[softwarelist] Re: OPW - Enhanced justification

In message <4ffbac795achris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Chris Johnson <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes 
rather puzzled here. I was under the impression that essentially all
the 32-bit software produced for the Iyonix was '26/32-bit neutral'
and would run on earlier machines.


You are right, "32 bit" versions are almost always 26/32 bit.
However, some users of 26 bit machines have had problems, for example with 32 bit software that requires the shared C library to be updated on 26 bit machines.
The 32 bit versions of Ovation Pro require that all applets which use compiled code are replaced by 32 bit versions.
For you and me these are trivial, but there are people who have thrown new versions in the bin as soon as the above problems appeared. 


There was quite a flurry of software development (more than simply
32-bitting) when the Iyonix first came out. I do not believe that
emulation has, of itself, brought any new software development, or
new users.


Those comments get to the nub, is emulation a good thing?
I'm sure there would be many less users of RISC OS if there were no emulators. But the proponents of emulators said there would be lots of new users of RISC OS, I don't think that has happened.
Emulation has a tendency to preserve the status quo - you can carry on using old versions of software and unlike Iyonix there is no need to improve the internal workings of RISC OS. 


ago. I see little point running old software under emulation on a
machine (PC/Mac/whatever) which has a multitude of superior native
software.


Ouch!

8-)


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David Pilling
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