News from RISCOS Ltd No. 33 --------------------------- March 3rd 2006 -------------- Special Offers on RISC OS 4.39 "Adjust" ROMs -------------------------------------------- to celebrate 7th Anniversary of ------------------------------- signing Agreement with Element 14. ---------------------------------- RISCOS Ltd is pleased to announce that it will be celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the announcement of the Agreement with Element 14 on 8th March 2006 by making some very special offers for a very limited period from Wednesday 1st March - Friday 17th March 2006. RISC OS 4.39 "Adjust" ROMs will be available for orders received during this period for just £63 + £6 postage and packing. The Foundation RISC User DVD special edition will be available for just £13 + £2 postage and packing. The above prices include VAT and are available for orders placed worldwide. All orders received after 17th March will be charged at the usual rates. Orders can be placed by phone, fax or email. Telephone orders can be placed on 02920 464020 Fax orders can be sent to 02920 492326 email orders can be sent to mailto:paul@riscos.com Post Orders can be sent to RISCOS Ltd, 3 Clarendon Road, Cardiff, CF23 9JD. For reference here is the full text of the original Press Release from 1999. ELEMENT 14 AGREES EXCLUSIVE LICENSING DEAL FOR NEW VERSION OF OPERATING SYSTEM 08 March 1999, Cambridge UK - Element 14, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Acorn Group plc, today announce a contract with RISCOS Ltd, to complete the development of RISC OS 4, the latest version of the acclaimed modular operating system. RISC OS 4 will give the computer a whol new look and feel - complete new icon sets have been created for devices, the filer applications and their toolboxes. Like all previous Acorn operating systems, RISC OS 4 will be stable, scaleable and support a multitasking environment. RISCOS Ltd will complete its development and bring RISC OS 4 to market within the next few months. Stan Boland CEO stated, "This licensing deal was a natural step, given Element 14's business focus. It reinforces our commitment to becoming a major palyer in the rapidly growing digital TV market. It also offers the Acorn community an opportunity to continue to develop its market." Managing Director of RISCOS Ltd, Paul Middleton commented "This licensing deal will enable us to bring RISC OS 4 to market as an upgrade for current Risc PC and A7000 / A7000+ users and for new machines dedicated to the desktop market. I see the signing of this agreement as a very positive sign for current and future Acorn users." eof The Press Release was issued by Element 14 Press Department and you will notice the announcement was quite specific that it was an "exclusive" licensing deal, contrary to a number of claims recently. This exclusivity was the basis on which all the development work and licensing to third parties has been done by RISCOS Ltd. Adjust 32 / Select 4 Progress ----------------------------- We are now nearing the final stages of Select 4 development and the subject to any final last minute hitches the first release will be made in time for the Wakefield Show in May this year. To accomodate the fact that some subscriptions have lapsed there will be several stages of release. This will enable us to give a fair balance to those who have continued their subscriptions, whilst not dis-enfranchising those who, for whatever reason, have not renewed recently. The first stage will be a Beta ROM release together with a small selection of supporting applications. This will be available to all subscribers whose subscriptions lapsed no earlier than 31st August 2005. This will enable those who let their subscriptions lapse after that date see what is on offer. To receive the full final complete Select 4 release, subscribers must have renewed their subscription at the time of that release. As previously mentioned we have given a 3 month extension to subscriptions which is added on to the date of renewal. One area that seems to have subject to some deliberate misinformation is that Select 4 will be totally 32 bit and will only run on any computer in 32 bit mode. This is totally untrue. As has been explained in previous newsletters, the reason for the delay in Select 4 is because of the decision to move over to a totally 32 bit neutral source tree for RISC OS 4. From the 32bit neutral Source tree we can build either 26bit or 32 bit versions of RISC OS. We have clearly stated previously that we will NOT be producing a 32 bit version of RISC OS 4 to run on Risc PCs and A7000s as it would offer no advantages, and would require the use of an emulator in order to use the vast majority of old software not written in Basic. Select 4 / Adjust 32 and the A9 ------------------------------- Similarly there seems to have been some negative PR created by the alleged announcement stating that A9Home users would have to buy Select in order to get a fully working machine, which surfaced after the recent RISC OS SW Show at the Webbington Hotel. The real facts - i.e direct from us, and not those "reported" by others are that the retail A9Home