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Acorn Computers help...

polomintpolomint
edited November 2008 in Chit chat
Hi,

I've got an Acorn coming, not sure if its the A5000/A4000/A3010, but it should be here beginning of next week...

Now... Does anyone know of a decent forum for Acorns, and how I would go about programming the damn thing? I've never used the Arch before so any help would be good.

Ta...
Post edited by polomint on
So far, so meh :)

Comments

  • thx1138thx1138
    edited November 2008
    Don't know if this helps,I do know that CJE micros, Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, sill carried pretty much a full range of Acorn hardware, and a ton of software last time I was there, a couple of years ago, and they were kind enough to arrange delivery too :)
  • thingleythingley
    edited November 2008
    Fabulous machines - It's amazing what they could do with the memory they had!

    I used to have an A3000 and as afr as programming goes I do remember basic was available from the desktop just by pressing F12 (to get a *command) and then typing *basic.

    Knowing Acorn it was probably a ridiculously advanced version of basic - including an assembler and debugger! (Their version of basic from the eighties did - so I'd be surprised if the Archie was too much of a backwards step)

    But I have to admit I was at the time too happy playing with Lemmings, Holed Out, 3D Pool, Nevyron, E-type, Mad Professor Moriarty and Saloon Cars to bother trying to program anything with it!
  • polomintpolomint
    edited November 2008
    It's an A5000, no idea which version, but I can't wait to have a play.. :D

    You're right, the basic has a built in assembler.. I'm looking for a cross-assembler so that I can code using my PC, and pipe it down to the A5000.
    Should be interesting, :D
    So far, so meh :)
  • JimmyJimmy
    edited November 2008
    The assembler included with BBC BASIC V is pretty good for most needs! The A5000 came with RISC OS 3 so it can read MS-DOS disks natively - why bother trying to use a cross assembler? Make sure you assemble for ARM 2 or ARM 3 in 26-bit mode only - if you try to feed the Acorn ARM 6 or later (32-bit) code, as used in most devices now, you'll find it won't work!

    Check the version of RISC OS (via Acorn icon at bottom right). If it's version 3.00 then it's full of bugs and you should try to get it changed to version 3.1x if possible.

    There were 2 versions of the A5000 - one running at 25MHz and the later version running at 33MHz. I think the later version had a co-pro slot for the FPU unit to go into. Some were supplied with one fitted (FPA10)
  • LockettLockett
    edited November 2008
    polomint wrote: »
    Hi,

    I've got an Acorn coming, not sure if its the A5000/A4000/A3010, but it should be here beginning of next week...

    Now... Does anyone know of a decent forum for Acorns, and how I would go about programming the damn thing? I've never used the Arch before so any help would be good.

    Ta...

    Try The Icon Bar.
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