[ql-users] QL is 21 dinner
The QL is 21 Celebratory Dinner will be held on Saturday Evening 29th October and will be in the form of a three course carvery buffet followed by tea or coffee. A vegetarian option will be available. More details are in the next Quanta Magazine, which is now at the printers. The cost of the meal will be £18 and we shall accept bookings up to 2.00 p.m. on the day. However to guarantee a place at the dinner you are advised to pay a £10 deposit to John Gilpin, Treasurer of Quanta. John is away on holiday for another week and will not be at Byfleet. However you can pay your deposit at the Quanta table. I hope to update the QL is 21 webpage within a few days, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Dilwyn Jones (personal)
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: QL Users List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 10:16 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Dilwyn Jones (personal) Thanks, Dilwyn, I've added the other address to my address book. I have sent hard copies of the emails with a QTYP Dictionary CD by snailmail. You should get it tomorrow (Tuesday) and can read it at your leisure. Yes, try the other email address: dilwyn AT uk6 DOT net No idea why tesco.net emails are bouncing, am getting emails from others OK, as proven by the fact I got this mailing list message! Perhaps you are sending from beeb.net and as I used to work for the beeb and cost them a fair bit in redundancy a few years ago, perhaps I'm unofficially banned :-) I think part of the trouble is that beeb.net appears to have been hijacked by the spammers. On one of the days a mailing to Ken Bain bounced back in the same way. A bit unusual to wait two days before things bounce back. Best Wishes Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Dilwyn Jones (personal)
Hi Dilwyn, Sorry to have to send you this via the group. I am having a problem with my emails to you bouncing back after 2 days as undeliverable. This is to your tesco email address and they are fairly important as they are mainly forwarded emails from the Quanta committee regarding your Portsmouth proposals. Can you let me know what emails on this subject you have received from me (some do seem to be getting through) and if there is a better way to send them than via Tesco? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 12:56 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Quanta AGM One of my Quanta jobs is to co-ordinate show dates - pity Quanta doesn't set an example by informing me of their plans! Best Wishes, Geoff The AGM 200g will be held on weekwnd of 8th April. That is the week before Easter, the next after that is St George's Day and the next after that is the May Bank Holiday so it is really the only one available. Just in case no one else replies, there is at the moment no date fixed for the 2006 Quanta AGM. If not the same Hymn sheet, perhaps his hers sheets ?? -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.18/91 - Release Date: 06/09/2005 ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 5:55 PM Subject: [ql-users] Quanta AGM Just in case no one else replies, there is at the moment no date fixed for the 2006 Quanta AGM. There will be an invitation for local groups to make their bids in the next Quanta Magazine due out later this month. This should have been in the last issue, but that was a bit of an emergency issue given the absence of an editor. Having just written that, if everything that we have discussed gets into the next issue, it should be a good one. Mainly devoted to Quanta matters prior to QL is 21. I agree we should really try to fix AGM details up to 12 months in advance. At the moment there are no plans I know of for any shows in 2006, so first come, first served. Unofficially, what's the betting we could be talking Manchester late April, but not 15th/16th as that is Easter? (I'm going to be told off for that!) Best Wishes, Geoff Is there a date for the 2006 Quanta AGM? I can't believe it is not fixed, but the site only shows this year's AGM! It really does need to be fixed to stop clashes in shows. Last year I was in the USA on the date of the AGM. Tony -- QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:252/67) +44(0)1442-828255 tony@surname.co.uk http://firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] was Turbo, then A4 A5, now online conferencing
- Original Message - From: James Hunkins To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] was Turbo, now A4 A5 On the other hand, it would allow some of us to participate who can't actually get there (small matter of an ocean in the way in my case). I do phone and video conferences all the time and have taken to using video iChat nearly every day. While obviously not as ideal on direct 1 to 1 contact, it still is an opportunity that would be nice to have. This might be an idea for QL is 21. I am still not certain what internet facilities we shall have and, in any case, our network expert will only be present on the Saturday, but it would be interesting to have an international link-up if there is sufficient interest. It would also be an idea for the show at which Quanta has its AGM. Networks are now standard for most non-UK shows, but it has never happened at a UK show, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] was Turbo, now A4 A5
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:21 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Turbo Thanks for the apology! A4 A5 There is a troglodyte, living far out in the desert, running a solar powered MDV only 128 QL. He does NOT have access to the Internet. Is there anyone else that does not have a phone line and a PC, or access to the web from the office, a library or an Internet caff ? If these resources are not utilised that does not mean they are unavailable. This year Roy Wood and I are helping a man in his late 70's with a problem. He is a black box user who has used nothing more than Quill for many years. He now wants his 1/3rd lifetime's work converted to PC format to be available to his family. To do this he has bought a PC, QPC2, QPC Print, QL2PC Transfer and possibly also the Qmenu extensions. I recently spent 45 minutes on the phone with him giving a telephone tutorial. He employs a tutor to teach him how to use a PC, but has not yet mastered formatting a QL win disk and many other things. He is also still learning about emailing. Up to a quarter of Quanta's members do not have access to email or the internet and have the right to help with their problems and a paper magazine. But the real advantage of the down-loadable version is surely that any programme content, basic or assembler can used as is without having to type it all in is that an I or an l or a 1 ? Good point! I think a straight forward WORD doc is better than a pdf, more easily modifiable for printout, content, size and/or page order. Have you compared file size .doc versus .pdf? As it happens I can print out more versatilely from .pdf than .doc. (Not all of us possess WORD. WORDPRO is a good alternative.) And as for GWICKS quote :- However no one on the Quanta Committee has experience of either so we would have to have external expertise. Says it all in spades why are they running a computer group ? Another true story: A member of the Quanta committee had a QL problem. He asked everyone he met for the solution, and no one, including many QL experts, could give him an answer. Then he asked a household name in the QL community and got his first definitive response: If you don't know the answer to something as simple as that, then you are too stupid to use a computer! I am sure that members users interests would be better served by a coalition of traders, they have the expertise and an active scene is in their interest. Online conferenceing via Skype could replace travelling expenses too. The traders can also be an ill disciplined bunch. Just try asking them for an advert in GIF or JPG format and see what you get back in return! (And that assumes you get a reply in the first place.) Online conferencing is not as simple as its sounds. Jochen and I are trying to set up online facilities for urgent QL Today editorial conferences, but I am having problems with my server. The last Quanta committee meeting lasted for 4 hours. Would you really like to be sitting at your computer for that length of time? Sorry but I like to have human contacts. Wow! What a revelation! The Quanta Committee are human after all! Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Turbo ????????
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:21 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Turbo Marvellous! A subject heading of Turbo, but a whole tirade about A4 v A5. Obviously Mr. Tubbs doesn't know what he is writing about! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Dictionaries
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: QL Users List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: QL News List Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 8:46 PM Subject: [ql-users] Dictionaries Obviously if anyone has more QTYP dictionaries I would be pleased to add them to the collection. Of all the QTYP language dictionaries I was able to locate, the one I want isn't among them - Welsh. If anyone can find a Welsh word list of suitable size for a spell checker (20,000+ words) on the web I would be very happy to receive a copy! All the ones I've been able to find are either too small or in a format I can't decode. Some day I must get around to putting all my QTYP dictionaries on my website as I promised to do long, long ago. For the record I have: Danish 23,515 words Dutch 52,612 words - 70,459 words - 180,130 words French 208,913 words German 165,935 words Italian83,829 words Norwegian 61,413 words Spanish 174,846 words Swiss German 165,810 words English (UK + USA) 84,099 words - 194,433 words English (UK) 65,197 words - 82,098 words English (USA) 61,366 words - 77,722 words I think I shall have to send these to you on CD by snailmail, Dilwyn. BTW you can save QTYP dictionaries to a PC medium without them becoming corrupted as they are already compressed, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5
- Original Message - From: Derek Stewart [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 9:05 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5 Not all Quanta members have the abilities to download an electronic version of the magazine. What are the arrangement for these people, is the magazine going disk based. There would be a choice of electronic or paper. At the most I would anticipate a 50% response to electronic, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 9:41 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5 Downloading was thought up some years ago as a way of reducing costs, and if I remember rightly came from members at an AGM. The magazine is Quanta's biggest single expense. However savings would only be in postage and not in printing. Obviously the printer has to make a living and his only savings would be paper and ink costs, Why? I don't understand the logic. If you print fewer it must cost less. With Quanta's print run (and quality) he is -not- using expensive plates. His wage bill, the biggest cost in most companies, will remain the same. As will his other overheads, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5
- Original Message - From: Derek Stewart To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, August 04, 2005 10:38 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5 I would like the magazine kept the way it is now. Not sure about downloadable version,. this would mean non-subscribers would have access to the magazine. But I guess this has been thought out. Thought out, but not yet worked out. There are two possibilities. One is bulk emailing and the other is a closed section on the website. However no one on the Quanta Committee has experience of either so we would have to have external expertise. Downloading was thought up some years ago as a way of reducing costs, and if I remember rightly came from members at an AGM. The magazine is Quanta's biggest single expense. However savings would only be in postage and not in printing. Obviously the printer has to make a living and his only savings would be paper and ink costs, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 1:23 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5 At the other end of the scale, this mag I put on my site for another church: http://allsaintsberkhamsted.org.uk/newsletter/2005/06/newsletter.pdf is 36 pages long and something under 1MB. Thanks for this information. I have had a look at the file and this together with Marcel's help has given me a good idea of how to keep PDF file size small. My knowledge of PDF is much better than it was a week ago and on Sunday I shall blind the Quanta committee with my technical knowledge! Just a pity there was scarcely any reactions from members about the preference for A4 or A5, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] A4 or A5
It has been a little quiet on the list recently so let me stir up a little discussion. This is the wrong place for the discussion as it is a Quanta matter, but Quanta has had 6 months to start the discussion internally but has not grasped the opportunity. And I really need some feedback on the issue before the next committee meeting. In February the Quanta committee decided to change the format of the Quanta Magazine from A5 to A4. This was a consensus decision and no member of the committee, including myself, opposed it. However since then I have not met a single member in favour of the change. I have spoken to traders who provide three quarters of Quanta's advertising and all oppose it. I also believe there are some committee members who are having second thoughts now they have examined the practical implications. So to start the discussion: FOR A4: The main argument for A4 is electronic publishing. A4 format will be easier for most members to print out and staple together. I know many people disagree with me on this and argue that it is easy to print out A5 using modern printers, but many members still have old printers and many more know little about their printer possibilities. The other argument for A4, and in my opinion, the clincher is that this is the only way to bring the magazine down to a downloadable size. At the moment the magazine is a .pdf file of 2.5 to 3.0Mb. This is too large, especially for members without broadband. From the experiments I have done this could be reduced considerably by going A4. As far as I can see each page requires space in the .pdf file for the page definition. 36 pages of A5 requires more memory than 18 pages A4. FOR A5: A4 would be considerably more expensive to produce than A5 as printed copy. I am not sure how Quanta envisages production of an A4 magazine. This could be like the present A5 version with centre staples; or like QL Today with a front and back card and side staples. If the former the magazine would have to be printed on more expensive A3 paper; if the latter there would be an additional A4 card sheet. In addition A4 envelopes are more expensive than A5 and next year the postage cost of A4 envelopes is due to rise. Another disadvantage of A4 will be the psychological shock of seeing just how thin the magazine is. The average editorial content is only 7,500 words per issue. (For comparison QL Today approaches 30,000 per issue.) To complicate matters further you can fit 36 pages of A5 into 16 pages A4! In summary I can only see advantages in A4 if Quanta is serious about electronic publishing. If it is serious, then there is no choice. We have to go A4. However Quanta must still do its homework. 1: So far there have been no mock ups in A4 2: In 6 months Quanta has not discussed the changes with its advertisers ( and they contribute between 17% and 24% of the cost of the magazine). 3: There have to be experiments to determine how many photos and illustrations can be accommodated in the electronic version, and to determine the quality of these. As I wrote at the start this really is a discussion that should occur within Quanta, but this is a way of starting a debate. And, of course, a summary of this discussion could be published in the September magazine and thus contribute towards solving the copy problems, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5
