Home » Archimedes archive » Archimedes World » AW-1996-12.adf » !Speed/!Help

!Speed/!Help

This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.

Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.

Tape/disk: Home » Archimedes archive » Archimedes World » AW-1996-12.adf
Filename: !Speed/!Help
Read OK:
File size: 0657 bytes
Load address: FFFFFF47
Exec address: 109D4265
Duplicates

There is 1 duplicate copy of this file in the archive:

File contents
SpeedTimer

by N. Douglas and Clares Micro Supplies

SpeedTimer is a simple utility designed to allow you to see what effect
loading Speed! has on your machine. Simply run it after installing Speed! and
click on the 'Measure' button whenever you want a newer reading.

Upon doing this (and also on startup) the hourglass appears and the mouse
pointer is rooted to one spot (this is to prevent disturbing the desktop and
so affecting timings). Do not press any keys or indeed move the mouse
intentionally while the hourglass is present as this will affect the
readings.

Once the 'Measure' operation is complete, the results are shown and the bar
graph updated. The graph indicates how many times faster the machine is, with
each darker median being an increment of one. You may well find on heavily
loaded machines or machines with a lot of memory that the graph isn't big
enough as Speed! speeds up your computer by three times or more.

There is also an allowance for negative increases in speed. This may happen
in certain circumstances due to the Switcher and Measure applications. In
reality this is due to the fact that the computer is lightly loaded and the
timings will be so quick that any very small variation can show a dramatic
effect. We could have disallowed this but we do not want to appear to be
'fiddling' the timings.

Another point is that the timer can only show average gains. There are many
instances where Speed! can provide an instantaneous speed increase of seven
times or so, and to fully appreciate Speed! you should really use the machine
with it installed for a while.

