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The Icon Bar: News and features: Wakefield 2005 - Full Report
 

Wakefield 2005 - Full Report

Posted by Phil Mellor on 18:16, 21/5/2005 | , , ,
 
Our full report from the Wakefield show is now available. I've also uploaded over 60 pictures and a few MPEG videos from my digital camera.See the A9home compared to the Mac Mini (hint: the A9home is smaller) and photos from most of the stands.
 
  Wakefield 2005 - Full Report
  Phlamethrower (18:45 21/5/2005)
  moss (20:57 21/5/2005)
    eddyosaysyo (21:08 21/5/2005)
      SimonC (12:11 22/5/2005)
        andrew (18:44 22/5/2005)
          andrew (18:45 22/5/2005)
            Hertzsprung (20:02 22/5/2005)
              andypoole (05:55 23/5/2005)
                sa110_mk (14:02 23/5/2005)
                  [mentat] (14:19 23/5/2005)
                    SimonC (15:54 23/5/2005)
                      ad (16:09 23/5/2005)
                        sa110_mk (18:35 23/5/2005)
                          rich (18:45 23/5/2005)
                            sa110_mk (18:55 23/5/2005)
                              wakeman2 (18:12 24/5/2005)
                                Col (07:21 25/5/2005)
                                  rich (11:36 26/5/2005)
                                    ad (11:49 26/5/2005)
                                      liquid (12:09 26/5/2005)
                                        rich (12:59 26/5/2005)
                                          ad (13:13 26/5/2005)
                                            rich (13:32 26/5/2005)
                                              liquid (14:00 26/5/2005)
                                                rich (14:58 26/5/2005)
                                                  liquid (16:47 26/5/2005)
                                                    rich (11:06 27/5/2005)
 
Jeffrey Lee Message #93536, posted by Phlamethrower at 18:45, 21/5/2005
PhlamethrowerHot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot stuff

Posts: 15100
Spiffy!
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
John Hoare Message #93537, posted by moss at 20:57, 21/5/2005, in reply to message #93536

Posts: 9348
"More than 70% of your message is written in UPPER CASE. Text written in all-caps is considered SHOUTING and is difficult to read. Please edit your message and try to write like a normal person."

Bah! I just wanted to emphasise how much I wanted an A9 Home :p

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Ed Willson Message #93538, posted by eddyosaysyo at 21:08, 21/5/2005, in reply to message #93537
eddyosaysyo

Posts: 172
Neat! Shame I couldn't come *sniff*
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Simon Challands Message #93539, posted by SimonC at 12:11, 22/5/2005, in reply to message #93538
Elite
Right on, Commander!

Posts: 398
I seemed a livelier show than last year's. Early on in the day I was having to slowly make my way through crowds in a few places, which must be a good sign.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Message #93540, posted by andrew at 18:44, 22/5/2005, in reply to message #93539
HandbagHandbag Boi
Posts: 3439
Very nice report MOnkeyson et al.!
Matin Wuerthner immaculately dressed...Chris Evans manning the post...a girl present...the AA sign...all the right ingredients!

Good to see Oregano 3 and Firefox are coming along as expected.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Message #93541, posted by andrew at 18:45, 22/5/2005, in reply to message #93540
HandbagHandbag Boi
Posts: 3439
Don't you just love how STD just live the lifestyle? 8-)
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James Shaw Message #93542, posted by Hertzsprung at 20:02, 22/5/2005, in reply to message #93541
Hertzsprung
Ghost-like

Posts: 1746
Regarding firefox plugins being written in XUL/Javascript (and therefore compatible with the RISC OS port), this is not strictly the case. Plugins can be written in C++ and compiled to machine code, and such plugins would not work on RISC OS without some means of recompilation.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Poole Message #93543, posted by andypoole at 05:55, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93542
andypoole
Mouse enthusiast
Web
Twitter

Posts: 5558
Nice to see they actually spelt the road signs correctly this year ;)
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Paul Stewart Message #93544, posted by sa110_mk at 14:02, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93543
Member
Posts: 144
I didn't make the show last year, but this year's show really brought home how the far the RISC OS market has contracted in recent years.

I remember the AW94(or was it 95?) show at Wembley. It was full of stands and packed with people. You had 4D seelng most of their games for £10, in fact it was so hot inside there were even some people collapsing.

Will we ever see such an event again?

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
I don't have tourettes you're just a cun Message #93545, posted by [mentat] at 14:19, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93544
[mentat]Fear is the mind-killer
Posts: 6266
No.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Simon Challands Message #93546, posted by SimonC at 15:54, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93545
Elite
Right on, Commander!

Posts: 398
I don't think it's a sign of contraction in recent years - to me, the show seemed busier and more upbeat than the last few. The big shrinkage of RISC OS users probably occurred around the time of the Acorn demise, and they've been dribbling away slowly since then. VRPC seems to have brought several back, and hopefully the A9home will too.

