What are people doing with RISC OS on the Pi?

[polas]

Being a long term RISC OS user I think having it available on the Pi is fantastic - and has enabled me to do far more with it than I could do on my ageing hardware that it has replaced. I was wondering however, what most people are actually using ROS on the Pi for - once it is installed, you have gotten to grasps with the differences of the interface then are people using it for educational and/or every day purposes? I know there are a hardcore of users who are writing and updating software, but I am not sure how many new users we have as a result of this port.

Is there anything lacking that, specifically, reduce its usefulness in terms of educational value/appeal?

[GavinW]

I too am a long term RISC OS user. Why did I get a Reaspberry Pi?

1. Curiosity.
2. My Iyonix was bought in 2002, one of the first. It cannot run forever, so I wanted to see if a Raspberry Pi would be a feasible replacement. It is.
3. I wanted to check that RiscLua would run on the Raspberry Pi. It does.

The only RISC OS software to date that can use the ARM 11's VFP is Charm, I think. I am a bit disappointed that BASIC does not appear to have been updated, and even more that Norcroft C and ObjAsm have not. How do I produce an AOF file that uses VFP instructions? Maybe I am not uptodate about this. Cheer me up and tell me that I am wrong, somebody.

[Tirpitz]

I dreamt about having a RISC PC and my dream has come maybe partially true. Still I should find out how nice this system with very low demands could be. Really, this system is really different from any Unix like system (Linux, Mac OS X, BSD...) or Microsoft systems (Windows).
RISC OS still needs some development and bugfixing, for example USB hubs are not 100% supported, keyboard response issues are still present.

[AMcS]

The only RISC OS software to date that can use the ARM 11's VFP is Charm, I think. I am a bit disappointed that BASIC does not appear to have been updated, and even more that Norcroft C and ObjAsm have not. How do I produce an AOF file that uses VFP instructions? Maybe I am not uptodate about this. Cheer me up and tell me that I am wrong, somebody.

I've got good news for you Gavin, you're wrong...

RISC OS 5.20 (Stable) has just been announced on ROOL for Tungsten (Iyonix) and OMAP systems and about BBC BASIC (to quote) "Now includes a VFP/NEON assembler for those processors that support it.". I'll point you at https://www.riscosopen.org/content/down ... gsten-5-20 for more details

There have been over 600 changes....

RaspberryPi should be on the experimental RO 5.21 (RC11) not sure if that includes the BASIC upgrade - but I can't imagine why not!

[GavinW]

Many thanks. I was wrong about ObjAsm too. I think version 400 has had the FPU instructions for a while now.

[AMcS]

Many thanks. I was wrong about ObjAsm too. I think version 400 has had the FPU instructions for a while now.

No worries, sometimes it gets hard to keep up with things with all these changes going on !

From what I've read over on ROOL it looks as if significant progress was made in a number of area (including USB), even the abridged list of changes looks quite impressive even if it leaves out most of the other 600

[quattrocchi]

I'm trying to extract the data from my dead Iyonix. But with so far no good result. I've borrowed a Raspberry Pi model B and I have the RPi running RISC OS RC12a from an SD card, so now I need to connect the master harddrive that was in the Iyonix.

I have an ATA to USB adaptor, the psu powers my Iyonix HDD (green socket to GND) and the USB cable plugged into the RPI.
The psu has been checked OK.

My problem is that no new drive icon appears in RPi when I switch on the HDD and adaptor.
I'm familiar with RISC OS, used a RiscPC and this Iyonix for years. Now unfortunately the Iyonix won't boot up at all.
How can I get the data from the old Iyonix HDD?

Could it be that the adaptor is ATA (not ATX) to USB?

Brian

[svrsig]

You are probably better posting on the ROOL forum as the question is principally about a dead Iyonix. The drive on the Iyonix is PATA, most adaptors are now SATA (and there my knowledge ends).

[fruitoftheloom]

I'm trying to extract the data from my dead Iyonix. But with so far no good result. I've borrowed a Raspberry Pi model B and I have the RPi running RISC OS RC12a from an SD card, so now I need to connect the master harddrive that was in the Iyonix.

I have an ATA to USB adaptor, the psu powers my Iyonix HDD (green socket to GND) and the USB cable plugged into the RPI.
The psu has been checked OK.

My problem is that no new drive icon appears in RPi when I switch on the HDD and adaptor.
I'm familiar with RISC OS, used a RiscPC and this Iyonix for years. Now unfortunately the Iyonix won't boot up at all.
How can I get the data from the old Iyonix HDD?

Could it be that the adaptor is ATA (not ATX) to USB?

Brian

You need a mains powered ""ATA/PATA to USB"" Adaptor, the RPi does not supply enough USB power to spin up the Drive

[blachanc]

You need a mains powered ""ATA/PATA to USB"" Adaptor, the RPi does not supply enough USB power to spin up the Drive

Or use a standard powered USB hub between the PATA/USB adapter and the PI. Probably easier to find & cheaper...
This is what I use with USB drives on the "B"
Ben

[JdavidSM]

I was new to both ROS and Linux when I got my Pi, and ROS wins hands down. Actually I like it better than Windows for that matter. So far I've been having fun just exploring the new OS. I'm not much of a programmer, but I dabble a bit in Basic so I intend to learn the specific differences of the BBC version. I have also been working with Draw and Variations. My only modern PC is a mini notebook with a very small screen so the Pi hooked up to a larger HDTV is a much better option for picture viewing. Getting what I would call intermediate level info about Risc Os is a bit difficult. This would be between "Welcome to Risc Os" and the programmer's guide. Of course if one has a specific question you can ask on forums such as this, so as long as I'm typing anyway- How do I go about changing the default app to use when opening a data file? Eg... opening JPEGs with Private Eye instead of SwiftJpeg?

