RISC OS Select and RISC OS 5 features comparison

A number of users are unsure of what they will lose when they use RISC OS 5 on the Iyonix in comparison with what they are familiar with in RISC OS Select.

The following table presents in a detailed format the major features comparing the latest Select3i2 RISC OS 4.37 (Kernel 6.52) ROM release and the 5.03 ROM in the current Iyonix machines from Castle Technology.

Feature	Select 3i2	RISC OS 5	Comment
NETWORKING
!Alarm has Network Time Setting	Y	N	Keeping correct time is essential nowadays
ZeroConfig Internet Setup	Y	N	As used by the Apple Rendezvous protocol to allow easy discovery of network facilities without user intervention.
LanManFS in ROM	Y	Y	Allows booting off a PC
DHCP networking	Y	Y	Useful for broadband internet setup
AppleTalk networking in ROM	Y	N	AppleTalk allows connection to Apple Macs
Ethernet Settings can be changed without requiring a reboot.	Y	N	Nice time saver.
AUN networking	Y	Y	Support for older networks Econet and IP (Econet only in Select)
Direct Share option for all filing systems and individual directories.	Y	N	Allows fast sharing of individual directories.
ShareFS operates over subnets	N	Y
RISC OS machine acts as DNS Server	Y	N	Useful if you don't want to use a PC.
GRAPHICS
Image File Rendering System - IFR	Y	N	Provides Image File conversion for other applications. (see Image Viewer for current list of supported formats.)
Sprite name sorting in !Paint	Y	Y
Sprite re-ordering in !Paint	Y	N
SpriteExtend supporting 1:2 sampled JPEGs/EXIF	Y	Y	EXIFs are used by most digital cameras
JPEG export from !Paint	Y	N
PNG export from !Paint	Y	N	PNGs are portable network graphics files
PNG Import to !Draw	Y	N
SVG Export from !Paint	Y	N	Allows Drawfiles to be imported into PC drawing packages.
CMYK sprite handling	Y	N	CMYK is a key feature for the printing industry.
True translucent sprite plotting	Y	N	Used when dragging files around.
Alpha channel sprites	Y	N	These allow blending of sprites in pictures.
Local flood fill with 'transparent' in !Paint	Y	Y	Fixes long standing omission.
Sprites11 support	Y	Y	Allows 180dpi sprites in huge desktops
Graphics filtering/conversions	Y	ChangeFSI	GIF, XBM, Sun Raster, BMP, PNM, PNG files handled
Generic fast Image Viewer	Y	N	Sprite, Drawfile, PNG, BMP, ICO, Clear, PCX, PNM, XBM, JPEG, ArtWorks, Sun Raster, Equasor, TableMate, Poster files handled.
Any filetype supported by IFR as Backdrops	Y	N	No need to convert files to Sprites before display. Saves disc space.
Colour mapping	Y	N	Allows colour manipulation of individual image display.
!Paint and !Draw support saving of choices	Y	N	Now you can choose how Paint are Draw are configured.
Euro currency symbol	Y	Y	The Castle Docs say symbol is at &80 (128) whereas in fact it is at &A4(164) as in RISC OS 4.
Hi res teletext MODE 7	N	Y	Twice normal resolution - (who uses Mode 7 anymore though.)
Unicode font system	N	Y	For alphabets with > 256 characters/glyphs (we mostly speak English)
PROGRAMMING
V5T ARM support in BASIC and debugger	N	Y	Coming in Select 4
UDMA disc access in ADFS	N	Y	A hardware dependent feature
DOSFS handles disc titles properly	N	Y	???????
Full technical documentation available	Y	N	Many calls in 5 are not documented e.g Wimp_Ext 13
Runs in 32-bit mode on modern processors	N	Y
Support for pre RISC OS 4	Y	Y	What does this mean?
Easier to find online !Help	N	Y	On the pinboard and applications themselves (coming soon in 5???)
Support for macro keys using Windows Key modifier.	N	Y	Uses the 'Windows' keys on the keyboard
Display Manager icon matches the configured monitor	N	Y	Provided one was supplied with the MDF
Spaces allowed in filenames	Y	Y	Rather than needing <ALT><Space>
Font sizing algorithm improvements	Y	Y	Stops the ends of italic text being cropped off
FileSwitch now able to reference path variables through $	Y	N	e.g Music:$ for <Music$Path>
CDFS
Boot from CD-ROM, Network, or HDD	Y	Y
CDPlayer built into CDFS	Y	Y
Built in support for CD Database	Y	N
CDFS supporting Joliet long filenames	Y	N	Displays filenames as seen on a PC
CDFS supporting RockRidge long filenames	Y	N	e.g filenames as seen from Unix.
Free space display available for data CDs	N	Y	Desktop and command line - There is always Zero free space on CD
Mimemap now used for Filetype conversions	Y	N	Allows centralised updating for new PC filetype - RISC OS conversions.
FILER OPERATIONS
Filer sort by number and lowercase	Y	N
TaskWindow speed enhancements	Y	Y
Maximum file size loaded by ROM apps increased	Y	Y	RISC OS 5 has bigger application space instead of Dynamic Areas
Scroll wheel mice	Y	N	Requires an STD PS2 mouse adaptor for Select
Cut and paste in writable icons	Y	N
Rounded buttons possible in windows	Y	N	Many different types of buttons can be programmed.
Thumbnailing in Filer	Y	N
Active highlighting of selected files when dragging.	Y	N	Allows the easy viewing of which files are actually selected by a drag operation.
Correct identification of Free Space on Drives >4GB	Y	Y	Now uses 64 bit disc sizing.
Re-organisable Window Furniture	Y	N	Choose the order you want your Close, Iconize buttons to appear.
Refresh option on Filer	Y	N
All standard applications now support the Universal Clipboard.	Y	N	Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V to cut and paste between applications.
PRINTING
Overhauled Printer Manager	Y 1	Y 2	1. !Printers+ is now available from SourceForge for all users.  2. Pop-Up !Printers with USB support is available from Acorn Site for all users
Printer autodetect possible	Y	Y	Makes setup easier. Printers can be identified via USB and Parallel ports  N.B. Iyonix doesn't have a Parallel Port.
CONFIGURATION
Easy access to Configure through TaskManager	Y	Y	Makes setup more intuitive.
Attempting to delete !Boot gives a warning	Y	N	Stops accidental deletion of user choices.
Recycle bin	Y	N	Prevents costly mistakes, when files may be accidentally deleted.
Updated basic Configuration plugins	Y	Y	Discs, Sound, Basic Network,
Updated Advanced Configuration plugins	Y	N	Many new configuration Tools for most RISC OS operations.
Multi User support	Y	N	Allows different settings to be chosen for different users.
Special Colour Schemes for Action Buttons	Y	N	Different colours can be set according to users preferences.
Hardware Profiles	Y	N	When machines have different hardware plugged in at different times or locations then the hardware profiles allows quick setting of configuration.
GENERAL
Support via a dedicated SmartGroup	Y	Y	Allows feedback from users

From this table it is clear to see that on machines which have already been upgraded to RISC OS 4, Select is the next logical step to enhancing your old hardware. 

RISC OS 4 and RISC OS 5 Module comparison

The following table compares the modules present in RISC OS Select and RISC OS 5. It is important to note however that the presence of a higher module version number in either version does not necessarily indicate that the particular module is actually a newer or better version.

E&OE  08/09/2003