Last Updated on: 5th November 2023, 05:12 pm
Web site: (not active)
Origin: United Kingdom
Category: Workstation
Desktop environment: TUI
Architecture: Arcon Archimedes (ARM)
Based on: UNIX
Wikipedia: RISC iX
Media: Install
The last version | Released: 1993
RISC iX – the Acorn’s version of Unix. Unlike Arthur and RISC OS, RISC iX was a true multitasking operating system. RISC iX was released by Acorn in 1988. Acorn’s RISC iX Operating System runs on following hardware: R140, R225, R260. RISC iX was designed to run on computers with an ARM2 CPU (R140) and can also run on an ARM3 CPU (R225 & R260). RISC iX does not support later CPUs (e.g. ARM6, ARM7 or StrongARM), so you cannot run RISC iX on RiscPC s or other more modern Acorn computers. RISCiX requires a mimimum of 4 MB but is happier with 8MB or more. An R140 has 4MB, and R260 can have upto 16MB.
Legal versions of RISC iX either came pre-installed on a R140 or R260, or were installed by Granada Microcare. Acorn did not supply distribution media to customers ( although in 2006 a set of 14 floppy discs with an installable copy of RISC iX 1.14 were sold on ebay).
RISC iX is a port to the ARM processor of the Be rkeley 4.3 UNIX operating system (4.3BSD) wilh SVID extensions, Network File System (NFS) software,
the X Window System and window managers.
A general list of the software supplied:
• Berkeley BSD 4.3 Kernel with System V virtual memory extensions, compatible with the System V Interface Definition, SVID.
• Device Jrivers for many peripherals.
• Berkeley 4.3 toolkit.
• Assorted User Contrib uted Software (UCS).
• System Administration tools.
• C Compiler with ANSI C and pee (Berkeley) compatibility considerations.
• ARM Assembler.
• S un NFS Version 3.2.
• XII Window System Relea se 2 with awm, t.wm and uwm window managers.
• disc formatters for floppy discs and hard discs.
• Data interchange tools: transfer to/from MS-DOS and ADFS floppy discs.
Additional operating systems:
• Acorn’s RISC OS, with separate disc partition (standard).
• MS-DOS emulation, using RISC OS (optional).