Nigel Willmott <nwillm...@blueyonder.co.uk>

The RO situation once again looks bleak. I haven't been around for
most of the last 10 days, but on re-entering the RO universe, I find
that one of its last real-world users is jumping ship and its only
serious developer of major new applications is taking time out.

FF2 keep me on board when I was considering quitting before Xmas, but
now that it is to remain a work in progress, without full
functionality being added (bookmarking, save page etc), it looks as if
once again I'll have to consider selling the Iyonix on eBay and buying
a cheaper and more capable machine at PC World with the proceeds.

So one last effort. It seems that what we lack is mechanism to link
users (ie non-programmers) who want to support continued development
with developers who might want to do it (given the market doesn't do
it).

I have no obvious answer, but in the spirit of "think not what Risc OS
can do for you, but what you can do for Risc OS", here's what I am
willing to do to support continued development:

1)  Fund small but significant developments by donation (up to a
couple of hundred quid, say), if they provide me with useful
additional functionality - along with other users if more, but not
massively more, costly.

2)  Underwrite more significant work (with others) so it takes some of
the risk off developers on larger projects.

3)   Invest in a more conventional commercial fashion on larger
developments, subject to a reasonable business model.

4)   Input whatever I can to projects in terms of user requirements,
testing, documentation, promotion and support.

I have no time, inclination (or talent) to get involved in programming
per se.

Naturally I'm interested in supporting things which are useful to me
(though I'm willing to support other applications important to the
platform but not much use to me - eg Artworks).

They must also work on the Iyonix, because that's what I use, but most
applications software works or can be made to work across hardware
platforms.

Here's what I would be interested in supporting, in descending level
of importance. I presume others would be similarly interested, if with
different priorities.

1)  Adding the missing functionality to FF2 (bookmarking, save page,
cut and save text, printing directly or indirectly, at a minimum -
being able to display a £ sign would be nice too and being able to
recognise a Shoutcast file and stream it).

2)   Work on plug-ins, particularly a Realplayer using the freely
available sources at https://helixcommunity.org/   (Realplayer in UK
tell me this is the way to develop a player on a minority platform).

3)    Continued development of Arm (particularly Iyonix) Linux - one
way of providing missing applications on the same machine. (Porting
would be better but ...)

4)   A driver for an internal modem in the Iyonix - not bothered what
the modem is, but desk space and sockets are at a premium here.

5)   An updated PIM ... Thunderbird looks (looked?) interesting, but
interfacing/integrating Messenger and Organizer would be an option
too.

6)    A multi-media front end that integrates the capabilities we
already have - Stream (internet radio), Amplayer, Music Man, ROTunes,  
spc (podcasting), Digital CD, DVD-Burn are all there, but using them
(Music Man excepted) is not always intuitive or user-friendly,
particularly when transferring from one medium to another.

7)    Voip.

8)     Webcam application.

How to get from A to B ...  well obviously it depends on people being
willing to sign up either to do the work or support it. (A private
email if this is too public?). Perhaps then an email group or a
website to float project proposals - either developers seeking backers
or users wanting particular applications.

I know each one involves major problems, but if, in the spirit of
Netsurf, we can form small teams of collaborators (developers and
supporters), maybe we can progress on at least some of them.

Worth a try ...

Nigel

(Off to watch the football now - another case of hope over
experience!)