N. Douglas. 14-09-1996
00000000  53 70 65 65 64 54 69 6d  65 72 0a 0a 62 79 20 4e  |SpeedTimer..by N|
00000010  2e 20 44 6f 75 67 6c 61  73 20 61 6e 64 20 43 6c  |. Douglas and Cl|
00000020  61 72 65 73 20 4d 69 63  72 6f 20 53 75 70 70 6c  |ares Micro Suppl|
00000030  69 65 73 0a 0a 53 70 65  65 64 54 69 6d 65 72 20  |ies..SpeedTimer |
00000040  69 73 20 61 20 73 69 6d  70 6c 65 20 75 74 69 6c  |is a simple util|
00000050  69 74 79 20 64 65 73 69  67 6e 65 64 20 74 6f 20  |ity designed to |
00000060  61 6c 6c 6f 77 20 79 6f  75 20 74 6f 20 73 65 65  |allow you to see|
00000070  20 77 68 61 74 20 65 66  66 65 63 74 0a 6c 6f 61  | what effect.loa|
00000080  64 69 6e 67 20 53 70 65  65 64 21 20 68 61 73 20  |ding Speed! has |
00000090  6f 6e 20 79 6f 75 72 20  6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65 2e  |on your machine.|
000000a0  20 53 69 6d 70 6c 79 20  72 75 6e 20 69 74 20 61  | Simply run it a|
000000b0  66 74 65 72 20 69 6e 73  74 61 6c 6c 69 6e 67 20  |fter installing |
000000c0  53 70 65 65 64 21 20 61  6e 64 0a 63 6c 69 63 6b  |Speed! and.click|
000000d0  20 6f 6e 20 74 68 65 20  27 4d 65 61 73 75 72 65  | on the 'Measure|
000000e0  27 20 62 75 74 74 6f 6e  20 77 68 65 6e 65 76 65  |' button wheneve|
000000f0  72 20 79 6f 75 20 77 61  6e 74 20 61 20 6e 65 77  |r you want a new|
00000100  65 72 20 72 65 61 64 69  6e 67 2e 0a 0a 55 70 6f  |er reading...Upo|
00000110  6e 20 64 6f 69 6e 67 20  74 68 69 73 20 28 61 6e  |n doing this (an|
00000120  64 20 61 6c 73 6f 20 6f  6e 20 73 74 61 72 74 75  |d also on startu|
00000130  70 29 20 74 68 65 20 68  6f 75 72 67 6c 61 73 73  |p) the hourglass|
00000140  20 61 70 70 65 61 72 73  20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65  | appears and the|
00000150  20 6d 6f 75 73 65 0a 70  6f 69 6e 74 65 72 20 69  | mouse.pointer i|
00000160  73 20 72 6f 6f 74 65 64  20 74 6f 20 6f 6e 65 20  |s rooted to one |
00000170  73 70 6f 74 20 28 74 68  69 73 20 69 73 20 74 6f  |spot (this is to|
00000180  20 70 72 65 76 65 6e 74  20 64 69 73 74 75 72 62  | prevent disturb|
00000190  69 6e 67 20 74 68 65 20  64 65 73 6b 74 6f 70 20  |ing the desktop |
000001a0  61 6e 64 0a 73 6f 20 61  66 66 65 63 74 69 6e 67  |and.so affecting|
000001b0  20 74 69 6d 69 6e 67 73  29 2e 20 44 6f 20 6e 6f  | timings). Do no|
000001c0  74 20 70 72 65 73 73 20  61 6e 79 20 6b 65 79 73  |t press any keys|
000001d0  20 6f 72 20 69 6e 64 65  65 64 20 6d 6f 76 65 20  | or indeed move |
000001e0  74 68 65 20 6d 6f 75 73  65 0a 69 6e 74 65 6e 74  |the mouse.intent|
000001f0  69 6f 6e 61 6c 6c 79 20  77 68 69 6c 65 20 74 68  |ionally while th|
00000200  65 20 68 6f 75 72 67 6c  61 73 73 20 69 73 20 70  |e hourglass is p|
00000210  72 65 73 65 6e 74 20 61  73 20 74 68 69 73 20 77  |resent as this w|
00000220  69 6c 6c 20 61 66 66 65  63 74 20 74 68 65 0a 72  |ill affect the.r|
00000230  65 61 64 69 6e 67 73 2e  0a 0a 4f 6e 63 65 20 74  |eadings...Once t|
00000240  68 65 20 27 4d 65 61 73  75 72 65 27 20 6f 70 65  |he 'Measure' ope|
00000250  72 61 74 69 6f 6e 20 69  73 20 63 6f 6d 70 6c 65  |ration is comple|
00000260  74 65 2c 20 74 68 65 20  72 65 73 75 6c 74 73 20  |te, the results |
00000270  61 72 65 20 73 68 6f 77  6e 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68  |are shown and th|
00000280  65 20 62 61 72 0a 67 72  61 70 68 20 75 70 64 61  |e bar.graph upda|
00000290  74 65 64 2e 20 54 68 65  20 67 72 61 70 68 20 69  |ted. The graph i|
000002a0  6e 64 69 63 61 74 65 73  20 68 6f 77 20 6d 61 6e  |ndicates how man|
000002b0  79 20 74 69 6d 65 73 20  66 61 73 74 65 72 20 74  |y times faster t|
000002c0  68 65 20 6d 61 63 68 69  6e 65 20 69 73 2c 20 77  |he machine is, w|
000002d0  69 74 68 0a 65 61 63 68  20 64 61 72 6b 65 72 20  |ith.each darker |
000002e0  6d 65 64 69 61 6e 20 62  65 69 6e 67 20 61 6e 20  |median being an |
000002f0  69 6e 63 72 65 6d 65 6e  74 20 6f 66 20 6f 6e 65  |increment of one|
00000300  2e 20 59 6f 75 20 6d 61  79 20 77 65 6c 6c 20 66  |. You may well f|
00000310  69 6e 64 20 6f 6e 20 68  65 61 76 69 6c 79 0a 6c  |ind on heavily.l|
00000320  6f 61 64 65 64 20 6d 61  63 68 69 6e 65 73 20 6f  |oaded machines o|