- Original Message - From: Marcel Kilgus To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 6:13 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] A4 or A5 Erm, how is the PDF done? By scanning the magazine or what? If that is indeed the case, how is the original magazine printed? I don't know how the magazine appears as PDF. Basically it is a series of word processing articles etc that Bruce Nicholls collates, but I don't know what software he uses. The magazine is sent to the printer as a PDF file, which I understand is the format he prefers. As far as I can see each page requires space in the .pdf file for the page definition. Well, that should be 20 bytes or something, depending on the quality of the PDF generator. Thanks, an interesting piece of information. I did a couple of A4 mock ups for my own interest (and also as preparation for the event I was elected as chairman). I had band widths of 1.12 Mb on a 16 page A4 and 789Kb on a 14 page A4. The latter contained several photos and I reduced the quality of these too drastically so in fact that too was probably nearer 1.2 Mb, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] dictionaries
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 5:50 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] dictionaries Looking at the dozen or so English word lists (and being careful which is American and which British!) I find most of them have words like the example you gave. It looks like about 40K to 60K words seems to be the average and preferred size for a spellchecker, but there are some more specialised word lists around. Look at Geoff Wicks's Advanced Cryptics Dictionary (well, it's sold by Geoff) with 239,000 words, or the half million word list from Rich Mellor and Paul Merdinian. Those sizes of lists are a bit silly to be used as typing checkers since they often contain names or contrived words. Indeed, my opinion is that the optimum size for a spelling checker is about 60,000 words in English, but probably more in some other languages. French has many more verb conjugations, for example, and German and Dutch more compound nouns. An important feature of spell checking dictionaries is that they should be accurate and checking becomes almost impossible after 100,000 words. That is one of the reasons I am opposed to large dictionaries. The advanced cryptics dictionary, which is not my copyright by the way, is specifically for crossword solvers and not spell checking. Technically I don't sell it, but charge a £1 fee for copying and disk costs. (But, tut, tut I make a 50% profit on the transaction!), Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Psephological Nerds
For the psephological nerds in our midst (and I suspect I am the only one!), I have posted the 2005 version of my election analysis program on my election page. You can also now download the complete archive from 1983 to 1997, http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks/election.htm Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] MDVs Versus FLPs
- Original Message - From: John Gilpin To: ql-users [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 11:52 PM Subject: [ql-users] MDVs Versus FLPs Here's one for the hardware boffins out there: Like Geoff W, I am attempting to transfer some programmes and data from Microdrives to the hard drive on my PC (running QPC2 V3.3) Q 1 Am I correct in saying that the most straight forward way of doing this is to first of all make a copy of the Microdrive into Ram1_ using the command format Ram1_mdv1_ - see Tony F's recent email (and was there a typo in there? QPAC2 'format ram1_md1_'?) Is it necessary to have QPAC2 running in order to use this command? Anyway, having got a good copy of all the MDV1_ files in ram, one then copies these files to a floppy disc and then use this disc to copy from flp1_ to winx_ in QPC2? The FORMAT ram1_mdv1 to produce a microdrive image is, in fact, a tookit 2 command and nothing to do with QPAC2. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Last Chance Saloon
This is just a reminder that people wishing to book accommodation at the Ibis Hotel for the QLis21 show at Portsmouth should do it before Thursday. Please book directly with the hotel using the telephone number +44(0)2392 - 64 and state you will be attending the QL is 21 Computer Conference. Afterwards please confirm your booking with Roy Brereton. The latter is very important as when I tried to book yesterday I had some idiot on the line who knew nothing about the conference and whose English was hardly adequate to do the task. Roy needs this information to ensure we get the most favourable terms at the hotel, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Spelin'
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 12:25 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Spelin' On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 at 08:55:49, Dilwyn Jones wrote: Won't be long before some versions of English are classed as separate languages I suppose, since there are significant differences (not just accents) between English as spoken on the various continents. The most widely used second language in the world... Tony Firshman replied: Indeed it is. There are more English speakers in China and the Far East than in the UK and America combined I think. I recently read that the reason a pictogram reading system has survived in Chinese is that the land is so big and with so many dialects, that the written language is the only thing they have in common. Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Spelin'
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:07 AM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Spelin' Geoff Wicks has British English and American English QTYP dictionaries, it might be possible to run a comparison between the two for alternative spellings perhaps? Dilwyn Jones Actually these two lists were compiled by running a list of mixed UK/USA words through a PC spell checker. In most cases the spelling differences follow fairly simple rules. labor for labour, gray for grey etc. I once made two lovely mistakes in a document I wrote about a salary agreement for my trade union. It was in the pre-WP days but a spell checker would not have helped. Problems of staffing not caused by bad management appeared as Problems of staffing not caused by bed management and Improved starting points for probation officers appeared as Improved starting pints for probation officers. best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Fw: Distant hums or maybe not!! (was SERNET)
Sorry if this message comes up twice. I had a major crash by the first attempt to send it. - Original Message - Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 6:04 PM Subject: Re: Distant hums or maybe not!! (was SERNET) - Original Message - From: P Witte To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] Re: [ql-users] SERNET (help required) Do I hear the distant hum of busy QLs - or is it just tinnitus? Quanta is also getting concerned that everything is deadly quiet on the QL scene. In practice this means there is a problem over QL is 21 at Portsmouth. We are informed the number of people that have so far booked accommodation at the Ibis hotel can be counted on the fingers of a one handed man (or woman). The Ibis hotel has reserved 20 rooms for QL-ers attending the show, but have now informed us that they can only continue to do this until the end of June. Quanta advises you to book early if you want accommodation at the Ibis hotel. You should do this via the telephone number +44(0)2392 - 64 with the message that the reservation is for the QL is 21 Computer Conference. (Please do not book by other means as your reservation will not be credited to Quanta.) Also please inform Roy Brereton of your booking. We are also busy with the final negotiations for the celebratory dinner. This will be a 3 course meal at a cost of about £18 payable in advance. We shall post a message as soon as we have definite details. One more moan. No one has yet offered to present any activity. I shall be posting my shopping list before long, but first there will be a shopping list for Eindhoven later in the week. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Digital Precision Software/Undelete
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 7:22 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Digital Precision Software/Undelete Snip Tony Tebby did at one stage provide a couple of qxl.win checking and recovery programs written in SBASIC (drvlink and drvcheck or some such names) don't know if those are still supplied and indeed if they work on current systems. The programs are on the QPC2 disk in the folders that no one looks at. In the folder DHUTIL there are two versions of DRVCHK and two of DRVLNK. Does anyone actually use them? Another thought, now that QL programs are getting bigger do we need a QL defrag routine? Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Market research
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 1:07 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Market research At 19:15 19/05/2005 +0100, you wrote: About 25% of Quanta members completed the survey. Does that mean about 75 ? 71 to be precise. Professional market research expects a maximum 5% response. hardly a parallel, victims of Mkt Rsch don't pay £15 pounds not to participate. On a similar point , how many members cast votes for the AGM ? About the same percentage, 25%, either by attendance or proxy. That is higher than most organisations achieve. At the time the survey was being tweaked I suggested traders should invite their customer base to participate, did you or any other do so ? Tony has the best list of QL users and that will include most clients of traders. We all pooled our lists some years ago and my client base has not changed much since then. The cost of mailing all clients would have been disproportionate to the benefits. It surprises me that there seems little desire to ascertain just how many and who are out there, less indeed than my own curiosity in the subject. My impression from what I hear about the membership of Quanta, QL Today readership, this list and Tony's mailing list is that there are probably now about 1,000 QL-ers worldwide. A surprising fact from the survey was that about 25% of Quanta members are simple black box users with some still using microdrives. I think you underestimate what was learnt from the survey. That is understandable because there has been little feedback of the results. John Southern did give a summary at the AGM, and I hope it can be repeated on this list and in the Quanta Magazine (hint! hint! John.) It did give quite a good picture of QL users and Quanta members and in that sense was a success. Where it was disappointing for Quanta was that it did not give a clear idea of the type of projects we could support. BTW, David, for someone who professes to have a pathological hatred for Quanta you seem to take an obsessive interest in our affairs. It's almost like having a stalker ;-). Yours subversively, (constructive of course) Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Software behaving badly
- Original Message - From: Darren Branagh To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 3:40 PM Subject: RE: [ql-users] Software behaving badly To be honest though, the fear I have is how many we'd sell. I would need to commit to buying at least 50, but more likely 100, to get decent pricing on the sticks. Typical price when available shouldn't exceed 15 pounds. Will we sell that many? This is the problem Quanta has with this project. Even 5 - 10 years ago the rule of thumb for the maximum viable production run for a hardware project was 50 units. Today even 50 may be too many. This is the reason we have asked Darren to give us some idea of costings, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: RE: [ql-users] Digital Precision Software
- Original Message - From: Darren Branagh To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 3:43 PM Subject: RE: RE: [ql-users] Digital Precision Software This is one of the many things that bugs the hell out of me. I wish there was a statute of limitations or similar on software, whereby after x years the stuff became free. I'm sure freddy would agree to releasing it as freeware, or certainly for a giveaway price. I mean, what real use is a piece of 10 year old QL Software other than retro/curiosity value? You're hardly gonna run the world with it... There is so much good usable software out there and nobody knows its user status - is it freeware, charityware, commercial, or what? And if we had some certainty on a lot of this, a lot of users may be attracted back or stay with the QL to use them, purely as tinkerers. I can pick up a copy of PC World, Computer Shopper, PC Pro or any other PC Magazine and find a pile of software (often once costing hundreds of pounds) stuck to the front cover for the 4.99 cover price, and much of this is less than 2-3 years of age. You usually find v.3 or whatever on the cover disc with an offer to get the new v.4 inside at a reduced cost - yet here we are debating the status of software that hasn't been sold at all, never mind updated, for over a decade. Why are people so reluctant to give this stuff away? There is no money in it anymore. Just ask any trader :-) END RANT/ Don't forget Freddy V. may have sold the software, but that does not mean he is the copyright holder. I have said this many times before on this list. There are doubts about the copyright position of several of the ancilliary programs that formed part of the total Perfection package. When I enquired many years ago, no one was sure of the exact copyright status of Spellchecker, for example. If my memory serves me correctly when Turbo became PD permission had to be sought not just from Freddy V., but also the various authors, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Software Prices.
