RISC OS 4 Software Compatibility

WARNING!!!!

 The software here has only been tested on the developers beta flash ROM version of RISC OS 4. As bugs are being fixed on a daily basis, it is quite likely that any faulty software listed here will be fixed before the July 1st launch date.

Please, do not contact RISCOS Ltd over the contents of this website as it delays their progress on our operating system due to answering questions about the programs and reports here. For enquiries regarding the content here, please, contact me.

For the most up to the minute information on software, please refer to the RISCOS Ltd website

I have not attempted to detail any speed increases as they would be rather pointless without giving the source files used to test the programs with!

If I've missed an application you're desperate to know if it works, then please don't hesitate to contact me and ask. Remember though, if I don't have it, then I can't test it.

The programs have been tested in the following ways.

  1. Do they load up or just winge off and die somewhere or kill the system
  2. Do they still work on previously used files
  3. Can data loaded still be editted and saved
  4. What restrictions do the current versions have and will they be updated

The real answer to the second part of (iv) is that it is up to the companies themselves. Unless they've 100% left the RISC OS market (such as Computer Concepts), then approaching the company themselves should do the trick.

The layout is like this

Application name Version Loads Dies Works Saves Faster Notes
Impression Publisher+ 5.13 Y N Y Y Y 10 chars max

with the company name before the start of the table.

While these tests are by all means exaughstive, they do go a long way to asking what is compatible with our new operating system.

PLEASE NOTE

The software tested here may not be the most up to date versions - please check the version number before moaning that Software xxxx is said not to work when the version I tested is version wwww - i.e. a version before xxxx.

The version number is stated as not everyone has the most up to date pieces of software on their machines. I only keep about 5 programs (commercial ones) up to date on my machine, the rest were either obtained as final versions (e.g. ArtWorks) or I've never upgraded (e.g. PhotoDesk2)

This document details all the applications I currently have (or have access to) and describes the behaviour under RISC OS 4.

I have been asked to point out that the spec on my RPC is not the ideal spec for testing on (it is a RPC700 SA (rev S), 160Mb DRAM, 2Mb VRAM, SCSI2 card and a pile of other nice bits on - the more typical spec would be around 16Mb of DRAM, 1Mb VRAM etc). This may lead to some problems with applications.

Download the new tests

The rest of my testing has been put into two sets of results - commercial and non commercial (though there may be some mix over).

Click here for the commercial results and here for the (mostly) non commercial software.

I should here thank Roy Heslop at CTA Direct and Martyn Pemble at University of Salford for providing both RISC OS 4 and the money to get it!

Please choose from one of these......

This document was created using TechWriterPro+ from Icon Technology (v6.01+) and gently altered using StrongEd (4.60).

Last updated, 12th August 1999

This site has nothing to do with RISCOS Ltd, though they do have a full set of the results obtained for both software here and software yet to be published here.

To ensure that all details are correct, RISCOS Ltd have asked that they can check my results before publication. I have agreed to this.