OQTopus is a freeware software to manage local networks on QPC2. It
is based on the IP_Net, IP_Router and IP_Ping extensions from Martin
Head. Giorgio Garabello has written an article about it, available to
read at http://www.hunggartorino.it/ql/discovering-oqtopus-the-new-
network-manager-for-black-phoenix/http://www.hunggartorino.it/ql/discovering-oqtopus-the-new- network-manager-for-black-phoenix/
Martin Head has written a small utility for QPC2 that allows you to ‘ping’ another PC (or the the one you are working on) and get a response from up to 10 QPC2’s that are running the ‘ping server’ on that PC.
For further information, check out this thread on QL Forum where you can also download the software itself and some example programs in BASIC:
Norman Dunbar has released an update to his Qstripper software for Windows and Linux, which converts QL word processing files to PDF, HTML, text and DocBook XML formats. Released under GNU General Public License version 2.0, Qstripper is available ot download for various platforms in 32 bit and 64 bit formats from Sourceforge
Simone Voltolini has put together a massive collection of over 250 free QL games and shared it via Dropbox/Facebook.
Most of the games are already available from websites such as mine, but it is so convenient to have them all available in a single large download (about 12MB in size)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/471cjxyupwv4kiw/AADW1RkOu9vm0MrwCss6AHLea?dl=0
A patched version of the Fleet Tactical Command II Demo, this patch allows you to play the game in QPC2. It also allows you to play a Network game between two copies of QPC2 either on the same PC, or two PCs connected over a local area network. It is supplied as two small QXL.WIN files in FTCIIDemo.zip which act as FLP1 & 2. There are two documents supplied. Operate, is a tidied up version of the Operate text file supplied with the FTCIIDemo. Fleet Tactical Command II for QPC2, is notes on using the patched version, updating the full version, and instructions for using IPVirtPrint, which is a Virtual Text Only Printer for use with FTCII, where the game’s print output can be displayed in a Windows program outside of QPC2. This patched version is the work of Martin Head. Along with IPVirtPrint, it may be downloaded from
http://www.greybeardz.com/games/index.html or http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html
Thanks to a Thor user on QL Forum, I have been able to make available an image of v4.22 of the CST Thor QL ROM.
Download from http://www.greybeardz.com/qlrom/index.html or http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/qlrom/index.html
Keith Dunbar reports that the publishers Usborne have released some 1980s books about computing as PDFs on their website. The URL is
https://usborne.com/browse-books/features/computer-and-coding-books/
Simone Voltolini of Outsoft in Italy has been involved with preserving QL software for some time now and has provided regular emails to keep us updated on what has been preserved, along with a list of hundreds of QL programs he has been able to duplicate for preservation.
Using special software to dump the content of a cartridge to a preservable form (many microdrive cartridges are now at an age where they simply stop working largely due to the disintegration of th efelt pad in the mechanism), Simone has been doing a fabulous job preserving this for the day when there are no working master copies of anything.
Simone has produced an English language YouTube video showing how he goes about his work with the mDump2 and mDoubler4 software. The video is about an hour in length, so allow plenty of time. View it via https://www.facebook.com/groups/sinclaircollection/permalink/10155176458182457/https://www.facebook.com/groups/sinclaircollection/permalink/10155176458182457/
During early May, John Taylor (former Quanta Treasurer) let us know that former Quanta Chairman Bill Newell was seriously ill in hospital. Bill was also Membership Secretary previously.
Several members from Bill’s time as an officer of Quanta responded with kind words about Bill and his time in office.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.
Alain Haoui has released a new version of the QubATA IDE hard disk driver software. This new release 3.10 is a unified product, where all the variants are released in one package at the same version level.
Versions for all supported platforms – Qubide, clones and Q40/Q60 plus Trashcan, Cdplayer, CDExplorer and Monitor – are all in this release.
Download the latest version on the QL ROMs page on my website at http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/qlrom/index.html or http://www.greybeardz.com/qlrom/index.html
The page now includes a section which seeks to help users who have experienced problems with Quill files being saved as zero or 64 byte length with no text and provides a patched version of Quill to work around this problem.