- Original Message - From: jms1 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 10:30 PM Subject: [ql-users] Software Prices. As Dilwyn Jones says in his article in Qtoady that TurboPtr is more flexible than EasyPtr, and the group members feel that software should be paid for, George I wondered whether the group members did not use it because it was free and they would be happier paying £60 to George because then they felt the program was well worth usingand the author was interested in maintaining it. I think the problem here is history. About 10 years ago the equivalent of the SMSQ-E licensing dispute was PE users versus non-PE users. No self respecting PE user would have anything to do with Turbo or any other DP product. Old habits die hard and people have become too used to EasyPtr + Qliberator and are afraid of anything new. GD2 colours first became available about 5 years ago, but it is only in the last 2 years that they have started to enter software on a big scale. Fortunately George has had patience and has continued to develop Turbo and Turbo Ptr in spite of few positive reactions. I suspect that the big breakthrough will shortly come. Where Marcel steps today, others will step tomorrow, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Idle thoughts
- Original Message - From: Wolfgang Lenerz To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 4:15 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Idle thoughts I don't know why Marcel charges for his software, so I can only speak for myself. Whilst some of my programs are freely downloadable, others are sold. Can I add my own contribution to this with a little example. 3 or 4 years ago I wrote a rhyming dictionary for the QL. It has sold just 9 copies and I don't expect to sell any more. I wrote it because a user asked for it, and I thought it would be a useful program for the QL world to have. I never expected it to be other than a niche product, but most of the people who have bought it use it enthusiastically. It costs just £10, but it has helped to keep Just Words! as a going concern. That way I can continue to advertise in QL Today and even last year sponsor the QL2004 show. I now do the UK snailmail fliers on behalf of the other traders. If I had not charged for QL-Rhymes it would never have been written and Just Words! would now be just a part of QL history. I would not have been one of the organisers of QL2004 and would have no part in the running of present shows, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Just an idea for a new Product.....
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 12:01 PM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Just an idea for a new Product. - it actually looked more like runny mascara than anything else so I hope wasn't being wound up about it all! Watch it, Dilwyn. Any more remarks like that and I will hit you with my handbag! ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Just an idea for a new Product.....
- Original Message - From: Tarquin Mills To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 11:48 AM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Just an idea for a new Product. Dilwyn Jones wrote: You'll probably get a free black eye from a p***ed off bored spotty teenager to match Geoff Wicks's through trying it and nothing else. I did not know the Quanta chairmanship fight was actual ;-), seriously I am sad to hear someone has hit Geoff and hope he is alright. Actually I was viciously attacked by a kerbside in the vicinity of Gatwick Airport, and I still don't know how it happened. On my way back through London, I was stopped by someone on the tube who asked me what had happened. He added, I was a bit afraid to ask you, because I thought you might be a really hard type. Thus very good for my street cred! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Perfection
- Original Message - From: David Gilham To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 5:37 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Perfection In the meantime could any one who has found any bugs or incompatibilities in Perfection please email them to me at david (at) davidgilham (dot) me (dot) uk. Incompatibilties with SMSQE on any platform are especial appreciated. I myself have only got a q60 and an auro supergoldcard versions of SMSQE to test for any bugs. Not really a bug, but I cannot print from Perfection in recent versions of QPC2. Do other people have problems with this? It is not very important as I rarely use Perfection these days, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Familiar old names ....was Perfection
Hear, hear! Im all for it. Will someone make sure they get reminders in good time? (We wouldnt want them to get away, would we ;) And how about Sector Beatty, SNG, Sturat, Lau Reeves, Jonathan Oakley, Chas Dillon, and anyone else we can think of, too? One of the reasons we are setting up a QL is 21 website is to help catch fishes like these. It is a way of showing them the QL is alive and well. So please send these people the site address when it is online. The present situation is that the final version of the site has now gone to the committee for any last minute comments. We then have to co-ordinate the announcement with the Quanta website. Hopefully this will all be done before or during the weekend, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Hove Show and AGM
I sent out the snailshot for the Hove Show yesterday and when I was preparing it I realised that Hove has the potential to be one of the best UK shows for some time. The big theme of the show is software. All software traders have something new to offer or demonstrate, although in my case it is only a couple of GD2 upgrades. Jochen and Roy will be able to sell or demonstrate QDT, QPC Print and the upgraded EasyPtr. If anyone still hasn't seen it, I can demonstrate QWord. Even Quanta has not been left out. Dilwyn has recently given permission for Quanta to distribute his CD range and these will be available on the Quanta stall at cost price. Also - breaking news - I think you will find the Quanta Library CD has been drastically reduced in price. Visitors to the show include Marcel Kilgus and Bernd Reinhardt. At the show we shall have details of the 2 day QL is 21 show to be held at Portsmouth in October. There will be an informal meeting to discuss what you would like to see at that show. Even the Quanta AGM could be interesting this year. And Roy has assured me the catering will be of the usual high standard. Hove is not to be missed! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Q-Starter
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 11:09 AM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Q-Starter Any news on the availability of the official Easyptr 4, Roy? Marcel did mention some time ago he hoped it might be at the AGM, the money for the upgrade is burning a hole in my pocket! Shall we annoy Marcel and tell him he's working on QLiberator next ;-)) Being serious, not much chance of that unless we can trace and get the co-operation of the missing author! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Q-Starter
- Original Message - From: Phoebus R. Dokos ( . ) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 9:14 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Q-Starter On Mon, 04 Apr 2005 15:06:37 -0400, Malcolm Cadman wrote: By the way QWord has its own Icon with QDT and launches successfully, and drops back into QDT, even though there is a colour mode change on my system. Yes, Jim had the foresight to ask us to create one ahead of time. Actually Jim was very helpful over icons. You will note there are also special icons for Just Words! progams. He even created a special folder icon when I told him that some people keep all of their Just Words! programs in Just Words! directory, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: John Southern To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 1:22 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM On Thursday 31 March 2005 19:20, gwicks wrote: I think there is something that is a more urgent priority. I was surprised to discover this year that committee members do not pay a subscription. This is not in the constitution and I have no idea when and why it was approved. As a matter of principle I have made a donation to Quanta equivalent to the subscription. I wonder what other committee members have done, John Southern replied: Well, since you ask the question, I can confirm that I have paid my membership for this year. When I raised this question, I was not intending to imply any financial impropriety on the part of any member of the committee. It is a practice that was inherited by the present committee and in my opinion, given the present smaller size of Quanta, should be stopped. On the whole committee members try hard to keep expenses down. Last year committee meetings cost Quanta £511. When you consider there were three committee meetings and members have to come to a central location from Manchester, Derbyshire, Hertford, Dorset and Somerset, these expenses are not excessive. The constitution clearly states that committee members can award this free membership. This has been used when life membership has been awarded - for example to John Taylor and Bill Newell for their lengthy service to Quanta. (Surely for consistency this should also now apply to Roy Brereton). It should not apply to current committee members. Best Wishes, Geoff PS On the point of the constitution. Could we have this in electronic form for attachment to an email for any member requesting it? ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: John Hall To: QL Users [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 11:10 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Quanta AGM I was surprised that there had been no comment re. the special resolutions - I think that the new clauses 5.3 - 5.6 are a very bad idea and will be voting against the resolution. (If I was a conspiracy theorist I might read something into the fact that they are not mentioned in the relevant section of the Chairman's Report...) I am also surprised that there has not been more discussion of the constitutional amendments. I am not sure what John infers by his conspiracy theorists comments. I was intending to remain silent but, in the absence of official Quanta comment, here is some background information. The first that I and other committee members heard of the amendments was when we were confronted with them at the committee meeting on 5th February 2005. The chairman assures me, and I have no reason to doubt his word, that he had sent the proposals to the Secretary before 1st February in accordance with article 8.3 of the constitution. This does raise the question about why the proposals were not circulated to committee members well before the meeting. At the meeting no formal vote was take, but my impression of the consensus was that members felt the proposals merited more detailed discussion within both committee and wider membership and should lie on the table until the 2006 AGM. I was therefore surprised to find the motions on the 2005 AGM agenda and on 24th February I emailed all members of the committee giving my objections. Only the chairman reacted to this email. In a long telephone discussion with the chairman on, I believe, 25th February we reached a substantial measure of agreement. Namely that whatever the misgivings of the committee members at the meeting, they had had ample opportunity to think about the resolutions and no one had raised any further objections. To be absolutely sure about this the chairman offered to email all members of the committee allowing them to again object to the proposals. This he did on 26th February and no member of the committee reacted to this email. I am therefore satisfied beyond any shadow of doubt that the special resolutions are committee resolutions and that my five committee colleagues actively support them. I shall expect them all to vote for and support the resolutions at the AGM. As the single dissenter on the committee I am allowed some leaway. I shall vote against special resolution 1 and for special resolution 2. I can see some theoretical merits in special resolution 1. Indeed I have tried to persuade other committees I have been on to adopt similar procedures, although I would have preferred elections for a 2 year term with half of the committee to stand down each year. In practice however, given the present reluctance of members to stand for the committee, I find the proposals idiotic and unworkable. Special resolution 2 is the reverse position. I loathe it theoretically, but believe we have no alternative in practice. Given the small size of the present committee the present quorum is unrealistic. I should add that the present proposal is an amendment of an earlier version, and, as it is my amendment, I am duty bound to support it. One final point. At the committee meeting no member of the committee was aware that constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority. On another issue, I think members should be aware that, whatever the outcome of the AGM, the new committee could be confronted with a major crisis. They have to find a new editor for the magazine, and if this proves difficult or impossible, it could have serious repercussions for the implementation of many of Quanta's aspirations for the future, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: John Gilpin To: ql-users [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 9:08 AM Subject: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM Availability of Current copies of the Constitution: When the Constitution is changed, it is updated on the Library Guide (LibGuide - disk LG01) as a series of Quill document pages and notification of such a change is noted in the next available Quanta Magazine. This Library disk - like other disks - is available either from the librarian in the usual way or by purchasing the library CD - available from the librarian or at most Quanta Sponsored Workshops.(Price £10.00 inc Post and Pkg.) The library CD is updated every year in time for the AGM. Ahem, why should members have to pay for a copy of the constitution? It is only 5 pages long. Given the continual moans about a lack of copy for the magazine it should be easy to reprint it in the magazine once a year. I'll do a bargain. Any one who wants a copy of the constitution and can't afford a tenner, can send me a stamped addressed envelope and a first class stamp and I'll send you a photocopy of mine, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM
