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WOOT! It's a 32bit XScale RISC OS PC!

By Chris Williams. Published: 17th Oct 2002, 07:40:19 | Permalink | Printable

RISC OS 5 and XScale are much closer than we thought it seems!

32bit coverage on drobe.co.uk A quick browse to Castle's website shows a link to Iyonix PC -- what's this?

RISC OS 5? 32Bit? XScale? PC? Good grief! It seems that the rumour mill that was bandied around on Usenet recently has some reality behind it. Castle's recent release of the 32bit tools foreboded something "in the works" but surely this is too good to be true? Scamper on over to www.iyonix.com for yourself and see the spec:

RISC OS 5
32bit
XScale
DDR Memory
66Mhz PCI
PCI Graphics
High speed podules
UDMA 100 hard drive

Coming soon? How soon? RISCOS Ltd have only just got 4.32 out the door and now 5's right on the cards. That's impressive work.

If all this spec is true it puts quite a spin on to Microdigital's assertion that no 32bit RISC OS exists and questions the need to keep the StrongARM in Omega. It's rather nice that this Iyonix machine also supports podules, so you can have a smoother and more controlled move from your existing hardware to Iyonix then just jumping straight at PCI-everything.

Castle will be showing this new wonder at the SE show in Guildford on Saturday 2nd November. Be there.

Previous: Select 2: Your survival guide
Next: 32bit analysis: Your guide

Discussion

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Is this another Omega? Or Portable? Is the announcement way too early?

is a RISC OS UserSnig on 17/10/02 9:06AM
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Oh dear. Go to the show. Observe. Smile.

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 17/10/02 9:09AM
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Have Castle ever announced a vapourware product? No.

is a RISC OS Userian on 17/10/02 9:09AM
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I was going to go to the show anyway. I wonder how they got RISC OS 5?

is a RISC OS UserSnig on 17/10/02 9:11AM
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They probably found it in the road off the back of a lorry. How do you *think* they got it? Silly.

is a RISC OS Userian on 17/10/02 9:12AM
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They did? Really? Cool, looks as if I'm going to spend the rest of the day hassling lorry drivers doesn't it. :P

is a RISC OS UserSnig on 17/10/02 9:13AM
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oooh, new toy tastic, if I hdan't just bought a laptop this would have to be bought, but I'm feeling poor atm :(

is a RISC OS Userflibble on 17/10/02 11:26AM
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A RiscStation laptop? :)

is a RISC OS UserSnig on 17/10/02 11:56AM
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no, a very small sony vaio, but it will get red squirrel on it very soon, and Vritual acorn when I get a chance to buy it at the upcoming show

is a RISC OS Userflibble on 17/10/02 12:02PM
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Good grief! To think I was literally just about to eBay all my RISC OS hardware and software and buy that Mac G4 I've ogling... I'll hang fire I think. This looks good, very good. Want one. Will go to show.

is a RISC OS Userrobert7902 on 17/10/02 1:20PM
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See you there then :)

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 17/10/02 1:30PM
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Now think about Oregano2 ...

is a RISC OS Usermaus on 17/10/02 2:36PM
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I wish people wouldn't be so bitter about Oregano2, it has nothing to do with this. People who doubt this machine need their heads checked, in my truely honest and God like opinion. It should be noted that we did receive an official press release on behalf of Castle this morning.

*gcc -v -o -O2 users -mapcs-32 -DBE_MORE_POSITIVE users.c

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 17/10/02 2:48PM
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Yeah yeah. I know the above line won't work (should be -o users -O2) I was too busy holding back a typical drobe-rant. Ta.

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 17/10/02 2:51PM
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WOW! RISC OS 5 sounds good! I hope it is from ROL rather then pace, so that all the funky Select features are included. :)

-- Michael Drake (tlsa) www.smoothartist.com

is a RISC OS Usertlsa on 17/10/02 2:54PM
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Coooooool!

Select as part of it though? Otherwise what point Select? -- Andrew Harmsworth, Cambridge. www.gcse.com owner and author

is a RISC OS Userharmsy on 17/10/02 2:58PM
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So this is the _Tungsten_ Project! Nice one Castle.

is a RISC OS Userquatermass on 17/10/02 2:58PM
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Another cool point is that they'll be at the SE show (Nov 2nd). Need to get drobe t-shirt(s) printed. Muhaha.

