[Virtualacorn-list] Enhancing the RISC OS experience

[ralph_valmai at ntlworld.com]

In message <gemini.k93j4r01wn7g1027s.druck at druck.org.uk>
          "David J. Ruck" <druck at druck.org.uk> wrote:

> ralph_valmai at ntlworld.com wrote:
<snip>
> 
>> But, if PC versions of valuable Linux applications could be ported in the
>> same way that I suggested for FireFox, i.e. keep most of the host code
>> and suppling ARM code only for a RISC OS compliant user interface,
>> together with i/o and screen rendering, then maybe more users could be
>> attracted and the user base increased to the point where developers would
>> become interested again.
> 
> But this hasn't and wont happen. Porting large complex Linux applications
> to RISC OS is difficult, an enourmous of extra work is needed to make them
> look and feel like RISC OS applications, and they would run far slowly
> under the emulator than natively.
> 
> A much better policy would be to enhance the ability of emulated RISC OS
> applications to share data with native applications, breaking down the
> barrier of the emulators outer frame, and allowing things such as drag and
> drop between the two enviroments.
> 
> Significant changes to the emulator and changes to the RISC OS window
> manager would be needed to achive this, but it would be far more useful
> that putting development resources in to effectively crippling non RISC OS
> applications by dragging them inside the emulator.

OK. I have overreached myself at last! And it's not surprising given 
my very limited knowledge of the programming issues involved. But I am 
so glad that you have backed up some of my off-the-cuff ideas. I hope 
that someone who matters is reading this and that action will follow. 
It would be great if just two or three of the feasible propositions 
were implemented.

Ralph

-- 

Ralph & Valmai Stevens
In leafy Epping