- Original Message - From: Tarquin Mills To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:28 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Fw: RE:Quanta AGM I going to put forward a special resolution for next year to abolish clause 11.0 (Honoraria) which basically means giving officials money out of Quanta funds. At worst this is corrupt, at best a waste of precious money that could be better spent elsewhere. If this clause 11.0 goes some people might join Quanta. I think there is something that is a more urgent priority. I was surprised to discover this year that committee members do not pay a subscription. This is not in the constitution and I have no idea when and why it was approved. As a matter of principle I have made a donation to Quanta equivalent to the subscription. I wonder what other committee members have done, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] QL shows information
We have now posted a website for the After-Glow Show at Eindhoven on 18th June: http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks/afterglow.htm It will look slightly familiar as it is a cut down and revised version of the QL2004 webpage. We are not planning the same detailed program of events as at QL2004, because the main purpose is to get as many of the QL developers together as possible. However there are a number of items that are worthy of discussion and I would like some volunteers: 1: We should be able to set up an internet connection again. Is there someone who could demonstrate the new internet possibilities in QPC2? Demonstration of Lynx for example. 2: A demonstration of QPCprint and help for any user who may have problems in installing or using. 3: Latest experience in running QDT. 4: My ears are close to the ground and I hear the drums saying there could soon be some good news for EasyPtr users. Anyone interested in giving a tutorial on resizing? QL is 21 PORTSMOUTH: This will be held on 29th - 30th October at the Ibis hotel. This is just a reminder that I shall have an informal meeting at Hove to discuss what people would like to see in the activity programme. It will be open to both members and non-members of Quanta. Unfortunately the 300 words I wrote about this for the Quanta Magazine were not published - black mark to Quanta - so could you please tell people who don't subscribe to this list about this. I hope to have a QL is 21 website online just after the Quanta AGM, Best wishes, Geoff Just Words! show page: http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks/qlshow.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Turbo v4b21
- Original Message - From: Phoebus R. Dokos ( . ) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 2:07 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Turbo v4b21 As for EasyPTR... :-) I personally don't care :-) Although I do think it works... sort of (Ask Rich for details. I think he's using a part of EasyPTR for QWord) It is possible to compile some EasyPtr programs with Turbo. I have done it. However, there is a big restriction and that is that Turbo cannot compile EasyPtr programs that contain Application Window Menus. I forget the technical point now, but is similar to the fact that you can compile a simple RESTORE command in Turbo, but not a RESTORE with a variable. (I.e. RESTORE 1000 is possible , but not RESTORE 1000+x). George once explained the reason for this, but I don't really understand it. The bad news is that there is unlikely to be a way of fixing it, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr was movig sbasic
- Original Message - From: wolfgang mühlegger To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 9:06 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr was movig sbasic gwicks schrieb: Nevertheless Marcel has already made a considerable improvement to EasyPtr, but as yet it is only available to a few beta testers. A pity for this work to be wasted by not being available (for a payment) to a wider group of users. but why did he do it then? and why did he give it to beta-testers then? As I understand it the history is as follows: When QL-ers first started to program in GD2 colours, the possibility of upgrading EasyPtr was raised including a lot of discussion on this list. Just out of interest Marcel took a look at it and working through the night produced a version that could use GD2 colours directly. He sent copies to one or two people whom he knew were actively attempting to write programs in EasyPtr using the colours. I put beta-testers in inverted commas because this was probably not their intended role. At this stage there was some doubt over the legal position, which in itself led to a lot of misunderstanding because no one had thought of asking Albin. I understand that he is quite happy for the program to be upgraded. When I last saw the upgraded version all it did was allow you to use GD2 colours directly, but nothing else. For example, if you use high resolution sprites you have to load these into EasyMenu every time you make changes to a menu. This can be a bit of a pain in the neck if you have a lot of sprites in a program. (And we should remember that the new sprite technology means that we should be wanting to include more sprites and more sophisticated sprites in our programs.) I am not sure what changes have been made to the upgraded EasyPtr since I last saw it, but I can understand if Marcel says it is not yet ready for release. We have come to expect a high standard from Marcel, and thus we should respect his opinion on this and not pressure him to release an incomplete product. It would be helpful if we could have an indication how far EasyPtr has developed and what is left to do. Then the sort of suggestions that Per made could be considered. BTW this is just the sort of topic that could be discussed at Eindhoven on 18th June if we are successful in getting the After-Glow Show off the ground, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Not all greek
Does anyone know if there is a greek character font available for use in Line Design? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr was movig sbasic
- Original Message - From: Roy wood To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 12:08 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr was movig sbasic As the person who raised this yet again I would also be prepared to pay for an upgrade. At QL2004 I asked Marcel specifically about his attitude to the EasyPtr upgrade and he was quite definite that he did not want to be seen as Mr. EasyPtr. I interpreted this to mean that he does not want to be seen as the solution for every problem that arises in the QL community. I can sympathise with him on that. Nevertheless Marcel has already made a considerable improvement to EasyPtr, but as yet it is only available to a few beta testers. A pity for this work to be wasted by not being available (for a payment) to a wider group of users. One thought, if it would help to oil a few wheels, it would be possible to approach Quanta for financial help. I am writing this personally, but I sense a mood in Quanta that we have to look for other ways to support the members and the QL community other than through the magazine and shows, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr was movig sbasic
- Original Message - From: Roy wood Subject: Re: [ql-users] movig sbasic Easyptr is still a commercial program sold by Jochen and I On the subject of EasyPtr any news of a possible upgrade? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] CTRL ALT left/right
- Original Message - From: dilwyn.jones Subject: [ql-users] CTRL ALT left/right Am having problems with CTRL ALT left and right kepresses not registering in QPC2 3.30 on this Windoze XP machine here at work, but it works fine on the same one at home. snip It prints the correct codes for ALT left, ALT right, CTRL left, CTRL right and so on, but CTRL ALT left or right or up or down are ignored. I presume Windows is using these for something but how can I find out what's going on? CTRL ALT left is commonly used for delete line and CTRL ALT right is used for delete line to right of cursor in text editors, so I'm missing these keypresses! When I had a similar problem (in my case printing chr$(128) - a with an umlaut) Marcel suggested getting round the problem by defining a hotkey using the Chr$ command to carry out the required action, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] UK Election
As the UK election campaign now seems to have started, I have reinstalled my election analysis program on my web site. New is a pointer driven GD2 colour version of the program. To run this you will need a minimum screen resolution of 800 x 600. http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks/election.htm The haters of politics will be pleased to know that as soon as I had uploaded the page, Lycos attached a paint-balling advert to it. Who will take the challenge on? It would beat throwing eggs at Prescott any day! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] A QL in Spain
- Original Message - From: Roy wood To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 9:26 PM Subject: [ql-users] A QL in Spain Jochen, Marcel and myself are planning to be in Spain at some point between 1st and 16th of June. This is partly our usual excursion to get Marcel and I third degree sunburn and throw ourselves down impossible Roller Coasters but we would like to combine it with meeting up with QL users there. Don't forget we have all promised to be in Eindhoven on 18th June! I still want it to be a mini-international show. Sjef v.d. Molegraaf has already suggested the QL2004 afterglow show, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta 2005
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 12:51 PM Subject: [ql-users] Quanta 2005 Just a quick comment - one of the reasons that the Quanta committee seemed to want the QL 2005 meeting down south was because they thought that Manchester was not capable of holding such a prestigious event. Well its now apparently good enough for the Labour Party Conference as they are moving there... So why not the QL?? Because as an organisation Quanta is not worried by massive Liberal Democrat gains in the Manchester area. Whilst I would agree there is a general prejudice against Manchester, or anything north of the Thames, in the QL community, that was not relevant to Quanta's decision. It had much more to do with the cock-up theory. Or our old friends, the keywords PISS_UP and BREWERY. Quanta's current aim is to make the AGM the number one UK show each year. In May 2004 the committee decided to hold a two day show (QL2005) to include the AGM somewhere in the south as it was the south's turn. For reasons that are still unclear to me by the end of October 2004 nothing had been done to organise this. By that time it was too late for the deadlines of both the Quanta Magazine and QL-Today to ensure adequate publicity beforehand or to arrange a show programme. The event was postponed until October and for some reason the decision to remain in the south stuck. John Gilpin would like to have a major event (+AGM) in Manchester at the end of April 2006. Let's be positive and make something good of that, Best Wishes, Geoff (personal) ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta 2005
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 8:38 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Quanta 2005 You could start from the other end, where do members/users live ? Select a location to suit them, the possible visitors rather than a clique. If you are a member of Quanta, you should already know the answer to this question. See my article in the Quanta Magazine Vol 21 issue 5/6 page 14. If you are not a member of Quanta, I am not interested in your opinions about where we hold our AGM, Best Wishes, Geoff (personal) ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QLib maintained
- Original Message - From: Jeremy Taffel To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 12:49 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] QLib maintained There are 89 Soundys in the 2003 electoral register, but no Adrian. There are even some in Hillingdon (relatives perhaps) but not Newcroft Close. Lots of Andrew Soundys. Are you sure his first name is Adrian, because if so, it looks like he no longer lives in the UK In the 2002 register he was living at the address given by Tony. The fact that he is not in the 2003 register does not mean he is still not living there. If I remember correctly that was the first year people could opt out of being included on the published register, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Cold callers (OT)
As a person who has seen the inside of several call centres, a little expert advice. 1: Never ever use an excuse like I am too busy, I am having dinner, I am about to go out. Call centre workers are not allowed to close the case with those replies and you will always be phoned again and again and again. Give a firm instruction not to phone back. 2: Why bother with the call centre worker? Always ask for the supervisor. Then ask the name of the telephonist; the name of the supervisor; the name of the executive in charge of the project; and the address for a written complaint. If they ask what the complaint is, say that is too serious to be dealt with over the telephone. However if the executive phones you to apologise, you might be able to deal with it informally. All agencies have to keep a list of non-permitted telephone numbers and you will soon find yourself added to the list. 3: Be careful with the tricks. Quite a few resting actors do call centre work. A lad I knew is now an up and coming actor with the RSC, has even been featured in the Guardian, and he would probably enjoy the challenge of taking you on. 4: My favourite trick was to tell the supervisor from one of the companies that try to persuade you to change energy providers that I did not pay for either gas or electricity. I had bypassed the electricity meter with crocodile clips and the gas meter with a piece of hose. He roared with laughter, congratulated me on still being alive, said I had just made his day and agreed to block my number, Best wishes, Geoff. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL shows (was QWord payment)
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 9:08 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL shows (was QWord payment) I meant Bill let -us- know when his favourite m/c shows are - preferably late next year or 2006. I appreciate that, but we are now encouraging show planning up to a year in advance. (We already have a preliminary date for Quanta AGM 2006). So good if Bill could give his favourite dates. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] good superbasic book?
