PC owners have to ensure their computers come with a graphics board. How quaint? How primitive? The basic Acorn Risc PC machine can display photo-realistic graphics at resolutions up to 1600x1200 pixels AS STANDARD with no additional graphics card.

What if you want a new resolution or screen mode? Do you have to buy extra drivers, re-boot the machine? On non Windows95 platforms you simply define the resolution you want, and change mode. The screen is automatically updated in real-time - no rebooting machines - and programs automatically adapt to work in the new graphics resolution. This feature alone could save minutes of waiting around - just to see what your work looks like in a different resolution.

RISC OS will even automatically dither the desktop environment if you select a mode containing fewer colours than previously.

As for text and font quality, Wintel machines are simply years behind in display technology. Compare the two screen snapshots below and compare the quality of the font rendering.