MicroDigital's domain expires
By Chris Williams. Published: 28th May 2005, 02:08:35 | Permalink | Printable
The writing's on the WHOIS [Updated]
MicroDigital's website domain name expires today, 6 years after it was first registered. At the time of writing, microdigital.co.uk requires renewing although is still resolving.
The site is home not only to information about MicroDigital's product lines, but also the company's Newsdesk section - a collection of articles and other eyebrow raising writings covering topics from show reports to motorbike racing. Some of the earlier gems have since been pulled from the site by MicroDigital.
The domain name for MicroDigital's forum and support website does not need renewing until later this year, although one user has claimed that MicroDigital have not announced to its customers the fate of its microdigital.co.uk website.
When asked if the Yorkshire based company was working on anything in particular at the moment, the Omega owner added: "I really hope so but nobody really knows. MicroDigital Europe say that they are working but have one problem after the other. But there is the RISC OS Expo on 18th June. I think they will be there as will I and then I hope they have some answers - or even better, some upgrades."
Of all their products, from the ARM7500 Mico to their VirtualRiscPC powered laptops, MicroDigital are best known for their StrongARM Omega computer: Launched in October 2000, it eventually shipped in 2003, although features such as networking support appeared some time afterwards.
At the start of the month, RiscStation's website domain names expired after the company found more profitable revenue streams outside of RISC OS. Microdigital were unavailable for comment yesterday.
Update at 13:11 5/6/2005
At the end of May, MicroDigital's domain was eventually renewed. Microdigital.co.uk expires in 2007.
MicroDigital website archives RISC OS Expo 2005 show
Previous: News in brief
Next: Fixing up a second hand Acorn computer
Viewing threaded comments | View comments unthreaded, listed by date | Skip to the end
At least the domains microdigital.info and microdigital.biz will continue to operate for the forseeable future. They are on automatic renewel.
JGZimmerle on 28/5/05 9:53AM
JGZimmerle: Well, one would assume they'll be on automatic renewal until the credit card they're bought with expires?
nunfetishist on 28/5/05 11:48AM
Can anybody shed some light on MD's current status? Are they still committed in bringing the ARMTwister and soft-updating the hardware, adding new features? I hope so, because it is a very interesting concept machine. Perhaps the coming Expo2005 show in the Netherlands will provide some answers...
hEgelia on 28/5/05 11:51AM
Microdigital are still going and the Omega and ARMtwister are still under development. David Atkins has had some family issues which have distracted him from Microdigital which is probably why the domain hasn't been renewed.
IanK on 28/5/05 1:51PM
I'm really wondering what market value a working ARMtwister could have today after we've seen a 32bit version of RISC OS 4 (beta) and an Aemulor running on it (albeit in proof of concept stage).
joty on 28/5/05 3:12PM
While I have no doubt that an Omega as it is is a useful enough computer (albeit expensive) as an upgrade from something older than a SA RiscPC, I really question the value of holding out for technology which is now many years late (and holds too many unanswered technical quesitons), from a company who've broken way too many promises and are increasingly difficult to get hold of.
Even if the mythical ARMTwister did turn up shortly, it would be very unlikely to be substantially cheaper than a whole new A9 - a much faster machine, which lacks the slow bus of the proposed XScale for the AT (now an old part) and also even the contention issues of the 321 in use in the Iyonix.
I fear that those holding out for MD to eventually deliver will be disappointed, if they haven't been already. There really are better choices.
mrchocky on 28/5/05 6:54PM
anybody remember when they had the medi computer announced it was around the time Acorn went bust.I remember reading that in Archimedes world magazine on the newstand in 1998
highlandcattle on 29/5/05 8:45AM
Yes, IIRC this was in cooperation with Acorn, but then Acorn pulled out half way through. They re-used some of the technology in the Mico.
JGZimmerle on 29/5/05 10:39AM
Wasn't it just a standard A7OOO+ clone ?
highlandcattle on 29/5/05 1:22PM
highlandcattle: "Wasn't it just a standard A7000+ clone ?"
As far as I know, the Medi never made it into production. I don't know of any published standard for the A7000+, but the Mico was certainly very different indeed from the A7000+, apart from the ARM7500FE processor which was a key part of both machines.
dgs on 29/5/05 8:28PM
New RISCDomain issue on its way soon
Magazine to include a web design guide
Discuss this. Published: 13 Apr 2008
"The original entry in the guide described VA_RPC as ARMless, now it's been updated to Mostly Harmless"