- Original Message - From: John Gilpin To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 11:00 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] good superbasic book? In my copy there is a preface to the second edition dated 19th July 1989 and at the foot of that page there is a Copyright Notice As of December 1987 all rights in this book reverted to Jan Jones. No portion of this book may be reproduced without her written permission. Does this mean that by 'reproducing' these extracts, we are contravening the copyright? The interesting thing is that the copy which Quanta has for resale does not have this page in it but in all other respects the two of them look identical. John Gilpin.(Individual) As Dave P pointed out on 24th December copyright can mean many things. To quote from his mailing: (Quanta's copyright is) on a different thing to Jan Jones' copyright. She has a copyright of the contents. Quanta has a copyright on that specific edition (the cover, those changes which make it a quanta publication A fundamental principle in law is always to go back to the original documents. There should be an original contract somewhere. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL shows (was QWord payment)
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 5:29 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] QWord payment On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 at 10:46:23, Bill Cable wrote: There is a big yearly vintage show in Germany and Italy (must be one in the UK). I would like to attend them some year. Hopefully there will be a nearby QL show for me to attend at the same time. Back on subject. Let us know when your favoured European shows are. Often the dates of shows are fairly arbitrary, so arranging one to encourage you to visit seems a worthwhile activity! The current planned major European shows are: April 17th - Quanta AGM - Hove June 18th - Eindhoven - (hopefully we can make this an international!) 22nd/23rd October - Quanta 2 day show. On behalf of Quanta I am co-ordinating the QL show programme details via a rolling list giving actual and provisional dates for a year ahead. This should be published on the internet for anyone to consult later this month. For reasons of good etiquette I am not releasing it until the Dec/Jan Quanta magazine is published, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Problem email
- Original Message - From: jms1 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 8:29 PM Subject: [ql-users] Problem email Bruce will probably answer this, but there are already restrictions on the size of mailings to this group. I discovered this recently when a ql-user offered items for sale with photos and I forwarded his email to the group. I got an automated email back saying it was too large and offering me the choice of cancelling the message or sending it to the moderator for a decision. I chose to cancel it and resubmitted the mailing without the photos. Best wishes, Geoff I received yesterday an email apparently via the group from J Taylor containing apparently 2 jpegs each over a megabyte long. It took over twenty minutes to download and I have to download all of it otherwise the ISP records it has not been received and leaves it to be downloaded again. Did John Taylor send it? If so was it to the group by accident? If not somebody is using John Taylor's email address to be a nuisance and perhaps to spread viruses. However it does the rails the question of excessively long emails. Perhaps the server should send any email through the group longer than a kilobyte long to device null so that they do not cause any problems. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QWord payment
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2005 11:35 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] QDT Demo The problem is that QL software is supplied on a very tight budget - doesn't really leave any room to let others take a share of sale proceeds, especially after taking account of the cost of getting the disks and manuals etc to the trader in the first place. Also, having stocks with other traders also causes problems when you update the software (or need to keep a list of your customers since traders don't always get these details). I can echo these sentiments. About 18 months ago I stopped Just Words! sales via third parties. It was unpleasant for me and for the other traders, but there were just too many problems and it meant my deficit was uncontrollable. Last year was the first complete year under the new system and I have remained in control of the deficit. For similar reasons I continue to refuse to advertise in Quanta. My experience is that Quanta does not have the reliability of QL-Today. I also take strong exception to the fact that Quanta wants traders to advertise in its magazine, but rarely reciprocates when we ask for copy for our emails and snail mails advertising Quanta sponsored shows. I find that obscene when every trader makes a loss but Quanta is sitting on a bank balance of 16,000. And in case any one queries this, I am writing as a trader and not as a member of the Quanta committee, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] tsunami (with an on-topic ending)
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2005 11:55 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] tsunami (OT) Tut! Tut! Dilwyn, you old misogynist. Japanese nouns do not have a gender! The little oxford dictionary I looked up in had an 'f' against it. Not an unreasonable assumption to make I guess. I checked the dictionary f. = from, fem = feminine. Do you have any idea of the other meanings? Might make me feel better that I'm looking at another meaning written top right of this keyboard. Hopefully, the other meaning(s) will be something harmless and simple like black PC keyboard. This has me fascinated. Not least what is a Korean keyboard doing with a Japanese name? Could it be a made up company name? Is the name just romanised or are there characters? Are the chinese characters that make up the name anywhere on the keyboard? Japanese is full of ambiguities. The only translation of tsunami I can find is tidal wave, which is written in two forms. Tsu means harbour, but is also found in words meaning everywhere. The nami or wave character in the second, less common form, is also is found in such words as adventurers, minstrels and romanticism. Given that Japan is in constant danger from tsunamis I am surprised the word is formed from two neutral characters with an innocuous meanings. Harbour wave has a quite a pleasant sound to it. PS all you QL-ers writing at great length on New Year's Day. Was it only the Germans who got pissed last night? Well, Jochen has no car to go out in (somebody kindly wrecked it for him) and I guess he's too busy watching his concrete dry in his new flat anyway. Being serious, I am surprised by the amount of activity on this list over the new year, and the variety of subjects. The one thing that is clear is that the QL has ended 2004 in a much stronger state than at the beginning of the year. Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that three major software projects - Launchpad, QDT and QWord would be finalised during the year? Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QWord payment
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2005 9:56 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] QDT Demo cut If available at the QL metting in Eindhoven (March?),I will buy it, together with QWORD( Dutch and French versions). Happy New Year to all of you. Why wait?? I shall not be able to attend Eidnhoven and so will have to rely on someone else to take stock (Geoff)? They might have sold out you never know !! It is not always easy to transfer funds from one country to another, especially if you don't have the right bit of plastic. The traders are also unlikely to be in Eindhoven before 18th June. If it helps, I can accept payment via my Dutch Postbank Giro account. This may be a way of avoiding high currency transfer charges. I'm sure Rich and I could reach some agreement over this. Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] tsunami (OT)
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: QL Users List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2005 3:01 PM Subject: [ql-users] tsunami After hearing all about the natural disasters affecting the populations of some Asian countries, it was not nice to realise I have parts made by Tsunami on this PC. Without meaning to make light in any way of the awful situation those people find themselves in, it makes me wonder why anyone chose such a name for a computer company? Anyone know if it is connected - apparently the natural disaster term means Harbour (tsu) and Waves (name) in Japanese and of course is female gender like names of hurricanes and other natural disasters! Tut! Tut! Dilwyn, you old misogynist. Japanese nouns do not have a gender! There are 2 Chinese/Japanese characters for Tsu and 4 for Nami, 3 of which mean wave. Thus tsunami does not necessarily mean a destructive wave. What a good start to the year I am having! Not only off topic, but also pedantic and insulting! Best Wishes, Geoff PS all you QL-ers writing at great length on New Year's Day. Was it only the Germans who got pissed last night? ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Fw: c/ o Geoff Wicks / QL
- Original Message - From: rankus at us dot es To: Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 9:28 AM Subject: c/ o Geoff Wicks / QL I received the below email privately. Is there anyone who is interested in replying to Manuel? I have removed the pictures as they made the mailing over the limits for this list, Best wishes, Geoff Hi. I have the following material: * Sinclair QL (1986) and the original packaging. It runs pretty well. Has no problems. Membrane is OK. * 12 mdvs cartriges formated two weeks ago. * The four original PSION programs (in 4 mdvs): EASEL,QUILL,ABACUS and ARCHIVE. * Monitor (12 monocrome, green), with original packaging. * Sinclair QL user and programmer manuals * Two covers each for 4 mdvs * Technical drawings (circuitry, repairs,ecc) ¿ Could you advise me about the prices ?. I would appreciate very much your information. Looking forward to hearing from you. Bye, Manuel. Find Attached few photos. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] email attachments
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: QL Users List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 11:42 AM Subject: [ql-users] email attachments OK, I know I'm asking for it with Lookout Excess, but anyone know why the attachment indicator paperclip shows on emails with no attachment. I go into properties and it says no attachment. I generally delete such emails without reading them, so may well have deleted some QLers emails needlessly. I have also been getting these occasionally. They are always spam and I assume it is one of the spammers new tricks. Thus I don't think you have deleted QL related emails accidentally. Occasionally I do do that or even structurally block a genuine QL emailer, but I always do a double check by looking in my delete box. It is a good practice when emailing another QL-er privately to always include a keyword such as QL or Quanta in the subject title. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Whither or Wither ? (OT)
- Original Message - From: P Witte To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2004 8:31 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Whither or Wither ? Why? As every Englishman knows, the advantage of English over other languages is that it occurs completely naturaly in the brain. Not quite, what every Englishman knows, the advantage of English over other languages is that if you damn foreigners don't understand spoken English then at least you will understand SHOUTED ENGLISH! Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta 2005
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 11:51 AM Subject: [ql-users] Quanta 2005 It is nice to know that Quanta are indeed planning on holding a big show in 2005 to celebrate 21 years of the QL. However, what a shame that it is to be held in Portsmouth.. I would have thought that QL 2005 should be held in Birmingham or Manchester - Writing personally I am inclined to agree with this, but I think we should be realistic and accept that Portsmouth is the choice. The history was that the show was originally to be part of a weekend in which the Quanta AGM would be held. 2005 was the turn for a southern AGM. For some reason the venue was not booked in time, and as you know, but the rest of the list probably not, about 6 weeks ago we traders said it was too late to combine the show with the AGM because there was no time to organise adequate publicity etc. Quanta has now done its research on the possible venues including visiting the premises and if we were change this there would be further delay and expense. As a point of interest we are already thinking of the 2006 AGM which is likely to be held in Manchester. We are trying to plan the show programme well in advance to avoid clashes like the unfortunate one between the AGM and the USA show earlier this year. (In this way we have just avoided a similar nasty clash between the Quanta show, a USA show and an Eindhoven show in a Autumn 2005.) Just out of interest. How long ago was it that there was a Quanta Birmingham show? I cannot remember a single one in about 15 years, although there was a show in Selston, East Midlands in, I believe, 1998. The West Midlands does have a sub group. Are they not interested in organising a show? Best Wishes Geoff (personal opinion) ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL Calendar
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones To: QL Users List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 5:56 PM Subject: [ql-users] QL Calendar Any complaints about it being in non-QL format and I'll replace it with a calendar with pictures of Tony Firshman, Rich Mellor, Jochen Merz, Stuart Honeyball, Bill Richardson, Geoff Wicks, Darren Branagh, John Mason, Roy Wood, Joachim van der Auwera, Tony Tebby and Phoebus Dokos. You have been warned! You are nearer the truth than you think. When I met the Quanta committee in February I suggested to them that they should have photos of all the new committee in the first issue of the Quanta Magazine after the AGM. This was not carried out. I did not tell the committee the full idea, which was to headline the page containing the photos Page 3 Pinups. At the bottom of the page I would have added: And if you don't like our pinups, then just be grateful that there are not 12 members on the committee otherwise we might have produced the Quanta calendar Just image the committee members posing Women's Institute style with just a little bit of QL hardware to obscure the ... er...um...natural hardware. Having now totally destroyed the reputation of the Quanta Committee, I should perhaps add that I was writing personally and not officially, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] October / November Quanta Magazine
- Original Message - From: P Witte To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2004 2:34 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] October / November Quanta Magazine Agreed, much better. The last one wasnt too bad either. I do miss your digest of some of the highlights on this list in the Quanta rag ;) Sometimes theres so much going on that not everyone can afford to read everything, and often there will be discussion that may interest (and entice) those not already connected. I know it must take up a lot of time, but for me at least it was well worth it ;) When Roy first started as editor he did ask me to monitor the list on his behalf, but I found almost impossible to do. You are talking about 2 entirely different types of publication which don't easily marry together. Think how many complete Quanta Magazines you could fill with all of the ProForma thread! Basically you can report this group in two ways. One is to use the raw data in which case the content dominates the magazine. You have to select the subject matter and most subjects are only of interest to a limited number of members. Also this group's content tends to be mainly by active developers and probably contains too much technical detail for many of the magazine readers. The other way is to make a summary of a subject. This is what I attempted to do, but failed miserably. This is a time consuming activity that is not helped by the lack of discipline on the list when we are bad snippers or fail to keep to the subject line. In short I know of no way of reporting this list effectively. If someone else does, I am sure Roy would be pleased to have the content. BTW Roy has subscribed to the list in the past, but is not a current subscriber, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Byfleet Show
