Released barely a week ago as a general spin off the software supplied with the 4té computer, intended for use by other people running RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi, an update to PiTools has been pushed out by R-Comp Interactive. The product, which began life as 4téTools on its namesake computer – itself based around the Raspberry Pi 4 – provides additional tools and configuration facilities to the computer in addition to those included in RISC OS itself.
As well as recovery tools and system protection, including added security through the inclusion of LockScreen, the suite provides options for improved monitor handling, and non-monitor handling with support for headless operation, scaling for old games, keyboard and mouse handling, and so on.
Version 1.13 includes better support for EtherUSB, aiming to improve networking experience on older models of Pi. There is also updated firmware to accommodate the latest Raspberry Pi boards, and to ensure that RISC OS is able to perform correctly on them. (As an example, according to the company, in some cases newer boards have been encountered on which RISC OS doesn’t register all of the available RAM, but the new firmware resolves such issues.)
Noting that it isn’t an intended target platform, and that installing the extra components on anything other than a Pi-based system is not recommended, the company said that a user request has also been implemented, allowing the networking window to run on the ARMSX ARMX6 and other i.MX6-based systems, to allow that system to be easily accessed remotely alongside a Pi-based system.
Users who have already purchased the software from !Store can download the new version free of charge. For those who have yet to purchase it, the price is £34.99.
