RISC OS User Guide AI Assistant

Introducing the RISC OS User Guide Assistant: A new AI RAG to help with understanding how to use RISC OS.

RISC OS offers a broad and sometimes intricate environment, especially when working with the Desktop, SWIs, filetypes, or system modules. While official documentation is extensive, finding specific information quickly can be a challenge.

The RISC OS User Guide Assistant is an experimental AI-based tool that attempts to bridge that gap by searching the official RISC OS documentation and answering questions based on it. It uses a process called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to find and quote from sources.

Behind the scenes, the assistant pulls the answer directly from a Graph Database which has been carefully constructed with informations coming from:

  • Original Acorn RISC OS User Guide
  • Latest RISC OS 5.30 User Guide updates
  • Programmer’s Reference Manuals Volumes 1–5
  • RISC OS How To Questions
  • RISC OS Extended Programming Information
  • and even release notes from RISC OS 3.10 through 4.39.

What it is (and is not)

The assistant is not a replacement for reading the manuals, nor should its answers be considered definitive. It can be helpful in locating information, exploring SWI usage, identifying register meanings, or finding practical examples, but it does make mistakes.

Where possible, answers are grounded in exact document excerpts. Users are encouraged to treat it as a pointer to relevant passages, not as a final source of truth. Double-checking the provided references is recommended, especially when dealing with low-level or critical system calls.

Example Use Cases

  • “How do I move files between directories using the Desktop?”
  • “What is SWI &2F?” (returns the name and details for OS_ReadPalette)
  • “What does the Adjust button do in RISC OS?”
  • “Which tools can be used for debugging a WIMP application?”

In each case, the assistant searches through structured documents and attempts to summarise relevant sections. Responses usually include quotes from the source materials used.

Limitations and Warnings

Although the assistant uses official documentation, AI-based tools are inherently fallible and can present incorrect or misleading information. These errors might include:

  • Misidentifying a SWI or filetype
  • Returning context-inappropriate advice
  • Confusing behaviour between RISC OS versions

This is especially important to note when using the assistant for programming tasks, memory management, or low-level system calls.

Accessing the Assistant

You can access the RISC OS User Guide Assistant freely at the following link:

RISC OS User Guide Assistant

There is no sign-up required, and the assistant can be used directly in a web browser. Please keep in mind that this is a community-supported experiment and not an official product of RISC OS Open Ltd or any other commercial entity.

Feedback and Future Improvements

We welcome feedback from the RISC OS community. If you spot an inaccuracy, contradiction, or omission in the assistant’s responses, please report it. The system is under ongoing development, and contributions will help improve both coverage and accuracy.

Reminder: Do not rely solely on AI-generated answers for development, system configuration, or legacy platform preservation. Always verify against primary documentation.

  • Try it on ChatGPT
  • Project lead: Paolo Fabio Zaino
  • Sources: ZFP Systems Knowledge Graph DB
  • Launched: 2024
  • Feedback welcome!