Intel Mac VirtualRiscPC beta on sale

Published: 2nd Oct 2007, 20:35:52 | Permalink | Printable

Hardware emulator available for both Mac flavours

Users of Intel-powered Apple Macs can from today buy copies of VirtualRiscPC for their shiny computers. Publisher VirtualAcorn announced this morning a new version of their commercial RiscPC emulator that is suitable for both PowerPC and Intel Macs. The beta-quality software was previously PPC-only but now uses a universal binary executable.

This latest release of VirtualRPC-AdjustSA also supports RISC OS 6, and features updated video display code, better mouse pointer handling and various other bug fixes and tweaks. The RISC OS desktop can now be scaled and the emulator is pre-configured to print to PDF files.

VA's Aaron Timbrell said: "Feedback from testers has been very positive and their comments have been incorporated into this new release."

VirtualAcorn continue to warn that their Mac software is "still in a beta form and may not perform as expected." Punters who pick up a copy of the software will be expected to play a role in VA's on-going beta-testing scheme ahead of a formal release.

Links

VirtualRiscPC Mac website

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Discussion

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This is great news and will allow people who need another platform for whatever reason, to continue their RISC OS experience without being forced to use Windows, although with x86 Mac's that's there is you really must. It will be good to see it in action on the latest Macs at the South East Show in a couple of weeks.

druck on 3/10/07 9:31AM
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Fantastic news. Have been awaiting this for such a long time!

govind on 3/10/07 10:10AM
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It's running fine on my G5 and I'm trying to put money aside to buy an Intel iMac.

cables on 3/10/07 12:08PM
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Can anyone tell me if it supports three-button mice for full RISC OS compatibility ? If it does, I may have to get a Mac laptop instead of the Windows one I was planning on - brilliant !

Mendosa on 3/10/07 5:47PM
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I'd much prefer a >Ghz CPU to run it natively and sincerely hope this sustains the interest in RISC OS until there is the new hardware for people to buy.

AW on 3/10/07 11:46PM
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Planning to get a nice Mac Book Pro in a few weeks. Virtual RISC PC will be next on the shopping list. This will make a lot of people happy - vote with your wallets!

stevek on 4/10/07 7:40AM
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in reply to Mendosa: We recommend users of VRPC on the Mac invest in an Apple Mighty Mouse (New Macs and most Macs sold in the last couple of years seem to come with the Mighty Mouse). This is a multiple button mouse and supports all three RISC OS mouse buttons.

VirtualAcorn on 4/10/07 11:29AM
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Medosa:

You can use Parallels or VMWare to run Windows on an Intel Mac - just make sure you buy a big enough disk drive.

markee174 on 4/10/07 1:00PM
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In reply to Mendosa and VirtualAcorn:

I use a Lindy scroll-wheel on my iMac. I prefer it to the mouse that came with the computer. The scroll wheel acts as the middle button in RISC OS. Next thing I want is to be able to use the scroll wheel in RISC OS, like I can on the Iyonix. Any chance of HID for VRPC?

cables on 4/10/07 1:01PM
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Good news, indeed. When it reaches release quality stage, I'd be delighted to see it in action. I wonder if VirtualAcorn is looking into making it a virtual machine, so to be able to run RISC OS applications next to Mac OS X apps within the same desktop environment. That would make it truly ideal. At the moment though, does VRPC allow RISC OS to access the OS X clipboard and vice versa?

Mendosa: Most standard PC mice will work fine, so before buying Apple's Mighty mouse do check out any others. Microsoft happens to make some nice ones, at least one thing they're good at. I must say, though, that I find it a bit curious that the decision to buy either a PC or a Mac laptop seems to depend on VRPC's ability to support 3 button mice! I feel you should really check out both options carefully, instead of letting one piece of software decide it for you. By the way, all new Macs can fully run Windows XP or Vista, either separately or simultaneously with Mac OS X.

hEgelia on 4/10/07 1:04PM
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In reply to hEgelia:

I should explain that I've been thinking seriously about getting a Mac portable for some time, but I use my current Windows laptop to run RISC OS a LOT - so, I really want to be able to do the same on my new laptop. Until now, the lack of VRPC running natively on a Mac has put me off an Apple, so now one of the major hurdles could have evaporated. I would want to be able to use 3-button mice to work with it, though, hence the question - keyboard alternatives are a cumbersome no-no. Thanks to everyone for their replies !

Mendosa on 5/10/07 10:31AM
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I'd just like to add that I really can't use the mightymouse at all. Right-clicking is very unintuitive as you have to completely remove your left finger before it will register a right click. As I tend to leave my hand resting on all three buttons, this means moving two fingers instead of one.

Also, everyone I know who owns one has managed to gunk up the scrollball so that it only scrolls either up or down.

I'd recommend a sensibly-prised USB optical mouse with a scrollwheel. Also they tend to be about half the price of Apple's one.

jymbob on 5/10/07 11:03AM
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Given that the free Arculator works with a 3 button mouse, I'd be astounded if VRPC missed that vital feature.

(Not used VRPC because I don't own a Macbook yet, I have access to several suitable macs, if it could be run from a memory stick I'd be sorted, but alas, not allowed)

jess on 5/10/07 11:16AM
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Mendosa: Ah, I see, thanks for explaining. That definitely makes an important difference. I should assume VRPC for Mac supports 3 physical mouse buttons, like the Windows version. However, as you probably know the software is still in beta stage, so you might wish to hold off your purchase until it is finalised for general release.

jymbob: I've heard similar reports from others too. Apparently, many models suffered from bad component quality, though I suppose that should be fixed now. I'm glad I already heard these stories before purchase, so I got a nice Logitech mouse instead. On a similar note, I should also notify people about the new aluminium Apple keyboards. They have very little tactile feedback (no indentation), which also registers key-presses quite easily. Both definitely seem areas where Apple chose form over functionality.

hEgelia on 5/10/07 12:17PM
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