Plus a new version of rRaw. PhShpLyrs is an application from Anton Reiser that makes it possible to pull the image and individual layers from a Photoshop PSD file and save them as a RISC OS-native image format. There are some limitations as to the type of PSD file, but when such a file is loaded into the application it allows the main image and any layers to be saved as sprites (with a full alpha channel). It’s also possible to wrap all of the layers (though not the main…
Read MoreCategory: Software
20th birthday update for PIC suite
If you are designing or developing a piece of hardware and need to use a microcontroller, you will need a way to program it. There are many tools to do this available for other platforms (x86 in particular) – but there is also a solution for RISC OS users in the form of Rob Sprowson’s PIC suite. PIC Suite is a set of applications that make it possible to develop for Microchip’s range of 8-bit PIC microcontrollers, and it has reached its 20th birthday. To coincide with this, Rob has…
Read MoreAMCOG Games compilation now available from Elesar
With a growing catalogue available from AMCOG Games, it should come as no surprise to anyone that there would eventually be some kind of compilation available – and that has been the case since this year’s Southwest Show, when the company began selling a CD featuring their first five games. The individual games continue to be available via !Store, but if you wanted to buy them as a compilation, on CD, the main way to do so has been to pop along to a RISC OS show and hand over…
Read MoreHigh vector builds of Aemulor now available
A couple of years ago, RISC OS Open Ltd started building versions of RISC OS with “zero page relocation” – with the memory map changed such that the kernel’s workspace that started at the bottom of the addressable memory was moved to a higher location. This was an important step for security and stability, and for the future of the operating system. However, it wasn’t ever going to happen without some casualties along the way; software that in some way tried to use or access certain information held in that…
Read MoreAMCOG releases yet another new game – Protector
First launched at the recent London Show, where it could be picked up on compact disc, Protector is the latest release from AMCOG Games, and it has now been updated to version 1.17, and for a mere £9.99 can now be purchased from !Store.
Read MoreRISC OS Developments release OBrowser as a fundraising initiative
As this year’s Wakefield Show drew near, news emerged of a new company – RISC OS Developments Ltd – formed by R-Comp’s Andrew Rawnsley and Orpheus Internet’s Richard Brown, with an extra theatre slot set aside for Richard to explain why the company was set up, what it’s purpose is (to a certain extent; full details were, and still are, subject to a non-disclosure agreement), and how people could help. A video of that talk is on YouTube:
Read MoreNews nybble: R-Comp launching NetFetch 5 at London
May also result in a new version of NetFetch 4. Tomorrow’s London Show will see the launch of a significant new version of R-Comp‘s NetFetch, which brings with it greater support for modern email security standards and protocols – SSL/TLS, SPF-checking, and so on. There have also been improvements to performance, stability, and other aspects of the software, including a major update to the main Hermes module. NetFetch 5 is priced at £30 (£20 to upgrade) plus P&P for a copy on CD, or without P&P as a !Store download.…
Read MoreNews nybble: RiscOSM gains contour lines in time for London
RiscOSM, the mapping software from Sine Nomine that uses data derived from OpenStreetMap has gained a major new feature in time for the London Show. Towards the end of his talk at April’s Wakefield Show, Matthew Phillips mentioned that Sine Nomine were looking at adding contour lines, the data for which is now available from Ordnance Survey under an open data licence. That feature has now been added – although, being data from Ordnance Survey, that does mean it’s only for Great Britain. Upgrades to the latest version, supporting contour…
Read MoreNews bit: Soft Rock Software launching ‘Collection’ at London Show
Available on CD or USB flash drive, the Soft Rock Software Collection will be available for £10.00 (normal price £15.00)
Read MoreNew edition of Doom Trilogy, with some added Wolfenstein 3D
No mention of eye of newt or toe of frog. Fans of first person shooters should have a soft spot for Doom from id Software. While it wasn’t the first game of this type, it’s certainly one of the pioneer titles that helped popularise the genre, and led to a number of follow-ups and expansions. The game featured texture-mapped surfaces and varying room and level heights – a step up from the simpler Wolfenstein 3D, the previous game from the same company – as well as mood-setting MIDI music, and…
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