The Icon Bar: Not in any way related to copyright

If like me you're looking for something new to read, here are a few links to entertain you.

XScale - the second generation StrongARM chip - has been in the news recently, with a story tracing its lineage back to Acorn, and another about its debut in Tokyo (thanks to Rupert Woolger for the links).

Not sure if this really constitutes RISC OS news, but ROX (RISC OS on X) has reached version 1.2.0 and got its second mention on Slashdot. This project brings a RISC OS-style filer interface to Linux machines.

Looking for a unique gift, or wanting a fun project to play with? APDL/ProAction software have whispered in eKits Online's shell-like and can now offer a make your own clock kit suitable for use under RISC OS. "Choose from a wide selection of templates and clock elements. Combine them and add your own images if you wish. Alternatively, design your clock from scratch using the clock templates. Square, ellipse, star and other shaped templates are included. [Then] Simply follow the numbered stages to produce your finished working clock!" Groovy! Contact APDL on 020 8778 2659 or at 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26.

And R-Comp have released a "Network in a Box" solution. This gives you pretty much everything you need to build a small network of RISC OS and PC machines including RiscPC and PC NICs, hub / printer server / 10/100 switch, cables and plenty of documentation. R-Comp are on (+44) 01925 755043 or at 22 Robert Moffat, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6PS.

Tired of loading a web browser to view your RISC OS news? Well, you may not have noticed but certain websites - this one, Acorn Arcade, My RISC OS and RISCOS.org - are sporting RDF and RSS format data files. This is partly because I've been playing with Justin Fletcher's !RSS that My RISC OS posted about a while back. It's a bit of a desktop silly - it displays the news headlines in speech bubbles, and clicking on it to load the full article spawns a page in your web browser - but I like it! :)
(tibRSS, aaRSS, myroRSS, roRDF)

Finally, don't forget The RISCOS Southwest Show - Saturday 2nd March 2002 at The Webbington Hotel, Loxton, nr Axbridge, North Somerset. More details can be found on their website. There, you can't accuse me of not giving you enough advanced warning this time ;)

Not in any way related to copyright

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Mr Jake Monkeyson

Message #90242, posted at 17:18, 20/2/2002

Unregistered user

But for those of you who need their copyright fix: http://www.jenkins-ip.com/patlaw/indextop.htm

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Guest

Message #90243, posted at 19:06, 20/2/2002, in reply to message #90242

Unregistered user

One of New Zealands biggest newspapers had an article about the XScale on monday. In the article they said the StrongARM will be around for a few years yet due to its popularity in PDA's. A small company here is developing a car navigation system built around the Xscale. Not RISCOS news, but interesting non the less :-)

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Mr Jake Monkeyson

Message #90244, posted at 19:13, 20/2/2002, in reply to message #90243

Unregistered user

So if the Xscale is out, will Microdigital be getting any?

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Guest

Message #90245, posted at 19:35, 20/2/2002, in reply to message #90244

Unregistered user

I hope MD have some Xscales :-). If they update there website I will email them some details. I am very confident they would publish something.

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John Hoare

Message #90246, posted at 21:35, 20/2/2002, in reply to message #90245

Unregistered user

Hooray - another show! I'll try and get down for this one, as the last one I was at was Wakefield 2001. And I might get to drool over the portable at least, even if I can't afford it...

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Guest

Message #90247, posted at 23:47, 20/2/2002, in reply to message #90246

Unregistered user

Poo. Another show. 100's of miles down south. What use is that?

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[mentat]

Message #90248, posted at 09:20, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90247

Unregistered user

Top Monkey - you are a naughty boy, trying to spoil all Rich's efforts to get away from the copywright anality :D

Does it really matter if MicroD get any Xscales?
Have you seen the date they last updated their websiet? Ooooh dear.

Top Moss, I look forward to seeing you get down at the show :D

I think it will be a very useful show for all the people down south (especially those in the south west). At least I think that's the idea...

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Marco Frissen

Message #90249, posted at 10:27, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90248

Unregistered user

Hmm.. not to be picky, but MD claims the Omega would have the XScales with 600 or 700MHz as option..
I do not see any details about these in the article (or anywhere). 400MHz is max.. So, XScale upgrades will be less powerfull, or will people have to wait (even longer).

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Anonymous

Message #90250, posted at 10:36, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90249

Unregistered user

MD also claim to be developing the Omega...

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Guest

Message #90251, posted at 10:50, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90250

Unregistered user

Well, exactly!

Omega is vaporware. I don't think it'll ever appear. It's pretty sad that a number of people are betting on it appearing.

Question: Would the platform survive without Omega/

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Marco Frissen

Message #90252, posted at 10:56, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90251

Unregistered user

Would the platform survive without the Omega.. I think it would. My bet is on RS. And look at all the nifty little gadgets out there? (100mbit,Viewfinder.. ROS select,etc).

If only more software would come available

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Guest

Message #90253, posted at 11:03, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90252

Unregistered user

For more software to become available, more users need to have RISC OS computers and be spending their money. The key reason for lots of companies dropping out of the market is MONEY - there's not enough active spenders.

MicroDigital, RiscStation and Castle Technology should be commended for their efforts.

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Richard Goodwin

Message #90254, posted at 11:17, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90253

Unregistered user

On the flip side, for people to stump up cash for hardware you have to have something worth buying. For instance, much as I like RiscStation's design I wouldn't buy a machine from them personally because I already have a StrongARM RiscPC so anything less than that is a backwards step.

For me to actually part with serious cash the hardware has to be much faster, have standard interfaces such as USB, and generally offer a lot more than what is effectively an A7000 replacement (no offence - what RS machines do they do well). Otherwise I might as well stick with what I've got, and hope someone produces the USB podule.

