Home » Archimedes archive » Acorn User » AU 1997-09 B.adf » Extras2 » CD2/!Countdown/!Help
CD2/!Countdown/!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 » Acorn User » AU 1997-09 B.adf » Extras2 |
Filename: | CD2/!Countdown/!Help |
Read OK: | ✔ |
File size: | 057A bytes |
Load address: | 0000 |
Exec address: | 0000 |
File contents
(Wimp) Countdown Numbers ------------------------ by John Lomas, Feb 1997 Note: If this application, the word "Countdown" and the name "Carol Vorderman" is a mystery to you, then don't bother reading on - just watch Countdown on Channel 4. This is a desktop version of the Countdown numbers solver first published in Acorn User in 1992. It has the added bonus of picking numbers for you, so any budding Carol Vordermans out there can try and beat your 200 MHz StrongARM to the solution. Good luck - you'll need it. You could also try giving it some more tricky numbers (try 43,17,etc.) as long as the 'Allow any numbers' option is selected. The 'thinking' will only go on for a maximum period of time, don't rush the program. If you RiscOS>=3.5 users decide to Alt-Break the program, then you are leaving a vital data file open. You will need to issue the commands: *ADFS (or whatever filing system you are using) *CLOSE otherwise you'll get fatal error &70 when you ask the program to solve another problem. Oh, and if you need instructions, ask someone. Or contact me. Thanks go to Richard May, for the original nifty piece of programming; to P. Barry for the suggestion; and to Paul Wheatley of Acorn User for coming up with the software request idea. Me: John Lomas 2 Oaklea Shevington Moor Standish Wigan WN6 0SL john@lomas.demon.co.uk (valid from about March-ish)
00000000 28 57 69 6d 70 29 20 43 6f 75 6e 74 64 6f 77 6e |(Wimp) Countdown| 00000010 20 4e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 20 20 20 20 20 20 0a 2d | Numbers .-| 00000020 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d |----------------| 00000030 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 2d 20 20 20 20 20 20 62 79 20 |------- by | 00000040 4a 6f 68 6e 20 4c 6f 6d 61 73 2c 20 46 65 62 20 |John Lomas, Feb | 00000050 31 39 39 37 0a 0a 4e 6f 74 65 3a 20 49 66 20 74 |1997..Note: If t| 00000060 68 69 73 20 61 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 69 6f 6e 2c |his application,| 00000070 20 74 68 65 20 77 6f 72 64 20 22 43 6f 75 6e 74 | the word "Count| 00000080 64 6f 77 6e 22 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68 65 0a 6e 61 |down" and the.na| 00000090 6d 65 20 22 43 61 72 6f 6c 20 56 6f 72 64 65 72 |me "Carol Vorder| 000000a0 6d 61 6e 22 20 69 73 20 61 20 6d 79 73 74 65 72 |man" is a myster| 000000b0 79 20 74 6f 20 79 6f 75 2c 20 74 68 65 6e 20 64 |y to you, then d| 000000c0 6f 6e 27 74 0a 62 6f 74 68 65 72 20 72 65 61 64 |on't.bother read| 000000d0 69 6e 67 20 6f 6e 20 2d 20 6a 75 73 74 20 77 61 |ing on - just wa| 000000e0 74 63 68 20 43 6f 75 6e 