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The Icon Bar: News and features: It's Acorn, but not as we know them...
 

It's Acorn, but not as we know them...

Posted by Andrew Poole on 14:59, 5/5/2006 | , , , , ,
 
Acorn Computers, but not as we know them...Interesting news from our forums, a thread on csa.misc, El Reg and the various people who have emailed us today is that Acorn Computers appear to be exhibiting at the Computer Trade Show at the Birmingham NEC this week.

According to their exhibitor entry on the Computer Trade Show site, they will be launching "a new range Acorns, which will be cutting edge, ultra-reliable and feature rich", powered by AMD and Intel processors.

At the moment, their website doesn't give much away, but discussion on our forums and in csa.misc are suggesting that this isn't the Acorn that we know and love, given that Acorn is still a registered trademark of Element-14 (now owned by Broadcom).

The Icon Bar's hero, Paul Vigay, has said on usenet that he has contacted Companies House to report fraudulent use of the Acorn name, and is asking people to do the same, giving details in his post.

More news on this one as it develops.
 

  It's Acorn, but not as we know them...
  pnaulls (16:23 5/5/2006)
  ad (17:43 5/5/2006)
    pnaulls (17:53 5/5/2006)
      gazc (20:10 5/5/2006)
        tribbles (22:33 5/5/2006)
          ilcook (16:56 6/5/2006)
            tribbles (17:59 6/5/2006)
              andrew (14:09 7/5/2006)
                pnaulls (15:09 7/5/2006)
                  pnaulls (15:17 7/5/2006)
                    chrisbazley (23:18 7/5/2006)
                      nunfetishist (10:49 8/5/2006)
                        SimonC (12:03 8/5/2006)
                          peter (13:28 8/5/2006)
                            Col (18:19 8/5/2006)
                              nunfetishist (22:18 8/5/2006)
                                Col (07:42 9/5/2006)
                                  Gulli (10:38 9/5/2006)
                                    nunfetishist (12:48 9/5/2006)
                                      Gulli (21:31 9/5/2006)
                                        peter (14:56 10/5/2006)
                                          cleminan2 (11:55 12/5/2006)
                                            cleminan2 (06:56 13/5/2006)
                                              mr-mac (17:24 2/6/2006)
                                                trevj (18:22 13/6/2012)
                                                  epistaxsis (23:30 13/6/2012)
 
Peter Naulls Message #94153, posted by pnaulls at 16:23, 5/5/2006
Member
Posts: 317
Once again, perspective sadly abandons PV. Acorn is dead and gone. Long live Acorn, er, RISC OS, er yeah.

Anyway, while I can hardly approve of the apparent use of a trademark/logo/whatever which belongs to someone else (and in any case, this seems to be in question - hence the use of the word "apparent"); RISC OS continues to have much more serious problems than someone threating something of although historical import, little practical relevance to the present, and a diversion from solving much more immediate problems.

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Andrew Duffell Message #94154, posted by ad at 17:43, 5/5/2006, in reply to message #94153

Posts: 3262
HH still owns the rights to the Acorn nut device (or did in 2004) that they use in their logo.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Peter Naulls Message #94155, posted by pnaulls at 17:53, 5/5/2006, in reply to message #94154
Member
Posts: 317
Yes, and the relevance to the current state of RISC OS is what? (not suggesting this item isn't news)

P.S. the smiley in the above was TIB's comments system, not intended by me.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Gazc Message #94156, posted by gazc at 20:10, 5/5/2006, in reply to message #94155
Member
Posts: 16
You have got to be kidding!
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Jason Tribbeck Message #94157, posted by tribbles at 22:33, 5/5/2006, in reply to message #94156
tribbles
Captain Helix

Posts: 929
I'm quite chuffed being the first to report this :) Pity it took everyone a month to take it seriously (although it's probably when the logo came out that it became more important).
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Ian Cook Message #94158, posted by ilcook at 16:56, 6/5/2006, in reply to message #94157
trainResident idiot
Posts: 1075
You're easy to pkease aren't you. :)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Jason Tribbeck Message #94159, posted by tribbles at 17:59, 6/5/2006, in reply to message #94158
tribbles
Captain Helix

Posts: 929
Yes - now where's my.... Ahh - there's my coffee. I'm so happy :)
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Andrew Message #94160, posted by andrew at 14:09, 7/5/2006, in reply to message #94159
HandbagHandbag Boi
Posts: 3439
The relevance to RISC OS is that this development symbolises the totally unsatisfactory situation RISC OS is in. As far as I can determine RISC OS Ltd and Castle are still not pooling their resources to enhance RISC OS to the maximum achievable extent as rights to all kinds of things resulting from the Acorn dissolution are all over the place.

