While the rest of the world is obsessing over the 386 or the 68020, something incredible is happening in Cambridge. Acorn has released the Archimedes, and it’s powered by a processor of their own design: the ARM (Acorn RISC Machine). To go with it, they've built RISC OS.
Efficiency Above All
The ARM chip is a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) design. It’s simple, elegant, and fast. Because the hardware is so efficient, the software can be too. RISC OS is mostly written in highly optimized assembly, and it shows. The whole OS fits into ROM and boots in seconds.
The GUI, known as the "Arthur" desktop (now becoming RISC OS), uses a "Pinboard" and a "Icon Bar" at the bottom. It feels more intuitive than the Mac's desktop in many ways.
Cooperative Multitasking
RISC OS uses cooperative multitasking for its desktop applications. While some might prefer the preemptive approach of the Amiga, the way RISC OS handles it is incredibly lightweight.
; ARM Assembly is a joy to write
MOV R0, #13 ; Load character code
SWI "OS_WriteC" ; Software Interrupt to write to screen
The use of SWIs (Software Interrupts) for system calls makes the API feel very clean and consistent.
The ARM Legacy
The Archimedes is arguably the fastest personal computer on the market right now. It can handle real-time 3D graphics that would make a PC crawl. However, outside of the UK education market, it’s a tough sell.
But I’m watching this ARM architecture closely. Its low power consumption and high performance-per-clock are unique. Even if the Archimedes doesn't conquer the world, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the ARM chip. It might just be the perfect architecture for the mobile devices we haven't even dreamt of yet.