Heater wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2019 8:38 am
DavidS,
Though reasons one may consider RISC OS include:
I'm sure there are many reasons to look at RISC OS. Or any OS you are not familiar with. Maybe it does not do what you want, the way you want it, but if you are lucky there is something new to learn in what it does or how it does it.
But...
More open source than even Linux, at least now.
Is a ridiculously false statement.
A year ago I would have agreed with you, as it was restricted in its license.
Now however it is licensed under the Appache license (which is more open than the GPL).
Have you read the two licenses?
It is smaller (fewer lines of codes means easier to keep up with debugging).
Small is good. Functionality takes size.
The OS provides more functionality than Linux with X and a Dexktop Environment. So I am not sure where you are comming from on that one. Now outside of the OS there are areas where RISC OS has fallen a little behind, though these are being worked on (WiFi, Web Browsers, and the like).
And I will admit that the way we have to use the GPU and OpenGL is a bit off as we have to go arround the OS.
And yet the OS plus Windowing System plus normal command line tools plus Window Manager Plus Desktop Environment has fewer lines of code than most examples of Linux.
It is faster for most things.
Shall we have a race? I feel a new challenge coming on...
Well I think I may start a new thread in the RISC OS sub-forum here for that concept. Though before I do what are you thinking (unfortunately OpenGL is one area RISC OS has to catchup on)?
I think that identical applications, perhaps in the vein of scene demos would be the way to go.
It is different.
Different is interesting. Compatible is useful.
It is very easy to program for, regardless of your language of choice. It is actually possible for a single person to learn the entire API of the OS.
I suspect many peoples language of choice is not even available on RISC OS.
I suspect you would be surprised. We have C (up to ISO C11), C++, Lua, Charm, BASIC, Python, and many others. Only listed the ones that are very high on the list (and omited assembly for reason).
It is very easy to extend and/or modify to your needs.
If you want to use assembler I guess.
Or C, C++, Pascal, BASIC, or a great number of other languages that you can write modules in for RISC OS.
[
Builtin to the OS ROM itself is a high speed BBC BASIC V interpreter. Also there is an assembler that support ALL AARCH32 (classic ARM) opcodes.
That is neat. How do I change it to JS or Python or some such?
no need to change it. Just use Python if that is what you want. If you really want you could port NodeJS (UnixLib should provide all the needed support).
It is now more Open Source than Linux.
Yeah, right.
see above, apache is more open source than GPL. Yes it is only recently that it went full open source, though it is NOW more open source than Linux.
More well refined Educational software available do to its heritage.
No idea. Are schools today stuffed with RISC OS machines?
I think that more and more schools are using Raspberry Pi computers, yes.
Though most education should accure at home, not at school.
ALSO: Use what OS you wish. No one is saying you have to use RISC OS. These are just reasons that someone may see what RISC OS is about, and see if they like it or not.