07/08/94
The 1.60 multitasking PC Emulator has now been released for a couple of
months and we would be interested to hear from users on their experiences on
software that will run / not run. We can then look into problems of software
not running and compile a list of software that will run to help future
customers. If you are intending on sending us some information on the PC
Emulator compatibility please provide the following information. Machine
type, amount of memory, version of DOS being used and the version of the
application being run. The address to send the information to is :
Customer Services, Acorn Computers Limited, Acorn House, Vision Park, Histon, 
Cambridge, CB4 4AE. Please mark your envelope 'PC Emulator'.

We still receive a large number of enquiries regarding printer drivers. The
printer driver we get most enquiries about is !PrinterDM. The !PrinterDM
application provides a number of different printer emulations which are:

EPSON LQ compatible (Low) (60 by 60dpi)
EPSON LQ compatible (Medium) (180 by 180dpi)
EPSON LQ compatible (High) (360 by 180dpi)
EPSON FX compatible (Low) (60 by 72dpi)
EPSON FX compatible (Medium) (120 by 144dpi)
EPSON FX compatible (High) (240 by 216dpi)
EPSON LQ-850 compatible (Very high) (360 by 360dpi)
NEC PinWriter P6 plus (Very high) (360 by 360dpi)

It is necessary to ascertain which printer driver within !PrinterDM is
compatible with your printer, select that printer driver and then use the
'save choices' options on the !PrinterDM menu to ensure that next time you
start up !PrinterDM the correct driver is automatically selected.

The different printer drivers are selected by clicking with the Select
button on the mouse (left hand button) over the !PrinterDM icon when loaded
into the machine. After clicking a dialogue box will appear which contains
the name of the printer driver selected. Clicking over the name of the
printer type with the select button will cycle through the different printer
drivers available.

Hard discs are becoming more ad more popular for all machines as time
goes on. With a hard disc installed it becomes much easier to build a
system which starts with various applications you always use ready
loaded. The following information 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 or a boot
file is created with this line in it:

  *Desktop -file adfs::Disc.DeskTasks

Now ensure you have saved all edited data 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.

If your machine does not boot ensure your configuration is set to BOOT, and
the discs OPT 4 setting is correctly set for the type of boot file you have.

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.