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 8:36 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Byfleet Show On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 19:11:04 +, Malcolm Cadman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Geoff Wicks gave a demonstration of the QWord program - a work in progress. Which is not only visually impressive but has sound effects as well. The quality of this programmes display puts in the same category as many of the other OS's on the market. Thankyou Malcolm - it has definitely been a steep learning curve to create this program and taken a combined effort from myself, Geoff and Phoebus (not to mention Marcel, Peter Graf and George Gwilt). I may need a bigger learning curve than most! When I was returning from the show, I had a sort of nightmare that I said the QPC version of QWord required 12K of memory instead of 12Mb. I remembered some puzzled faces. Were you all to polite to tell me I had gone gaga? But then what's a few bytes among friends? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Thru the Looking Glass
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 9:41 PM Subject: [ql-users] Thru the Looking Glass The thought of Rory Bremner and the Two Johns comes to mind, but here we have Three Johns who have shown themselves to be well and truly on the other side of the glass. Talking about the other side of the glass, when I refer to the Quanta committee as being out of touch it makes then sound remote, cold and alien. In practice they are not at all like that. They are talented and able people. However their problem is a benign, patronising, Daddy knows better attitude that has grown up in Quanta over the years. Quote:- Thank you for doing me the honour of electing me as Chairman for 2004/2005. John Mason Oh no John, no John, no ! But that you so believe accounts for the monstrously pompous diatribe recently uttered. It is not so much an honour as the acceptance of RESPONSIBILITY ! Last Sunday Daddy told us children we had been very naughty and sent us all to bed without supper. He told us that if we are still naughty tomorrow he will smack our bottoms very hard. Quote:- Many folk continually whine (and I use that term deliberately) on the mailing lists about why Quanta does not do something with its assets. One of the problems is if a project does not approach Quanta, then can anyone expect Quanta to write a cheque. John Southern, QUANTA Secretary A fine way to whinge at your electorate ! Daddy is very angry because you children make too much noise. But Daddy is kind and Daddy will let you fill in his little form. And if you fill it in neatly and in your best handwriting then maybe Daddy will give you a little bit of pocket money. I can give a couple more examples: When the adults let me talk to them last February after they had had their little meeting, Daddy -- that is my old Daddy not my new one - told me off because I had called them We. I was told I was still not an adult like them and must use You all the time. (Not joking. When I met the Quanta committee in February Robin Barker rebuked me for using we in the discussion, telling me that I should not presume to have the same status as a committee member.) When I did my survey on Quanta membership earlier this year Daddy was very pleased because I got 9/10 for my homework and it was even printed in the school magazine. He gave me a little pat on the head and told me he had put it in his office for safe keeping. (In other words that's something he doesn't have to worry about any more.) Thus even if the members decide they want something in an general meeting, Daddy knows that is what the children want, but HE still has to first consider whether its really suitable for the children or whether he should make changes. And those children they just don't realise how expensive things are. Daddy has to look very carefully after all the pennies. A not for Geoff, if it were up to me I'd back you all the way. Just two reservations, I personally don't think this is the place to hold spats between committee members. And just a cautionary note, not all that is done without authority is ILLEGAL ! Rebuke accepted, but sometimes you can't bring a change without a major crisis. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Proforma Filter
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 6:51 PM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Proforma Filter Peter Graf is work on network drivers for the Qx0. What happens if an application crashes while printing, is the PFF device block from further use. Glad to hear it - its such a shame that Peter does not keep everyone informed of what he is working on - it might generate more interest in the Q40 / Q60. Plus someone might be willing to help. You cannot expect Peter to contribute to this discussion when he gets shot at everytime he pokes his head above the parapet. Don't forget that after his last contribution to this list two people told him he was not welcome and only one defended him. He is not there to be switched on an off as we want. If you want information from Peter, why don't you email him privately? I had an extensive correspondence with him over QL2004 without any problems. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Proforma Filter
- Original Message - From: Rich Mellor Sent: Friday, November 26, 2004 7:47 PM Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Proforma Filter Fair enough, but all I want is for him to post a message to the mailing list or even one of the magazines, letting us know what developments are happening every now and then !! As it happens I am corresponding with Peter on another subject at the moment and have just emailed him. I took the opportunity of telling him of this thread and said people would be interested to hear of relevant Q60 developments. I did suggest that maybe private emails are better. BTW my impression is that there is a willingness on both sides to forget the arguments of the past. I was quite worried about the licence debate boiling up into a major row at QL2004 and spoiling the show if Peter came. (And I wanted him to be present.) I found both sides in the argument were prepared to be flexible to prevent that happening. We just have to be careful on both sides to avoid the subjects we know are too sensitive. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-user) QWord - marketing
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-user) QWord - marketing BTW if someone can lend me a large PC monitor, I can give a public demonstration at Byfleet. Not large, but if you get no offers, I can bring a 17inch LCD 1280 x 1024. It even has a digital connector if you can support that. Thanks for the offer. Anything is better than a 12inch laptop screen. It can only support a normal monitor cable or, believe it or not, a TV. Even the old QL TV cables work with that, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Fw: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2004 10:33 PM Subject: RE: [ql-users] Fw: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH Before I answer your comments a personal opinion. During the time I have been in Quanta I have not seen a chairman make such a serious blunder as this one. He clearly has no idea where the boundaries of his power and responsibilities lie. I would expect any chairman who has made a blunder of this magnitude to do the honourable thing and consider his position. Unfortunately this chairman has compounded the error by not being man enough to apologise, but instead has tried to pretend he has done nothing wrong by using the weasel word term that this list is a Quanta Forum. Has he thought through the full legal implications of this? Does he really wish to see the assets of Quanta lining the pockets of our learned friends? They could well do yet. Now to deal with your points: BTW leaving aside who owns this list which has been clarified by Bruce Nicholls there are troubling elements in Mr Masons email : 1) The precise timing of the emails referred to and in particular the 4 minute response to the original email that upset Mr Mason - the nearest I have in timing in my archive (deleted folder) is one thanking the sender of the first for his work in setting up the meeting and indicating that he is looking forward to it. Whats upsetting about that? You are not the only one having difficulty in this. Even I have and I wrote the damn things. What is clear from the whole mailing is that accuracy is not one of the chairman's strengths. (Or maybe the reason the committee are out of touch with the members is because they live in a different time warp from the rest of us.) My reconstruction is that my email was sent at 20.00 on 12th October 2004. (What John Mason did not tell us was that this email was a response to one complaining that Quanta had not replied at all to a request for information for the QL2004 mailshot. ) There was then a reply from Marcel at 20.34 in which there was nothing that could be regarded as offensive. The next came in at 20.52 from Tony Firshman. Tony included the line I would like to be a fly on the wall at committee meetings. I can only assume that this is the email that John Mason was referring to and this was the reason for his vitriolic and irrelevant outburst against Tony. If the chairman is so sensitive that he cannot take a little bit of banter like that, then god help us all. 2) The almost defamatory email of saturday 12th November : Which saturday the 12th November was that email sent. We haven't had a saturday 12th November this year. Again I think you have to enter the Quanta time warp to understand what happened. I think he means 13th November sent 18.20. I am not sure what has upset him in this email. I thought I had identified it, but I have had second thoughts. (You need a degree in Kremlinology to penetrate the thought processes of the Dear Chairman.) Thus you are on your own if you want to find the naughty bit. Just a hint, I suspect it is in the nice things I wrote rather than the nasty. BTW now you know why your moderator idea never had a chance of getting off the ground, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Fw: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH
- Original Message - From: Subject: Re: [ql-users] Fw: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH Despite what got said in and about this letter, I don't consider it offensive in the form which was forwarded. There are issues of 'netiquette' (shouting etc) which someone fairly new to the list might not be expected to be aware of. As one of the persons named in the letter (or rather not named, but everyone knew whom John meant) I agree fully with the above sentiment. We have slagged Quanta off and thus they have a right to reply. Equally John must accept there will be robust reactions. I do take exception to the section on Tony that John still included in his version especially after his preaching to me about the legal implications for Quanta in making personal comments. As far as etiquette was concerned, after I received John's email personally, I wrote a friendly email to him explaining several points of the etiquette, and pointing out that he was not to know these on his first posting to the group. He did not reply, but from comments elsewhere I think he appreciated this and accepted it in the spirit that it was sent, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Malcolm Cadman Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 6:42 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 So, just to extend the debate around Quanta itself a bit further ... make the effort to attend a local sub-group, where you can. I organise the London Quanta Group ... and we just get on with it. A few members can keep things going. Non-attenders don't ... :-) I did think of extending the Quanta debate to subgroups, particularly as London has such a successful one. If my memory is good, members pay an extra subscription to be a member of the London sub group and they would not do that if it was not worth going to. People complain about the stairs and the lack of parking when you run a London show. What most do not realise is that the London Workshops are the only ones that are not financed by Quanta centrally. You have some magic there in London - what is it? In fact we know very little about sub groups in general and I suspect several are inactive, but others are thriving. But what do they do other than organise the occasional show? Surely some have interesting projects which would provide an article for the magazine. I believe the Manchester Sub-Group sits around and listens to Judy Garland records with the occasional burst of excitement when Elvis has been sighted in the Trafford Centre ;-). If I have a slightly wrong impression of their activities, perhaps they could tell us what they really do, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
[ql-users] Nasty email
I too have received the nasty email, although I don't quite share Tony's indignation. Perhaps it was my probation background - I am more used to I should punch your fucking head in, you cunt (Laddie got a probation order for that offence and never offended again!) The email was addressed to the ql-users group with copies to Tony and me. Has anyone received this? I disagree with Tony on one point. I think it should be made public, because that it what the sender intended and it is also a contribution to the debate we have had on Quanta. Unfortunately the email does break most of our list etiquette in the sense that it is an HTML text with a large font size and I had to expand to a full screen to read it (even in OE). It also has shouting in the subject line. On this point John Mason is a newcomer to this group and we should allow him to make the beginner's mistakes. I intend to write to John to ask what his intention is, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
[ql-users] Fw: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH
I have decided to forward this message as I think all Quanta members should read it. Derogatory comments about a third person have been removed. - Original Message - From: john mason To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: John Mason ; Geoff Wicks ; John Gregory ; Roy Brereton ; John Gilpin ; John Southern ; Tony Firshman Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2004 8:57 PM Subject: ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH From: Chairman QUANTA To: ALL Subscribers QUANTA FORUM - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copy to: Geoff Wicks, Tony Firshman, QUANTA Committee DTO: 201104:2030Z ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH Some seven years ago Quanta Committee decided that it would be good for QL'ers to have their own Internet based Forum. Robin Barker, then Chairman, very kindly undertook the task of setting this up. At the same time he rationalised email contact with Committee Members by providing a system of email addresses which automatically forward to Committee Members no matter how many times they themselves change or how many times their personal email addresses do so as well. There were problems with the first chosen ISP, and another was found. The QUANTA email Forum [EMAIL PROTECTED] site has more than proved its value to Quanta members as a place to present news, exchange ideas, solve problems, and perhaps most importantly debate issues of interest to the QL fraternity. Most topics are constructively discussed but not surprisingly occasionally debate gets quite heated. Fortunately, up to now, Quanta Committee have not had to intervene since the Forum has proved to be self regulating, and itself dealt quickly with any offender. That, unfortunately, cannot be said to be the position since mid October last. An email was posted on the board in which a subscriber alleged that Quanta is out of touch with the QL community, boasted that I had hijacked the QL2004 idea, said I don't regret doing it because we are going to have a bloody good time on Sunday , continued it would not have happened if we had left it to Quanta. Carried away by his own verbosity he carries on for some time making yet more allegations. Eventually saying Another thought I am having is what is the point of Quanta making another £1,000 profit if it never spends its money on anything and finally remarks Having written that I should remind everyone that I am a member of the Quanta committee and I accept a degree of responsibility, Within four minutes of this email being sent a second subscriber responded - adding to not, unfortunately, rebuking the first. Seemingly mistaking Quanta Committee's Freedom of Speech tolerance policy for something else the dialogue continued with the same slant, and eventually, on Saturday 12th November, an assertion was made naming a member and capable of being interpreted as being defamatory. In so doing they have put both themselves and QL Users and Tinkerers Association at risk. If they desire to do so to themselves that is one thing; but to imperil Quanta is another. Committee has, over the years, dealt with a number of situations in which members have put themselves very close to the line. Fortunately, for Quanta as a whole, Committee have not had, so far, to invoke the Constitution to resolve same. I have no intention of responding to the assertions made on a point by point basis. That would be even more destructive. I would be, however, failing in my duty to all Quanta Members if I did not seek to correct some of that which has been portrayed as being ascertainable fact. 1. It is true that Geoffrey Wicks was elected to this year's Committee at the Quanta Annual General Meeting held in Manchester on Sunday 18th April 2004. The Meeting was fully aware that he had the status of a QL Trader. 2. It is true that Geoffrey Wicks did attend the meeting of Quanta Committee held at Hove on Sunday 23rd May 2004. Further he did participate freely in the matters then considered, and moreover agreed that Roy Brereton should continue to be responsible for the Quanta International Workshop to mark the 21st Anniversary of both the QL and of QUANTA . The workshop to be held in the Portsmouth area, and at a time which would permit the inclusion of the Annual General Meeting for 2005. 3. It is true that neither at the Hove Committee Meeting nor since has he made any attempt to approach either Roy Brereton or myself, as common courtesy expects, with an offer to assist in any way with the QL is 21 proposed Quanta International Workshop. 4 paragraphs of derogatory comment removed*** ENOUGH is ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH Quanta Committee has and will, as always, continue to welcome constructive contributions on the topic of a Quanta International Workshop in 2005; but as and from the Sent date and time of this email any further attempts to extend the recent non-constructive
