Archive Exclusive!

ARM-based computers
Q1. In Power PC News, David Lee is reported as hinting at the immediate demise of ARM-based desktops. This contradicts what you said earlier. What is the true situation?
A1. I was present at the press conference at which this question was asked. I can confirm that David was caught off guard by the phrasing of the question. Because he had been talking about Mac OS in some detail, he did not respond to the journalist as quickly as she expected. She, therefore, took his lack of response as an implication of the negative. I can confirm that the StrongARM development for the RiscPC is well advanced. The layout of the new StrongARM card was previewed to a number of dealers (including Paul Beverley) in February and we have a group actively working on the CHRP situation.
Q2. If UK Education increasingly adopts other computers, will there be enough demand from elsewhere to fund the development of ARM-based desktop computers?
A2. If the volume of our sales were to drop, clearly this would be a problem. However, it is clear that from our new, much more aggressive licensing and sales environment, we are attracting an awful lot of attention from a number of different parts of the world. For that reason, it seems unlikely that we will halt development. (Peter himself has been to Germany and Japan recently, and a team from ART had a trip to Korea. Ed.)
In addition, it is very different from Acorn�s Group perspective. We are developing new applications for our new and emerging markets and, without suitable desktop computers that come close to the state of the art for ARM chips, we cannot provide state of the art technology.

Apple/MacOS/PowerPC
Q3. What is Acorn going to get out of Apple by using the PowerPC processor and Mac OS?
A3. From a Joint Venture viewpoint, the use of MacOS will provide access to a broader range of multimedia �standard� titles that otherwise wouldn�t be expected, and the CHRP platform will provide a common focus for one hardware platform capable of running both Mac applications and RISC OS applications at higher speeds than either would have experienced on their traditional hardware.
ART is in discussion with Apple about licensing a number of its technologies including its PC Card technology and its Skynet technology. Given the undoubted price performance that the Acorn Computers enjoy over any of our competitors (when looking at the cost and the end user performance), it is simply inconceivable that Acorn would stop selling and manufacturing computers for UK Education in the foreseeable future.

Portables
Q4. Can you give us any indication, please, when or if a new Acorn portable is likely to be released and what specification it is likely to have?
A4. We have two portables in an advanced stage of completion, the first is Stork which is a traditional (!?) RISC OS portable, ARM 7500 powered, A5 format with a 16-level greyscale screen, housed in a physical chassis from the Olivetti Group. We have another portable, Newspad, which was developed as part of an E.U. funded project. It is a tablet-based computer running a 32,000 colour SVGA touch colour screen, capable of running most RISC OS applications.
As part of ART�s new business strategy, we are actively marketing these two product designs, and seeking partners who wish to put them into production at a volume level much greater than any that Acorn could have justified on its own.
From a business strategy viewpoint, we are very keen to put these into production. The cost of the products to our traditional markets would be quite high in the volumes at which we have been able to sell these historically � that is why we are aggressively marketing the designs to a number of organisations around the world, with a view to securing larger orders which will justify a greater economy of scale.
The Newspad, especially, has had a very positive reaction from a wide variety of sources, and we are hoping this will go into production some time in early 1997. Both these technologies were previewed to dealers from the Acorn Centres of Technology.

Developer support
Q5. Can you assure us that you are working with all the major software houses to ensure that existing software will be upgraded to run on StrongARM?
A5. ART has a checkout program and emulator to allow any organisation to check its software compatibility with the StrongARM. We plan to release this to software houses in the next few weeks, and we will be encouraging all of them to try out their software on the StrongARM card.
Q6. How do you think software developers can be stimulated to continue with Acorn in order to allow RISC OS to survive for the next few years?
A6. As we rapidly evolve and �change Acorn� with the arrival of the Network computer, and with aggressive licensing of our technologies throughout the world, we believe that we can take a significant proportion of our existing developers with us to the �new world� to which we are moving.
It is important to understand that it is paramount to Acorn that it makes sure it has substantial software developing communities around it. From an ART perspective, it is vitally important that, as well as the exciting hardware, we have a whole range of software to run on it. So we will be making sure that those developers that are close to Acorn will be looked after � as well as those producing educational titles.

Platforms
Q7. When can we expect to buy an Acorn badge PowerPC platform computer? Will it be possible to have both an ARM processor and an Intel Chip alongside the PowerPC?
A7. We do not yet have a date for the sale of a PowerPC machine with a StrongARM Processor. Because of the physical nature of the requirement to plug processors, typically, on processor cards into a motherboard, it is too early to say what the final packaging will have. It is certainly technically feasible to have a machine with a StrongARM, PowerPC and an Intel alongside it. The software issues are fairly significant!
Q8. Will it be possible to have both CHRP and RISC OS alongside the Apple Machine?
A8. CHRP supports the PS2 mouse interface and therefore 1, 2 or 3 button mice can be connected into it.

