Aemulor

In computing, Aemulor is an emulator of the earlier 26-bit addressing-mode ARM microprocessors. It runs on ARM processors under 32-bit addressing-mode versions of RISC OS. It was written by Adrian Lees and released in 2003. An enhanced version is available under the name Aemulor Pro.

Aemulor
Original author(s)Adrian Lees
Initial releaseMarch 2003 (2003-03)
Stable release
2.51
Operating systemRISC OS
TypeEmulator
LicenseProprietary commercial software

The software allows Raspberry Pi,[1] Iyonix PC and A9home computers running RISC OS to make use of some software written for older hardware. As of 2012, compatibility with the BeagleBoard single-board computer was under development.

Development

The software's existence was first reported around the time of the announcement of the Iyonix in October 2002.[2][3] A demo version was released in February 2003,[4][5] with the commercial release in March of that year.[6][7][8]

Aemulor Pro was released in 2004. This added enhancements, including support for low colour modes, required by scorewriter Sibelius and many games.[9][10][11] A version for the A9home was released in 2005.[12] The software was exhibited at the 2006 Wakefield Show.[13]

In 2009, author Adrian Lees[14][15] posted on The Icon Bar, showing an early prototype of the software running on the BeagleBoard.[15][16] Progress on further compatibility for the Raspberry Pi single-board computer was announced by Lees on the RISC OS Open forum in 2012.[17] Developer R-Comp was reported in May 2012 to be hoping to make Aemulor available for its BeagleBoard-xM-based ARMini computer.[18]

Features
Sibelius running on the Iyonix

The software provides full 26-bit emulation[6] for applications written in C and ARM assembly language. It employs an XScale-optimised ARM code interpreter, supports SWI emulation from RISC OS 4 to 5, flag preservation and creation of dynamic areas in low memory.[19] Support for running A310Emu is included, allowing users to further emulate earlier versions of the OS, going back to Arthur.[20] As of 2003, due to the memory remapping employed, native 32-bit applications are restricted to a maximum size of 28Mb while Aemulor is running.[21]

The original release included an Easter egg, with a prize of an upgrade to the Pro version for the person who found it.[22][23]

Aemulor Pro adds support for low-bpp screen modes, sound, hardware emulation of VIDC/IOC, an altered memory map and 26-bit filing systems.[19] Some software, such as Sibelius, can be run both in the desktop and in full screen.[9]

Compatible software
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Title Purpose Vendor/publisher
ArtWorks[24] vector graphics MW Software
Impression[24] desktop publishing Computer Concepts
Sibelius[9] scorewriter Sibelius Software
Spheres of Chaos.[25] video game
StrongED[24] text editor
Zap[24] text editor

References
  1. http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=31593
  2. Williams, Chris (20 October 2002). "Iyonix 26 bit emulator in development". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  3. "32-bit introduction". IYONIX pc. Castle Technology. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  4. Williams, Chris (22 February 2003). "South West show news". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  5. Williams, Chris (9 March 2003). "South West show news". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  6. Williams, Chris (25 March 2003). "Aemulor sees the light of day". Drobe. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  7. Hoare, John (25 March 2003). "Aemulor Released". Acorn Arcade. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  8. Peachey, John (June 2003). "Aemulor in Use". Archive. 16 (9). Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  9. Williams, Chris (12 March 2004). "Aemulor Pro embraces Sibelius". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  10. Mellor, Phil (6 May 2004). "Aemulor Pro is out now". Acorn Arcade. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  11. Lee, Jeffrey (22 April 2004). "Aemulor Pro-gress". Acorn Arcade. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  12. Williams, Chris (5 November 2005). "Aemulor for the A9home released". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  13. "Wakefield 2006". RISC World. 6 (6). Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  14. Lees, Adrian. "The homepage of Adrian Lees". Adrian Lees. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  15. Naulls, Peter (20 December 2009). "Aemulor on BeagleBoard". riscos.info. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  16. Lees, Adrian (20 December 2009). "Aemulor BeagleBoard". TIB forum. The Icon Bar. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  17. Lees, Adrian (20 June 2012). "Aemulor on the Beagle/Panda boards". ROOL forum. RISC OS Open. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  18. Proven, Liam (10 May 2012). "Best and the Rest: ARM Mini PCs". Reg Hardware. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  19. "Aemulor Professional". Spellings Computer Services. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  20. Williams, Chris (19 April 2003). "Aemulor turns to RISC OS 2". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  21. "Inside Aemulor". Foundation RISC User. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  22. Williams, Chris (5 August 2003). "Aemulor 2.2 upgrade online". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  23. Williams, Chris (19 December 2003). "Aemulor's brief Windows affair discovered". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  24. Williams, Chris (19 November 2002). "Aemulor: Number of apps working on Iyonix 'growing daily'". Drobe. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  25. Brett, Paul. "Games World". RISC World. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
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