Two years after the launch of the A9home, Paul Stewart looks back at life with the little ARM9-powered computer. Paul, who recently produced a home-made laptop using an A9home, previously reviewed the machine for drobe.co.uk. :: :: Introduction :: It's hard to believe that it's over two years since I purchased my A9home. It was from the first batch for developers. I remember travelling to a Wakefield show with the assumption that a new RISC OS computer capable of running RISCOS Ltd's branch...

The Christmas 2007 show, a relatively quiet affair held earlier today in leafy Warwickshire, has been and gone. The main highlight was the appearance of Paul Stewart's home made portable. Paul has managed to pack an A9home, laptop keyboard, touch pad, flatscreen monitor, a couple of speakers and other bits and pieces into what appears to be a slim flight case. :: :: Although he is remaining tight lipped about the project, Paul is set to reveal more details in the new year. It's understood...

A while ago drobe.co.uk began offering free web space to readers with login accounts. Now it appears a number of you good people are making use of this free resource, so here's a round up of the best mini-websites. If you want some free web space to host RISC OS-related projects, create a free account or otherwise login and get stuck in. Drop us an email if you run into problems or if you've got something new to tell us. And so, in no particular order: :: :: jymbobHome of the Cretin IRC c...

Archive magazine is under new management after Jim Nagel recently replaced Paul Beverley as editor. Is Jim the next e.e. cummings and where will he take the RISC OS subscription magazine? Mark Stephens takes a look at Jim's first issue to find out. :: :: In the heyday of the home computer boom, there were two crucial reads for the RISC OS and Acorn enthusiast: Archive edited by Paul Beverley, and Jim Nagel's column in Computer Shopper. Jim has been quieter on the scene since his slot was ...

Mark Stephens flicks through a copy of the RISCDomain Special 2007 magazine and gives his verdict. :: :: RISCDomain is a magazine irregularly published by David Bradforth - a veteran of many projects involving publications covering topics from RISC OS to eBay. RD started life as a bi-monthly product but never really took off and now sometimes appears as a one-off. David had a stand at the South East 2007 show with copies of RD available to browse and buy. You can also buy copies through h...

Update at 20:02 21/10/07 - complete report published. :: :: Half-moist brown leaves miserably crunched underfoot as a sharp October wind blew all round under a diamond clear sky; the scene was set for this year's RISC OS South East show. Held at the Guildford technical college in leafy Surrey, exhibitors were greeted by what appeared to be a few hundred punters - some eager to get their hands on the just-announced upgrades and others oblivious to any pre-show news. Here's a round up of wh...

The A9home has won the hearts of some RISC OS users, but how does it fare in the big bad world of embedded and small-form factor computing? David Llewellyn-Jones pits his Advantage Six A9home against the Koolu Net Appliance to find out. :: :: Power struggle :: As any RISC OS user will be painfully aware of, increases in processor clock speeds and hardware specifications across most of the home computer industry are relentless. The most common processor speed used by members of Valve's Steam...

Opinion - In 1995 Sun Microsystems announced and released a programming language which would, arguably, become one of the most popular languages shaping modern computing. Initially released as Oak in 1995, the next version in 1997 saw the name changed to Java. Since these early creations almost every platform has become supported with millions of programmers creating millions of programs - all of these are portable regardless of which system Java is running on. :: :: With a very large pe...

Over the past two or more years, social networking websites have become super-soar-away popular especially among youngsters. Stop us if this isn't news to you. Top examples of social networking sites include Facebook, MySpace and Friends Reunited. One per cent of global Internet traffic last month was reportedly Facebook page views. :: :: Why join a social network? What on Earth is a social network? :: For those not in the know, it is exactly what it says on the tin. A social network is a w...

A quarter of a century after the launch of Acorn User magazine, Drobe has managed to track down one of its most famous contributors: Jan Vibe. Virtually every month during the 1990s, the magazine's cover disc would feature a number of new graphical effects and animations created by Jan. As well as reminiscing about his Mode 15 days to Drobe, he's now pulled together his back catalogue of software, including some previously unseen pieces, and made it freely available for download. :: :: Dr...

