Palm Pulls the Plug On Palm OS 300
BobB-nw writes to tell us that Palm has decided to kill their PalmOS operating system and is instead betting their future on a still mostly unknown Palm webOS. Very little is known about the new Palm webOS, but it will supposedly support HTML5 and enable a local data store so that applications can be used both online and off. All of this is rolled into a Linux framework with a message bus based on JSON. Will be interesting to see where they take it.
About damn time (Score:5, Interesting)
Worst. API. Ever. EVAR!
Bad enough that they renamed standard library functions. They also changed the order of arguments to those functions.
Windows PocketPC, meanwhile, was programmable using the same languages and toolchain as regular Windows.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:About damn time (Score:5, Insightful)
I used two Palm Zires (first a 21, then a 72) as ebook readers for the last 8 years.
When my latest one died two weeks ago, I started looking for a replacement, only to find out that PDAs have been dead for years...
Dammit Palm, you had a complete market cornered, why did you have to drop the ball so stupidly?
If you had developed a decent OS (with a f**kin filesystem!) for your devices 5 years ago, you would still be relevant today...
WebOs might change that... (Score:3, Funny)
In case you hadn't heard, the new Palm WebOs is creating quite a buzz that Palm may finally be back...
Re: (Score:2)
I recently started using my ipod touch as an ebook reader. Maybe not for everyone, but it works for me.
Re:About damn time (Score:5, Insightful)
They should have kept to standard designs, dropped the price, and made Palms as common and cheap as pocket calculators.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Sounds to me like Palm is way out of touch with their market. How do you get a company like this to pay more attention to their users?
I have 3 Palm Tungsten|C devices (2 in storage for when this one breaks). I had always hoped that Palm would come out with a device that included:
Graffiti (able to use Graffiti I)
Wifi with ability to change software/drivers
Cellular voice/data with SIM card
GPS receiver that can be readily used by any app
Bluetooth
IR I/O with stronger output and no cpu-specific hooks
Stereo sou
Re: (Score:2)
But really, does anybody buy anything from Palm these days.
I'm pretty happy with my Centro.
I tried a Blackberry first and it died within a week. I switched it for a Centro, which does more, cost less, and (best of all) didn't croak.
Though inevitable, this saddens me. (Score:5, Insightful)
As a couple of others at this thread level, I'm a devout Palm user. Actually, I've just bought a Treo 680 (competently refurbished of course) -- "just" as in "it it's still in the mail".
I've been using Palm PDAs for most of a decade, starting with a Palm III. My two beloved T3's are currently on their last legs; these things are nothing short of fantastic, keeping my mind and life functioning, but no matter how one cares for them they can only be expected to last for so long (which is why I'm upgrading to a Treo).
On a related note, my brother has been using Psion Series5's for 13 years -- and he still thinks they're the best things out there, although he recently threw in the towel and bought an iPhone.
It's such a shame that consumer electronics seems to be so ephemeral, it always has been. It means that the junk piles up on the landfill quickly, and it also means that the quality stuff is simply out of support long before the hardware is worn out.
I say "seems to be", because few people realise --truly, consciously-- that one's gear does not need to change if one's needs don't. Granted, for most (young) people it's at least as much about the fashion statement as the functionality, and so they buy into the ephemerality. Meanwhile, the stalwarts who cherish their devices for their usefulness quickly appear to be dinosaurs, as not keeping with the times.
I know that this Mac-like OS transition was necessary for Palm in order to be truly free to innovate, and I wish them luck, if for nothing else the market players need diversity to keep each other on their toes. I'm sure they're nervous about this gamble of leaving behind literally tens of thousands of 3rd-party applications; I know we are still many, many users out there who are -- even if we're being drowned out by others who don't feel the same.
What am I trying to say? I wish Palm luck with their new OS and device, and I hope they get to survive on that account. But I also hope that the PalmOS community survives, for one does not rule out the other, and the old tools will not suddenly, lose their usefulness.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The devil's in the details. I've got ten years of Palm OS use under my belt. I've had a Palm III, a Palm IIIc, a Palm V, a couple different Sony Clie devices, and my wife and I both run Palm Treo 650s. Why? Because I've got dozens of apps, and more than a little investment in them.
