RISC OS

If you've followed my writings, you'll know I've been hoping for an open source RiscPC emulation solution, or perhaps a Linux version of VirtualRPC.  Well, the latter hasn't happened sadly, but the former has.  Or at least, it's in the process of happening.

When Tom Walker released the sources to RPCEmu, his RiscPC emulator for Windows in January, I was quickly able to turn around a port for Linux and much a bunch of other improvements - such is the nature of open source software.  Now, this Linux port is very immature, so don't go asking me for a release  All I will say is that it works, but needs lots of things done to it.  Some of its support like HostFS is taken from ArcEm work, and ArcEm has also recently gain from some other stuff Tom did. And since I won't have any time in the immediate future to do a load of work on it, I've asked the rest of the ArcEm team how they'd like to contribute.

So, that's basically it.  There's a Linux/Windows/Other OS RiscPC emulator in the works, but it's likely to be some months before it reaches any kind of polished state.  You can try out Tom's release of the Windows version in the meantime.  If you'd like to contribute, then its source is held under Subversion on riscos.info - get in touch if this interests you.

And of course top marks to Tom for doing this in the first place, and agreeing to place it under the GPL after a number of suggestions I made to him about possibilities for clarifying source ownership.