This is a fairly brief introduction to the issue. If your question isn't answered below than it is well worthwhile going to the Acorn Emulation Pages which cover this subject in some detail. The URL is :-
http://www.cybervillage.co.uk/acorn/emulation/
PC :- The Archimedes can handle DOS discs (720k; the A5000 and later models can also handle 1.44M floppies). In RO3, this is built in, under RO2 you have to use one of the (PD) utilities. There are two PC (software) emulators that can handle most PC software, three if you count the fact that Acorn's offering is split into two emulator programs. There are also PC cards, containing an 80x86 processor and other PC hardware, which uses the Archimedes' disc and video. All emulators are multitasking (and not PD). RiscPC machines, by adding a 486 processor card, can fully emulate a PC.
Unix :- Unix software can be ported (and in fact many packages already have been) with the help of UnixLib, which is PD. Memory-hungry ports, such as gcc, can be run with the aid of !Virtual (also PD). Of course if you are really desperate to run Unix software it might be advisable to buy RISCiX (only available second hand now), the Acorn flavour of Unix (suitable only for A540 or older machines), or perhaps use linux (compatible will all 32bit Acorn machines) or RiscBSD (for RiscPC machines).
Mac :- Commercial software is available that can read HFS format
discs, including hard drives and CDROMs. For floppy discs this generally
encompasses high density discs (1.44 MB format) and a limited subset of
double density (720 kb) discs. Essentially the software can read the disc
if the tracks have been laid down with constant angular velocity, rather
than constant linear velocity - which requires a variable speed drive to
work. Most Macintoshes default to CLV format discs when formatting double
density discs but some Mac software exists to override this and, in theory,
such discs are readable using the Acorn software. To be sure that the
double density disc is a CAV format disc, then formatting it first in your
Acorn machine is a good step and the disc will then work with Macintosh
machines. Also most modern Macintoshes can, like Acorn machines, read and
write PC format discs so transfer is possible via that medium as well. There
is no Mac emulator available natively. However if you have a PC card in
your RiscPC it is possible to run Executor 2.0 under the PC Emulation to
then emulate a Mac. However this approach is likely to be fairly slow.
A shareware application called ExMac is available from http://www.ehorizon.demon.co.uk/down.htm which will allow you to read, write and format Apple Mac discs under RISC OS.
Atari ST :- Like PC floppies, the Archimedes can read, write and format ST-format floppies. An Atari emulator is available, called STem, which is of limited utility is currently under development and improvement.
Amiga :- The amiga uses an unusual disc format that is not easily read by other machines. Accordingly there is currently no Amiga format disc reader available. But Amiga's can read PC and Macintosh format discs, so again transfers can occur via that medium. There is one Amiga emulator available, a port of the Unix Amiga Emulator, but it is somewhat CPU intensive and really requires a StrongARM to be useful.
Spectrum :- There are emulators around for this and Amstrad, the owners of the Sinclair copyright, have released permission for the ROM images, needed to run these emulators, to be copied and released with the emulators.
Apple][ :- Again emulators are available for this. However they, like the Spectrum emulators, require a copy of the ROM image to work. The copyright of the ROM image for these machines, as far as I am aware, prevents them being distributed, so you have to source your own copy of them.
BBC B :- Once again emulators exist, including Acorn's own effort of 6502Host. The emulators are fairly good, offering a high level of compatibility. See question 8.3 for more details about two commercially available emulators. Also various programs do exist that allow the newer Acorn machines to read BBC B format floppy discs.
GameBoy :- An emulator exists for this, capable of loading and using most snapshots with sound correctly emulated. Snapshots seem to be fairly freely available on the Internet and a search in any of the more capable search engines should quickly turn up a set of sites with downloadable snapshot images.
Amstrad CPC :- Emulators exist for these machines and Amstrad & Locomotive Software have given their permission for the ROM images, needed to make them work, to be freely distributable with the emulators.
The short answer is, yes.
Macintosh :- A BBC BASIC environment was released some years back as a commercial product featuring compatibility with a limited subset of OS_Bytes and other features for limited compatibility with a BBC Model B.
IBM Compats :- A version of BBC BASIC exists for these machines.
Older versions have provided an inbuilt BASIC editor, limited OS_Byte support,
some OSCLI commands and CGA standard graphics. Exactly what the latest version
supports I don't know, but to find out (and obtain a version of the software)
contact :-
M-Tec Computer Services, The Market Place, REEPHAM, Norfolk, NR10 4JJ, United Kingdom. Tel. (+44) 1603 870620 Fax. (+44) 1603 870436
Officially, no. Unofficially there is a patch that enables the Emulator to run fairly well. Unfortunately the patch does not correctly enable the break key; however, it does substitute the Scroll Lock key, so you can reset the emulator easily from inside the emulator. On a StrongARM equipped RiscPC you need to disable all but the instruction cache while running the emulator. (An '*Cache I' will do this.) Here is the patch :-
REM >HostPatch REM RISC PC !65Host patch REM Obtained from comp.sys.acorn.games REM Provided by tim@spodnet.org (Tim Gladding) REM of Cambridge, England REM Tweaked to substitute ScrollLock for Break REM by arcsalt@spuddy.mew.co.uk (Darren Salt) SYS "OS_File",5,"<65Host$Dir>.!RunImage" TO t,,,,len DIM data len SYS "OS_File",255,"<65Host$Dir>.!RunImage",data FOR ptr=0 TO len-4 STEP 4 word=data!ptr CASE word OF WHEN &E3520402, &E2600402, &E3510402: data?ptr=&05 WHEN &13A0000F: data?ptr=&0E: REM key code for ScrollLock ENDCASE NEXT ptr SYS "OS_File",10,"<65Host$Dir>.!RunImage",&FFA,,data,data+lenIt is a BASIC program - simply enter it into the BASIC editor of your choice, let the filer see the copy of 65Host that is to be patched and run it. A copy of the 65Host emulator can be found on the Acorn FTP site.
There is also a commercially available BBC emulator, called 6502Em, available that works on the RiscPC range and boasts improved compatibility, mostly with games, over the Acorn effort. It also is StrongARM compatible. Contact Warm Silence Software for details.
Yes, a utility called BeebDos exists which claims to provide reading and writing of BBC B format discs. It is a commercial program and was sold by :-
MicroBoss Ltd, Business Orientated Software Systems Telephone: 01255 671095 (Uk number) 3 Hadleigh Road, Frinton on Sea, Essex, CO13 9HG.Unfortunately I am unaware if they currently still sell the program or not.
For the more recent ADFS format discs the shareware disc editor ANADISK will cope with ADFS format discs, up to F format. This does not provide a filing system, but rather allows sectors to be pulled off the disc and saved as a file. Disc map and root directory information is stored at the middle of the disc, on track 40. Generally this is useful only for emergency measures when you really need that data stored on an ADFS format disc.
This depends on the extension.
Presented below is a list of common file extensions and the software that, in some way, handles the file. It is recommended, especially for commercial software, that you verify that software will indeed perform the functions you require on the file format. This list is intended as a starting point to give the reader a pointer towards suitable software, nothing more.
N.B. This list is primarily for programs that convert foreign file formats into Acorn usable data - not the other way round. Some programs listed will export as well as import but this is by no means guaranteed.
Yes. Oak released a program called Oak-Draw for Windows. This program
can load, save and manipulate Acorn Draw format files in the Windows
environment.
The commercial program CorelXara can also load and manipulate Draw files.