A bit later than I was hoping, but nevertheless it's now time for Building the Dream 2. This time I'll be looking at the RISC OS sound system - everything from the terminology used, to what makes a sound, how the RISC OS sound system works, and how you can write your own sample player.
 
 

Hello and welcome to the Building the Dream, a new series of (regular!) articles at The Icon Bar in which I will be educating you in how to turn your programming dreams into reality. First off, let's get one thing clear - this isn't a beginner's course to programming, or a tutorial in a specific language. Instead it's the place to go once you've finished your programming tutorial and are wondering what to do next. If you have an idea for a program, but are confused about how to implement it, then this is the series for you, as I'll be covering everything from data structures and program design through to project management, optimisation, how to make sure your programs maintain the RISC OS look and feel, and even provide case studies of how certain well-known programs do their stuff.
 

Each week we hold up a mirror to the people of RISC OS and reflect the current topics of debate.
 
In this, the third exciting installment:

• Demo versions of software
• BBC iPlayer protests won't aid RISC OS
• Another user says goodbye

 

The latest RISC OS chat brought to you in glorious cut-n-paste-o-vision.
 
In this week's episode:

• Whatever happened to VA for Mac?
• Should developers join forces?
• A7000 puts you on hold
• Acorn Computers admit their past

 

Or: we read the newsgroups so you don't have to.
 
In this new, hopefully regular, column we collate the interesting, informative and funny comments posted on all the RISC OS web sites and newsgroups throughout the week. Our telescreens are everywhere, and we are always listening.
 
 

CJE senior dogsbody Andrew Conroy emailed with information about a Risc PC RAM deal that also helps the Firefox porting being done by a certain Mr. Naulls. Now, that might seem like slight news to warrant a whole posting to itself; but it got me thinking, and everyone knows that doesn't happen often, so hold the front page.
 

"...touched for the very first time...". When my boyfriend directed me to TIB, that was my general impression. I had wandered into a new and confusing world, where nothing would ever be the same again. Of course, when I got to know the history of Acorn and RISC OS, I realized that I wasn't a newcomer at all. Like most people of my generation in Britain, I had been introduced to computing by the mighty BBC Micro/Master, and later the Archimedes. The first operation I ever did on a computer was to play 'Dragon World' at primary school, which I remember being quite entertained by. I'd love to revisit the game and see if I still feel the same about it nearly twenty years later. At secondary school, most of my first attempts at word processing, programming, desktop publishing and working with spreadsheets were done using BBC computers, and I remember the thrill of being introduced to our school's brand new Archimedes computers at around the age of 14. By that time I had an Atari ST 520, so was familiar with the general layout of the desktop and computer itself. Sadly, though, I don't think I did a great deal on the Archimedes, which is a shame, as I've heard nothing but praise for it.
 

Coming from a school with a RISCOS background, I set myself the mission to mention RISCOS to as many program developers as possible. This year's Bett show was no exception, but this time, with surprising results.
With several Educational Software Houses using Macromedia to produce their software, the emphasis is on the Web Browser to deliver the tools. I put the development of Oregano forward as argument to some developers that RISCOS should not be ruled out. The existance of the Bush Internet TV running a version of RISCOS was another useful lever.
 
I got surprisingly positive feedback. In fact, one programmer - perhaps just to get rid of me - said that he would look into the possibility of developing a front end so that other Operating Systems (including RISCOS) could view his software. Since many software titles now have sound and graphics and universal formats, this should not require the vast amount of time that programmers may have thought necessary in the past.
 
However, we must ensure that we continue to develop our own tools. Now that the Macromedia tools are available for Linux, I hope that someone has already begun the port.
 
We could always do with a Quicktime reader, though I believe there are some problems with copyright. Talking to Kudlian, the programmer I spoke to there said that if the market was to pick up, he would definitely write for RISCOS again. In fact, much of there source code is still being written in StrongEd!
 
The problems often still arise from ignorance though. I heard of a school who were all set to install Citrix over the top of some second hand RiscPCs and A7000s, until their LEA told them that they would not finance them unles they bought Windows NT. In fact they ended up with NT workstations, so could not run much of the software anyway.
 
As users, we must not only badger the developers, but to be prepared to put our money where our mouth is and upgrade software and buy new copies as they are released.
 
The future is not as bleak as it seems, but it is not always in the hands of other people. That said, I would encourage computer users to continue to ask for RISCOS software, not just expect there not to be any.