This is I would suggest the final warning shot to all those holding the cards to RISC OS that unless they cooperate and coordinate their efforts predators aplenty will be only too happy to snap up the hard work and long-held hopes of thousands of users.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Peter Naulls Message #94161, posted by pnaulls at 15:09, 7/5/2006, in reply to message #94160
Member
Posts: 317
And I ask again, what is the relevance? Going on about Castle et al and lack of cooperation has little relevance to this, except via some weak analogy. The question of some company hijacking Acorn's name and logo has, as best I can see, little practical relevance to anything going on right now.

If you want cooperation, which indeed _is_ a real immediate problem, then that needs to start with users, and not just users telling RO companies what to do.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Peter Naulls Message #94162, posted by pnaulls at 15:17, 7/5/2006, in reply to message #94161
Member
Posts: 317
I've just seen the incredibly ridiculous and rather wrong (not to mention hard to read, because it's too fast) banner on riscos.org (I really wonder why I visit).

Anyway, it says:

"Genuine Acorn computers only run RISC OS". Well, that's clearly not true, since you can run ARM Linux, NetBSD, and even Windows (under a PC Card), not to mention things you might run under emulation.

"Beware FAKE imitations".

As opposed to what? Real imitations? Of machines produced 10 years ago?

Paul, for goodness sake, get a grip on reality.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Message #94163, posted by chrisbazley at 23:18, 7/5/2006, in reply to message #94162
Member
Posts: 58
My reaction to the banner on riscos.org is also that it is stating an obvious untruth. The designer must surely be aware of the many Acorn computers that pre-date both RISC OS and ARM. The various incarnations of the BBC Microcomputer were perhaps more famous and successful than any of the latter-day Acorn machines, and what about Acorn's RISCiX workstations?

The statement that "Genuine Acorn Computers run RISC OS natively And are powered by ARM Processors" is therefore simplistic at best.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Rob Kendrick Message #94164, posted by nunfetishist at 10:49, 8/5/2006, in reply to message #94163
nunfetishist
Today's phish is trout a la creme.

Posts: 522
You mean "Genuine Acorn Computers run RISC OS natively and are powered by ARM Processors, and cost four times as much as you'd expect."

RISC iX has a space, btw, just like RISC OS. This is extra exciting when you try and run oldish autoconfed stuff, 'cause it can't cope with a space in the system name returned from uname.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Simon Challands Message #94165, posted by SimonC at 12:03, 8/5/2006, in reply to message #94164
Elite
Right on, Commander!

Posts: 398
I'll make an attempt to make it relevent to the current situation (as opposed to dirty and dishonest, which should therefore still be opposed anyway). If this company is what your average Tom, Dick, or Harry sees, who dimly remembers RISC OS, then they might not unreasonably assume that this is the genuine article, and therefore also assume that Acorn are still around, decided RISC OS has no future, and abandoned it to become yet another box shifter. That would be a damaging impression for RISC OS, if it wasn't for the fact that most of those people probably think it's dead and buried anyway, if they remember it at all.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Peter Darnell Message #94166, posted by peter at 13:28, 8/5/2006, in reply to message #94165
Member
Posts: 25
So does anyone here know who they are or what they are selling? as the show is in 2 days is anyone going there to ask?
The link on the Comp trade show web site
http://www.acorncomputer.co.uk
does not work so no details there.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Colin Cartmell-Browne Message #94167, posted by Col at 18:19, 8/5/2006, in reply to message #94166
Member
Posts: 89
In reply to Peter:

My understanding is that they are nothing more than pc box shifters.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Rob Kendrick Message #94168, posted by nunfetishist at 22:18, 8/5/2006, in reply to message #94167
nunfetishist
Today's phish is trout a la creme.

