Well, not literally; the group is going nowhere!
The next meeting of the RISC OS User Group of London (ROUGOL) will take place on Monday, 18th November, and will be a group discussion about the options for using RISC OS on the move.
Like many operating systems, RISC OS was originally designed for desktop computers, but the world of computing has changed, and being able to use a computer while out and about is now a basic requirement of any platform. Acorn recognised this all the way back in 1992, when they released the A4 – the only portable RISC OS computer they ever released (although they did look at other options further down the line).
Since the closure of Acorn, other solutions have appeared that allow RISC OS to be used away from the desk: Emulators such as RPCEmu and VirtualAcorn and VirtualRiscPC which allow Windows and Linux-based laptops to be used as RISC OS machines; ARM-based pseudo laptops, with a Raspberry Pi connected to a mobile unit that provides screen and keyboard, such as the Atrix Lapdock, or the Pi-Top which is designed for the purpose; and more recently the operating system ported to the PineBook, a real ARM-based laptop.
A number of these various solutions will be available at the meeting for attendees to look at and try out, and they may even have internet access through the various WiFi solutions that can be used with RISC OS until the operating system itself gains proper support for wireless connectivity.
The group will be looking at these portable options in order to compare their strengths and weaknesses in various areas: Size and weight, for example; a smaller machine is going to be lighter and easier to carry around, but there’s a trade off against screen and keyboard size. And then there’s the battery – a larger machine is likely to have room for a bigger battery, capable of holding more charge, but on the other hand, a low-power platform might still make good use of a smaller battery.
To participate in this discussion, and get a look at some of the options available for taking RISC OS on the road, you need to head for:
The Blue-Eyed Maid,
173 Borough High Street,
London,
SE1 1HR.
Commencing at 7:45pm, the meeting will take place in the restaurant upstairs, which serves a range of Indian and English dishes, as well as both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
It is easily accessible by public transport, situated between and a short walk from Borough and London Bridge tube stations, either of which are only short hops from other main stations.
If you need help finding the venue, or for any other information, ROUGOL can be reached by email, via Twitter, or by telephone on 07970 211 629.