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GUI comparison: RISC OS vs Windows and macOS (changes)
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This page is intended as a quick guide to the RISC OS GUI, listing some of the more obvious differences compared to the Windows and/or macOS GUIs.
General
- Most RISC OS windows don’t have a “menu” bar or ribbon. Instead, the MENU button (see Mouse buttons below) is used to display a context-sensitive menu. For example, clicking MENU on an application icon will display the choices available for the application as a whole, while clicking MENU on an application window will display the choices for (that part of) the window in question.
- There is no “waste bin” function built into RISC OS (although third-party applications are available that perform a similar function). When you delete a file, it’s gone.
- Although you can pin files (and applications) to the desktop background, by default this only applies to the current session: if you want to have the pinned objects available after a restart, you have to explicitly save the Pinboard state before shutting down. Also, pinning an object does not save a copy: it only saves a link to the original location of the object.
Mouse buttons
RISC OS assigns names (Select, Adjust, Menu) to the mouse buttons.
| Button | RISC OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Left | Choose item / Perform action | SELECT: Choose item / Perform action |
| Right | Display context-sensitive menu | ADJUST : Alter selection / Perform alternative action (depending on application). Examples include:
|
| Middle (Scroll wheel) | (Not used as a button) | MENU: Display context-sensitive menu |
Window manipulation
| Action | RISC OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Close window | Windows: "x" icon at top right. macOS: red dot at top left. |
"x" icon at top left. |
| Maximise window | Windows: "square" icon at top right. macOS: green dot at top left. |
"Square" icon at top right. Note that the window may only expand to display all available content – it will not necessarily fill the screen. |
| Minimise (Iconise) window | Windows: "-" icon at top right. macOS: yellow dot at top left. |
"-" icon at top right. By default, the window is iconised to the desktop background, not to the bottom of the screen. |
| Bring window to front of stack | Click anywhere in the window. | Click on the title bar. Note that clicking elsewhere in the window does not work. |
| Send window to back of stack | (n/a) | Click on the "stack of squares" icon at top left. |
| Resize window | Drag any edge or corner of window. | Drag icon at bottom right of window. |
| Reposition window without resizing | Drag window title. | Drag title bar of window. |
| Reposition window without changing its position in the stack | (n/a) | ADJUST-drag title bar of window. |
| Scroll window contents (method 1) | Drag scroll bar to scroll in the intended direction. | Either: SELECT-drag scroll bar to scroll in the intended direction, Or: ADJUST-Drag scroll bar to scroll both horizontally and vertically at the same time. |
| Scroll window contents (method 2) | Click above/below a vertical scroll bar (or left/right of a horizontal scroll bar) to scroll one screenful in the intended direction. | Either: SELECT-click above/below a vertical scroll bar (or left/right of a horizontal scroll bar) to scroll one screenful in the intended direction, Or: ADJUST-click to scroll one screenful in the opposite direction. |
Filer operations
Many of these operations can be performed from the menus in the usual way.
| Action | RISC OS | |
|---|---|---|
| Copy a file | Windows: Ctrl-drag the file to its destination. macOS: Option-drag the file to its destination. |
Drag the file to its destination. |
| Move a file | Shift-drag the file to its destination. | Shift-drag the file to its destination. |
| Select |
||
| Windows: macOS: |
Or: ADJUST-drag a selection box over the additional files. |
|
| Delete selected file(s) | Windows: Press “Delete” key. macOS: Press Command-Delete. |
Either: Press CTRL-K, Or: Click MENU and choose File > Delete or Selection > Delete as appropriate. |
| Rename a file | Windows: Do a slow double-click (click, pause for 1 second, click again) then type the new filename. macOS: Press Return, then type the new filename. |
Alt-click on the filename, then alter the filename as desired. |
| Open a file | Double-click on the file. | Either : Double-click on the file, |
| Save a file | Use the application’s "Save" function to navigate to the desired place in the directory structure, then choose a file name and press Return. | Open a Filer window on the desired directory, then drag the file icon from the application’s Save as window to the Filer window. If you need to change the file name, do so before starting the drag. |
The icon bar
This is the RISC OS equivalent of the Windows taskbar or the macOS Dock. Like them it sits at the bottom of the screen, but behaves slightly differently:
- At the extreme right-hand end of the task bar is the Task Manager. Click SELECT to display the Tasks window; click MENU to display the “Configure/Shutdown” menu.
- To the left of the Task Manager is the Display Manager. This allows you to change the display resolution if necessary.
- The remainder of the icon bar is taken up with devices (e.g. disc drives, SD cards, network shares) on the left of the icon bar, and running applications on the right of the icon bar.
- To open a Filer window, click SELECT on the appropriate icon at the left of the icon bar.
- The icon labelled Discs is actually a list of network shares. Clicking SELECT on this will probably open an empty window (unless you happen to have other RISC OS machines active on your local network).
- Clicking SELECT on a running application icon will open an application window, usually a new document window.
- Click MENU on an icon to display an options menu. For disc drives this allows you to dismount the drive; for running applications it allows you to quit the application.
Further reading
For a more comprehensive list of RISC OS keyboard shortcuts, see Desktop interaction quick reference.
Other get-you-started guides include:
A step-by-step guide for the RISC OS beginner – Shows how to to open windows, start applications, and other simple tasks.
Desktop interaction quick reference – A list of keyboard shortcuts etc.
RISC OS Beginners FAQ
- A step-by-step guide for the RISC OS beginner – Shows how to to open windows, start applications, and other simple tasks.
- RISC OS Beginners FAQ
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