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8-Bit Software

The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

Catalogue Information

Click Here to View the 8BS Disc Download Catalogue

Free Downloads: Yes! The software in this catalogue is downloadable and free. Please show your appreciation by email or signing the guest book. For more information about the downloads, please see 'Downloads'

Catalogue format:

Each record in the catalogue follows the format as in this example which is the entry for TBI-23:

TBI-23 Desk Top Publisher 1D 27 88
Different Ideas Disc 37

  1. The catalogue code is TBI-23. Click on this to commence the download.
  2. The disc title is Desk Top Publisher.
  3. Disc quantity, format, and (very occasionally), compatibility codes. Shown in brown. In this example 1D means a single sided DFS disc.
  4. Files used, shown in green (27 In this example).
  5. Kilobytes used, or size of the DOS disc if appropriate shown in red (88 In this example).
  6. Finally, a detailed description of the disc. In this example it is short but can sometimes be quite lengthy.
If any field of the record is empty or not relevant, two dashes are shown like this: --

These are the format and compatibility codes used throughout the catalogue:


Disc Format All disc images are zipped and in raw format (byte for byte copies of the original real disc with no extra information attached).
Throughout the 8BS pool, file extensions denote the formats that have been used:

.ssd - Single sided DFS image
.dsd - Double sided interleaved DFS image
.ads - Single sided ADFS S image (40 track)
.adm - Single sided ADFS M image (80 track 320k)
.adl - Double sided interleaved ADFS L image (80 track 640k)
.img - Double sided interleaved ADFS 800k (512 section)
.dos - Double sided non interleaved DOS 720k (512 section)
.640.adl - ARC section. ADFS L. Read in using: fdc - bbc640.
.800.adl - ARC section. ADFS E. Read in using: fdc - minsector 0, head 11, bbc800
.uef - Tape file

The Master 512 Section

The Master 512 section of the catalogue was udated on 25/05/2013 and also in May 2021

Images are now in two formats:
ADFS 800k with the .img extension and 720k DOS images with the extension .dos. So that they will run directly in emulators such as Beebem or B-Em. The zips in most catalogue entries contain the separate files along side the disc images. When I originally created the M512 backups on PC, I simply dragged the files off the floppy disc rather than create an image. I have now complemented these original files with disc images created using those files.

Catalogue Sections:

512 - The Master 512 section (ADFS 800k, DOS and DOS+ discs)
8BS - 8-Bit Software Disc Based Magazines
A&B - A&B Computing Listings
APD - Acorn Programs (magazine) Listings
ARC - Archimedes discs
BBC - Alan Blundell's PD collection
BUG - Beebug magazine
CJR - That's me. My little contribution to the plethora
EDU - Educational
ELB - Elbug magazine
ELK - Electron Software
EMU - PC BBC Emulators
EUD - Electron User Disc
EUG - Electron User Group Magazines
FAC - Fast Access magazine
GLM - GLM PD discs
HPD - Headfirst PD
JGH - Jonathan Harston PD discs
JJF - JJF PD discs
JJR - JJR PD discs
MRP - Mad Rabbit PD by Jess Rowbottom
MUS - Music 500/5000 Software Collection
TAU - The Acorn User cover discs
TBI - The 8BS PD section. Stands for [T]oo [B]ig for [I]ssue
TDU - The Disk User
TMU -The Micro User
TYB - The Yorkshire Boys PD discs

Finally, mobile users might want to try viewing the catalogue in landscape as it doesn't format very well in portrait
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