will ship with Adjust32, which includes all the features of everything in RISC OS Adjust (Select3i4), along with a subset of those Select 4 features required by the machine. A Select subscription will be recommended in order to obtain the full Select 4 feature-set, along with future Select 4 enhancements. There will be discounts for A9Home purchasers to join the Select scheme. I don't use these updates to make mention of specific people but quotes from recent postings on Usenet by certain contributors who really should know better must be taken to task as they seem to be dedicated to spreading deliberate misinformation about RISCOS Ltd's plans and activities. We don't have time to contradict every rumour and piece of misinformation that comes up on the internet, so if you have any queries about what is being planned for the future, then please feel free to contact me directly. Please don't assume that anyone who contributes to any discussion is fully informed unless they quote from a specific RISCOS Ltd Press Release or other fully quoted statement by a RISCOS Ltd Director. Some people have a habit of starting rumours that can upset many other peoples views of how the market is progressing. Negative rumours, especially when they are unfounded, can have a tremendous effect on the market, so please treat anything you hear or read with caution unless it is fully verified. So here are the real facts about Select 32 for the Iyonix. Select 32 for Iyonix -------------------- I would like to thank all those who pledged their support for Select 32 on the Iyonix via the Pledgebank web site. http://www.pledgebank.com/iyonixselect/ The pledge was started by Phil Mellor to raise an awareness of demand for a version of Select to run on the Iyonix. The lack of Select features on the RISC OS 5 based computer, being a reason cited by many potential purchasers as to why they had held back from buying an Iyonix. The pledge was that those signing up would "subscribe for 1 year to the RISC OS Select Iyonix scheme - but only if 99 other new subscribers will too." I have to point out here that the pledge was not started by RISCOS Ltd, but we obviously take note of the support the pledge has generated. Back in April 2005 we stated that we had an initial target of 100 subscribers in order to proceed with Select 32 for Iyonix. Please note: that was not a statement that if we got 100 subscribers that we would immediately drop everything else to focus solely on the Iyonix, nor was it a statement that if 100 people subscribed that a full release for the Iyonix would be made irrespective of whether anyone else subscribed for the Iyonix. It was that we needed a minimum of 100 people to justify planning a release. The way RISC OS 5 has been developed will require a lot of other changes to the RISC OS 4 kernel in order to integrate with RISC OS 5, but once the Select 4 work has been completed the Iyonix can then became a practical goal. In comparison once the necessary Video Hardware independence had been built into the RISC OS 4 ROM it became far easier to support other processor / video combinations. The A9 doesn't use a HAL as some people have suggested, it has its own Bootstrap loader which initialises the hardware and then passes control over to RISC OS. The RISC OS 4 ROM image used in the A9 has built in support for the appropriate hardware, as has always been the case in all previous versions of RISC OS. The hardware specific features of the A9 have been developed by Advantage6 to sit alongside the core RISC OS 4 and have NOT been paid for by the Select subscribers. We are not as yet ready to start taking full Select 32 for Iyonix subscriptions, but I would like to firstly state that subscriptions from current Iyonix users have not been wasted. All development work done by RISCOS Ltd is equally applicable to all versions of RISC OS, and in the future any bugs found in any version of RISC OS 4, will be identical across all versions, and so a bug found on a Risc PC will be the same bug cured on an Iyonix. Whilst we are not taking full Select 32 subscriptions, we do welcome Select renewals from existing subscribers and from new subscribers, as long as they understand that their subscriptions are going towards general development and that we do not at present offer any guarantees to produce a fully working version of Select for Iyonix at present. How can I help with Select for Iyonix? ------------------------------------- Renew your subscription. All work being done will be applicable to all versions of Select. Foundation RISC User Number 19 ------------------------------ The latest issue of Foundation RISC User will be shipping to members in the next couple of weeks. Forthcoming Shows ----------------- The next RISC OS Show is the Wakefield RISC OS Computer Show 2006. This year's event will be held on Saturday 13th May and is once again at its usual home of Thornes Park Athletics Stadium, Wakefield. The event will be open to the public between 10 am and 5 pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance, these will be available from April and as usual will be cheaper than on the day (advance credit card