There's obviously a long way to go to get it back to anything like its heyday, if that's even possible. Alas money and MHz changes are what'll be needed to bring in significantly more users, however sensible or feasible that is in reality. Chipping away slowly at it is the best we can hope for, but the fact that there is now (almost) a machine with a much nicer power : price ratio than the Iyonix is a very encouraging sign that RISC OS is heading in the right direction.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Duffell Message #93547, posted by ad at 16:09, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93546

Posts: 3262
I hadn't been to Wakefield for a few years until this weekend, and I think it seemed a lot more packed in the hall, but the area of the hall they were using was obviously a lot smaller than before, so that may be why.
The members of WROCC I spoke to said they were ecstatic at the turnout.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Paul Stewart Message #93548, posted by sa110_mk at 18:35, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93547
Member
Posts: 144
I was there all day and i wouldn't really say the hall got that busy. The main show area was taking up about a third of what it used to, although this did make way for the spacious theatre area. When I arrived there in the morning(when it opened). I walked round it in about 10 mins and thought to myself - "just how am i going to spend all day here", but between wondering round several more times, buying one or two things(A9 was the most expensive thing), the cafe (good bacon butties) and the theatre presentations, the day seemed to go quite quickly and was jolly pleased I made the trip. Hopefully the A9 will help liven up the market a little.
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Richard Goodwin Message #93549, posted by rich at 18:45, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93548
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
I've got a very simple plan how to improve attendance next year:

Don't hold it on the same day as the FA Cup Final.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Paul Stewart Message #93550, posted by sa110_mk at 18:55, 23/5/2005, in reply to message #93549
Member
Posts: 144
I suppose that is the one obvious way of improving attendance.
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Chris Hughes Message #93551, posted by wakeman2 at 18:12, 24/5/2005, in reply to message #93550
Member
Posts: 3
I am sorry it was on the day of the FA CUP Final, it would orginally have been on the weekend of the general election, but we could not have the hall then. We are dependent on when the hall and stand contractor are available.

Also remember its all done in our spare time, we don't get paid. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes so you actually get a show, if I and the other charged for our time you would be paying about 30 pounds entrance!

As for the size of the event, well yes it is smaller, but then the market got smaller after black Thursday.

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Colin Cartmell-Browne Message #93552, posted by Col at 07:21, 25/5/2005, in reply to message #93551
Member
Posts: 89
Wakeman2:

Don't take anyones comments personally- no matter what weekend it was held on there was almost certainly bound to be some other event that it clashed with. Besides, as an exhibitor (on the Qercus stand), I thought the Sat was actually pretty busy - despite the FA Cup final.

Although the Sunday was pretty quiet it gave me, and John Cartmell, the opportunity to talk to other people who try to make their living from RISC OS, something we don't get to do much during other, one day, shows.

Many thanks to you, and the other Wakefield Club members for taking the time to organise this show. Long may it continue!

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Richard Goodwin Message #93553, posted by rich at 11:36, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93552
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
Yeah, nothing personal, just an observation. In other news, I just missed betatesting a new PS2 game because Liverpool were losing the European Cup at the appointed time. Almost switched it off at half time...
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Andrew Duffell Message #93554, posted by ad at 11:49, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93553

Posts: 3262
From what I've heard, testing computer games is the really dull. You have to do things like lose on purpose, and play games that are dull.

That match was far more exciting!

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Alan Gibson Message #93555, posted by liquid at 12:09, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93554
Member
Posts: 11
Was there an English football game on? ;-) ;-) ;-)
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Richard Goodwin Message #93556, posted by rich at 12:59, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93555
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
AndrewD - you heard wrong. This is purely a network load test scheme, so they just want as many warm bodies playing at the same time as possible. It's not the same as looking for bugs.

Liquid - yeah, apparently so. Maybe you missed hearing about it? There's been nothing about it on the news... ;)

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Andrew Duffell Message #93557, posted by ad at 13:13, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93556

Posts: 3262
Rich: A mate of mine runs the testing department at a computer games company, and we all tell people that he just plays games all day, and gets paid. Dream job!! He says otherwise.
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Richard Goodwin Message #93558, posted by rich at 13:32, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93557
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
Yeah, he's probably doing the bug huntin' variety of games testing. I'm not. But then, I'm not getting paid either.

I think there was an episode of CSI:Miami where one games tester went postal and killed a programmer. Or was it the programmer killed the tester that kept reporting all his bugs? Something like that. But it's getting a bit playpen-like in here now...

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Alan Gibson Message #93559, posted by liquid at 14:00, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93558
Member
Posts: 11
Rich - I caught up on a bit of the news when I got back. Either Celtic or Rangers won. Dunfermline just escaped relegation from the SPL but Dundee United didn't yet they're playing Celtic for the cup. Or something like that. Who was playing in England?
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Richard Goodwin Message #93560, posted by rich at 14:58, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93559
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
Liquid - does your TV live in a time warp? It appears to be giving you last week's news.

Or do you live in such a remote place that TV is shipped to you on video cassettes?

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Alan Gibson Message #93561, posted by liquid at 16:47, 26/5/2005, in reply to message #93560
Member
Posts: 11
Rich - Since it was a Scotsman who invented the TV it works fine up here :-)

I just don't care much about football and nothing at all for English football!!! ;-)

Well done to Liverpool, though.

  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 
Richard Goodwin Message #93562, posted by rich at 11:06, 27/5/2005, in reply to message #93561
Rich
Dictator for life
Posts: 6824
Actually, the Scotsman stole the idea - from an Englishman ;) (there's also German, Russian and US claims)
  ^[ Log in to reply ]
 

The Icon Bar: News and features: Wakefield 2005 - Full Report