It was recently announced release of the new version of RISC OS, one of the OS designed to run on the ARM chipset. The new release offers several new features, significant changes and bug fixes.
For those who are unaware of RISC OS, you should know that this is an OS developed by Acorn Computers since 1987 and current releases are based on source code released in 2018 by RISC OS Developments (ROD) under the Apache 2.0 license. It is important to mention that the system as such for productive environments or daily tasks is not functional.
In itself, the use of this OS is recommended for those who are studying programming and the system serves perfectly as a reference to understand the structure and functions of an operating system.
What's new in RISC OS 5.30?
The new version comes after a period of management and evaluation that allowed the implementation of a large number of improvements that cover nearly 347 improvements for the application image "HardDisc4", as well as 329 improvements for the main system "ROM".
The update It has been generated for different models of the Raspberry Pi, including Raspberry Pi 3B, 3A+, 3B+, 4B, 400, Compute Module 4, Zero W and Zero 2W with Wi-Fi support. Furthermore, Ovation Pro package has been added to the build along with improved instructions for beginners. The announcement highlights that, for the first time, the OMAP5 platform has been moved to the stable category after resolving an issue that blocked the video driver.
Regarding the changes in RISC OS 5.30 Full support for SparkFS FS has been implemented on all platforms, plus the collection of apps has been updated, including a new version of the NetSurf 3.11 browser.
It is also mentioned that extensive testing has been carried out on the integration system continuous for various components and along with it Support has been removed for several components that have been declared obsolete, such as support for Internet 4, the old TCP/IP stack used before RISC OS 3.70, in various components such as HTTP, URL, remotedb components, which simplifies system maintenance.
As for profits, 7SharedCLibrary now adds support for links that allow the use of static constructors and destructors in C++ code, the application !Paint has improved by allowing the export of images in PNG and JPG formats, as well as offering improved brush painting capabilities and support for transparency, while the !Draw app now supports DXF files.
In addition to this, it is also highlighted thatA new EtherUSB driver has been added for boards such as Raspberry Pi, Beagleboard and Pandaboard, allowing the use of USB Ethernet adapters, while for Pandaboard and Raspberry Pi, HAL now supports the integrated Wi-Fi controller via the SDIO bus.
Of the other changes that stand out of this new version of RISC OS 5.30
- By default, the WimpMan module is enabled, making it easy to create desktop applications.
- The window manager now allows you to customize the color and shadows of the buttons, as well as change the panel background.
- The Tabs and TreeView gadgets are enabled by default.
- Added the ability to configure the visibility of system directories in the Filer file manager.
- The maximum RAM size has been increased to 2 GB.
- The TCP/IP stack libraries have been partially updated using code from FreeBSD 12.4, increasing the maximum number of network sockets that a single application can open from 96 to 256.
- Cookie handling has been improved in the HTTP module.
- The RMFind utility has been added to verify compatibility with TCP/IP communication.
- Support for the legacy Xerox NS protocol has been discontinued.
If you are interested in knowing more about it, you can consult the details In the following link.
Download RISC OS 5.30
For those interested in testing the system, you should know that you can obtain the image for your device In the following link.