Arthur (operating system)
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| Arthur | |
| Company/ developer |
Acorn Computers Ltd |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1987 |
| Marketing target | Acorn Archimedes |
| Supported platforms | ARM |
| Default user interface | Graphical user interface |
| Working state | Historic |
Arthur is an early graphical user interface (GUI) operating system (OS) that was used on Acorn ARM-cpu-based computers from about 1987 until the much-superior RISC OS 2 was completed and made available in April 1989. It was the operating system of the earliest Archimedes ARM machines.
The desktop is very primitive. It features a colour-scheme typically described as "technicolour". Its earlier revisions were very buggy, and was only really meant to be a placeholder until RISC OS 2 (a name chosen instead of Arthur 2) was completed.
The graphical desktop runs on top of a command-line driven operating system derived from Acorn's earlier MOS operating system for its BBC Micro range of 8-bit microcomputers.
The "Arthur" name was supposedly dropped from version 2 because of the release at the time of a movie called Arthur 2: On the Rocks. Arthur is said to stand for "A Risc-based operating system by THURsday". Supposedly Arthur was put together in break-neck speed because a revolutionary operating system which Acorn had under development (ARX) wasn't going to be ready in time.
Most software made for Arthur can be run under RISC OS. A few titles will not work, however.
[edit] External links
- "Arthur Lives!" - a guide by Ben Jefferys
- Arthur OS Emulator
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