The annual RISC OS Awards poll has now been open for just over two months, and is due to be closed fairly soon.
Shortly after the poll began I moved home and didn’t properly set up any computers for quite some time, so the planned occasional review and post of the ‘alternative’ entries didn’t happen, other than one quiet afternoon when I scanned through the votes that had been received at that point and tweeted those alternative entries.
With that in mind, and the fact that the number of votes stands at only around 100, I have decided that the closing date will be Friday, 3rd May; the start of the May bank holiday weekend here in the UK, giving me the opportunity to process the votes somewhere over that weekend – and if you haven’t yet voted, it gives you two more weeks to do so!
In the meantime, it seems like a very sensible idea bring that review of the alternative votes up to date.
For best commercial software, the only alternative suggestion so far is RISC OS itself.
For best non-commercial software, the alternative suggestions are PrintPDF and PS3 jointly, Otter Browser (ported by Chris Gransden), Packman, ADFFS, and NetSurf.
Best game or diversion: Suggestions are the JASPP release of Wolfenstein 3d (which wasn’t just updated, but missing features were added), and ADFFS.
Best hardware: Suggestions are Raspberry Pi 2.2, ARMX6, and TiMachine.
Best new development: RISC OS 5.24, with the explanation that there is no need to worry about the new licence.
Best show of initiative: 4QD (for taking over and re-generating RISCOS Ltd), RiscOSM, and RISC OS Open Ltd for their permanent engagement.
Best website or online resource: RISCOSitory (which will not be counted), the RISC OS Blog, the RISC OS News Network, and Edition 3 of VirtualRiscPC in use and supplements booklets (though I would class these as publications/offline resources).
And speaking of the best publication or offline resource category: The one alternative suggestion is the ‘new’ RISCOS Ltd for providing a RISC OS 4.39 user guide.
Best show or event: GAG Treffen.
Most innovative or interesting project: RiscOSM, Recce
The best overall contrinutor category has no options, so this is a list of all the names put forward so far: Jeffrey Lee, Michael Grunditz, Jon Abbott, RISC OS Developments, Rob Sprowson, David Feugey, Ben Avison and Piccolo Systems, RISC OS Open Ltd, Thomas Milius, Bryan Hogan, R-Comp, Mark Haysman of Retro Clinic, Tony Bartram, 4QD for outstanding work on VirtualAcorn and regenerating APDL and RISCOS Ltd, Andrew Rawnsley, and last but not least… Stan Boland!
Broken cog of the year: Those people who want everything for free and abuse others via the forums, RISC OS Developments and RISC OS Open for charging for the tools people use to develop their OS, RISC OS itself for inadequate web access, R-Comp because their web ordering page still submits credit card details without encryption, R-Comp and CJE Micro’s jointly “for their dynamic online self promotion – not” and a number of suggestions that all amount to the same thing (and directly relate to that joint suggestion) – the state of RISC OS company websites and media/PR.
So, for those undecided on the options offered on the poll itself, and who can’t decide on something else to vote for, you now have plenty to choose from – get those votes in before it’s too late!