Select 4 delayed after Middleton family death

Published: 13th Jan 2007, 21:51:32 | Permalink | Printable

But features list promised "shortly"

The release of Select 4 was delayed after a close relative of ROL boss Paul Middleton died shortly before Christmas, although the company is now said to be "pretty close" to a release. An announcement regarding the availability of RISC OS Select for the Iyonix is also set to be made in early 2007, according to a letter received by punters this week.

Pressure on RISCOS Ltd to release the next version of their operating system is mounting after A9home users called for a Flash ROM upgrade. Also, one Select subscriber received this week a renewal offer that expired on New Year's eve. A9home owners reporting bugs have asked for signs of progress from ROL and AdvantageSix while order form downloads from the ROL website remain broken.

A ROL spokesman told subscribers: "The timescales for the full release of Select 4i1 are pretty close, but we can't give an exact date just yet.

"This is in part due to a family bereavement for Paul Middleton just before Christmas which has delayed a number of events. There will be an official press release shortly detailing which features will be present in Select 4i1, and for which platforms they will be available."

It's understood printing and Viewfinder support have been made 32bit-compatible, and will be part of the next operating system release from RISCOS Ltd. The recent departure of Select architect Justin Fletcher from the company is also believed to have had an effect on the release timescales.

Out of date
One subscriber received this week a letter urging him to renew his Select subscription, and although the renewal special offer enclosed was valid until December 31, 2006, the envelope appears to have been posted on January 10, 2007. The letter itself is dated November 14, 2006 - a week before the Midlands show and the release of Select 4 RISC OS 6 Preview.

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Paul Middleton was not available for immediate comment.

Links

RISCOS Ltd website

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Discussion

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Condolences to Paul and his family.

AW on 14/1/07 2:06PM
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I have also recieved a renewal notice for 06 , though I had renewed. However given the circumstances I'm sure that most rationale people would understand if things were a little flakey for a bit.

Condolences to Paul and his family.

bluenose on 14/1/07 5:41PM
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Condolences to Paul and his family.

CheatWarrior on 16/1/07 7:37PM
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I, too, got a reminder last week that my Select subscription was overdue. I had renewed at the Guildford show - and the money had been taken from my credit card. I've emailed back, but have had no reply.

charles on 17/1/07 9:25PM
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charles: Your story sounds familiar - I believe this has happened to other ROL customers too. Are they fishing for money this way nowadays? Or is their administration really such a mess?

By the way, from the article - "The timescales for the full release of Select 4i1 are pretty close, but we can't give an exact date just yet."

It looks like the current RISC OS Six Preview download is also called 'Select 4i1' ... See - [link] - Oh well, it does say the full release, but wouldn't that be 'Select 4i4' or 'Adjust 2i32i4 Non-Preview' ...?

hEgelia on 18/1/07 12:53AM
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In the circumstances, griping about an administritive cockup does seem rather uncharitable!

CJE on 18/1/07 11:13AM
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hEgelia: That comment is beyond the pale in this case. You have the explanation headlined.

jc on 18/1/07 1:32PM
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Several facts suggest that ROL is not a one-man show...

1. a Ltd company must have two directors 2. Paul Middleton is not a programmer 3. the article mentions a spokesman

The article does not suggest that administrative cock-ups are due to Mr Middleton's bereavement. Furthermore, the fact that ROL cannot be a one-man show means that there is no reason for the general running of the company to be adversely effected. On the other hand, it is natural for major releases, business deals etc to be delayed if the boss is unable to approve them or sign contracts etc.

So, bearing that in mind, what is wrong with hEgelia's comment?

Seems that some people are using this opportunity to take the moral high ground, when in fact this is Mr Middleton's personal business and none of ours.

arenaman on 18/1/07 8:10PM
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arenaman:

"1. a Ltd company must have two directors"

Not so. A Limited company can have one director and a company secretary; two "officers". However, that little point of pedantry aside, this doesn't mean anything when it comes to proving anything about ROL or any other company being a one man show (or not) because it is far from uncommon for one-man-show companies to be formed by getting a trusted party to take on the role of secretary. Accountants will often take on this role, for example.

"2. Paul Middleton is not a programmer"

I fail to see what that proves other than that he pays someone to program. The programming side has no real bearing on the administritive side of things.

"3. the article mentions a spokesman"

Again, this means nothing - for all we know the "ROL spokesman" could be someone that PM has asked to step in and keep things ticking over in the meantime.

The simple fact is that *we don't know* so let's not use this as yet another excuse to have a bash.

VinceH on 18/1/07 8:54PM
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VinceH:

Thanks for all that, but I'm not having a bash, at least not at Paul Middleton. I also don't need a lecture in how companies are setup, I've read all the appropriate government literature, since I once went down that road.

My original post was a defense of hEgelia's post, which was jumped upon by a few posters wishing to appear virtuous with regards to Paul Middleton's personal affairs.

I'm not going to write a guide to understanding my original post, though. I think it is quite clear enough, but I will emphasise that it is not an attack on Paul Middleton.

arenaman on 18/1/07 9:16PM
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