The K3 Keyboard Screen

Posted on March 19, 2026 by riscosbits

A Quick RISC OS Perspective

If you’re likely to attend the upcoming (at the time of posting) RISC OS North 2026 Show, you may spot an odd looking device on the RISCOSbits stand. At first glance it looks like a very small laptop, vaguely reminiscent of the old Sony Vaio P series machines. Look closer and you will see it’s actually a mechanical keyboard with a 13 inch ultra wide touchscreen attached.

It is widely marketed as a hybrid mechanical keyboard with a screen added as a bonus. From a RISC OS perspective, that undersells it considerably.

Continue reading →
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oldies but Goodies

Posted on October 6, 2023 by riscosbits

This article is intended as some sort of “blog within a blog” in as much as it is a run down of some of the treasures of RISC OS that have been forgotten by many in the mists of time. Periodically, I’ll add new software here so it’ might be worth popping back every now and then.

Continue reading →
Posted in Software | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Virtualising the RISC OS Desktop

Posted on October 6, 2023 by riscosbits

Whilst many people prefer actual screen real estate, with increasingly higher resolution monitors available, for some, physical space prevents expansion to bigger physical screens and those higher resolutions. This is where “virtual” desktops come in. With the re-release of 7th Software’s once commercial MoreDesk as freeware, a comparison of three “virtual desktop” applications for RISC OS may be useful.

Continue reading →
Posted in Raspberry Pi, Software | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Very Belated Review of the Pi400 and RISC OS

Posted on October 6, 2023 by riscosbits

Back in 1994, I spent my first post-university pay packet on an Acorn A3010 with a whopping 20MB hard drive and the Learning Curve software pack. It wasn’t my first computer, but it was what I felt was my first “real” one. In the past, I’d had an Acorn Electron, an Amiga A500, and, to see me through University, an Amstrad PPC512. Despite their clear differences, all of these machines had one simple thing in common – they were based around and set in an oversized keyboard.

Continue reading →
Posted in Raspberry Pi | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Mysterious Case of the Tidied Pi 4

Posted on March 4, 2020 by riscosbits

If you’ve read the other blog post, you’ll have seen how I built a Pi4 machine before the RISC OS port was ready by using the ACE4U form-factor hub, but it was a bit untidy, so I decided to modify a case for it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Mysterious Case of the Tidied Pi 4

Build Your Own RISC OS on Pi4 System Before the Port is Ready!

Posted on February 24, 2020 by riscosbits

On a long drive back from the SouthWest Show, where RISCOSopen and Chris Hall had been demonstrating a Raspberry Pi 4 running RISC OS, I had been thinking about how I could convert my current Pi 4 networked system into something a bit tidier.

Continue reading →

Posted in Raspberry Pi | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Build Your Own RISC OS on Pi4 System Before the Port is Ready!

QupZilla- making it more RISC OS

Posted on October 26, 2019 by riscosbits

QupZilla, as ported to RISC OS by Chris Gransden, is a nice browser for RISC OS, but it lacks a few of the basics that RISC OS users have come to expect: an iconbar icon; some indicator of it doing something during the long pause when loading; and a little bit more speed! Even as is, it still feels faster than Otter.

Continue reading →

Posted in Networking, Raspberry Pi | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on QupZilla- making it more RISC OS

Using Wispy

Posted on November 17, 2017 by riscosbits

So, Wispy has flown the coop and is out in the big wide world! With much assistance and programming by Matthew from Sine Nomine, and Glen from XSLTPro.

When myself and Matthew attempted to demonstrate it at the RISC OS London Show in October, it proved difficult due to it running on (and inside!) a Pi-Top laptop with RISC OS. The problem with this is it’s not possible to connect the Pi-Top to an external display or a projector. So some very hamfisted wielding of a Pi Zero camera showed off the basics, but not necessarily the full extent of what Wispy can do. Continue reading →

Posted in Networking | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Using Wispy

Build your own GeminX for RISC OS

Posted on June 29, 2017 by riscosbits

GeminX

GeminX was something I needed. Still need. It allows me to run Windows in a window in RISC OS. I dabbled with the idea of releasing it as a product, but along the way, it’s hit a few brick walls.

Continue reading →

Posted in GeminX | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Build your own GeminX for RISC OS

Element14’s Pi Desktop and RISC OS

Posted on June 23, 2017 by riscosbits

PiDesktop

The Pi Desktop is a new “desktop case” for the Raspberry Pi from element14, which was initially purchased with the intent of replacing the very dwindling stocks of the PiSSD! machine. Whilst it looks to be very similar in concept, it’s not quite in the same class, but then again, it’s not in the same price range.

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Element14’s Pi Desktop and RISC OS