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 17/10/02 3:15PM
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I booked my flight to London for to go to the show over a week ago.

What fortuitous timing eh ?

Looks like an interesting product, RISC OS 5 also. It explains so much about the C++ 32 bit upgrade and much more besides.

I wish Castle well, nice one guys

Regards

-- Annraoi McShane,

is a RISC OS UserAMS on 17/10/02 8:48PM
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/me is happy :-)

is a RISC OS Usermoss on 17/10/02 8:50PM
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/me is happier

is a RISC OS UserAndrew Duffell on 17/10/02 9:34PM
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/me is happier still

is a RISC OS Usertakkaria on 17/10/02 9:54PM
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That's the spirit :)

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 18/10/02 12:42AM
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Right I have an Iyonix here percariously balanced on the scanner due to lack of space. It works, it looks suspicously like RO 3.7, and now I have to network it up and put some software on it - and a new icons set.

is a RISC OS Userdruck on 18/10/02 1:04AM
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Err. You (druck) sure you're allowed to talk publically about it like this? Plus we can't have you revealing stuff prior to an official launch and spoiling any reviews we might do ;p

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 18/10/02 2:08AM
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-- Claude Buchanan, Helensville

is a RISC OS UserAlexander on 18/10/02 4:37AM
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-- Claude Buchanan, Helensville

is a RISC OS UserAlexander on 18/10/02 4:37AM
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Master I need to see and touch before I can believe. Claude Buchanan, Helensville

is a RISC OS UserAlexander on 18/10/02 4:39AM
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CLT must have been laughing themselves dizzy at MD's antics. Still, 2 new computers would be better than 1. So when's the Imago due? :-)

Dave

PS Fibble, emulating 10 year old technology on a PC is not any sort of excuse for not buying new risc os stuff ;-) -- Spriteman.

is a RISC OS UserSpriteman on 18/10/02 9:10AM
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unless of course you want the PC stuff too :)

is a RISC OS Userflibble on 18/10/02 10:58AM
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/me wonders how they decided who should have the test machines

Andy, iconbar.com

is a RISC OS Userandypoole on 18/10/02 11:37AM
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/me doesn't. /me knows.

is a RISC OS Usermrchocky on 18/10/02 11:43AM
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Is there no e+ and f+ disk format?

is a RISC OS Userpaulgrattage on 18/10/02 1:30PM
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I am kind of hoping the new Iyonix looks more like the latest mini-itx/flexi-ATX cubes than a tower. ie [link]

is a RISC OS Userquatermass on 18/10/02 1:39PM
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Drobe: Don't worry I wont be spoiling your review.

And other please note, looks can be deceptive :-)

is a RISC OS Userdruck on 18/10/02 1:53PM
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druck, please go ahead and spoil drobe's review! Can we just get some ball-park performance benchmarks? Maybe just decompress a JPEG on it, and on a RiscPC, see what the times are?

is a RISC OS Userthegman on 18/10/02 3:05PM
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Access denied!

Too bad companies have things called NDAs. You'll have to wait for the official launch.

Chris, drobe.co.uk

is a RISC OS Userdiomus on 18/10/02 5:15PM
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I can understand that.

What we know does sound good, a stable enough platform that it can be released to developers and that means that there should be a fair amount of Software ready for it at launch.

We've been waiting years for new hardware and it now looks as if we're going to have two new machines arrive almost at the same time (or possibly three if the portable gets finished !)

Roll on 2nd of November ....

-- Annraoi McShane,

is a RISC OS UserAMS on 18/10/02 7:17PM
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Bizzareness, well 2 new all singing all dancing machines are great but can our market support 2 of them at the same time?

is a RISC OS UserNoMercy on 19/10/02 2:29PM
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[link]

Doesn't give much away though. ;) -- Michael Drake (tlsa) www.smoothartist.com

is a RISC OS Usertlsa on 20/10/02 5:16PM
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What exactly does Woot mean? I don't care I want one of these new Iyonix puppies!!

is a RISC OS UserMBailey on 29/10/02 1:41PM
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