Cloverleaf Aims to Bring Acorn's Classic RISC OS Back with Desktops, Laptops, and an All-in-One
Born, like the Arm processors on which it runs, at Acorn, the open source RISC OS platform is ripe for a rebirth, says Stefan Fröhling.
Acorn enthusiast Stefan Fröhling is leading a crowdfunding campaign to bring RISC OS back to the desktop, launching a fork of the open source operating system dubbed RISC OS Cloverleaf along with a family of desktop, laptop, and all-in-one systems powered by Arm processors.
Originally developed by Cambridge-based Acorn Computers for the Archimedes family of personal computers, RISC OS outlived the company which created it thanks its use in embedded systems and a small but passionate enthusiast ecosystem. The launch of the original Raspberry Pi, powered by Arm technology which also saw its start at Acorn, offered a new, low-cost platform for RISC OS users — and gave development a shot in the arm.
Now, Stefan Fröhling and colleagues are looking to fund a RISC OS spin-off dubbed Cloverleaf, and are offering a range of hardware on that it will run — though under their custom-built casings you'll find off-the-shelf single-board computers, including the Raspberry Pi 4.
"RISC OS Cloverleaf is a crowdfunding campaign to upgrade and revive the unique computer operating system RISC OS," Fröhling explains. "With Cloverleaf, we’re aiming to build a new brand for the RISC OS operating system that gives users an exciting and user-friendly alternative to monopolists like Microsoft, Apple, and Google."
"This project is about developing RISC OS. When you receive your first version of RISC OS, it won’t be at its final development stage. While you will already have a ton of great tools at your disposal, this is just the beginning of the evolution of RISC OS. Improvements will come out on a monthly basis, with new programs and upgrades available over time."
Backers interested in the hardware side of things will need to dig relatively deep for a physical reward: The entry-level system, the Cloverleaf Kitten, costs €299 (around $354) and is nothing more than a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4GB in a laser-cut housing with bundled 256GB microSD and RISC OS Cloverleaf pre-loaded. Those looking for more power can opt for the Cloverleaf Puma, starting at €399 (around $473), which swaps the Raspberry Pi 4 for a Rock Pi 4B and its Rockchip RK3399 six-core CPU plus support for M.2 NVMe storage.
Other rewards include a 14" laptop, again based on the Rockchip RK3399 system-on-chip, and a 24" all-in-one which packages the same hardware into an LCD. In both cases, though, drivers will be missing, with a software development timeline pushing features like 3D acceleration, hardware video decoding, and even NVMe drivers out as late as December 2021.
Pricing on the project is steep, and deliberately so: A Raspberry Pi 4, power supply, case, and 256GB microSD costs less than half what Fröhling is asking — but the remainder of the money is earmarked for software development, taking the open source RISC OS and tweaking it for the expectations of modern computer users. That's also reflected in the project's target of €50,000 (around $59,000).
Full details are available on the Cloverleaf Kickstarter campaign page. Those with a Raspberry Pi and a desire to try RISC OS out for themselves, meanwhile, can find a freely downloadable image with operating system and applications at the RISC OS Direct site.