Operating systems
Q9. Which operating system will be used by the JV?
A9. As far as we are aware, the JV will be using Mac system 7, RISC OS 3.6 and Microsoft Windows for the respective platforms and/or Windows NT for its servers.
Q10. Will the Mac Operating System ever support some of the concepts of RISC OS?
A10. From our discussions with Apple engineers, it is clear that there are many aspects of their future operating system, Copeland, that overlap with the original plans for the RiscPC and RISC OS. It is also clear that the technologies in SkyNet further close the gap between the two operating systems. All operating systems evolve over time especially as new paradigms and applications come to the fore. How, why and where these things will change we do not know.
Q11. When do you think a Java compiler will be available for RISC OS?
A11. The Network Computer Division is working on supporting a wide range of different technologies including Java. Since the network computer runs a version of RISC OS, we would hope that it would not be too long. For commercial and contractual reasons, I cannot give a date.
Q12. When do you expect the new version of RISC OS to be generally available for existing RiscPCs?
A12. We plan to produce a major new version of RISC OS to support the StrongARM card, and it is likely that when the StrongARM card is released, hopefully by Q3 of this year, that the supporting operating system update will be released as well.
Q13. Will there be a RISC OS 4?
A13. As already stated, there will be a new version of RISC OS to support the StrongARM. Further development continues on Skynet, which adds a number of major new features such as time code support.

Voice recognition
Q14. Voice recognition � How long away do you think voice recognition is?
A14. Command-and-control voice recognition, controlling 2-300 words is available today. Free ranging speech input is probably about 2 or 3 years away. It is therefore highly likely that, before the end of the decade, we will be experiencing voice input computers.

What�s in a name?
Q15. Why has ART changed its name from �Applied Risc Technologies� to �Acorn Risc Technologies�?
A15. This has happened as a result of the very substantial relationship created by Oracle�s decision to commission Acorn to produce reference designs for network computers. We felt that we had a rare opportunity to reassert the Acorn name on the World stage.
Our strategy up to that point in time, of moving Online Media and ART away from the Acorn Education name, seemed appropriate in the absence of the Oracle agreement and the absence of the Joint Venture. However, given the very large amount, and substantial level, of marketing that we expect Oracle to do in relationship to Network Computers, and the need to give the JV a new name, we decided to re-emphasise the Acorn name for the group and hence obtain maximum benefit for all of the divisions.

Effects of the Oracle project
Q16. How much, if any, of the Oracle related software development are we likely to see fed back to current RISC OS users?
A16. It is hoped that a very significant proportion of the technology that appears in the Oracle Network Computer will be available to RISC OS users. Because of the engineering and commercial issues, we cannot, today, specify what and when, but it is the belief of all people within Acorn that this will undoubtedly provide a major assistance to the traditional RISC OS user base.
Q17. Are we ever likely to see an Oracle box compatibility which will allow Oracle�s Set Top Box applications to run on a RISC OS Computer.
A17. It is too early to say, but given the fact that the first release of a Network Computer will be running a version of RISC OS, there seems to be no fundamental engineering reasons why that would not be possible. However, there may be licensing and marketing issues which could prohibit such a situation.
Q18. As an academic in a University that uses the Web extensively, when will I be able to have a Network Computer from Acorn?
A18. It is inappropriate for Acorn to comment on the release of Network Computer products from Oracle, as it is their decision as to the launch program. However, given Acorn�s role, clearly we have potential time-to-market advantage in producing such a product, and Larry Ellison of Oracle Corporation is quoted as saying that he plans to put these products on sale by the third quarter of 1996. We cannot possibly comment!

Publishing
Q19. Do you plan to major in the publishing arena?
A19. ART has decided not to major on the professional publishing arena. We will, of course, support all users that we have within this domain, but it is clear that the effort involved in this niche market, and the rewards gained, are insufficient, relative to the opportunities that now present us because of our new, more aggressive licensing strategy.

Floating point
Q20. There is an alleged new floating point emulator. Will it be available to RISC OS users?
A20. There is no fundamentally new floating point emulator. However, a lot of discussions have taken place within Acorn and ARM, especially in the context of StrongARM, as to how to improve floating point capability in the absence of a hardware floating point unit. We are actively looking at this situation at the moment, but do not have a specific strategy for external discussion.

Availability of C++
Q21. As a result of Acorn Education�s partnership with Apple, and the requirement for multi-platform development, it is assumed that C++ will be used. Will Acorn/ART be more committed to C++ as a result of this?
A21. We have always planned to use C++ wherever practical and on the arrival of the C++ compiler from ARM, it will be moved to RISC OS as quickly as we can achieve it. We are currently dependent upon ARM for the release of the compiler.
The Class Libraries debate is an interesting one. The size of code created by some of the class library systems is at odds with the performance that we wish to achieve in a number of different application areas. Because of its emotive nature, several pages could be dedicated to the discussion of C++ Class Libraries.
It is sufficient to say that there are different protagonists with different views on this. We will, undoubtedly, support a C++ compiler and some class libraries, but a strategy of blindly following Microsoft�s lead, does not seem logical to us, especially within the wider views of licensing our technology to a variety of people, and Oracle�s intending strategy.