A small module to place in your Boot sequence that provides one OSCLI command. This command turns the processor cache off for a specified number of seconds. Useful for placing in the !Run files of programs that have conflicts while loading with the processor caching scheme. Optionally you can specify, for StrongARM processors, which bits of the caching system to disable and re- enabling. Allowing you, for example, to disable the whole cache but then re-enable only the instruction cache if so desired.
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A small module, written by Julian Wright and myself, that allows you to control the CD ROM drive when playing audio CDs via the keypad. Holding down Right Ctrl and Right Shift enables control with '-' being eject, '.' being stop playing and the numbers can be typed in to select the track to start playing immediately. Where it scores over other modules of a similar nature is that this one uses transient callbacks properly and doesn't suffer from re-entrancy problems. It also taps into the key up/down event rather than using a centisecond timer event and scanning the keyboard periodicly.
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A small module, written by Julian Wright and myself, that ties system events to various sound samples. Samples can be shared between events and, currently, up to twelve samples can be linked to an event to be played in Random or Linear order. Events monitored include (but is not limited to) :- Key Press, File creation/deletion, Application starting, Window resizing, Wimp Messages, Error messages, Machine inactivity (and subsequent return from inactivity), Mouse clicks and a regular 'timed' event.
The modules requires the DataSuite set of modules to function and is currently a beta release. Once stability of operation has been tested the module will come out of beta and will become part of the DataSuite collection of modules. The primary currently contains just the module and documentation on it's use, no frontend is provided. A demo archive is provided which contains a few sound samples and a program to install and use them. To activate the demo, run the !RunMe file. The !Error1 and !Error101 are for testing the error handling properties of the module.
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Download Demo archive (about 344 Kb)
This is a set of sound modules that provide flexible playback of a variety of eight bit sound formats. A variety of features abound and a full programmers interface is documented. Begun in November 1990 these modules represent several years worth of work. Much to my pleasure they have survived two changes in machine architecture and four changes in the OS without a worry.
The archive contains :-
- DataVox v3.68
This is the main sample playback code. It plays chunks of memory as dictated. - DataLoad v2.29
Which handles file loading, format decoding (SUN au, 8SVX, Armadeus, DSEdit raw, Tracker sample and DataVox files recognised) and memory allocations. - DataPlay v1.05
This loads a file, plays it and then deallocates the memory used - jetisoning the file. I use it to allow me to play a boot up sample and to be able to double click on a file to listen to it. - DataPatch v0.03
A cure for the off-pitch sound replay that A5000 style machines suffered when using VGA style screen mode. (25.715 kHz modes) It is extensible for other kinds of VIDC clock rates, but requires RISC OS 2.01 or better to work. It is entirely redundant on VIDC20, or better, equipped machines as it copes with a defect present in only the VIDC1 chips. On VIDC20 equipped machines the software loads, but disables itself and does nothing.
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A collaborative effort this one, I produced the backend filtering code and a friend (the pseudonomynous 'Chime') produced a WIMP front end for it. This filters HTML documents into a nicely readable, and formatted, textual version. It should cope with any HTML 2.0 formatted document in a reasonable fashion.
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A short module that supresses the desktop welcome screen and, optionally, can execute an OSCLI command instead.
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My very first desktop application, a desktop mandelbrot generator. It backgrounds quietly and draws mandelbrot sets. It has been rapidly out-classed by other people's efforts but I still find it fun to leave it running as a background task and explore the mandelbrot set.
I have also included a an archive containing a few of the more noteworthy sets generated by the program for perusal. Finally this application is unusual in that it drew it's own icon.
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Download Mandelbrots archive (about 35 Kb)
About my second WIMP application, this application provides a list of all the available screen modes under the old 'Mode Number' system of choosing screen modes. This functionality has been superceeded by the addition of the mode selector interface present in RISC OS 3.5 and above.
However for older machines this utility still fulfills a need. It also provides a semi-intelligent search option that picks a screen mode for you based on the criteria given.
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An application to change the default system beep to whatever you want it to be. It also allows you to control the volume of playback and generally provides a nice wimp frontend to the DataSuite modules. It does require a copy of DataSuite to run.
Finally the application is shareware.
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A small module that claims, and uses, IOC Timer 1 to provide a nice stable interupt 'tick' similar in use to a VSync event. Useful for programs that need to run on any Acorn machine and need a stable time source.
It co-operates cleanly with the OS so will co-operate with other software that claims (and releases) Timer 1. It is also compatible with all machines, including the RiscPC.
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