74 64 6f 77 6e 20 6f 6e |tch Countdown on| 000000f0 20 43 68 61 6e 6e 65 6c 20 34 2e 0a 0a 54 68 69 | Channel 4...Thi| 00000100 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 64 65 73 6b 74 6f 70 20 76 |s is a desktop v| 00000110 65 72 73 69 6f 6e 20 6f 66 20 74 68 65 20 43 6f |ersion of the Co| 00000120 75 6e 74 64 6f 77 6e 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 20 |untdown numbers | 00000130 73 6f 6c 76 65 72 0a 66 69 72 73 74 20 70 75 62 |solver.first pub| 00000140 6c 69 73 68 65 64 20 69 6e 20 41 63 6f 72 6e 20 |lished in Acorn | 00000150 55 73 65 72 20 69 6e 20 31 39 39 32 2e 20 20 49 |User in 1992. I| 00000160 74 20 68 61 73 20 74 68 65 20 61 64 64 65 64 0a |t has the added.| 00000170 62 6f 6e 75 73 20 6f 66 20 70 69 63 6b 69 6e 67 |bonus of picking| 00000180 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 20 66 6f 72 20 79 6f 75 | numbers for you| 00000190 2c 20 73 6f 20 61 6e 79 20 62 75 64 64 69 6e 67 |, so any budding| 000001a0 20 43 61 72 6f 6c 0a 56 6f 72 64 65 72 6d 61 6e | Carol.Vorderman| 000001b0 73 20 6f 75 74 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 63 61 6e 20 |s out there can | 000001c0 74 72 79 20 61 6e 64 20 62 65 61 74 20 79 6f 75 |try and beat you| 000001d0 72 20 32 30 30 20 4d 48 7a 20 53 74 72 6f 6e 67 |r 200 MHz Strong| 000001e0 41 52 4d 0a 74 6f 20 74 68 65 20 73 6f 6c 75 74 |ARM.to the solut| 000001f0 69 6f 6e 2e 20 20 47 6f 6f 64 20 6c 75 63 6b 20 |ion. Good luck | 00000200 2d 20 79 6f 75 27 6c 6c 20 6e 65 65 64 20 69 74 |- you'll need it| 00000210 2e 20 20 59 6f 75 20 63 6f 75 6c 64 20 61 6c 73 |. You could als| 00000220 6f 0a 74 72 79 20 67 69 76 69 6e 67 20 69 74 20 |o.try giving it | 00000230 73 6f 6d 65 20 6d 6f 72 65 20 74 72 69 63 6b 79 |some more tricky| 00000240 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 20 28 74 72 79 20 34 33 | numbers (try 43| 00000250 2c 31 37 2c 65 74 63 2e 29 20 61 73 20 6c 6f 6e |,17,etc.) as lon| 00000260 67 0a 61 73 20 74 68 65 20 27 41 6c 6c 6f 77 20 |g.as the 'Allow | 00000270 61 6e 79 20 6e 75 6d 62 65 72 73 27 20 6f 70 74 |any numbers' opt| 00000280 69 6f 6e 20 69 73 20 73 65 6c 65 63 74 65 64 2e |ion is selected.| 00000290 0a 0a 54 68 65 20 27 74 68 69 6e 6b 69 6e 67 27 |..The 'thinking'| 000002a0 20 77 69 6c 6c 20 6f 6e 6c 79 20 67 6f 20 6f 6e | will only go on| 000002b0 20 66 6f 72 20 61 20 6d 61 78 69 6d 75 6d 20 70 | for a maximum p| 000002c0 65 72 69 6f 64 20 6f 66 20 74 69 6d 65 2c 0a 64 |eriod of time,.d| 000002d0 6f 6e 27 74 20 72 75 73 68 20 74 68 65 20 70 72 |on't rush the pr| 000002e0 6f 67 72 61 6d 2e 20 20 49 66 20 79 6f 75 20 52 |ogram. If you R| 000002f0 69 73 63 4f 53 3e 3d 33 2e 35 20 75 73 65 72 73 |iscOS>=3.5 users| 00000300 20 64 65 63 69 64 65 20 74 6f 0a 41 6c 74 2d 42 | decide to.Alt-B| 00000310 72 65 61 6b 20 74 68 65 20 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d |reak the program| 00000320 2c 20 74 68 65 6e 20 79 6f 75 20 61 72 65 20 