RISC OS Select is the latest version of the RISC OS operating system originally developed by Acorn Computers. Since Acorn’s demise in 1998, RISCOS Ltd have taken over development of the desktop version of RISC OS. They released RISC OS 4.0 in August 1999. RISC OS Select has many features including: DHCP support, SVG graphic support, Improved printing, Multiuser logons, over 100 other improvements. RISC OS Select will run on Acorn A7000 and RISCPC computers, as well as machines from RISCStation and Microdigital.
RISC OS Select Released
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
May be a silly question but I haven’t seen a RISC machine since I learned “computing” on an Acorn Archimedes in school back in 93-4
Does anyone seriously use RISC boxes and in what industry? I know that with Citrix Metaframe they can be used as terminals for a server – but.. why?
the RISC OS theme in KDE 😉
Don’t they use them in TV for doing live graphics?
RISC OS is used to produce the graphics on Who Wants to be a National Spectacle.
Hey seedy, you are supposed to pick those things out.
.. I’m not using them since a longer time. But it’s every time fun to start them and to REALLY use a 3 Button mouse 🙂
Also the dock is fun, it just remind to something 😉
Thoems
RISCOS seem so cool! I want a machine that can run it
Then buy one, you can still buy a new one 😉
Thoems
As I understand it you can get an emulator for an Acorn A series machine that will run RISC-OS, it runs as an app in Windows
I do not have details to hand. Still puzzled about what the heck use this OS is, since I’ve never seen an advert for software for RISC-OS, or for hardware for that matter…
Well, my RiscPC is my workhorse, and I love to use it.. productivity is up by 100% compared to sluggish windows PC I have here..
I am still waiting for the CD to arrive, but have downed the ISO from the select site.. way nice.
People who’re interested should check out http://www.riscstation.co.uk or http://www.castle.org.uk and http://www.riscos.com and http://www.iconbar.com
( Eugenia – pls cancel my last posting in this thred.. thanks 🙂 )
Joel – this might interest you. http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk/index2.htm
Well, I use my riscPC (strongARM RevK) with Select 4.29 and I only rarely use a PC anymore. Even though the machine is only rated at 200MHz, it is very responsive. There hardly is any rattling of HDDs, while now, on my wifes’ XP notebook (1GHZ, 256MB RAM), even dragging a window results in some rattling of the HDD..
Photodesk, a photoediting tool, comparable to photoshop is very userfriendly, but has all the features a professional needs.
Soon, there’ll be new models:
– RiscStation laptop (subnotebook format)
– Microdigital Omega (desktop machine): using Intels’ XScale
the future looks bright for ROS
You can run RISC OS rather well using VA5000, an Acorn A5000 machine emulator, that comes with RISC OS 3.1. See http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk for details. I use it quite effectively on a PII-333 PC. Great for quick data analysis using !GraphDraw, possibly the most user-friendly graph plotter I’ve ever seen.
With apologies to Steve and Eugenia, it would be
more correct to say that Risc OS Select is a scheme
to provide the latest version, 4.9, of the Risc OS
operating system.
It is a shame that Risc OS is not better known. For
those who count themselves as more than passive
users but less than out and out technogurus it is
a rewarding system to use.
If you really want a RISC OS Machine, take a look at:
http://www.castle.uk.co
http://www.microdigital.co.uk
http://www.riscstation.co.uk
And for an emulator that will give you a vague idea of it’s ease of use and capabilities, although it’s based on a early 90’s model, try:
http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk
http://www.redsquirrel.fsnet.co.uk (free version)
You could try the emulators before you buy! Then you really WILL want a machine, believe me!
I use RISC OS Select on a Kinetic RISC PC
It is really good.
You can get a RISC OS machine from Castle:
http://www.castle.uk.co/
RISC OS machine’s are still being manufactured and sold! So you can have a RISC OS machine. You can even use Virtual5000 to emulate RISC OS on your PC.
Try:
http://www.myriscos.com/
http://www.iconbar.com/
http://www.drobe.co.uk/
http://www.riscos.org/
http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk
^ An commercial emulator which will run on Windows, but only currently runs RiscOS3.1
Otherwise, there’s quite a few companies who still build RiscOS machines running the newest OS version
The RISC OS community is very much alive and kicking!
If you want to know more, have a look at some of the following…
http://www.riscos.com
http://www.riscos.org
http://www.castle.uk.co
http://www.riscstation.co.uk
I’m using the latest version of RISC OS Select (4.29) which was released a couple of weeks ago and development continues.
Cheers.
Well, these days it gets used a lot for graphics work. For example: Vantage.
http://www.cerilica.com/vantage/index.htm
This is a powerfull package that is underpriced compared to simillarly featured software on other platforms.
No problem to get an RISC OS running computer. Just have a look at ebay or http://www.futurecomputers.co.uk/acorn and make sure you get a RiscPC. If you own a modern PC there is an emulator for it – see: http://www.virtualacorn.co.uk but it is not allowed to run RISC OS Select (current version 4.29) but only 3.11 which is older but should give you an impression how RISC OS works.
>Since Acorn’s demise in 1998
Um, I think evolved would be better somehow – They are now one of the most prominent high tech companies in the world!
Can u say ARM ??!!!
ARM is not Acorn !!
Ok it has the roots at Acorn, but it is an independent company since a coupled of years. So ARM is still profitable and growing, but not Acorn (which is sad)
Thoems
I’ve used Risc OS computers for scientific computing
(both data collection & analysis) and web site design
(cf http://www.hw.ac.uk/chewww/welcome.html ) for many years
now, and it’s a fine, stable and reliable system to use.
Many people find it to be more productive and easier
to use than windows.
It came with a superb (for its time) vector deawing
program which still beats many modern windows vector
drawing formats (eg wmf & emf) hands down. The OS is
ideal for graphics work.
I use a Risc Pc at home would not use anything else.
If you would like more more info about RISC OS hardware/software have a look at
http://www.riscos.org/
Also this weekend have a look at all things RISC OS at the Wakefield Show
http://www.wakefieldshow.org.uk/show/2002/frameset.html
Just under a year ago, for my birthday I recived a second hand RiscPC from APDL and since then have purchased a StrongARM upgrade and loads of others. It is now my primary computer and is brillant. It is on and working in about 20 seconds compared to my PCs 3 minutes! RISC OS has many advantages and disadvantages of Windoze but there are really good machines.
We us it to run a water filtration company, we run accounts, word pro’s, internet sales, and all the other things we use the PC’s for. We have now gone over completly to Risc OS, as the units have never let us down. The last PC goes up for grabs at the end of the month, latest spes,1.8gig, glad to see the back of it.
I use a StrongArm all SCSI system and for many tasks it is still up to the job.
In particular if you want to do some image work then a piece of software called !Composition – Compo for short will let you product as good any any Photoshop software.
Compo is by Rob Davison – go to:-
http://www.compo.iconbar.com
To see what can be achieved go to my site:-
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/dac/compo.html
Dave Cooper
Desktop Publishing in general ( ‘Ovation Pro’ , ‘Impression’ , good old ‘Draw’ ) should be done on a RiscPC if available. It saves you a grerat deal of headache due to the lack of machine crashes and due to genarally
VERY GOOD CUSTOMER SUPPORT at no extra cost. If something ‘should’ work IT DOES WORK.
I just installed RISC OS 4.29 on my Risc PC in about 15mins. It runs with no problems and even though it now loads the OS into memory from disc rather than ROM it still only take 35 seconds to be ready — that is, in the desktop, ready to go, with no harddisc trashing. All the related OS info on the harddisc takes up about 32Mb. Pay for quality not quantity… Stable, efficient and it Works!