[quattrocchi]

Thanks for the helpful replies.
I'll have to get an appropriate adapter then.
Brian

[GavinW]

By ensuring that Private Eye is seen by the filer rather than SwiftJpeg. When you open a directory for the first time RISC OS will execute the commands in the !Boot files of the applications in it if they have not already been run - alternatively your Boot sequence may filer_boot some applications (see the Boot file in $.!Boot.Choices.Boot.Tasks if there is one). These commands generally set system variables. The variable Alias$@Runtype_c85 (&C85 is the filetype for JPEGs) will determine what happens when you doubleclick on a file of type JPEG. Both Private Eye and SwiftJpeg set this variable to themselves when they are filer_booted.
Sorry if this sounds a bit garbled. Different users have different habits: which applications, if any, they set up to be filerbooted at start up, which ones they use by double-clicking on the application's icon when they need it, and so on. I guess this flexibility makes the learning curve steeper, but it is worth it in the end .

[JdavidSM]

Thanks for the reply GavinW. If I follow correctly, it sounds like the simplest thing to do (from the noob perspective) is to add PE to the run at start up list, or run it manually before opening a JPEG file. As far as delving into the lower levels of ROS, I think I'll burn an image onto another card dedicated to experimentation first.

[baantonia]

Gradually updating some software I wrote back in 1998 for the RiscPC to imitate Inetd used in Linux servers. Requires two modules which have been rewritten for 32 bit, one to manage Wimp Pollwords the other to manage Asynchronous Sockets which in turn updates the associated tasks Pollword. I have also been using a Gertboard, communicating to its SPI AtoD converter via another module. Eventually the aim is to be able to access the SPI AtoD information via a network, possibly using an Android APP, but this last part is still a long way off!

[DavidS]

For me I do my graphics stuff, hobby programming, AirGun ballistics calculations, web browsing, etc. My RPi is usualy my main computer, and RISC OS is the only OS I use on the RPi.

I enjoy the simplicity of ARM assembly, and have since my first A310, I also enjoy BBC BASIC V. I love how simple the RISC OS API is including the super simple WIMP API.

And overall using RISC OS makes being productive so much easier than with other Operating Systems. Just the entire metaphore of RISC OS and the WIMP makes it so much easier to do so much.

[Hypatia]

Nuffin yet!
Still try yo figure out how to manage with only two mouse buttons and get on to the internet with wifi.

[dfeugey]

with only two mouse buttons

This part is easy. Many tools can remap keys to mouse buttons. I use one on my Lapdock.

and get on to the internet with wifi.

You need a Wifi to Ethernet converter. There is no other solution. It's available for 20-40 Euro, depending of models.

[DavidS]

Nuffin yet!
Still try yo figure out how to manage with only two mouse buttons and get on to the internet with wifi.

Are you sure you only have two buttons? Most modern Mouses (correct plural for computer mouse) have the third button under the scroll wheel, so that pushing down on the scroll wheel middle clicks.

[DaveW75]

What am I doing with RISC OS on the Pi?

I intend to make some games - something to pass the time.

Notwithstanding what DavidS said in response to an earlier post of mine, it's a bit demotivating that hardly anyone is making new games for RISC OS, or so it would appear.


David.
--

[DavidS]

What am I doing with RISC OS on the Pi?

I intend to make some games - something to pass the time.

Notwithstanding what DavidS said in response to an earlier post of mine, it's a bit demotivating that hardly anyone is making new games for RISC OS, or so it would appear.


David.
--

I must agree that it is a bit disheartening that the RPi has not brought more to RISC OS. In the time before the release of the RPi, and shortly after its release everyone was buzzing about the perfect low cost RISC OS computer, now things have calmed to a near whisper.

I think that RISC OS may need a new killer app (likely a game that will blow anything on Raspbian out of the water), in order to get peoples attention back.

Though the same seems to have happened with the Bare Metal programming (a lot of fuss for a while, and now barely a whisper in comparison).

[GavinNY]

I must agree that it is a bit disheartening that the RPi has not brought more to RISC OS. In the time before the release of the RPi, and shortly after its release everyone was buzzing about the perfect low cost RISC OS computer, now things have calmed to a near whisper.

I feel a bit more positive about things than this. I think things are happening. Whether it's brand new software, new printed books, new people trying it out for the first time... I think the decline in users has certainly stopped and RISC OS is now growing again.

[anthonybartram]

I am working on new games, a synthesiser/sound module and also trying to understand how to improve RISC OS.

In the meantime, whilst I develop on the Raspberry Pi, I also support Overlord running on other hardware such as Virtual Acorn. This is a video showing Overlord running on Virtual Acorn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRjs32-ARS4

Tony