00000330  72 20 6d 61 63 68 69 6e  65 73 20 77 69 74 68 20  |r machines with |
00000340  61 20 6c 6f 74 20 6f 66  20 6d 65 6d 6f 72 79 20  |a lot of memory |
00000350  74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65  20 67 72 61 70 68 20 69  |that the graph i|
00000360  73 6e 27 74 20 62 69 67  0a 65 6e 6f 75 67 68 20  |sn't big.enough |
00000370  61 73 20 53 70 65 65 64  21 20 73 70 65 65 64 73  |as Speed! speeds|
00000380  20 75 70 20 79 6f 75 72  20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74 65  | up your compute|
00000390  72 20 62 79 20 74 68 72  65 65 20 74 69 6d 65 73  |r by three times|
000003a0  20 6f 72 20 6d 6f 72 65  2e 0a 0a 54 68 65 72 65  | or more...There|
000003b0  20 69 73 20 61 6c 73 6f  20 61 6e 20 61 6c 6c 6f  | is also an allo|
000003c0  77 61 6e 63 65 20 66 6f  72 20 6e 65 67 61 74 69  |wance for negati|
000003d0  76 65 20 69 6e 63 72 65  61 73 65 73 20 69 6e 20  |ve increases in |
000003e0  73 70 65 65 64 2e 20 54  68 69 73 20 6d 61 79 20  |speed. This may |
000003f0  68 61 70 70 65 6e 0a 69  6e 20 63 65 72 74 61 69  |happen.in certai|
00000400  6e 20 63 69 72 63 75 6d  73 74 61 6e 63 65 73 20  |n circumstances |
00000410  64 75 65 20 74 6f 20 74  68 65 20 53 77 69 74 63  |due to the Switc|
00000420  68 65 72 20 61 6e 64 20  4d 65 61 73 75 72 65 20  |her and Measure |
00000430  61 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74  69 6f 6e 73 2e 20 49 6e  |applications. In|
00000440  0a 72 65 61 6c 69 74 79  20 74 68 69 73 20 69 73  |.reality this is|
00000450  20 64 75 65 20 74 6f 20  74 68 65 20 66 61 63 74  | due to the fact|
00000460  20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68  65 20 63 6f 6d 70 75 74  | that the comput|
00000470  65 72 20 69 73 20 6c 69  67 68 74 6c 79 20 6c 6f  |er is lightly lo|
00000480  61 64 65 64 20 61 6e 64  20 74 68 65 0a 74 69 6d  |aded and the.tim|
00000490  69 6e 67 73 20 77 69 6c  6c 20 62 65 20 73 6f 20  |ings will be so |
000004a0  71 75 69 63 6b 20 74 68  61 74 20 61 6e 79 20 76  |quick that any v|
000004b0  65 72 79 20 73 6d 61 6c  6c 20 76 61 72 69 61 74  |ery small variat|
000004c0  69 6f 6e 20 63 61 6e 20  73 68 6f 77 20 61 20 64  |ion can show a d|
000004d0  72 61 6d 61 74 69 63 0a  65 66 66 65 63 74 2e 20  |ramatic.effect. |
000004e0  57 65 20 63 6f 75 6c 64  20 68 61 76 65 20 64 69  |We could have di|
000004f0  73 61 6c 6c 6f 77 65 64  20 74 68 69 73 20 62 75  |sallowed this bu|
00000500  74 20 77 65 20 64 6f 20  6e 6f 74 20 77 61 6e 74  |t we do not want|
00000510  20 74 6f 20 61 70 70 65  61 72 20 74 6f 20 62 65  | to appear to be|
00000520  0a 27 66 69 64 64 6c 69  6e 67 27 20 74 68 65 20  |.'fiddling' the |
00000530  74 69 6d 69 6e 67 73 2e  0a 0a 41 6e 6f 74 68 65  |timings...Anothe|
00000540  72 20 70 6f 69 6e 74 20  69 73 20 74 68 61 74 20  |r point is that |
00000550  74 68 65 20 74 69 6d 65  72 20 63 61 6e 20 6f 6e  |the timer can on|
00000560  6c 79 20 73 68 6f 77 20  61 76 65 72 61 67 65 20  |ly show average |
00000570  67 61 69 6e 73 2e 20 54  68 65 72 65 20 61 72 65  |gains. There are|
00000580  20 6d 61 6e 79 0a 69 6e  73 74 61 6e 63 65 73 20  | many.instances |
00000590  77 68 65 72 65 20 53 70  65 65 64 21 20 63 61 6e  |where Speed! can|
000005a0  20 70 72 6f 76 69 64 65  20 61 6e 20 69 6e 73 74  | provide an inst|
000005b0  61 6e 74 61 6e 65 6f 75  73 20 73 70 65 65 64 20  |antaneous speed |
000005c0  69 6e 63 72 65 61 73 65  20 6f 66 20 73 65 76 65  |increase of seve|
000005d0  6e 0a 74 69 6d 65 73 20  6f 72 20 73 6f 2c 20 61  |n.times or so, a|
000005e0  6e 64 20 74 6f 20 66 75  6c 6c 79 20 61 70 70 72  |nd to fully appr|
000005f0  65 63 69 61 74 65 20 53  70 65 65 64 21 20 79 6f  |eciate Speed! yo|
00000600  75 20 73 68 6f 75 6c 64  20 72 65 61 6c 6c 79 20  |u should really |
00000610  75 73 65 20 74 68 65 20  6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65 0a  |use the machine.|
00000620  77 69 74 68 20 69 74 20  69 6e 73 74 61 6c 6c 65  |with it installe|
00000630  64 20 66 6f 72 20 61 20  77 68 69 6c 65 2e 0a 0a  |d for a while...|
00000640  4e 2e 20 44 6f 75 67 6c  61 73 2e 20 31 34 2d 30  |N. Douglas. 14-0|
00000650  39 2d 31 39 39 36 0a                              |9-1996.|
00000657