From mileage trackers to payroll sheets to games to little utils that adjust the UI to make it work the way I want it to work, I've got a device that works the way I want to work.
Problem is... WebOS isn't backwards compatible.
Re: (Score:2)
I will say good ridance too.
I have programmed a little soft on it (a Go board generating SGF files of the games I played in my club) and the API was so stupid/complex/borked that it has taken me 10 time the time I have used to program it on a Pocket PC :(.
Re:About damn time (Score:4, Insightful)
Just remember that API was designed to run on very simple devices built in 1998.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I've done a fair bit of Palm programming, too. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I will say that an API will always be something you have to take as it is and work with (or around) as best you can.
We'll see how the new Web OS API fares in comparison -- I'd hesitate to bash the old one until I've compared it to its successor.
Mac-like API (Score:4, Insightful)
The API reminded me of the early Mac OS API. Everything was a handle, the screen-manipulation and string functions were similar, and the case convention was the same.
Re:About damn time (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:About damn time (Score:4, Insightful)
You try shoehorning qt or gtk onto a 68000 running at 16MHz with 128K of memory.
If I recall, it wasn't any worse than any other API of comparable ability capable of running on similar hardware. It was idisyncratic of course because it wasn't Win32 which only seemed normal because so many people had to deal with it, and it didn't have the luxury modern frameworks do of burning processor time and call stack in order to provide an orthogonal model with close one to to one correspondence between what you saw on the screen and the objects you manipulate to make it happen.
Anything new you have to learn is a pain in the ass.
I think we have to judge an API like this by its results. A lot of people managed to develop a lot of applications for a lot of users, and by in large those applications were useful, functional and stable.
Still, I think that the direction palm is going from an API standpiont is good. They've lost the developer mindshare war, so having a totally foreign API and application model is a luxury they can't afford. It sounds like they're doing the right thing on PIM data synchronization too. It's a scandal how you can't get a decent shared calendar on a mobile device without buying Exchange.
On the other hand, I wish they would still offer non-converged devices. I realize it doesn't signify anything from a marketing standpoint, but I'd run out and buy a Pre right now if I could get it without the phone. I already have a phone, and I really hate having my PIM tied to my cell provider.
Re:About damn time (Score:5, Informative)
The original Palm had very little memory (128KB!) and completely different design goals than the later Windows PDAs. The Palm was essentially an embedded device designed like most small embedded devices, and was very efficient with memory use and power. Whereas Windows handheld machines were designed to be a miniature version of Windows, and thus required a lot more memory and horsepower.
Of course the API wasn't standard. You should rename the functions if they don't conform exactly to the standard (Microsoft C libraries on the other hand have had plenty of non compliant functions that weren't renamed, which has confused some programmers).
Of course you couldn't use a Windows toolchain,
what self respecting embedded programmers would want to? Besides, what Windows toolchain supported M68K anyway? This was not a Windows machine, it was not designed to work like Windows or look like Windows, so why would the lack of a normal Microsoft toolchain matter in the slightest?
Re:About damn time (Score:4, Interesting)
That's a bit harsh now, no? It's not a great API, but I've seen worse.
I've been a Palm OS developer for some nine years now, primarily working on Weasel Reader (http://weaselreader.org [weaselreader.org]), so I've watched as it grew, changed, and finally died over the years.
Early on, the OS was really great. It knew what its target hardware was and who its target audience was and it served them both quite well. Very useful and very low powered devices. The battery on my devices would last for weeks. I could even read on my Clie SJ-20 with the backlight on for a surprisingly large number of hours.
But, Palm's failure can only be blamed on itself. They owned the market and they let it slip away. Along with stupid business decisions, one of the biggest problems was that Palm OS failed to grow and mature like it should have. Palm OS 5.0 was the biggest update after 3.x and it was already way behind the times. They also managed to slap all of their FOSS developers in the face at the same time. OS 5 made it much harder to develop under anything but Windows.
And now the grand new thing is WebOS. There's still an enormous number of Palm apps out there in the wild. Useful apps that require very little from the host platform, yet WebOS has no manner of emulation for them.
