From: andyf@yama.uk.sun.com (Andrew Fox - Sun UK - Answer centre)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.acorn
Subject: Re: RISC OS 3.10
Date: 10 Sep 92 08:30:05 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
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Distribution: world
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References: <25723@castle.ed.ac.uk>
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jamesh@castle.ed.ac.uk (James Hammerton) writes:-
In a recent article I saw this:
>If you are running on an 8MHz ARM2 machine, I wouldn't advise that you
>rush into upgrading to RISC OS 3.10. If possible, see it working on
>somebody else's 8MHz ARM2 before taking the plunge, and make up your
>mind whether the speed is acceptable for you or not.
I'm thinking of adding RO 3.10 to my A310 (4 megs + 40 meg HD) and I
was wondering just how the new OS slows things down. I only have a
standard colour monitor so the performance in hi-res modes isn't all
that important. Does it slow the whole machine down or is it only in the
desktop that things run slowly? And just how much slower would it be?
James
In reply....
Many people writing to this group have, I feel, given a very one sided view when
talking about RISC OS 3.10 running on an ARM2 machine.
I myself have been running RISC OS 3.xx on my A310 for nearly two years now, in
the guise of various developers versions. In all that time not once have I bitched
about how slow it is.
I have now installed RISC OS 3.10 in my A310 and am more than satisfied with it.
In my opinion the new features provided far outway the marginal decrease in speed that
is exhibited.
The multi-tasking filer is very useful and has increased my productivity greatly in
circumstances where previously I had to go away and have a cup of coffee. The only
time it is a nuisance is when writing DOS disks.....it then slows this operation
down so much, it could be going backwards (even on ARM3). The solution is easy, run !Configure and turn off interactive file copying while writing to DOS disks.
Many people have also complained about how long the machine takes to start after a
CTRL-BREAK or CTRL-RESET. I would suggest that these people read the release notes
with RISC OS 3.10. They tell you of various *FX calls that will disable certain
startup tests. My A310 desktop comes up after about 4 seconds.........certainly not
the 20-30 seconds some have been suggesting (and yes I am auto-starting !Edit and
!Paint).
All in all, RISC OS 3.10 is a definite improvement, it has still got it's problems
when running certain 3rd party apps, but if you bought the package, then you'll
probably get a free RISC OS 3 upgrade.......... :-)
If I were you James, I'd upgrade now................
I mean, if you don't like it, you can always put RISC OS 2.00 back in........ ;-)
