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Acorn Archimedes

polomintpolomint
edited June 2009 in Chit chat
I didn't know where to post this, so I stuck it here...

I have just got hold of an Acorn Archimedes A3010, and an A4000. I'm not quite sure of the exact spec yet, but I know they both work. I will try them out over the next few days (if time allows).
Ok, the question I have is...

Is there a good resource on software development for those machines? Does anyone have any experience with ARM assembler etc, and could possibly point me in the right direction to start programming these. Is there a cross-compiler possibility with these.

I've been looking about, but everything seems to be a mess on most sites with regards to the Archimedes.


Help me pleeeeeaaasssseeee...

Thanks...

John
Post edited by polomint on
So far, so meh :)

Comments

  • WinstonWinston
    edited June 2009
    You could always try asking on Stairway to Hell, or on comp.sys.acorn.* on Usenet.
  • thx1138thx1138
    edited June 2009
    dunnot if they are still trading, but there was a shop, CJE Micros, Brighton Road, Worthing, still selling Acorn stuff in 2003/4 when I bought a new BBC from them.
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2009
    Sorry mate, I can't help at all. I only know one thing about the Archimedes, but that is well worth posting about, and it's this - the Archimedes version of Elite is supposed to be superb, so if you are/were an Elite fan than you'd probably really want to try that version.
  • polomintpolomint
    edited June 2009
    ewgf wrote: »
    Sorry mate, I can't help at all. I only know one thing about the Archimedes, but that is well worth posting about, and it's this - the Archimedes version of Elite is supposed to be superb, so if you are/were an Elite fan than you'd probably really want to try that version.

    LOL, why'd you think I got hold of them, :D

    Been dying to try ArcElite, eheheh, but thought I may as well try to write software for it too....
    dunnot if they are still trading, but there was a shop, CJE Micros, Brighton Road, Worthing, still selling Acorn stuff in 2003/4 when I bought a new BBC from them.

    Yeah, they are still trading... http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/
    So far, so meh :)
  • Matt_BMatt_B
    edited June 2009
    ewgf wrote: »
    Sorry mate, I can't help at all. I only know one thing about the Archimedes, but that is well worth posting about, and it's this - the Archimedes version of Elite is supposed to be superb, so if you are/were an Elite fan than you'd probably really want to try that version.

    Give Zarch a look too, whilst you're at it.

    Anyway, there's an interesting page on ARM assembler programming here:

    http://www.heyrick.co.uk/assembler/
  • thehivethehive
    edited June 2009
    polomint wrote: »
    Is there a good resource on software development for those machines? Does anyone have any experience with ARM assembler etc, and could possibly point me in the right direction to start programming these. Is there a cross-compiler possibility with these.

    Dunno much about the Arch but this is an excellent resource for learning about ARM assembler...

    http://www.heyrick.co.uk/assembler/index.html#01
  • ADJBADJB
    edited June 2009
    If its any help I have a few bits of archie software http://www.zxsoftware.co.uk/games.php?section=28
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2009
    This month's Retro Gamer (issue 65, Super Metroid on the cover) arrived today, and the Archimedes has a six page Retrospection in it. They list the top ten (in their opinion) games for the Archimedes as:

    1. Elite
    2. Chocks Away
    3. Twin World
    4. Technodream
    5. Tek 1608
    6. Ankh
    7. Tower of Babel
    8. Star Fighter 3000
    9. Bug Hunter in Space
    10. Hamsters

    and recommend the following sites:

    www.drobe.co.uk
    http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.sys.acorn.misc/
    www.iconbar.com/forums
    www.riscos.info/index.php/RISC_OS
  • polomintpolomint
    edited June 2009
    Thanks ADJB, and ewgf, I'll check the site out and I better go get ish65 of RG, didnt know it was out..

    Thanks again.

    John
    So far, so meh :)
  • mermanmerman
    edited June 2009
    It's in the shops tomorrow, subscribers have been getting their copies over the last couple of days... very good article.
  • WinstonWinston
    edited June 2009
    Try Oolite (Mac/Linux/Windows) if you want a newer remake of Elite in the spirit of ArcElite. (It's extensible too). http://oolite.org/
  • polomintpolomint
    edited June 2009
    Winston wrote: »
    Try Oolite (Mac/Linux/Windows) if you want a newer remake of Elite in the spirit of ArcElite. (It's extensible too). http://oolite.org/

    Yeah m8, I've been playing that for ages, :) I think I noticed it on your sig, :)
    I've downloaded the source version so that I can mess with it.. heh
    So far, so meh :)
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2009
    Winston wrote: »
    Try Oolite (Mac/Linux/Windows) if you want a newer remake of Elite in the spirit of ArcElite. (It's extensible too). http://oolite.org/

    I've been meaning to try that for ages, but I don't like playing games on a PC, I wish it was on the XBox too. Better yet, I wish the 360 had been cracked and could now run Windows, that would be brilliant - although (after I'd rushed out and bought a 360) I'd be too busy playing Deus Ex (plus mods), Unreal Tournament (+ mods), American McGee's Alice, etc, for the first few days, before I had a chance to try Oolite.

    PCs are rotten games machines, I think.

    BTW, I had to look up "extensible", as I wasn't sure if you'd meant "extendable". For anyone else, it means the same thing.

    Grrr, you can fly a plane AND you have a bigger vocabulary than anyone else here - it's no wonder Martijn's moving the forums just so you can't find them ;-)
  • zeropolis79zeropolis79
    edited June 2009
    I remember one of my IT teachers coming in at college and loading up Lemmings 2 on it. I don't know if it was the PC version being loaded in on a PC emulator type thing (they were RISC PC with StrongARM processors and if IRC, had a PC board in them too).

    My last school had PacMania on disc along wiht some weird game which saw you fly using a vacumm cleaner (you can get it on the Speccy)

    Serious programs, Impressions was a good DTP program, Pendown was good for simple word processing. ArtWorks was also a good program. There are two versions of Impressions - a standard one and I think an Elite or Pro one - it's been a long time since I used them. I think only the standard one will work on your one

    I would love to get an Archimedes for my collection though.
  • WinstonWinston
    edited June 2009
    ewgf wrote: »
    Grrr, you can fly a plane AND you have a bigger vocabulary than anyone else here

    I'm sure Philip Kendall has a bigger vocabulary than mine, though.
    But on the other hand, I can almost speak Spanish.
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