Media Watch - Opinion - Issue number 283 of John Cartmell's RISC OS magazine Qercus landed on my doormat last week. Included was a reminder that my subscription was seriously overdue for renewal. I last subscribed at the end of 2003, which was when John launched his "fusion" of Acorn Publisher and Acorn User. :: :: My one year's subscription for twelve issues has actually lasted three and a half years, and in that time I have received 15 issues - an average of one magazine every three month...

Opinion - It occurred to me this week that RISC OS Open is one year old this month. I checked by searching back through the news archives. Yes, there it is: the first proper mention of ROOL popped up on July 9 2006. That was an exciting moment. Unexpected too. Castle had taken the brave decision to begin the release of the RISC OS source code. ROOL, a new company founded by five experienced RISC OS enthusiasts, was the vehicle through which RISC OS source code would be made available t...

As everyone knows, an essential part of modern life is having an ability to produce a banner. By this I mean an eye catching heading at the top of a document. The document could be lecture notes for handing out to students. It could be the design on a home made birthday card, or the headline on posters about that missing cat. Maybe something with a little extra zing is needed for a website or that presentation the boss wants you to give at 9am tomorrow morning. Sharp. :: :: We've all seen...

Drobe towers have certainly been quiet over the past few weeks. As our lives are getting busier, Paul Stewart reviews ToDo, a handy utility to manage our daily work loads. :: :: Unlike the recently released StickyPad, Bernard Veasey's ToDo is more of a straight forward application that allows the user to create simple graphical to-do lists. As is the tradition with RISC OS applications, installation is simply a case of dragging the program to its desired location on your hard disc. :: :: Set...

As the saying goes, this Wakefield 2007 show report is better late than never. The event was this time last week, and here is our round-up of what happened. You can skip straight to the photos, of course. Held at a new location next to a pretty canal-side, Wakefield was busy; punters and exhibitors left in reasonably good spirits. Next year's show, if there is one, will again have a new venue as this year's will be turned into an 'adult fun house'. :: :: RISC OS opened :: Late on Friday nig...

RISC OS is said to be used in set top boxes scattered across the world, and a mobile phone developer reportedly bought up a load of RISC OS 5 kit. But some applications of ROS are much closer to home. Martin Hansen reports on the growing use of RISC OS in the timber frame housing industry. :: :: Click here to see the full gallery of photos. :: :: Setting the scene :: With the demise of Acorn's ill fated Phoebe project in late 1998, and the disintegration of Acorn itself shortly after, the drea...

What makes RISC OS users argue and go toe-to-toe in online discussions? Is it that the Internet makes every conversation feel impersonal? When does criticism cross the line? Drobe contributor Mark Stephens gathers his thoughts on why people row online, and what can be done to avoid it. :: :: Opinion - The Internet is undoubtedly a wonderful invention which allows us to do all kinds of new things, but like any enabling technology, it is very much a double edged sword. It can be used and mi...

The South West show for 2007 has been and gone, and all that remains is the news and gossip we picked up from the event. This year we've got two reports - one by an exhibitor and another by a punter - and some photos. Thanks to dgs and Mark Stephens for their hard work. Enjoy. :: :: Dgs's report and gossip of the show :: :: Mark Stephens's report of the show including the theatre presentations :: :: Dgs's photos of the show :: :: Show organiser John Stonier told us: "The show went better than expe...

Prime numbers, as well as being an interesting maths classroom subject, play an important role in encryption and related technologies. As the world hunts for ever larger primes, drobe.co.uk's resident mathematics fan Martin Hansen turns to DrawScript and his ARM-powered RISC OS computer to find and present prime numbers. :: :: :: :: Let us begin by being brutal: thinking about prime numbers is not what anyone I know, including myself, would typically want to do on Christmas day. It's not th...

Microdigital are now all but a distant memory, although in its prime the company manged to get a few computers out of the door. One was the infamous Omega, and another was the Mico: A little 56MHz ARM7500-powered desktop machine that was fairly unremarkable apart from its manual. Here in this historical piece, Martin Bazley gives us a guided giggle tour of his favourite mistakes and clangers in the Mico user manual. :: :: "The best of the Mico manual" :: (Returrn of the Typoes) :: Filmed in G...