Re: [ql-users] Quanta membership
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 9:36 PM Subject: RE: [ql-users] Quanta membership Geoff - I thought you are a committee member : customer care would suggest that you should offer to get the potential new member contacted by the correct Quanta membership secretary tonight : he (the membership secretary if this list is an accurate barometer must be thirsting for his first new signing anyway) :) A fair rebuke here. I assume that John Gilpin is already in contact with people who via this list say they have been unable to renew their membership. If there is anyone who still has a problem, could they please email me privately and I will chase it up. Please include a keyword such as Quanta in the subject line so that I don't accidentally delete your message as spam, Best wishes, Geoff gwicks @ beeb.net ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Subject: RE: [ql-users] Quanta SNIP To progress this discussion a moderator or instigator needs to put aside his/her personal individual preferences, listen to all the ideas on the list and dismiss none, but perhaps ask some individuals to explore some aspects of all of the ideas to assess their practicality with a view to producing a manifesto for Quanta regeneration that should be debated on this list but must ultimately be put to the membership committee before the AGM and subsequently resolved at the AGM. SNIP - and Geoff Wicks are you up to the challenge of picking up on this discussion and attempting to moderate it into a realistic consensus manifesto that could be put to Quanta ??? :) Without the support and involvement of a respected figure ( yes I mean you) already within the committee the whole issue could be delayed until its all too late. Thanks for the expression of confidence, but I have already failed as moderator. You may remember that just over a year ago I wrote some very critical comments on this list and in QL-Today about Quanta. In February I had a long and amicable discussion with the Quanta committee about these, and I was impressed with the quality of the discussion. I had the feeling that Quanta was eager to reform and agreed to join the committee. 10 months later hardly anything that I suggested has been implemented and Quanta shows no signs of reforming. Quanta's problem is not what it must discuss or what its policies should be, but its inefficiency and unreliability. I agree with John Taylor that what we need now is not words but action. Sorry if this doesn't answer your well made points, but that is the reality, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Wolfgang Lenerz Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 10:04 AM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 On 18 Nov 2004 at 19:53, gwicks wrote: (...) I know a lot of our members do not subscribe to the list, do you know why? Is it a technical problem (no internet access) or are they just not interested? All sorts of reasons, and some are the fault of those of us on this list. We sometimes have a tendency to behave like medieval catholics and believe that the whole QL universe rotates around this list. Don't forget there are many people who are put off this list because of the personal attacks that sometimes occur in such things as the licence debate. Two members of the Quanta committee formerly subscribed to this list, but found it rubbish. I can respect their viewpoint, but I think they are wrong. Part of the responsibility of holding an office is sometimes doing things you don't like. Apart from this there are many UK QL-ers who do not have internet access, Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta membership
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 5:36 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Quanta membership On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 at 16:59:33, Mike MacNamara wrote: (ref: [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Hmm. Quanta Membership Sec did not respond to my requests to renew, has lapsed for a few years now. Never got any response. I hope that whoever on the Quanta committee reads this (John G and Geoff for two!) will make sure the membership secretary is getting emails. I had similar problems. It seems the re-direction may be dodgy. This is strange because I did a test on what I thought might be an obsolete email address about a month ago and there were no problems. If there is a problem I suggest it is a dodgy rather than a non-existent redirection. Can I suggest that if you do report a contact problem, you always mention the email address you used. The best one is membership @ quanta.org.uk Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Subject: RE: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 Thanks for the summary below. I have not had the time this week to monitor all this discussion - that is a big job for the weekend. Can I remind everyone again. You don't have to convince John Gilpin and myself of the need for changes. You do have to convince 4 committee members who do not read this list. The words were not intended for the committee or you: but to summarise so far the debate you have sparked has produced the following suggestions to benefit Quanta members - apologies to anyone who's contribution I have forgotten and not listed, happy to add it: 1 Reducing the subscription by £4 or so 2 Send floppies with selected library programs with newsletter 3 Create a profession shop window site for Quanta members where software can be downloaded, and www interest generated 4 Help QL users access the www through already existing software 5 Commission articles for the newsletter to make it worth reading 6 Chase up copyright holders for non supported but still widely used QL programs - append your own list 7 Nag/bribe/arm twist/pay/flatter some of the previously heavy weight QL programmers to contribute to current needs 8 Eliminate the differential between UK and overseas subscribers All are good ideas - none are exclusive - it is unlikely that there is a single simple solution to regeneration - at the moment all should be explored. There is a will on this forum there is a way in Quanta's coffers. Duncan Neithercut ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Brian Kemmett Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 as you say in this email, a lot of the membership is probably without internet access, or even access to email.I think the ONE biggest leap forward this community can take is to develop, or finance development of internet access for the native QL/Q40-60/ Aurora, you know, the very machines QUANTA purports to support, yet here we are, all of us on this list, or 99.99% using PC's to communicate on matters QL!! kindest regards.. Brian K I am not sure finance is the real problem in getting QL internet access and that it is rather more technical problems. Remember Peter Graf has achieved what he has done using public domain sources, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
- Original Message - From: John Taylor Subject: [ql-users] Quanta snip There has been little or no evidence of any interest in what the committee are doing and as a consequence the committee have shown very little interest in what the members are doing. Perhaps Quanta has the sort of committee it deserves. Quanta for many years was the backbone of the QL scene and it could be again. You have three months to sort out the mess, and by that I mean, find the right people, elect them, then support them In fact you have had less than three months. It is easy to think of the AGM being 5 months away, but if you want change you have to act now. Nominations for the committee have to be in before 31st January. A little moral tale. Earlier this year a committee nomination was ruled invalid by the committee partly because the member concerned had not renewed his subscription before the end of December. The member concerned pointed out to the committee that it is a little difficult to renew your subscription in December when the renewal forms are only sent out in January. Since the committee were being so legalistic, he also reminded them that as the 2003 AGM was not held within the legally required term, the whole of the then committee was illegal. It would be possible to argue therefore that all Quanta expenditure was not legally authorised and should be paid out of their own pockets. Best Wishes, Geoff PS No prizes for quessing who the member was. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Brian Kemmett Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 9:29 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 The problem is Quanta IS JUST sitting on a stack of cash - I have contributed to their coffers since 1986! To Geoff Wicks, thanks for the concern, but you tell me, what can Quanta do for me? - I live in a QL World black hole! The monthly mag was like a lifeline but now I rely on QLToday because it is a vabrant, upbeat and altogether more informative tome - and it gives breaking news on all things QLish. QUANTA mag has become a shrivelled prune of its former self, and as I have already said, the news is already old. So Geoff, what can Quanta do for outlanders such as me? At the moment sod all. And what worries me as a member of the Quanta committee is that people in a similar situation to you represent about one third of our membership. I think if Quanta is to reform it must make more use of new technology, like actively participating in this list which is the quickest way of sounding out opinion. I know a lot of our members do not subscribe to the list, but I think it would make the committee more aware of what is happening in the QL community at large and provide topics for the magazine that would be of interest to members who do not have access to the internet. At the moment the magazine editor is a member of the committee and perhaps we now also need a website editor on the committee. (That's a idea I have just had as a result of the discussion on this list.) However I am sure the really important thing is to find a way of investing Quanta's money in QL development. When I raised this earlier this year I did not get many suggestions. Now the discussion is much more lively. I don't want to play a game of ping pong with you by bouncing every question you ask back, but what things would you most like to see in your own QL use, and is there any way this could be done via Quanta? I believe an organisation of 300 members with an income of £6000 a year and a capital of £16,000 is a highly viable organisation. Our problem is how to make it work more effectively for its members, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] QL2004
- Original Message - From: dilwyn.jones Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] QL2004 Byfleet is just over a week away. Everyone do your best to publicise that workshop and encourage people to visit. My newsletter has a nasty habit of turning up on the monday or tuesday FOLLOWING a workshop, so I don't know if mailing preference is given to those living in the likely visitor area around a workshop or of it's just the mail getting held up at Welsh customs :-( Actually the traders have the publicity side of things well organised. Tony sends out his emails and for the non-email users get a snailshot. The latter is going out of the door tomorrow targetted to QL-users in the Byfleet catchment area. (5 traders are paying for the snailshot, even though 3 of them are unable to get to Byfleet.) Our problem is a lack of co-operation from Quanta. Usually we don't even get a reply, let alone an advert. I asked the Byfleet organisers for copy for the snailshot. No reply! Fortunately I got the details from Quanta's secretary even if I had to rework it myself into a suitable form for the flyer. Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Subject: RE: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 Geoff Wicks wrote : I don't think a reduction to £10 would bring in any new members, but £4 per member invested in QL development might encourage one or two more people to join. So reinvigorating Quanta - Some other ideas : Internet access on QL systems : It is possible using a UNIX shell account software that already exists according to an article on the DJ emulators CD : - The QUANTA committee could identify a provider bundle access to this sort of account plus software with membership. The magazine : shortage of articles but healthy finance : why not commission some show piece articles to make the magazine worth reading again - eg an idiots guide to using Ghostscript, line design etc etc. BTW what happened about the upgraded Perfection that is limited to a few individuals because of worries about ownership of this no longer for sale WP by a defunct company - Thanks for these further ideas. Let's hope others can suggest more! Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: dilwyn.jones Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 I think isnurance might be a major reason why it's best done under the Quanta banner, although there might not be any reason why the committee couldn't delegate it's organisation of the QL2005 to Geoff and a couple of other co-opted members to do the organising? Especially as Roy Brereton seems to be the show organiser without really having the time on his hands to do it as effectively as he'd like, especially as he's got the newsletter to worry about as well. Of course, it might just be possible that I could still be on the Quanta Committee. I am still considering all the options. To misquote some USA president, I forget which, when asked why kept critics in his cabinet. Is it better to have them inside the tent pissing out, or outside the tent pissing in? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL2004
