As a follow-up to my previous message, I got no really new info at the
RiscOS 99 show on Saturday, only a few reasons why certain things are
delayed, so the situation is much as I suggested before.

In our case we still need a Peanut (or some other RiscOS portable) as an
upgrade from the A4 ASAP. Assuming that comes through in the next few
months (if not, we may be phasing off the platform) we would look to
upgrade from our present hardware with the PCI version of the RiscStation
or the Imago board next year.

Meanwhile, for those who want new hardware now, there are currently the
233MHz StrongArm, the 7500, the Mico, and the networked and 'lite'
versions of the RiscStation to choose from.

Overall, the RiscOS 99 show was well attended on the Saturday when I was
there. Indeed, the platform seems remarkably resilient considering the way
that Acorn Computers Ltd dumped it last year. If anything, there are too
many new varieties of RiscOS hardware coming out for the fairly limited
user base to support them all. Hopefully, the end result of all these
companies' promotion will be to grow the market. 

Tony  

On 25 Oct, Tony Beaumont <triffid@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> On 24 Oct, Stephen Crocker <crok@hermes.cam.ac.uk> wrote:
> > Since many people are hoping to replace their RiscPC motherboards with Imago
> > next year (myself included), I trust that someone is working on a kernel for
> > it.  Also, what is happening about machines like the Mico and RS7500?

> There's a fairly up-to-date assessment of the situation in the latest
> issue of "Archive" which arrived on Saturday. As I understand it, the Mico
> and 7500 are here, and the first versions of the RiscPC are virtually
> here, but not the one that uses PCI which is still coming 'soon'. The
> Imago board is also in the 'soon' category. There may be later news at the
> RiscOS 99 show at Epsom this coming weekend. 

> The one I would need right now is the Peanut portable, which has gone
> ominously quiet, despite the fact they were flashing a prototype around 18
> months ago. Meanwhile we are still using the A4 and will have to go on
> doing so - and making sure that whatever we do in RO4 on our desktop
> machines is capable of being worked on with the A4 also.

> Which will hold us back technically, and in the long run may be what
> forces us off the RiscOS platform if Peanut (or some other updated
> portable) does not materialise in the reasonably near future.

> Tony