Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!mucs!cns!news
From: vanaards%t7@uk.ac.man.cs
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Archimedes Suggestions
Message-ID: <1991Feb11.124128.2990@cns.umist.ac.uk>
Date: 11 Feb 91 12:41:28 GMT
Sender: news@cns.umist.ac.uk (Usenet news)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester UK
Lines: 60


     There seems to be a trend in these discussions as to what we'd like
  to see in a new Archimedes machine. Well I'll add to this :

  Presently there is NO way of undeleting a file - this is a MAJOR mistake.
  If you're in business & you accidently delete your current work file 
  you've no way of recovering it other that hacking the disk. But with
  DOS based systems there's no hassle, I've seem many undelete programs.

  Why place the Econet roms in the machines OS as standard ? How many users
  actually use Econet. As Acorn consider schools,etc as their main market
  this may seem good policy - but why not move them off to a podule ?

  The MEMC chip needs to be replaced, I believe that the current page size
  is far too large - this is apparent on UNIX boxes.

  I'd like to see faster screen updates regardless of mode. Now I haven't
  any sound ideas on how this should be done - perhaps a second bus and
  screen memory, or a BLITTER chip ?

  I'd like the TASK manager icon to display the Tasks window without having
  to go through that menu - perhaps by pressing select only. What about a
  facility of killing modules from the desktop too ?

  Some time ago several modules appeared to change the current directory
  from the desktop, and display the current directory name alongside the
  OS prompt. These should be incorporated in the new system.

  A larger string size should be made available to system variables, having
  a limit to 255 characters for <run$path> tends towards a broad disk
  heirarchy, either introduce several run$paths, or  increase the limit.

  Group selection of icons within a window would be useful. If you're familiar
  with the Atari machines you'll know what I mean. Being able to have a rubber
  banded selection area would make things a lot simpler when operating upon
  a lot of files.

  What about passing parameters to programs from the desktop. Select a program
  and using the menu, enter the command line parameters you want to use.

  From the few dealers I've been to, they seem to concentrate upon desktop
  publishing on the Archimedes, perhaps they should be encouraged to promote
  the business advantages as well. Why use the Archimedes as a DTP machine
  only, a DOS machine does that, and everyone knows that it's a business
  machine, thus having everything needed by a prospective business user.

  If I have any more ideas I'll send them too.

PS has anyone noticed that if you hold down the SHIFT key, press the CapsLock
   Key - the light comes on (as expected) but if you then try to turn CapsLock
   off whilst holding down SHIFT the light doesn't go off !


+--------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
|   ()()TEVEN         ()         |                                         |  
|  ()                ()()        |                                         |  
|   ()()   ()  ()AN ()  ()       |                                         |
|      ()   ()()   ()()()()      +-----------------------------------------+
|   ()()     ()   ()      ()ARDT |JANET E-mail : vanaards@uk.ac.man.cs.p4  |
+--------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+