Arthur is an early graphical user interface (GUI) operating system (OS) that was used on Acorn ARM-cpu-based computers from about 1987 until the much-superior RISC OS 2 was completed and made available in April 1989. It was the operating system of the earliest Archimedes ARM machines.

The desktop is very primitive. It features a colour-scheme typically described as "technicolour". Its earlier revisions were very buggy, and was only really meant to be a placeholder until RISC OS 2 (a name chosen instead of Arthur 2) was completed.

The "Arthur" name was supposedly dropped from version 2 because of the release at the time of a movie called On the Rocks. Arthur is said to stand for "A Risc-based operating system by THURsday". Supposedly Arthur was put together in break-neck speed because a revolutionary operating system they had under development (ARX) wasn't going to be ready in time.

Most software made for Arthur can be run under RISC OS. A few titles will not work, however.

External links

• "Arthur Lives!" - a guide by Ben Jefferys
• Arthur OS Emulator

Operating systems | Acorn Archimedes

Arthur (Betriebssystem) | Arthur (operációs rendszer)