 577724
Noah            Bristol         0272 572322
Odyssey         Beverley        0482 870919
Star-Net        Norwich         0603 507216  * Norfolk School Net
Scottish Opus   Glasgow         041 880 7845 or 7863

You will need to set your comms software for ANSI display, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit,
and no parity. Most speeds up to 9600 HST are supported. You will need to register
with the  system (which,incidentally is free) before you can access the Acorn 
Support Area. Download the file in the Hints & Tips area called "AcGuide". The file
is in plain text.

* A number of people are experiencing problems when printing at A3 size from
!Draw. It is necessary to remember to set your printer driver up to an A3
page size before starting and printing from !Draw. !Draw will take the page
setting from the printer driver loaded. Using the 'show' option from the
entry 'Paper limits' entry on the misc menu within !Draw it is possible to
see the page size that !Draw currently has and is using from the printer
driver. Showing the paper limits will also show you how close to the edge of
the page you can draw without going into the unprinted margin area of the
paper.

If you have an enquiry regarding an Acorn product please In the first
instance please try your supplying dealer who I am sure will be willing to
help. If you do however need to contact Acorn please do not phone us if at
all possible. We would prefer people to write: The full address to contact
Acorn at is:

Acorn Computers Limited
Acorn House
Vision Park
Histon
Cambridge
CB4 4AE