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The RISC OS 3 User Guide is bundled with VARPC in HTML. I am interested in updating the manual to cover RISC OS 5/6 but would need the original source files (presumably in a desktop publisher of some sort) and copyright permission to do this. Do the source files and artwork/images still exist and do you (as ROL) hold the copyright please?

I see that the BCC BASIC manual is now available here http://www.riscos.com/support/users/index.htm in HTML format, but is the PDF version likely to reappear please?

Sorry for the delay in replying.

We are pretty much starting from scratch with the new riscos.com. All of the user documentation will be in HTML format and be made available free of charge. This will include the RISC OS 6 User Guide and the RISC OS 3 User Guide.

There will also be some 30+ manuals/documents for developers, including the BBC BASIC manual, Vol 1 to 6 of the PRMs etc all in HTML format and also all free of charge.

The original Acorn produced documents were in a very old Framemaker format. RISCOS Ltd had these documents converted into modern formats so that they weren't lost. We now hold the rights to these documents (in all formats) which includes User Guides, PRMs etc.

There is little point in trying to update the RISC OS 3 User Guide to cover RISC OS 6 as there are already hundreds of pages of RO6 documentation. The RO6 User Guide and PRM were written in parallel as the OS was developed.

Editing/updating the RISC OS 3 documentation to include RISC OS 5 is not something that I'm not going to be able to provide permission for at present, sorry.

I'll seek elsewhere for the necessary permission then. Many thanks.

Please be aware that no one else can give you permission to base your proposed RISC OS 5 documentation on either the RISC OS 3 or RISC OS 6 manuals.

Not true of course. I am sure that you are aware that Castle have the necessary rights, whether you like to acknowledge them or not.

The HTML/PDF versions of the Acorn Computers Ltd documentation was commisioned and paid for by RISCOS Ltd.
We now hold the rights to these.

The new design of riscos.com is finally getting there so you will be able to see the RISC OS 6 documentation in
full (previously it was only available after a customer had purchased RISC OS 6). I don't think it's worth
duplicating the RISC OS 6 documentation as what's already available is pretty thorough.

Documenting RISC OS 5 is a great idea, but please don't use any of the content/design from the RISC OS 3/4/6
documentation.

Ah! That explains why the source information would be in FrameMaker.