wifi support

I’ve read some old posts but is there any progress or even intention to support wifi in the future on risc os?

Also is there any Bluetooth support for devices, for example game controllers?

Lastly are there any other open source browsers that may come to Risc OS?

I’ve read some old posts but is there any progress or even intention to support wifi in the future on risc os?

Few people coding and many tasks. Yes, people would like to do it, time and talent permitting.

Also is there any Bluetooth support for devices, for example game controllers?

Same answer essentially

Lastly are there any other open source browsers that may come to Risc OS?

NetSurf has the distinction of being less resource hungry than other browsers hence unlike those other browsers it is less likely to “run” like a one legged dog.

any progress or even intention to support wifi in the future on risc os?

There seems little point when (i) the USB bus is already overloaded with tasks (ii) newer hardware can do gigabit ethernet using separate hardware than usb and (iii) there is a hardware solution (e.g. Asus WL-330N Wireless-Ethernet bridge adapter using DHCP) using the ethernet socket.

A much smaller solution for Wifi
http://www.orbitadigital.com/en/network-telephony/vonets/877-vonets-vap11n.html

is there any progress or even intention to support wifi in the future on risc os?

As far as I am aware, different chipsets (and sometimes different versions in the same chipset) need to be controlled in their own specific ways; essentially a common core WiFi model would need to be created, with specific drivers for the various different types of WiFi dongle. Accordingly, it is probably not so high up on people’s priority list.

After all, you can get a Vonets WiFi to ethernet gadget off eBay or Amazon fairly cheaply (my VAP11n needs a PC to set up, I think later ones are better in this respect) and it just plugs in an works. Plus, it runs autonomous so if the WiFi dongle needed to interact with the host (crypto and such?), the Vonets does this itself and presents simply ethernet on a wire. It’s a good solution for a Pi, just as good as native WiFi support, but with the advantage of not leaching off the host’s power supply.

Also is there any Bluetooth support for devices,

I heard somebody was looking at Bluetooth (Dave, was this you?). I can imagine it’s the same story – different device, different way of wiggling it…

for example game controllers?

How about Bluetooth speakers? Live in hope, eh?

Lastly are there any other open source browsers that may come to Risc OS?

I’ve highlighted the pertinent word.

I’m writing this on Firefox (12, I think) on XP. It wants over a GiB to start (to be fair, BarTab is keeping track of 572 inactive tabs) and it is … how shall I put it … it is being true to the ethos of “if it ain’t good, double yer clock speed!”.
Or as Steve put it, a one legged dog.

I’d like an alternative to NetSurf (or a NetSurf that is script capable). I look at browsers on other devices, and note that even on iOS 7, the system is laggy when I’m using the browser, and I wonder to myself – is this something we ought to encourage on RISC OS? There’s a reason our simple OS is zippy. There’s a reason the error box and ‘ding’ appear on-screen at the same time. There’s a reason…
…for the sunshine sky; there’s a reason why I’m feeling so high…. ;-)

USB bus is already overloaded with tasks

Essentially, just keyboard/mouse and ethernet. Ethernet could be native with B or an adaptor with A. Take away ethernet and add a WiFi adaptor.

newer hardware can do gigabit ethernet using separate hardware than usb

But, I have a Pi.

Asus WL-330N Wireless-Ethernet bridge adapter

Wow! That’s expensive.

Any of the Vonets will do the job. I would be delighted to have a WiFi dongle, but I understand the technical barriers and hold no hope.

The situation re WiFi hasn’t changed since Saturday! https://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/5/topics/2979

Also is there any Bluetooth support for devices, for example game controllers?

Someone is working on Bluetooth but AIUI it is long term project and fruition is months if not a year+ away.

There was a WiFi-solution via Simtec USB by STD with WEP (not WPA). Maybe it can be developed to use with the castle stack. I send any emails but no answer at this time.

my VAP11n needs a PC to set up,

The guide suggest a web interface…
http://www.vonets.com.cn/download/VAP11N/VAP11N%20Quick%20Setting%20Guide.pdf

Dave, was this you?

No :)

I’ve previously mentioned that I use something like these:

http://www.fancycost.com/black-300mbps-wirelessn-wifi-repeater-network-router-signal-boosters-with-2dbi-antennas-p-111623.html?zenid=d4a83322262526c4182c5f228d37d78b#.VIg97CusWoo
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct.jsp?sku=CS2748295&CMP=aballbrochure&gross_price=true&gclid=CNSOrr6-u8ICFQHMtAodVwoAlg

In fact, I think Aldi may have one in their ‘Special Buys’ this week.

Nice and simple – just plug the Ethernet side into the Pi, and you can configure it all with NetSurf.

As Rick says, compare the simplicity of that to writing a complete WiFi stack. :-o

There was a WiFi-solution via Simtec USB by STD

I’m not sure it was ever released! IIRC it was going to be significantly more expensive than the Belkin Gaming adaptor (The first common Ethernet <→ WiFi adaptor).

Thanks for the answers, very informative. I like netsurf but I’d like to see flash support using the h/w of the gpu being utilised and of course greater javascript support. I’ve got a basic alcatel smartphone. The browsers on that seems to happily outperform netsurf with wider compability with sites. That’s a basic 1ghz single core phone with weaker gpu than pi. I’m not sure how the cpu compares I think they are pretty similar arm architecture so when the pi is overclocked probably about the same level.

I’m not sure it was ever released!

I’m sure I have seen any pictures… a9home and wifi-usb-stick. I can not remember the show and the year. If it was a fake, it was a good one ;-)
Also I mean I have seen screenshot of a WEP-Window.

Lastly are there any other open source browsers that may come to Risc OS?

For the Pandora-Linux is a Firefox aviable. Fast and “complete”. Can it be ported to RISC OS?

Or can Linux be ported to the Pandora-RISCOS?

Of course the best would be a port of WebKit to RISC OS…
This should be ‘easy’ to port:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/netrider/

Or can Linux be ported to the Pandora-RISCOS?

Not sure if I understand

The Pandora Firefox is a PND (a compressed executable directory). All needed things inside. The source is free. I`m to stupid to port but maybe a other can…

Other Linux porting things like Vice22, Mess, Tesseract, MPlayer … (upps all from Chris) but also other are working fine. The old Firefox 2 port is also working …

You say that Firefox works very well on a Pandora running Linux.

If a Pandora running Risc OS could switch to Linux for a while, then it could use Firefox too.

The old Firefox 2 port isn’t working for me, and I’ve been warned not to touch the whole “exceptions” thing.

If a Pandora running Risc OS could switch to Linux for a while, then it could use Firefox too.

Switch not, Restart. The Pandora has a good usable and changeable bootmenu. I have build a multibootcard with RISC OS, Angström, Slackware, Ubuntu, Bodhi Linux, Android. The Image you can find on my Pandora Page but I prefer to use RISC OS only for my privat computer work.

The old Firefox 2 port isn’t working for me, and I’ve been warned not to touch the whole “exceptions” thing.

I have no problems with the “exception thing”. If I need, I turn off on all of my RISC OS devices since 2010 (first Beagle C4) to 2014 (i.MX6 prototype).
I do not need Firefox often. Mostly Netsurf is enough for me. But my router and my NAS I can only configure and maintain with Firefox. RISC OS only in privat…
So a new actually RISC OS working port would be fine. Dreaming allowed.