The Midlands 2006 show has been and gone, and in the best possible tradition, it was a small and laid back affair. Organised by Ralph Sillett of the ARM Club, the event saw roughly 40 to 50 people through the doors - generating a more intimate environment for punters and exhibitors to natter away. The two big pieces of news were that RISC OS 6 Select 4 Preview is now available, and Firefox 2 was demonstrated in public by David Ruck. RISCOS Ltd handed out CDs of their newly released bet...

Academics at a Liverpool university used RISC OS kit while prototyping future technologies for mobile and embedded gadgets. A9home and Iyonix hardware running RISC OS were used alongside PDAs and other devices as part of the government funded project. The group of seven Liverpool John Moores University computer scientists and mathematicians spent three years focusing on encouraging gadgets to work together in a much more secure fashion. :: :: Working within the field of ubiquitous computi...

Launched in 2005 for developers to beta test, the A9home went on general sale in time for the Wakefield show in May this year. The machine is still missing a few features, but seeing as it is mostly complete, it's high time a review was published. Having ditched his aging RiscPC for an A9home, Paul Stewart reveals his first impressions with AdvantageSix's ARM9-powered computer and its 32bit build of RISC OS 4. :: :: Produced by Advantage Six, the A9home is their first native RISC OS power...

Following the talks given at this month's South East RISC OS show in Guildford, Surrey, Leo White has kindly uploaded the video recordings he made of the theatre presentations. If you have a web browser with a recent version of Flash installed, you can go watch them now on Google Video from the links below. :: :: The three pieces, which cover RISCOS Ltd, Castle, RISC OS Open and RISC OS Now, are fairly good quality, and it's pretty clear what the speakers are saying. Click on a thumbnail ...

We almost didn't publish this article, and have been in two minds about it. On the one hand, it is unsuitable for a newbie to attempt. On the other hand, it's difficult for us to justify censoring information about a publicly available product. :: :: In this piece, Kees Meijer describes how to open, no, force your way inside an A9home, and replace its relatively tiny hard disc. This process should only be undertaken if you seriously know what you're doing, and you accept that if you mess ...

This weekend's South East show in Guildford, Surrey, was surprisingly upbeat: no negative bombshells have been dropped recently, and a number of companies have been pumping out positive announcements in the past few days. Over 200 punters passed through the door, exceeding the organisers' break even point. Below is a round up of what happened, or you could skip straight to the photos. :: :: Castle and RISC OS Open :: Castle's Jack Lillingston and RISC OS Open's Steve Revill ran through the ...

In a precis of RISC OS for OSNews, Chris Wraight stunned us with a set of previously unseen toolsprites in his article's screenshots. Here he explains how RISC OS can be given a more modern gloss, and how he created the stylish desktop theme - which is now available for download from drobe.co.uk. :: :: New looks for RISC OS :: The RISC OS desktop, with all its many virtues, has been stuck with more or less the same set of widgets and furniture for several years now. There's nothing intrinsi...

In this hands-on C programming tutorial, David Llewellyn-Jones produces an example screen saver to explain how RISC OS screen savers are written, and how they work. :: :: Desktop applications :: Screen savers have always been a staple free software for RISC OS, with the likes of the venerable Out to Lunch, AlphaSave, and the now GPLed Delirium all acting as saviours of the CRT for many years. However, it was not until RISC OS 4 that graphical screen saver capabilities shipped as a standard ...

Despite having written numerous articles for Drobe, writer and software developer Martin Hansen had, until now, yet to produce his own website. Here he talks us through his first experiences with web publishing and the website design package Web Wonder. :: :: Background :: It's fashionable these days to give yourself forty-eight hours to achieve something big; decorate a room, climb three mountains, learn to speak French. A few weeks ago I decided that such was the time that I would give my...

Pinboard power user Peter Scheele reveals an interesting approach to pinning files and applications to the RISC OS desktop's backdrop. :: :: Welcome to the pinboard :: There are usually two ways to start a program on RISC OS: you can either go to the filer window where the program is stored and double-click the left mouse button to launch the program, or you can 'pin' the program's icon on the pinboard and start it from there. The advantage of the second method is that you can conveniently ...

One of the strengths of RISC OS is the ability for people to drag'n'drop objects around the desktop. It's usually hard to describe how well this works, but other operating systems are rapidly catching up. While RISC OS still arguably has the edge, we spoke to a number of professionals who rely on the drag'n'drop in RISC OS. :: :: Blank canvas approach :: A good designer loves sitting before a fresh drawing board and filling the white expanse of paper with ideas and details. She may have som...