ticket orders will also be available from April). Tickets will cost: Advance: 5 pounds On the Day: 6 pounds Under 6's FREE A number of companies have advance booked their attendance already, these include: Advantage 6 / Stuart Tyrrell Developments APDL 3QD (Virtual Acorn) M W Software R-Comp / R-Comp Interactive Spellings Computer Services WROCC Charity Stall Although WROCC will be running a charity stall raising money for the Wakefield Hospice as usual. They will not be accepting large bulky items, like computers, monitors and printers, primarily as a result of the appalling abuse last year, where someone 'donated' around 40 PC's and monitors despite the fact WROCC clearly indicated that they could not accept PC's. This cost both them and the charity money to dispose of them. WROCC have become one of their biggest group sponsors (5th largest last year) of the Hospice - all thanks to the visitors to the show. The organisers are considering an idea whereby people may make arrangements between them to sell/donate their old RISC OS kit and have a meeting point at the show. They welcome your thoughts on how this could be done. Once again they are planning a show theatre and full details of the program will be announced near the show date. It is possible the theatre size will be smaller then usual due to circumstances beyond their control. They will have some form of Catering in operation as usual upstairs, but it will not be done by their usual caterers this year. They are endeavouring to resolve this particular problem. It is expected (subject to confirmation nearer the time) they will have at least hot and cold drinks available plus sandwiches. There will also be much more limited AA signing this year. It will be restricted to the immediate area near the venue rather than from the Motorways. Also regrettably they will not be running a mini-bus service this year from the station. An additional problem this year is that the Council owners of the Thornes Park Stadium have decided to build a new purpose designed Gymnasium to the back of the main stadium building, and thus they could lose up to half the hall. The current timetable for this building work is between March and July this year, this will have some impact on the show arrangements but is not likely to interfere with it running so far as they know at present. Show Sponsors include: Advantage 6 APDL 3QD (Virtual Acorn) M W Software Spellings Computer Services The updated show website will be going live in the next couple of weeks and will be at: http://www.wakefieldshow.org.uk/ Keep checking for the latest news. Dutch Risc OS Expo 2006 ----------------------- It has been reported that the previous organisers of the Dutch Risc OS Expo are unable to organise the usual June show this year, so we have taken the decision to arrange an event on the same basis as the RISC OS Christmas Roadshow 2005. The RISC OS Summer Roadshow will be going Dutch to the Hotel Mercure in Nieuwegein on Saturday 17th June 2006 from 10:00 - 17:00. Anyone wishing to exhibit should contact me as soon as possible. The prices for exhibitors will be kept to the same level as the Christmas Roadshow. A 6ft table will cost 66 EURO. User Group Meetings ------------------ I will be visiting the ROUGOL User Group on Monday 15th May 2006. Topics on the agenda will be the A9home release version, and Select 4. The club's own computer is well specified to try out Select 4, and I will be taking along an A9home as well as an iMac running VRPC and Risc PC, and there will also be the opportunity for questions and discussion. Almost all meetings of the RISC OS User Group of London take place upstairs in a room at The Blue-Eyed Maid Public House, 173 Borough High Street, London SE1 1HR. Wireless internet access is available (free), and hot and cold food and drinks (pricey). Everyone is welcome. Visiting the Blue-Eyed Maid is easy by public transport or cycle (there is ample cycle parking covered by CCTV nearby), but trickier by road. Contact ROUGOL for any help in reaching the venue, 07876 035 495, http://rougol.jellybaby.net/ or info@rougol.jellybaby.net If you didn't manage to make it to any of the RISC OS Christmas Roadshow events we organised last year then this will be your chance to catch up on RISC OS Select developments. There will also be special offers on Adjust ROMs and the Foundation DVD disc for those attending the evening. A reminder that I am always happy to visit User Groups to demonstrate RISC OS Select, RISC OS 4.39 or just talk generally about the RISC OS market. Replying to queries from this Newsletter ---------------------------------------- If you are responding to a specific query in this newsletter please use the appropriate mailto: address to reply rather than replying to the sender of this email. Also don't reply to the general foundation or admin email addresses as your enquiry may not get dealt with promptly. We try to reply to all enquiries within 5 days. But at peak times it may take longer to reply. regards -- Paul Middleton RISCOS Ltd 3 Clarendon Road Cardiff CF23 9JD Tel 02920 492324 Fax 02920 492326 mailto:paul@riscos.com Copyright ©2006 RISCOS Ltd.