6c |, then you are l| 00000330 65 61 76 69 6e 67 20 61 20 76 69 74 61 6c 20 64 |eaving a vital d| 00000340 61 74 61 20 66 69 6c 65 0a 6f 70 65 6e 2e 20 20 |ata file.open. | 00000350 59 6f 75 20 77 69 6c 6c 20 6e 65 65 64 20 74 6f |You will need to| 00000360 20 69 73 73 75 65 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 6d 6d 61 | issue the comma| 00000370 6e 64 73 3a 0a 20 20 2a 41 44 46 53 20 20 20 20 |nds:. *ADFS | 00000380 28 6f 72 20 77 68 61 74 65 76 65 72 20 66 69 6c |(or whatever fil| 00000390 69 6e 67 20 73 79 73 74 65 6d 20 79 6f 75 20 61 |ing system you a| 000003a0 72 65 20 75 73 69 6e 67 29 0a 20 20 2a 43 4c 4f |re using). *CLO| 000003b0 53 45 0a 6f 74 68 65 72 77 69 73 65 20 79 6f 75 |SE.otherwise you| 000003c0 27 6c 6c 20 67 65 74 20 66 61 74 61 6c 20 65 72 |'ll get fatal er| 000003d0 72 6f 72 20 26 37 30 20 77 68 65 6e 20 79 6f 75 |ror &70 when you| 000003e0 20 61 73 6b 20 74 68 65 20 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d | ask the program| 000003f0 20 74 6f 0a 73 6f 6c 76 65 20 61 6e 6f 74 68 65 | to.solve anothe| 00000400 72 20 70 72 6f 62 6c 65 6d 2e 0a 0a 4f 68 2c 20 |r problem...Oh, | 00000410 61 6e 64 20 69 66 20 79 6f 75 20 6e 65 65 64 20 |and if you need | 00000420 69 6e 73 74 72 75 63 74 69 6f 6e 73 2c 20 61 73 |instructions, as| 00000430 6b 20 73 6f 6d 65 6f 6e 65 2e 20 20 4f 72 20 63 |k someone. Or c| 00000440 6f 6e 74 61 63 74 20 6d 65 2e 0a 0a 54 68 61 6e |ontact me...Than| 00000450 6b 73 20 67 6f 20 74 6f 20 52 69 63 68 61 72 64 |ks go to Richard| 00000460 20 4d 61 79 2c 20 66 6f 72 20 74 68 65 20 6f 72 | May, for the or| 00000470 69 67 69 6e 61 6c 20 6e 69 66 74 79 20 70 69 65 |iginal nifty pie| 00000480 63 65 20 6f 66 0a 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d 6d 69 6e |ce of.programmin| 00000490 67 3b 20 74 6f 20 50 2e 20 42 61 72 72 79 20 66 |g; to P. Barry f| 000004a0 6f 72 20 74 68 65 20 73 75 67 67 65 73 74 69 6f |or the suggestio| 000004b0 6e 3b 20 61 6e 64 20 74 6f 20 50 61 75 6c 20 57 |n; and to Paul W| 000004c0 68 65 61 74 6c 65 79 0a 6f 66 20 41 63 6f 72 6e |heatley.of Acorn| 000004d0 20 55 73 65 72 20 66 6f 72 20 63 6f 6d 69 6e 67 | User for coming| 000004e0 20 75 70 20 77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20 73 6f 66 | up with the sof| 000004f0 74 77 61 72 65 20 72 65 71 75 65 73 74 20 69 64 |tware request id| 00000500 65 61 2e 0a 0a 4d 65 3a 0a 0a 4a 6f 68 6e 20 4c |ea...Me:..John L| 00000510 6f 6d 61 73 0a 32 20 4f 61 6b 6c 65 61 0a 53 68 |omas.2 Oaklea.Sh| 00000520 65 76 69 6e 67 74 6f 6e 20 4d 6f 6f 72 0a 53 74 |evington Moor.St| 00000530 61 6e 64 69 73 68 0a 57 69 67 61 6e 0a 57 4e 36 |andish.Wigan.WN6| 00000540 20 30 53 4c 0a 0a 6a 6f 68 6e 40 6c 6f 6d 61 73 | 0SL..john@lomas| 00000550 2e 64 65 6d 6f 6e 2e 63 6f 2e 75 6b 20 20 28 76 |.demon.co.uk (v| 00000560 61 6c 69 64 20 66 72 6f 6d 20 61 62 6f 75 74 20 |alid from about | 00000570 4d 61 72 63 68 2d 69 73 68 29 |March-ish)| 0000057a