Here we present a really gentle introduction to using ArtWorks with bitmaps for illustrations and motifs, such as those used in Drobe articles. :: :: Background :: Despite primarily being a vector graphics package, ArtWorks can be used to improve and add to the vibrancy and depth of photographs and other bitmap images. In this friendly beginner's guide, we shall look at the fun you can have in creating some straight forward yet useful effects. :: :: Using the Internet, it is possible to have a...

Andrew Hodgkinson is a shareholder of the mysterious new company RISC OS Open Ltd, having previously worked as a RISC OS software engineer at Acorn, Pace and Tematic before it lost its developers. In an illuminating interview, he reveals his thoughts on the OS divide, what the teams at Pace and Tematic were working on, and where their work could take RISC OS if released. :: :: Andrew Hodgkinson is a 30-year-old programmer who worked at Tematic as a software engineer right up until Castle ...

Byline: Paul Stewart :: :: Opinion | A two-tier Europe often used to be talked about. A classless society, again talked about, was an ideal rather than a reality. Whilst a BMW or Mercedes used to indicate wealth or position in society, today they are a mere tool to drive from A to B and pollute the atmosphere with their exhaust fumes. It's not just cars that happen to pollute the atmosphere. :: :: The most violent polluters are people. I do not mean in the sense of new inventions or industry...

Adobe's PDF format is a bit of a Godsend for RISC OS users. We can open PDFs sent from friends and collegues, and now we have several ways of creating them from our desktops to give to others. They can be filled with plans, illustrations, articles and documentation, all using our favourite DTP and artwork packages. Some existing solutions can be fairly tricky to set up, so having battled against several applications, Charles Duckworth now presents his idiot's guide to PDF authoring on ...

The RISC OS euro roadshow took place last Saturday and Michael Gerbracht was there to witness it in all its glory. Here are his thoughts on the event, held at the Hotel Mercure in Nieuwegein, near Utrecht, Holland. Below are close up photos of Select 4's new Filer in action, as well as other shots. :: :: Once again there was a RISC OS event in the Netherlands. This time its name changed into the RISC OS road show and it was organised by RISCOS Ltd instead of the Big Ben Club. :: :: News in b...

Developing a port of open source RiscPC emulator RPCEmu to a PDA was a feat that excited those of us longing for a truly mobile RISC OS. :: :: Here, Jan Rinze Peterzon (right) talks us through how the port came about, what it's like to use RISC OS with a touchscreen and stylus, and how well the emulated platform performs on a Loox 720 device. :: :: How long did it take you to produce the port? :: :: The port itself was done in a matter of days and ran at about one million instructions per secon...

After 11 years of shows in Wakefield, you may wonder if there is any appeal left in turning up. Typically, the same exhibitors show up, pitch their stalls, put on a brave face, and offer more or less what they sold last year at a slightly revised price. Yet there is always a catch; a few diamonds in the rough that spark some degree of excitement and draw in eager punters. In 2003, the XScale powered Iyonix was still wet behind its ears and eager to please the crowds. In 2005, Advantage...

Being able to share a printer with various computers on a home network is a convenience many users enjoy. But there are pitfalls involved - how do you set up such a system, and will the RISC OS machines be locked out? Retired electrical engineer Reginald Whitlock describes how he made sure his RISC OS computers stayed in the loop when he used a NetGear print server and Stefan Bellon's open source RemotePrinterFS software. :: :: Background :: In my old age, I now need to be able to print fro...

As an exhibitor and a RISC OS user, Martin Hansen reflects on his experiences at last weekend's South West 2006 show. In this report, he gives his opinion on the current state of affairs, describes the presentations given at the event, and offers an inside track on what goes on behind-the-scenes at a RISC OS show. :: :: I've gained something of a soft spot for the annual RISC OS show that takes place at the Webbington Hotel, located a few miles south of Bristol, each February. For me, it ...

Although vinyl threatens every other year to be the new hip in-thing with all the cool kids on the streets, there's still a wealth of age old audio joy locked away in collections of deteriorating records littering lofts and cupboards everywhere. Chris Johnson talks us through how he preserves his LPs onto CD using RISC OS. :: :: Recording :: Essentially all my experience has come from using a RiscPC fitted with an Irlam i16 audio digitiser podule card. This was a cut down version of their o...

