Acorn Computer Group plc is re-writing its RISC OS operating system to support multiple RISC and CISC processors, presumably including the Intel iAPX-86, though as usual the company is tight-lipped to the point of incoherence about its plans. Acorn will target what it’s calling Galileo release at vendors building set-tops and network computers using its own ARM RISCs as well as other CPU designs. RISC OS currently runs only on the ARM RISC currently being used by companies such Oracle Corp’s Network Computer Inc subsidiary and ViewCall America Inc. Unlike RISC OS, Galileo will include protected memory enabling developers to allocate system resources, including CPU and memory, to processes that can’t be interrupted by other operating system processes without specific intervention. Galileo will also include audio and video streaming, MPEG coding and modem connection functions. The modular Galileo OS will be available in the second half of the year and Acorn says RISC OS users will be able to upgrade. Acorn has also licensed its TVCentric technologies, including the Flash ROM-based flashDisplay, to Dallas, Texas-based Curtis Mathes Holding Corp for integration into its uniView interactive television products. It will allow personal television scheduling information to be held locally on a set-top or enable parents to block programs from their children according to a content rating stored in the device. Meantime, Acorn and ViewCall America Inc will jointly market and develop services using ViewCall’s On-TV personal Internet television channel running on RISC OS.
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