Date   : Wed, 27 Oct 1999 11:30:07 +0100
From   : Gareth Boden <Gareth.Boden@...>
Subject: Re: I need some advice on using a BBC Master. 

1. *ACCESS <file> [L] locks and unlocks (without the L) a file, istr.
2. *BUILD !BOOT gives you a prompt for each line in turn for a file which is
*EXEC'd on
   a shift-break. You need to type *OPT4,3 to make the disk bootable in this
way.

Incidentally, when I used to run HeadFirst PD I constructed a menu system
for disks which used minimal files (i.e. just the !BOOT file). This was
because I regularly ran out of files before I ran out of space on a DFS
disk. Everyone uses *OPT4,3 but hardly anyone uses *OPT4,2. The latter
version causes the !BOOT file to be *RUN rather than *EXEC'd, which
obviously allows rather more flexibility. Unfortunately, my Electron ADFS
didn't seem to support *OPT4,2, so I constructed a !BOOT file which could be
*EXEC'd and *RUN and if it was *EXEC'd then it would *RUN itself. This was
more complicated than it sounded because the !BOOT file had to be closed
using some obscure *FX command for the system to work. I can probably dig
out the source code to this if anyone is interested in a really small
footprint menu system which looks nice. I think it was capable of running
various types of file as well as displaying text files but my memory is a
little hazy now.

Gareth Boden
Software Developer


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim Fardell [mailto:timf@...]
> Sent: 27 October 1999 10:56
> To: BBC Micro Mailing List
> Subject: [BBC-Micro] I need some advice on using a BBC Master. 
> 
> 
> Hi all. 
> 
> I've just found a BBC Master on a skip, complete with monitor and disk
> drive unit, and it works! So, I joined this mailing list since I have
> very little experience with Beebs and I need to know how to 
> do a couple
> of things. I apologise in advance if these are so fundamental that you
> think I'm a complete prat. 
> 
> 1. How do you delete a Locked file from a disk, without re-formatting
> the bloomin' thing?
> 
> 2. How do you make a !BOOT program in BASIC that runs when you press
> shift+break? This would be very handy for running XFer. 
> 
> 3. I'm using XFer to transfer files across to the Beeb, but is it
> possible to transfer dsd or ssd disk images across? 
> 
> 4. Does anyone know of or have a copy of that Watford Electronics demo
> disk with the cool two-player 'Nibbles' type game on it? I forget what
> it was called, and I can't find the disk on the Web. I think the disk
> also had boring things like monitor test routines etc, but I may be
> mistaken. The menu had each option shooting in alternately from each
> side of the screen, accompanied by a sound, and I *think* the 
> background
> was cyan. 
> 
> A pointer to a document containing this kind of information would be
> great. 
> 
> Thanks in advance for any information!
> 
> Tim. 
> 
> -- 
> This message represents the views of the author and does not 
> necessarily accurately represent the views of BT.
>