In this third part of our book review series, we take a look at three more recently published booklets compiled from Archive magazine articles. Each printed collection is A5 in size, stapled and run to about 48 pages in black and white. The writing style invariably matches the more personal, open collar approach that Archive magazine prides itself in having. The paper used for these dead tree works also feels more smoother and heavier than the material used for the previous booklets. :: ...

Of all the various Acorn hardware emulators out there, two in particular are supplied with source code: ArcEm and Arculator, plus its new cousin RPCemu. Created by university undergraduate Tom Walker, Arculator emulates a generic early Archimedes-class computer with either an ARM2 or ARM3 processor. RPCemu is a recent development effort and features ARM610 and ARM710 emulation along with A7000-class chipset and IDE hard disc support. Both programs are available for Microsoft Windows us...

Over the years, RISC OS 4 and 5 have continued to move forward, however separate their paths. Despite reams of column inches covering on-going developments, it would appear that there is no up to date list of all the RISC OS features for either stream; instead details of new releases are strewn across various months old web pages and articles, some of which written in fairly technical and programmer oriented language. Here, we present our best attempt at summing up all the main feature...

Sitting in a meeting room in the Cambridge offices of Pace for the launch of the Select scheme, RISCOS Ltd. management remarked that many users had a second non-RISC OS powered computer and that this was one of the reasons why the company had chosen to improve networking and similar interoperability. A few fellow editors present visibly shuddered at the suggestion, but over the years it has become clear that people are turning to other operating systems to supplement their needs. :: :: To...

Now that digital cameras are undeniably ubiquitous and there's a good chance RISC OS computers can interface with modern equipment, it makes sense for users to want to share their photograph captured escapades with friends and family, and what better way to do it than over the Internet. Putting together a few JPEGs with some simple HTML to throw online via FTP is pretty easy to do, but this minor exercise quickly escalates into a migraine when you have 20 or more pictures per outing an...

Hot on the heels of their first collection of four booklet titles, Archive magazine have published a further three compilations: Internet searching, and StrongED Volumes 1 and 2. Each are made up of 48 A5 stapled pages of articles and hints'n'tips previously published in the long running monthly magazine. :: :: 'Internet searching' :: With the web becoming so vast and expanding at an astonishing rate, our reliance on Internet search engines is approaching near total dependence. To master us...

In time for Christmas and this week's RISC OS roadshow, Archive magazine have published a number of booklets covering a range of software and topics. The first four mini-tomes, which contain articles previously published in the pint sized publication, are available now and a few more are coming hot off the printers. Booklets one to four introduce a few of the core issues surrounding the platform: VirtualRiscPC, networking, email and writing desktop software. :: :: The printed guides are A...

With media outlets firefighting the outbreak of blogging and high street stores plotting revenge against online shops, the telecom giants thought they were safe from the Internet - some even providing the broadband and dialup connections that people use. Suddenly, however, a new technology has appeared on the radar and is threatening to torpedo the corporate strangle-hold of voice communications. Voice-over-IP allows people to chat to each other over the Internet using a microphone hea...

Living in New Zealand, RISC OS user Peter Noble uses his RiscPC and Videodesk to edit film and produce presentations and videos for friends and family. Here, he talks us through how he typically puts together a short video. :: :: Background :: I first became interested in video editing after my wedding in 1999. I've always had an interest in photography, but after visiting the person who put together my wedding video, my interest was raised. The person was using an Apple Power Mac 9600 with...

Many people rely on RISC OS and its software to look after their email and browse their favourite websites. But could you trust RISC OS to make sure you wake up to a warm shower every morning? Electronic engineer Dave Higton describes his RISC OS powered central heating system. :: :: I've often felt that the central heating controller I had could be improved on. It turns the heating and hot water on and off, with different times available for each day of the week; but the central heating ...

Buried deep within southern Germany, an artist puts the finishing touches to a new t-shirt design for an independent clothing label. The designer leans back from the screen to review his graphic, and hits F3 on his Iyonix to save it. Werkoderko is a Munich-based fashion company that designs graphics and motifs using RISC OS, and artist Maximilian Lueckenhaus says he wouldn't use any other platform. :: :: The group has been producing t-shirts for two years now, and previously worked on adv...