I'm still subscribed to the palm-dev mailing list, the traffic of which has, not surprisingly, dropped off dramatically. One of the most recent threads was just a lot of old hands saying goodbye. Considering the longevity of this community, you'd think Palm might pay some attention, but no. As best as anybody can tell, nobody on the list was ever contacted by Palm for the WebOS beta, nor has anybody from Palm even dropped by just to promote the thing. This is the complete opposite of the Android dev mailing list which is crawling with people from Google who are more than happy to give useful answers and feedback.
Palm lost me as a developer a long time ago and if it hadn't been for maintenance of Weasel Reader I would have stopped already. Why would I follow them now? Certainly, devs writing commercial and shareware apps will need to evaluate the situation as it pertains to their business, but what about FOSS authors? One of the best things about the Palm platform was the large number of quality FOSS apps developed by a community that Palm never helped and sometimes even hindered. For the time being, it looks like a lot of the FOSS people will be moving over to Android.
RIP My Friend (Score:5, Insightful)
I have used palm OS for almost ten years.
Rest in Peace my friend, you will be missed.
Re:RIP My Friend (Score:5, Insightful)
I have used palm OS for almost ten years.
Rest in Peace my friend, you will be missed.
I don't know about missed. I think more like "fondly remembered", in that special kind of nostalgic way where you're simultaneously glad it is in fact a memory.
I've been using PalmOS devices since 97, and let me tell you, it wasn't long after the calendar hit 2000 that I stopped having a lot of patience for a non-multitasking OS. If this de-feature had made it stable that'd be one thing, but that's one thing PalmOS never was.
Re:RIP My Friend (Score:5, Funny)
I won't miss if it's within a hundred yards. Swiss-made rifles FTW!
Re: (Score:2)
Kinda hard to miss with most rifles at a 100 yards, especially with a 6.5x55mm which is a good 1000 yard cartridge.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm still using my Palm IIIxe. I doubt I'll need anything more than that for a long time.
I don't really like smart phones. Actually I don't much like cell phones at all, I have one but it's turned off almost all the time unless I need to make a call.
There's still almost no service where I live, unless I go outside, then I can MAYBE make a call and have the signal hold for 30 seconds, if the weather cooperates.
So if I have to replace my PDA, I hope there's something that doesn't require a service contract
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I have used palm OS for almost ten years.
Rest in Peace my friend, you will be missed.
Same here. As much as I like my new iPhone, its PDA capabililities are still inferior to palm OS:
On the other hand, the iPhone's browser makes you feel in the 21st century...
Re:RIP My Friend (Score:4, Funny)
They don't like when you do that to them.
Re:RIP My Friend (Score:5, Funny)
What, you've never anthropomorphized your palm, maybe as Jemma Jameson?
More seriously, though, I like my Z22 precisely because it's a simple PDA. I have a phone, I have a camera, I have a music player, and for that matter I have a knife and a fork, and I have no desire to have all those things combined into one monster device (a FrankenBerry?)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
What, you've never anthropomorphized your palm, maybe as Jemma Jameson?
Who's Jemma Jameson? One of the Jem'Hadar?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
No, no, he was a MoTown bass player.
What happened to BeOS? (Score:5, Interesting)
Is this going to be a brand-new start? Didn't they buy Be a few years ago to build their new OS versions around BeOS?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:What happened to BeOS? (Score:5, Informative)
Palm did acquire Be Inc in 2001. After this, it get's really fucking goofy and confusing, so I'll just quote Wikipeida (article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm,_Inc. [wikipedia.org])
In January 2002, Palm set up a wholly owned subsidiary to develop and license Palm OS[4], which was named PalmSource in February[5]. PalmSource was then spun off from Palm as an independent company. In August 2003, the hardware division of the company merged with Handspring, was renamed to palmOne, Inc. and traded under the ticker symbol PLMO. The Palm trademark was held by a jointly owned holding company.
In April 2005, palmOne purchased PalmSource's share in the 'Palm' trademark for US$30 million.[6] In July 2005, palmOne launched its new name and brand reverting back to Palm, Inc. and trading under the ticker symbol PALM once again.
In late 2005 ACCESS, which specializes in mobile and embedded web browser technologies, acquired PalmSource for US$324 million.