Posts: 522
Col: They appear to be selling laptops. A bog-standard box shifter won't easily be able to do laptops - you need a few more resources to do that.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Colin Cartmell-Browne Message #94169, posted by Col at 07:42, 9/5/2006, in reply to message #94168
Member
Posts: 89
In reply to nunfetishist:

Sorry bad terminology on my part. All I was trying to do was get accross the fact that this company are selling pc/windoze type machines and not anything related to RISC OS.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Gunnlaugur Jonsson Message #94170, posted by Gulli at 10:38, 9/5/2006, in reply to message #94169
Member
Posts: 138
A bog-standard box shifter won't easily be able to do laptops - you need a few more resources to do that.

Actually that's not necessary unless you intend to build your own boxes. I have a laptop named Vega+ from some Danish box shifter called Vega. If I search for the model number on the box I find at least 5 "manufacturers" of that model, all of which have the exact same specs as my computer and are in fact the same with a different label attached on the back of the screen.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Rob Kendrick Message #94171, posted by nunfetishist at 12:48, 9/5/2006, in reply to message #94170
nunfetishist
Today's phish is trout a la creme.

Posts: 522
Col: Well, yes. But remember that the old Acorn didn't just sell RISC OS kit. They've sold x86 equipment in the past.

Gulli: Well, indeed. But it's a bit more difficult to source them than it is the parts for a PC which you can just buy from Dabs or similar.

Lots of people seem to be over-reacting to this. It still remains to be seen if they're using the old logo and such legally. If they are, there's not a lot anybody can do with it.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Gunnlaugur Jonsson Message #94172, posted by Gulli at 21:31, 9/5/2006, in reply to message #94171
Member
Posts: 138

Well, indeed. But it's a bit more difficult to source them than it is the parts for a PC which you can just buy from Dabs or similar.
True, but only slightly - look for oem laptop on google and you have your picks :)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Peter Darnell Message #94173, posted by peter at 14:56, 10/5/2006, in reply to message #94172
Member
Posts: 25
Intresting.

"Acorn Computers to be reborn as laptop maker"

http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/05/acorn-computers-to-be-reborn-as-laptop-maker/

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Al Cleminson Message #94174, posted by cleminan2 at 11:55, 12/5/2006, in reply to message #94173
Member
Posts: 4
I had some of my spies at the NEC (our lot were pimping for business too).

It doesn't seem the new Acorn (fAcorn*, if you will) are particularly well versed about their product, and they are just rebadged far eastern imports. As though there was any doubt about that.

Their flyer is quite nice though, I might take a scan of it later if anyone is interested.

http://www.acorncomputer.co.uk/reseller for more info, though not much.

Al.

*BTW, I hereby claim rights to the terms "fAcorn" and "fakeorn" ;p

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Al Cleminson Message #94175, posted by cleminan2 at 06:56, 13/5/2006, in reply to message #94174
Member
Posts: 4
Just quickly before I head out to the train...
http://www.cleminan.co.uk/facorn/
Acorn MkII flyer, front and back.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
John Message #94176, posted by mr-mac at 17:24, 2/6/2006, in reply to message #94175
Member
Posts: 148
Well complained to ASA re the fliers. Got a leter back and they are taking the complaint forward... They are now contacting the company to allow them time to respond. Following that they will adudicate....

Good news though as a lot of complaints don't even get taken forward and investigated (even CustomPC magazine ran the story this month)....

John

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Trevor Johnson Message #120582, posted by trevj at 18:22, 13/6/2012, in reply to message #94176
Member
Posts: 660
"Please note this website is not associated with Castle Technology Ltd." Are those links in the footer targeted according to the audience?
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keith dunlop Message #120589, posted by epistaxsis at 23:30, 13/6/2012, in reply to message #120582
epistaxsis

Posts: 159
"Please note this website is not associated with Castle Technology Ltd." Are those links in the footer targeted according to the audience?
I guess this is a new business for someone slightly familiar smile
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 

The Icon Bar: News and features: It's Acorn, but not as we know them...