One of the great strengths of the Internet is online banking: The ability to move funds around, view statements and more gives web surfers a stronger grasp on their finances. This, for a refreshing change, includes RISC OS users too. We investigated which banks work with which RISC OS web browsers and the results were quite uplifting. We also noted that many of the banks' websites used CSS, which degraded well for older web browsers including Oregano 1. :: :: Barclays :: Oregano 1 and 2 bot...

As if trying to reconcile some great conflict, IT pundits have been trying to get their heads around Intel's XScale and low power x86 architecture plans. On the one hand, the chip giant has announced plans to slash power consumption for its main line of processors whilst boosting performance, and on the other hand, is talking up a new gigahertz XScale family. Surely, the two cannot exist at the same time? :: :: It's been noted that the introduction of Intel's so-called, x86-based next-gen...

How would you describe your experiences of RISC OS on the web? In his review of three likely contenders in the RISC OS web browser arena, Martin Hansen is certainly pulling no punches. :: :: I may as well admit it right at the start of this article: My web browser of choice is Internet Explorer. As a passionate RISC OS enthusiast, I'm not proud of this fact. So let me briefly explain how this has come about, and why, in spite of recent RISC OS browser developments, it is still the case. :: ...

Having marvelled at audio-to-visual software on a PC, Martin Hansen reviews Peter Everett's ELS plugin to see how it fares in comparison whilst running on ARM based computers with little or no hardware acceleration. :: :: Review We'd all had a few drinks and it was getting rather late as eleven of us, all teachers, piled into a tiny two-room flat belonging to Moffo, a friend of mine who is a student teacher from America. My eye was immediately drawn to the laptop connected up to the Soun...

Despite it being winter right now in New Zealand, NZ RISC OS dealer Robert Greenfield has a few ideas on how to keep a RiscPC cool in the summer months. :: :: Air flow in a computer is an important factor that, some argue, Acorn overlooked in the RiscPC design. Components in a computer produce heat which needs to be taken away to reduce the chances of overheating and subsequent failure. The easiest and cheapest way of doing this is to get air blowing across the warmer bits and pieces to t...

Photographs of the inside of an A9home have this evening arrived in drobe.co.uk's inbox. A RISC OS software programmer who wished to remain anonymous managed to dismantle the hardened case of the ARM9 powered computer and document its internals. The machine, developed by AdvantageSix and Simtec, is available only to paying developers and is currently in the beta stage of development. :: :: The packed motherboard, designed by the same engineers who crammed the electronics onto the Unipod, ...

Editorial - This time last year, the nightmare scenario of the RISC OS platform collapsing looked inevitable. I don't particularly want to drag up the confusing whirlwind that was the 'Castle vs. RISCOS Ltd and friends' dispute again, although it's been 12 months since it all kicked off and in some ways, the record needs straightening. :: :: The whole affair had been brewing for months behind closed doors and only went public last June when Castle were forced to show their hand after STD an...

It's not finished and it's not for sale, yet, is the message from AdvantageSix on the A9home. It would appear that they, Ad6 and CJE, have to polish the product off and arrange a means of providing support to the end user. :: :: More importantly, the hardware is yet to be fully harnessed, as the chipset, which Ad6 are keeping a secret for some reason, apparently provides a lot more functionality than the operating system supports. The 32bit OS also needs work done on it to bring it up to ...

One common complaint or feature request for RISC OS improvement is to add "memory protection". This is largely a result of the relative ease of which single programs can take out the entire operating system, combined with a misunderstanding of what precisely memory protection is. :: :: In this article, I'll try and cover some of the issues around memory protection, and why RISC OS is often so susceptible to breakage and some of the measures which can be taken to improve the situation. :: ...

Much has been said in the past few years about internationalisation under RISC OS. Theo Markettos outlined many of the issues that developers should consider when developing their applications. Recently, there has also been some discussion of Japanese support in the OS. As yet, no-one has actually nailed down what RISC OS 5 actually offers in this area. This article attempts to address this and offers some handy resources for software developers to use. :: :: Internationalisation can be b...