- Original Message - From: John Gilpin Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL2004 Just back from holiday and sorting through a couple of hundred emails. You can play Hunt the treasurer at Byfleet. I will probably be sat behind the QUANTA Table (as usual). Please stop and say Hello, rather than just walking past as most of the attendees usually do!! Actually, John, I thought all the committee were going to be at Byfleet. I thought we agreed at Hove that we would have a committee meeting there. After all there is a lot of business piling up and some things from the last meeting and from our February meeting still have to be resolved, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Wolfgang Lenerz Subject: Re: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 On 16 Nov 2004 at 12:02, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think isnurance might be a major reason why(...) Just a quick question: was QL 2004 insured? That's a question for Sin_QL_Air. I assume they, or the school, were covered. The problem with the UK is that there is a growing compensation culture so that you have to be doubly certain with insurance. The trouble is that you can't trust any damn lawyer! (Quickly dives under desk.) Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Tarquin Mills Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 Let me remind everyone once again that the Quanta subscription is currently £4 per year higher than is necessary to run the organisation. If Quanta are not prepared to spend this £4 on QL2005, what are they going to spend it on? There are other things the £4 could be spent on, like making the magazine colour, projects like printer software, a better SGC or a lottery bid for a portable case, USB, ethernet etc. etc. I think Quanta members are price innerlastic and therefore after over 10 years at £14 we should be raising the price. How many members will the reduction to £10 generate, have you got a plan to target poor QLers and potential poor QLers (say a free QL scheme)? Does the £14/£17 cost differential have to be kept? Lets not fade away. Thanks for this contribution, Tarquin, it is the sort of discussion we should be having. I would like to see the subscription stay at £14 with the differential removed. (The £3 extra for overseas members only brings in £150 from an income of £6000). I don't think a reduction to £10 would bring in any new members, but £4 per member invested in QL development might encourage one or two more people to join. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005
- Original Message - From: Roy wood Subject: Re: [ql-users] Re: QL2005 Just to put another issue into the mix here, John Mason called me last week and asked if I would organise the 2005 Hove show so it could be the AGM. I have looked into dates for this that would fit Quanta's schedule and I am preparing to book the hall for 17th April. Fine by me. Seems to me to be a sensible solution for next year's AGM. If Quanta cannot organise the QL2005 why don't we do it ourselves and charge a small admission fee? -- I have been wondering whether it would be possible to do QL2005 without Quanta. I get the impression that with Quanta we are dragging a reluctant bride to the altar and that rarely makes for a happy marriage. Problem is that there is a hefty capital expenditure before the event, plus you have to be sure there is insurance cover. We would be talking a minimum of £200 for the hall and possibly a lot more unless someone knows an Eindhoven solution, that is a school or similar we could use for nothing. If anyone has any suggestions I would be pleeased to hear them, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] oRSAM 2004 PHOTOS
- Original Message - From: Tarquin Mills Subject: Re: [ql-users] oRSAM 2004 Not in Tony Firshman's pictures there was a ICL OPD exhibit, the QLers missed this because they stayed in the QL village. Not quite true. Some of us did put on our pith helmets and venture into foreign territory. I was interested to see the ICL OPD as I had never seen one before. I think one lesson that can be drawn from the show is that the QL has continued to develop and improve more than other retro-computers have. I was disappointed by the turnout of QL users from East Anglia, Greater London and surrounding areas. This is more or less what I was expecting given the poor average attendance at more established venues such as Hove, Byfleet, London and Manchester. Good that you did not try to run a pure QL show. As to the printer problem I have ported epsonps (Epson to Postscript converter) that Malcolm Lear suggested. I have used on my Q60 to: Xchange - EpsonPs - Ghostscript - PAR - Printer It produced the same output as: Xchange - PAR - Printer Ghostscript is hard to setup, in process I ported a file spliter and joiner, all three programs are on the ACCUS website. Now I need to find a Postscipt downloader i.e. for: Xchange - EpsonPs - downloader - Printer and the source to Graham Lutz's Ghostscript PE Frontend as it is out of date. EpsonPs (c2000 lines of C, ANSI and KR mixed :-( ) is better than MPS and nenscript (which are ASCII only), but does not support colour or proportional fonts and a few other things. Interesting piece of news. There are a lot of us out here who have heard of Postscript and Ghostscript, but have no idea what they do. Could some kind person write an article for QL-Today in dummies style to help we non-technical idiots? Where we can download the various programs? How do we configure them? How do we print using them? Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL Meeting in Spain
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL Meeting in Spain Careful it is not too near the Quanta AGM. That clashed with the US show last year. I don't know whether a date for the AGM is fixed. There is nothing on the website (www.quanta.org.uk). It doesn't even mention the Byfleet Quanta workshop in a few weeks. Odd. Geoff - is anything fixed, and why is there nothing on the website? Why should I know? I am only a committee member! Seriously, now you know why I have been jumping up and down screaming for the last few weeks. At the last committee meeting on Saturday 23 May 2004 (sic) the proposal was that there would be an early AGM in February probably in a hotel somewhere in the South East combined with QL2005. As you well know since then nothing happened until Dilwyn's intervention. Like I said to you a month or so ago. It is not what happens in Quanta committee meetings, but what happens, or more accurately does not happen, outside the meetings that is the problem! Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] DD
- Original Message - From: Tony Firshman I am though getting mail undelivered to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ! Can someone email me John's private address. It is not the john @ nosuitsit . com that I have on file. The quanta address gets diverted to that. The above is the address the Quanta committee have been given for private use. Sorry can't help you further, but Bruce does the email and site maintenance so maybe you could ask him. In the meanwhile be grateful for progress. In QL-Today Quanta advertises a webpage that has not existed for years. Once again the words piss-up and brewery spring to mind. Best wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
[ql-users] Congratulations! Your site is one of the most popular on Lycos Tripod
Below is an extract from an email I have received from Lycos over the Just Words! website: --- - Original Message - From: Lycos Tripod [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 6:50 PM Subject: Congratulations! Your site is one of the most popular on Lycos Tripod Dear Geoff Wicks, During the last 30 days, your website on Tripod (http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks) achieved 626 pages impressions. This makes your site one of the most popular of the Tripod community in United Kingdom. -- The QL community may be small, but we can still achieve a lot! The 30 days covered a period when the site was busy because of QL2004 and the GD2 upgrade downloads. In fact, in the week before QL2004 the hit rate was the equivalent of about 1300 per month. This shows it is well worthwhile to set up a webpage before a major international show. This is a good introduction to the subject of QL2005. Behind the scenes there is a lot of discussion and negotiation taking place, although it is far too soon to say what the outcome of these discussions will be. Last year each Quanta member paid £4 more on their subscription than was necessary to run the organisation. On present spending levels we can expect something similar this year and also next year. This is another good reason why Quanta should either finance an international show or invest the money in some other form of QL development. Best wishes, Geoff Wicks http://members.lycos.co.uk/geoffwicks/justwords.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL2004 P;us
- Original Message - From: Duncan Neithercut Subject: RE: [ql-users] QL2004 P;us How many of the 300 Quanta members subscribe to this group? Perhaps you know. I dont, my guess is perhaps 63 - based on 1 in 20 rule, if one person complains then approximately 20 others are also dissatisfied and assuming all subscribers will happily dump their committee with the responsibility of organising the meeting, as it is an easy choice for most. It is therefore possible that you are jumping to conclusions about the membership. I suspect rather more than 63, but as you imply indeed not a large sample of Quanta membership. However it is the only forum open for a quick interchange of information, and I suspect the more active members of Quanta are the ones who subscribe to this list. You reach more Quanta members via this list than via any AGM I have attended. Why then doesn't Quanta actively participate? On communication. Look at the Quanta advert on page 51 of the current edition of QL-Today. The website quoted in that advert has not existed for years. I pointed this out to the Quanta committee in February and every member told me I was wrong until I shoved the advert under their faces. It was then corrected for one issue only. Or again. Quanta is always complaining about a shortage of material for the magazine. When do the ever use their own magazine for telling members what they are doing? (Think of the Q60 decision!) It is usually bad policy to disrespect your membership if you are a committee member, and if you are a trader as well!! Trader? Total receipts this year £41. Total expenditure £113.92. If I say goodbye, I am the winner and the QL scene the loser. In fact most Just Words! time is spent helping people with general computer problems. Other traders will tell you something similar. Why do QL users go to traders for help instead of Quanta? Obviously Geoff knows the current committee better than the run of the mill Quanta members, we dont turn up to the AGM anyway, and he has stated publically he has no confidence in his colleagues on the commitee to organise QL2005 (why are you on the committee?). In February I had a meeting with the Quanta Committee in which it was agreed that there was a need for reform and renewal. As a result of this I agreed to become a committee member which I did as from the end of April. You may remember a couple of weeks ago I challenged the 3 Florida boys to tell me how their plans for the next 12 months were proceeding now that they were at the halfway period. I am now applying the same test to myself at my halfway period. How far has Quanta renewed and reformed itself in the last 6 months? I have made my own analysis and provisional decisions. I would like to hear the opinions of others. Logically therefore I vote as a Quanta member of good standing that Geoff should organise this meeting in the UK and have it as close to the center of England as possible and as near Birmingham or Manchester as possible. I would love to run a QL2005 - just one big last International QL show in the UK, but it will be a lot harder than QL2004. The latter was really a show for the movers and shakers rather than the punters, but QL2005 will have to be the other way round. Accommodation, financing, catering and insurance will have to be a Quanta responsibility. They have the funds to do it. They made a profit of £1,363 last year and I think there will be a similar profit this year. Quanta has been talking about a major show since about July 2003, but in 15 months has not come up with a single concrete proposal. At the last committee meeting they were talking about an early AGM in February combined with QL2005, but since then I have heard nothing, even though you need at least a clear six months to run an international show. Draw your own conclusion. I repeat, I will happily organise QL2005, but only on the conditions I have made on this list earlier. Sorry if I sound bossy, dictatorial and arrogant, but I had to be bossy, dictatorial and arrogant to get QL2004 off the ground. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL2004 P;us
- Original Message - From: David Tubbs To an outsider it looks like Geoff is Minister without portfolio, and a bit of a maverick to boot ! Like I have said before on this list, in my days as a probation officer I was assessed on a training course as a constructive subversive. Another hangover I have from my probation officer days is that when people make an agreement with me I expect them to keep it. If not, I punch hard. Best of luck to him if he is trying to get things moving. Seems a bit like part of the dog asking the tail to wag the dog. Do the articles not stipulate a duty on the officers, should they not pro-actively poll the membership with a choice of possible projects ? Then extract the digits, make something happen ! Work is out for yourself. There are 6 people on the Quanta committee. Two of us monitor this list and another is an active member of a subgroup. How do the other three keep up to date with QL developments? If their contact with other QL-ers is mainly fellow committee members, then there is a danger the committee will develop, metaphorically speaking, into a mutual masturbation group. Put in a practical way. Quanta was not present at QL2004, the most important international show for 4 years. Of the six committee members only one has first hand knowledge of QL2004, one has good second hand knowledge and 4 have no knowledge or at best filtered third hand knowledge. In all honesty have they the skills to run QL2005? But then are Quanta members any better than the committee? I have become a little bit sick of people *whispering* in my ear that they are on my side. Finally the QL2005 score: 3 Quanta members are interested 297 Quanta members are not interested The verdict is clear. 'nuff said, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL2004
- Original Message - From: P Witte Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL2004 Just got back from QL2004 last night. Great show! (too short.) Many thanks to Geoff, Sjef and others who made it possible. Great to put faces to so many familiar names! Hopefully well all meet up again sometime soon. Just a reminder that if you want to meet again at QL2005 then you have to lobby Quanta. Only 2 people have done this so far. John Mason - chairman @ quanta.org.uk John Southern - secretary @ quanta.org.uk John Gilpin - treasurer @ quanta.org.uk Roy Brereton - editor @ quanta.org.uk John Gregory - software @ quanta.org.uk Geoff Wicks - gwicks @ beeb.net Don't forget I am also on the Quanta committee and should also get a copy of your email, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL 2004 Eindhoven - no! QL2005!!!! @ ?????
- Original Message - From: Dilwyn Jones Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL 2004 Eindhoven - no! QL2005 @ ? Not sure how easy access would be for international visits - is the local area served by an international airport for example? What are rail connections like to the south coast sea ports and Birmingham and London airports? I mentioned Portishead mainly because of the quality of the hall. Road transport is excellent because of the nearness of the M5 Junction 19. Public Transport to Bristol is also good, but from then on it can be difficult. Another advantage is a Travel Inn about 100 yards from the hall. Also interesting as a venue because we have a nice group of members in the Bath/Bristol/South Wales area who have not had a show for some time. Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
Re: [ql-users] QL2004
Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL2004 Geoff wrote:- Also Sin-QL-Air backed the show financially - where else in the QL show circuit do you get free coffee and pay only 50 euros for a roll? (I mean bread rolls - I know we were in the Netherlands, but the other sort of roll is known as a stikkie there.) 50 euro for a roll? God, you'd get a four course meal with a bottle of wine here for that :-)) Just joking, I know you probably mean 50 cent (and not the gangsta rapper either..) No Darren. 50 Euros per roll. They were exceptionally good rolls ;-)) Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.quanta.org.uk/mailing.htm
