Advantage 6

One year on from when the A9home was first unveiled - it was infact sneaked into the Advantage 6 show theatre in a "makeup bag" - we see the release of the A9home.
 
CJE, who are A6's retail partners for the A9, were "so happy" with the hardware and progress, that they were confident to begin selling it at the show.
 
While A6 were disappointed that they are not yet able to totally sign-off the project - there are still niggles, not major problems, with the system, such as providing USB printing (32 bit printer drivers) and the serial port is apparently "not good".
 
So while the A9home is "not ready for everybody", it is "getting very close". People will have to be patient for the "I want everything release". The iterative beta testing programme shows there is still some work to do, but everything is "much closer each time things go out".
 

In summary:

• 6400 copies of RISC OS 4.02 sold with upgrade copies alone generating £370,000 (exc VAT) sales over the last 6 years.
  
• Over 1900 copies of RISC OS 4 supplied in new computers from Castle Technology, MicroDigital, RiscStation and Advantage 6.
  
• RISC OS 4.39 recently sold its 500th copy.
  
• Sales of Virtual Acorn add "several thousand more copies to the total number of current RISC OS users"

At the 2004 RISCOS Ltd AGM it was agreed to issue 50,000 ordinary shares. ROL will be shortly issuing these, and ask anyone who is interested in investing to contact them. (details in the Press Release) Previously, ROL shares have been sold for around £1.25 each with 50 new investors allowed each year, so this share issue has the potential to raise more than £50,000.

Money raised from the share issue will be "used to fund further development of RISC OS 4 beyond the limits of the cashflow generated by sales of RISC OS "Select" subscriptions and RISC OS "Adjust" ROMs. It will also be used to fund the development and acquisition of complimentary technologies for RISC OS."

Paul Middleton also detailed that "The full launch of the A9 computer, and then Select 4, are currently targetted for around May this year", perhaps at the Wakefield show, "and once completed attention can be focussed on the Iyonix". However, despite meeting the 100 user pledge target for Iyonix Select Paul said that "the current level of pledges is insufficient to cover the full amount of work needed. It is likely therefore that the first stage will be a limited release of features to users who have continued with their Select subscriptions and who pay a supplement."

Link:
Press Release
RISCOS Ltd
 

• Update: what we've found out about RISC OS software
• News: new IYONIX cases; Spellings Computer Services is 10; RiScript 5; Risc World DVD; new Rage PCI software; Microdigital
• Features: Acorn tat; Simon Challands talks about Elite
• Letters: developers on RISC OS, and using BASIC
• Misc: how to get in touch; Virtual Vigay goes on strike
• Music: more music by Jason Tribbeck

Links: Podcast 2 || dialup version || FTP directory