Previously, we've covered RISC OS activities in Australia, and now we move even further afield. Like other countries, Japan is no stranger to RISC OS, although it probably doesn't know it: we gather RISC OS is used a lot in Pace DSL4000 set top boxes for video on demand services, hotel room terminals and, also in TV production. :: :: So how does RISC OS fare on the desktop in countries that use non-Latin alphabets? :: :: "Unfortunately RISC OS is of limited use as a desktop OS in Japan due t...

After the disbanding of Acorn, there was not an inconsiderable debate about how to save RISC OS. Whilst the most obvious and practical result of that was RISCOS Ltd, an idea aired many times was the dream of getting RISC OS apps to run natively under Linux or other Unix-based operating systems. A variety of wild ideas were named, with credibility from ill-considered to just about plausible given a vast amount of work. :: :: One idea that did make a little bit of headway was Riscose, by ...

Martin Hansen returns from the West Country, having learnt of future RISC OS projects in the talks given during the South West 2005 show. How have times changed since last year's show? :: :: This year has been a fairly quiet one, so far, for RISC OS. This is not, necessarily, a bad thing. My feeling is that there are currently several exciting projects in prospect but that developers need more time and a continuing calm background environment against which to perfect their next offerings....

Editorial - Now here's an opinion that's been brewing on my mind for a while now. The RISC OS platform has long prided itself on having, depending on who you listen to, a low total cost of operation (TCO). However, has this led to the cash flow crisis the market appears to be in? :: :: TCO is a TLA that's often bandied about as a buzzword by IT consultants and specialists, who use it to prove that their solutions are best and that competing platforms are unecomonic in comparison. You probab...

The UK education sector was once a great bastion of RISC OS, albeit a very long time ago. Times have changed radically, yet the question remains: where is RISC OS in education now? To set the record straight, we got in touch with various schools in the UK who are still employing RISC OS in their classrooms to find out how they're coping in the modern world of ICT. :: :: Hertfordshire :: Knightsfield School, in Hertfordshire, was recently awarded a Naacemark at the BETT 2005 show: Knightfiel...

Launched in November last year and released over the Christmas 2004 period, Alligata Media have brought Beeb classic Repton back to RISC OS in the form of Desktop Repton Plus. Now we review the game that ought to provoke a few nostalgic tears. :: :: Repton is a bit of an institution. It's been around since the 1980s and it's to Acorn what Sonic is to Sega. It's the game where you must guide your reptilian friend around complicated labyrinths whilst solving puzzles, avoiding creatures and ...

Every so often, new commercial software is developed for RISC OS and upon release, is sufficiently covered by drobe.co.uk and other publications. However Hermes, the recently developed email software by Alan Wrigley for R-Comp, has managed to evade us - until now. We caught up with Alan earlier this week to talk about his latest application and what lies in store for Hermes. :: :: As an email transport application, Hermes is described as being like POPstar but with advanced features; POPs...

In my latest article, I'll again talk about some of the obscure, but very important, issues related to porting work I've been doing which are also crucial to many RISC OS programs. I've chosen to discuss the issues involved with C and C libraries on RISC OS. This is an even longer article than my usual offerings, but if you can hang in there, I hope you'll come out with a much improved understanding. :: :: RISC OS and C :: As you many be aware, the majority of new RISC OS programs, and a ...

Theo Markettos investigates the little known feature of RISC OS Select and Adjust: the hardware profile system, which allows users to associate system and application choices with particular hardware configurations. :: :: The instigation of a new Linux-based network backup system for my RiscPC gave me the chance to keep the hard drives of my RiscPC and VirtualAcorn laptop, both running RISC OS Adjust, synchronised. Whilst I've not automated this yet, I ran into a problem when using the R...

Voting for the RISC OS Best of 2004 awards closed yesterday and now, the results are in. For some categories, you probably could have guessed the results, whereas others have turned out a few surprises. The randomly selected winners of Desktop Repton Plus have also been notified by email, and we'll have copies of Alligata Software's top new game in the post to them soon. :: :: And so, on to the moment I'm very sure you've all been waiting for - the results of the public voting, the people...

It's that time of year again, when we peer into our crystal ball, and look forwards and backwards to see what has been, what should have been, and what we might be finding under the tree for Christmas 2005. :: :: To start with, we'll take a look at what we predicted in 2004 and how close we came. Indeed, looking at the list, we did very well. However, before you accuse us of gloating, all of the predictions we made were educated guesses - based upon knowledge that was readily available,...