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Marco Frissen

Message #90255, posted at 11:20, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90254

Unregistered user

Well, what I often hear is "RiscOS, but there're no applications for it" (actually, most people refer to games.. ).
Hardware is just a box, the OS and apps make the computer.
anyways, I can't wait to get my hands on a RS notebook (if I have ever enough money for it :)), just to show off that Easywriters' M$ Word compatibility is better than any other 3rd party application on any platform .. check my column from a while back :) but I'm getting off-topic here.
XScale & RISCOS, will it ever combine (without weird emulation steps), that is my concern actually..

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Guest

Message #90256, posted at 14:09, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90255

Unregistered user

What if RiscStations Evolution were to come to market. Would you regard them as a backwards step Rich?

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Marco Frissen

Message #90257, posted at 14:35, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90256

Unregistered user

Rich

actually RS is the only party offering 'standard' interfaces like IrDA, USB .. mind you, hardware wise.. drivers status unknown.
As far as speed is concerned, I have to agree, from an SA, it should be up, not down (alas, for a notebook it's not *that* bad)

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[mentat]

Message #90258, posted at 14:46, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90257

Unregistered user

Can you quantify Evolution as 'better' or 'worse' than a RPC? I think that would be tricky.

IrDA! If only they had working IrDA on that laptop... :(

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Marco Frissen

Message #90259, posted at 15:52, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90258

Unregistered user

Hmm, the evolution seems 'just as' an SA-RPC, with some extra features.
What I *REALLY* would love to see is a firewire interface, iso this stupid "oh, I'm just another serial port" USB.
But, as with the laptop.. I guess we can wait very long for the Evo to be released (if ever.. no updates since way back in 2001)

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Richard Goodwin

Message #90260, posted at 17:21, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90259

Unregistered user

Without USB, in a few months we won't be able to connect any new peripherals to our machines. Even keyboards are all USB these days, looking at the cheapo peripheral shops online. Whether you like USB or not, it's becoming a necessity where firewire isn't.

And I knew mentioning USB would be tricky - a number of machines seem to have the ports but AFAIK no drivers for them.

The laptop is very tempting though...

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John Hoare

Message #90261, posted at 19:54, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90260

Unregistered user

Well, sorry to drag it back to the Omega, but from comments earlier - the Omega is *nearly* to market. You can argue day and night about how the rights/wrongs about the announcement, but it's nearly there!

Put it like this - if it doesn't appear, I'll literally kill myself on the front doorstep of Microdigital. And there's no getting out of that one...

*stands back and waits for flames - but friendly ones, I hope :-)*

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Guest

Message #90262, posted at 20:02, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90261

Unregistered user

Omega is a joke. Microdigital are never gonna make it. Get real, folks. This is one of the most hilarious cons of recent times.

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Guest

Message #90263, posted at 20:07, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90262

Unregistered user

John: You'll kill yourself at the front door of Microdigital? I'll bring my camera! (and my A4)

Mike

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John Hoare

Message #90264, posted at 20:18, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90263

Unregistered user

You're more than welcome to come. Actually, if it doesn't come to market I'll kill myself, and if it does come to market, I'll sacrifice a troll there instead...

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Guest

Message #90265, posted at 21:18, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90264

Unregistered user

Well, I'm 100% sure the Omega will see the light.. but I'm also 99% sure the XScale upgrade will be a long, VERY long story (IF it ever comes to it).
Has ANYONE seen it *working* with the XScale?

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John Hoare

Message #90266, posted at 21:39, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90265

Unregistered user

Well, that's a different matter...

Personally, I think the machine *will* end up working with an XScale, etc - but I'm not buying it for that, I'm buying it because I need a new RISC OS machine. If everyone decided to give up tomorrow, I'd still like to have the Omega, because it does a lot of what I want it to do a lot nicer than other systems. (Personally, that is - I'm sure it's different for other people, etc etc etc disclaimer etc etc).

And as for the other stuff, well, my summer project is to learn how to build a Linux box...

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Guest

Message #90267, posted at 22:04, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90266

Unregistered user

My current feeling about RISC OS and the future is this: RISC OS is quite a nice environment for administrating Linux boxes from. :-)

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Guest

Message #90268, posted at 22:49, 21/2/2002, in reply to message #90267

Unregistered user

Err... yeah... except a RISC OS box can't *EASILY* ssh into a typical Linux box! :)

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Guest

Message #90269, posted at 07:17, 22/2/2002, in reply to message #90268

Unregistered user

Over the past couple of weeks I've become aware that my RISC PC just isn't fast enough in some areas (mainly when it comes to manipulating large bitmaps). Although part of the problem is the IDE bus, I am really starting to feel the need for something fast. I also think that there are a lot of other people out there also waiting (but that number is probably decreasing fairly quickly).

Cheers,

Max

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[mentat]

Message #90270, posted at 09:10, 22/2/2002, in reply to message #90269

Unregistered user

"Without USB, in a few months we won't be able to connect any new peripherals to our machines."

This is a serious concern. A USB podule will help, but it's not ideal, is it?

"Put it like this - if it doesn't appear, I'll literally kill myself on the front doorstep of Microdigital. And there's no getting out of that one..."

Moss, you've really GOT to stop saying things like this!

"Has ANYONE seen it *working* with the XScale?"

Of course NOT - no-one has seen it working PERIOD.

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John Hoare

Message #90271, posted at 09:50, 22/2/2002, in reply to message #90270

Unregistered user

Well, USB is working - it's just not generally avaliable yet (I recall a post somewhere from a developer saying that he had his printer working with USB). It should be pretty soon before it's all on sale.

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