Who knows where Be's intellectual property ended up. Nothing ever came of the Be acquisition, and most likely nothing ever will. Palm's WebOS is entirely new, developed in-house, and has nothing to do with PalmSource/ACCESS.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Probably this:
BeOS Lives: Haiku Impresses
http://osnews.com/story/20951/BeOS_Lives_Haiku_Impresses [osnews.com]
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
It ended up with ACCESS. I don't think they have any plans for it whatsoever. It was bought to make the next PalmOS, Colbalt, which ACCESS canceled in favor of their ACCESS Linux Platform. The only action I have heard about is that ACCESS shutdown YellowTab (a proprietary fork of BeOS by ZETA software), while they have been accepting and minimally supporting of Haiku (an open source reimplementation of BeOS).
BeOS in PalmOS (Score:3, Informative)
Who knows where Be's intellectual property ended up.
According to the few rumours I've read on the web, small bits of Be where used in the multimedia stack of Palm Garnet (the only component of the OS which was multitasking).
The rest remained unused.
Re: (Score:2)
"Be a few years ago to build their new OS versions around BeOS?"
THAT was a major blunder. Hope the patents were worth it at least ;-)
Re:What happened to BeOS? (Score:5, Interesting)
No they bought the BeOS company. The engineers largely fled, with many of them going to Apple, including Newton guy Steve Sakoman and DominicGiampaolo, the engineer behind BeOS' metadata file system who ended up designing Apple's Spotlight metadata search architecture for example.
The Egregious Incompetence of Palm [roughlydrafted.com]
Interestingly, Palm followed all of the armchair advice that pundits offered for Apple, with completely disastrous results:
â License its OS to other hardware makers
â Copy Microsoft's Windows strategies
â Compete directly against Microsoft in IT markets
â Split into hardware and software companies
â Buy Be, Inc. for its BeOS
â Adopt the Linux kernel
â License Windows from Microsoft
What Palm is doing with WebOS is taking WebKit and making essentially a Dashboard-oriented PDA, where apps are just HTML+ JavaScript widgets. That allows Palm to claim that it is "multitasking" while not actually running any real significant applications. That's a pretty decent strategy for Palm, but sure isn't the iPhone Killer that the media has made it out to be.
Palm Pre: The Emperor's New Phone [roughlydrafted.com]
Why Apple's Tim Cook Did Not Threaten Palm Pre [roughlydrafted.com]
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
You use a lot a slashdot buzzwords (although you forgot to use "sockpuppet"), but your post is completely retarded. First off, what FUD is there to spread about the history of BeOS? There is no fear in death. What "lies" are involved in factually recounting the failure in Palm's past, or describing its future plans (which have nothing to do with BeOS)?
Next time you want to take a shot at leveling an argument, have a point and the argue it with facts and rational thoughts, don't just fling baseless accusatio
Isn't JSON insecure? (Score:2, Interesting)
I may be wrong but I thought you only use JSON when you're passing messages between trusted sources.
Is that perception incorrect?
Re:Isn't JSON insecure? (Score:5, Informative)
JSON isn't inherently insecure, it's just a method of delimiting data. Running JSON through an eval is insecure, but there are drafts for safer implementations (stringify and parse, as well as a native JSON type in JavaScript iirc). That said, always verify your data.
Re: (Score:2)
JSON is already a "native type" in JavaScript -- that was really the reason for its invention.
But yeah, running JSON thru eval() is a terrible, awful idea if you care about security at all. Manual parsing is currently required for safety.
Upcoming ES-3.1 and/or ES-Harmony may have a "secure" JSON parser, but there's been so much flux in the standardization process I don't know the current status.
Re: (Score:2)
No, JSON is a notation for an 'Object' in Javascript. The JSON Object is new.
See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc836458(VS.85).aspx [microsoft.com]
There are other sources because this wasn't a MS invention but I'm having a hard time finding them at the moment.
Re: (Score:2)
If you don't trust the source of the script/objects, don't use that source.
And all http technologies are subject to man in the middle attacks, but you can always use httpS to help to mitigate that.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes. While I don't see any appeal to JSON, I really doubt anyone can exploit my parser.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I've been writing XML based ajax apps for some time now, but I understand the appeal of JSON.
It's not the smaller document size. The standard XML header is only about 35 bytes and you can make your tags as small as you like.
It's not the speed of parsing. The XML DOM parsing is done natively and quickly using xmlHttpRequest.responseXML.documentElement.