Castle's DIY Iyonix kit offer, in which punters can build their own Iyonixes, ends today, so let's look at what it's brought to the market. Each kit consists of just an Iyonix motherboard with the standard 80321 600Mhz XScale processor, RISC OS 5, a graphics card and a few bits and pieces - the rest can be bought from cheap component shifters, allowing users to (in theory) get the best deals and customise their machines accordingly. This approach usually works well in PC land, where it...

Opinion Although commentators have not made anything of it, I have been disappointed that Advantage Six declined to exhibit at this Autumn's RISC OS events in Guildford and Birmingham. Following the shenanigans of the summer, and their failure to attend the shows, I worried that Ad6's Stuart Tyrrell and Matt Edgar might have decided to invest their time and money outside of the RISC OS arena. The stock on their stand at Wakefield must have represented an investment of around £50000 and...

:: -- "The Queen can go suck an elf" - The 10th Kingdom :: :: Introduction :: RISC OS and RISC OS developers make use of various file formats for developing programs. It is now over a decade since Acorn drew up the specifications for these formats, and they have become decidedly dated. Times have changed, and RISC OS users and developers deserve a more useful format. This article looks at the existing formats in use, and puts forward the case for moving to a new one. We start by looking...

Ladies and gentlemen. As 2004 draws to a close this month, we'd like to recognise the people who have contributed the most to our platform this year. We're proud to announce drobe.co.uk's Best of 2004 awards, where we nominate those who've stood out this year, and you get to pick the winners - and hopefully win something yourself. :: :: Organising these awards has been long and hard, and something we've spent the past month (and especially the past week) working on, discussing and weighin...

An idea that just won't go away is the concept of a 'paperless office'. As computers get smaller and faster and invade every corner of our society, it makes sense for us to attempt to, within reason, digitalise our work and integrate everything into the one tidy space that your computer inhabits - and thus, do away with scrambling through piles of mildly sorted paper and such material. :: :: Many have noticed, though, that as technology has improved and computer use in the UK increases, t...

Yesterday's Midlands RISC OS show closed early, just before 4pm, putting an end to an otherwise quiet show. The general feeling amongst the dealers and developers present was that the show could have been worse, and thankfully a few punters turned up to buy new and old kit. Castle claimed to have done a roaring trade, apparently selling more Iyonixes than they did at the Guildford show, a claim that astonished a few other dealers. The Midlands isn't the most densely populated area, in ...

The future of Oregano is currently somewhat undecided. The RISC OS web browser is developed by Oregan, who recently launched version 3 of their TV Browser software. :: :: TV Browser is a web browser designed for embedded products, including STBs and the Sony Playstation 2. In the past, TV Browser and Oregano have shared the same technology: think of Oregano 2 as a RISC OS wrapper around a central web browser core. :: :: Earlier this month, we spoke to OreganoUK about the future of the RISC ...

John-Mark Bell recalls his day out with RISC OS in Guildford, and the various goodies, news and views he ran into. :: :: Another year, another trek to Guildford for the South East show. This is traditionally the time of year that the fruits of the labours of the months since Wakefield are announced, or at least wheeled out to briefly tease us with. So, what was new at Guildford? :: :: Geminus :: Firstly, there was the new Geminus product from the Aemulor team. This is a rather clever module th...

Without a doubt, the announcement of Advantage Six's A9 is an exciting one. We've learnt that the A9 was announced a few days ahead of schedule after Advantage Six feared information on its existence was being leaked to the outside world. Although Advantage Six are for now playing their cards closely to their chests, having had a lengthy chat with them yesterday, we'll attempt to lift the lid on the new ARM9 platform for 32bit RISC OS 4. :: :: The clients :: Advantage Six are moving away fr...

The SDL library has helped RISC OS programmers bring various games and utilities from the open source world to the platform. Although not everything these days is about porting software: Neil White has begun using SDL in his own native puzzle games, such as Crazeeman and Conveysdl. :: :: Neil's main reasons for using SDL for native games are that you can now play the games in the desktop, the software can use the graphics features of the SDL library and also, interestingly, the games can ...