There's probably something not right in the table setup there. Told Microdigital about it right away.

Too bad the site renders horribly on Internet Explorer 5.5, Netscape Communicator 4.75 AND Opera 5.11 on Windows but seems fine on an old Fresco (1.72) and Oregano 1.10 (demo version)

There's probably something not right in the table setup there. Told Microdigital about it right away.

Having investigated the code a tad further, I'm convinced they are using some sort of
Frontpage/Dreamweaver type package to create the site with and are simply
removing the giveaway meta tags that such programs insert.

Dreamweaver doesn't break code like this and Front Page is impossible to clean up. You're right about some crappy WYSIWYG tool though, no human would put all that rubbish in - maybe it was Front Page. OTOH, tags are mixed upper/lower case, which betokens hand-crafting. Maybe they created an outline page on a PC and cloned/hand-crafted each actual page with a RISC OS HTML editor?

[Edited by guy at 17:43, 25/10/2001]

Anyway, does anyone know what this is all about???:

Anyone know how this SBPC (which, for £600 doesn't even come with the PC processor) of theirs is supposed to go about offering windows compatibility? One presumes that it can't possiblly allow similar functionality to the RiscPC/aleph1 solution that we know (and love?)?

See http://www.microdigital.co.uk/UPSBPC.HTM

All this speculation about how they created such a mess is fine, but the end result is .. a cheesy unprofessional mess full of gramatical errors.

Anyway, does anyone know what this is all about???:

Anyone know how this SBPC (which, for £600 doesn't even come with the PC processor) of theirs is supposed to go about offering windows compatibility? One presumes that it can't possiblly allow similar functionality to the RiscPC/aleph1 solution that we know (and love?)?

See http://www.microdigital.co.uk/UPSBPC.HTM

I don't see the problem - it is expensive, but why are people doubting it can run Windows (like the PC Card?)

As to their PCI PC card, in some ways it will be far better than the RiscPC PC card in that it will allow the use of a reasonable specced PC.
The drawbacks it has are the extortionate price and the fact that it single tasking.
I think.

[Edited by TheDoctor at 21:54, 25/10/2001]

I don't see the problem - it is expensive, but why are people doubting it can run Windows (like the PC Card?)

As to their PCI PC card, in some ways it will be far better than the RiscPC PC card in that it will allow the use of a reasonable specced PC.
The drawbacks it has are the extortionate price and the fact that it single tasking.
I think.

Exactly. I think so too, but I just don't know. Presumably they haven't written some flash software that makes it multitask a-la aleph1 stylee so then what? Do you have to re-boot the machine each time? How would you partition the harddisc? Do you have to plug a keyboard and mouse into it directly? How how how what? Hmm....

"...plans for a Linux port for the Omega sometime early in the new year 2002"
mm... hope that's not counting from 2 AD.

2 AD? Why?

And I was logged in enough to make both postings.

I always thought the Mico was their run-up to the Omega project - the jump between not having built a RISC OS computer and the Mico, and the Mico to the Omega, I would guess was about the same.

In Acorn User they pointed to the Mico as having two uses

1) To gain experience in building a RISC OS machine as there is no manual on the subject

2) To provide a test bed for trying out their ideas such as the lightning graphics card. This is also why they built their own (faster) bus.

The fact that they could then sell it and thus recoup some of the development costs seems to have been a bit of a bonus.

2 AD? Why?

Amusingly, the page describing their PC Card seems to have gone. Hmmm... Looks like I will never understand quite how that thing was supposed to function.

Actually, so has the pages relating to the XScale, and all other add-ons...

OK, OK, I admit it. The website is *complete* cack. What they said about it first supposed to be viewed on Acorn browsers is rubbish - some people only have access to people at work, and what if you want to impress your PC owning friends?

BUT, the computer looks cool. It should be here in a couple of weeks. And I'm sure that Microdigital can explain exactly how everything works, and works well - they aren't going to produce something that won't sell.

[Edited by andrew at 14:28, 29/10/2001]

BTW they've fixed the site

"...plans for a Linux port for the Omega sometime early in the new year 2002"
mm... hope that's not counting from 2 AD.

Why can't I edit the above post?

Amusingly, the page describing their PC Card seems to have gone. Hmmm... Looks like I will never understand quite how that thing was supposed to function.

The fact that they could then sell it and thus recoup some of the development costs seems to have been a bit of a bonus.

Yes, this is the article I was thinking of, but I couldn't remember the details.

mentat - I'll leave the thinking on that piece of hardware to everyone else then

OK, OK, I admit it. The website is *complete* cack. What they said about it first supposed to be viewed on Acorn browsers is rubbish - some people only have access to people at work, and what if you want to impress your PC owning friends?

I think MicroDigital were being ironic.

BUT, the computer looks cool. It should be here in a couple of weeks. And I'm sure that Microdigital can explain exactly how everything works, and works well - they aren't going to produce something that won't sell.

What about the Mico???

I think MicroDigital were being ironic.

If they were, I'm impressed.

BUT, the computer looks cool. It should be here in a couple of weeks. And I'm sure that Microdigital can explain exactly how everything works, and works well - they aren't going to produce something that won't sell.

What about the Mico???

I always thought the Mico was their run-up to the Omega project - the jump between not having built a RISC OS computer and the Mico, and the Mico to the Omega, I would guess was about the same.

And the Medi doesn't count, since it never had a production run and came to market.

IIRC You don't have to be logged in to make a posting, but you do if you want to edit one.

Jake - I think the phrase "What about the mico" about sums that up.

Moss - They don't answer remote queries and rarely appear at shows, so I was wondering if any of the regulars here could shed light on that mysterious piece of hardware.

Quite... which is why I asked if anyone had some inklings they could share... I guess by the lack of response that no-one does (or they're all in bed). I would email the perpetrators (M-D) but I've long since gotten wise to that mistake

Any ideas?

"moss"?

Don't ask me - I just assumed the card worked like a standard PC card, and I wasn't aware there would be any problems. I can't afford it anyway - I'd probably just buy a cheap PC, because... well, it's cheaper.