I think the appeal is the easy of getting started with development.
With an XML DOM you can use or build an AP
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
"Is that perception incorrect?"
Pretty much yes.
It all depends on you deciding to trust the JSON you get and eval-ing it.
If you can't trust the source, you should parse it using a safe parser.
Who or what is the target for WebOS? (Score:2)
If they're a hardware vendor, why not just use Android?
Wrapping webkit and giving javascript APIs to talk to the hardware isn't a bad idea and it's working for PhoneGap. I just don't know why they have to re-invent the wheel.
Do they intend on making money licensing their WebOS to other hardware manufacturers?
Re: (Score:2)
"If they're a hardware vendor, why not just use Android?"
Because this has been in the works for -years-. A lot longer than Android has been, even.
Still, there's something to be said for giving up and going with what works, rather than trying to roll your own unsuccessfully. An Android-based PDA (if cheap enough) would sell pretty well, I'd think.
I wonder if anyone is considering it?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I guess you didn't noticed that is more of a question than a comment.
"It doesn't make sense to use Android, and have to pay licensing on a product that they don't own when they have been around long enough to know what works and what their customers want."
Huh? Pay licensing for what? The platform Android is open source.
Re:Who or what is the target for WebOS? (Score:5, Informative)
Apple's so-called "API" consisted of a keynote where they recommend making web pages that looked like native iPhone apps, but ran over the Internet in Mobile Safari. Palm's API is web-based, but the HTML/CSS/JavaScript will be stored and executed on the device, and JavaScript will be extended with hooks into phone-specific functionality. The difference is apples (no pun intended) to oranges.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Making a 3D game and using hardware openGL acceleration is tough to do in with HTML5
I just meant that it's a nice option to have to build some applications. It also allows to make things somewhat cross platform with PhoneGap ( http://phonegap.com/ [phonegap.com] ) because things like GPS and motion sensors are already abstracted and the implementation to another webkit device wouldn't be difficult.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I was one of those people saying it wouldn't be enough. And I still do think it's not enough for some things.
Making a 3D game and using hardware openGL acceleration is tough to do in with HTML5 :)
Don't be ridiculous! You don't use HTML for that... That's what Javascript is there for!
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Making a 3D game and using hardware openGL acceleration is tough to do in with HTML5 :)
Today, probably. Tomorrow, not so much. From HTML5 draft, section on the CANVAS element:
"A future version of this specification will probably define a 3d context (probably based on the OpenGL ES API)." [w3.org]
So it looks like DN4E will be written in JavaScript.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Wrong.
WebOs apps run on the actual device and are native to the device (the apps just use Javascript and HTML as their "language"). Apple originally proposed "apps" that were actually web pages formatted to look nicely (and have a bit more functionality) when viewed on the iPhone. However, they were still web sites that had no real access to the hardware of the viewer. WebOs apps will have access to the hardware layer, run locally, etc...
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The parts that cost money are the proprietary hardware drivers and media codecs and things like that, but that's not free for any platform.
Palm keeps falling flat? (Score:5, Interesting)
Is it just me, or has Palm fallen flat on its face every time they have something that could be big (except when they debuted the palm pilot)?
They used to have so much caché, but every time I hear what sounds like good news it just vanishes.
Why do people keep supporting this company if they can't get their act together? Do they offer a magical pony with every purchase that no one is telling me about?
Re:Palm keeps falling flat? (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Indeed.
Which is why all my doctor friends are now ecstatic that most of those applications are on the iPhone.
Apple FTW!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Most of the publishers had various and incompatible DRM strategies - you couldn'
Re:Palm keeps falling flat? (Score:4, Informative)
Phones are banned for patients and families. Clinical staff use them all the time. (I'm a medical student.)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah. I've done a few of the Palm PDAs over the years, starting with the Palm Pilot Pro. Back then, those things were cutting edge, lots of software, lots of support. You looked at the device and you knew it had a future.
It just seems like, since then, the company has had high goals, but has been on a behind-the-curve downhill slide ever since.
I now look back with regret on my decision a little over a year ago to buy a Palm T|X. Little third party development these days. Almost no vendor support on the buil
Re: (Score:2)
They used to have so much caché,
I don't usually do corrections, but the word you are looking for is "cachet".
Re: (Score:2)
I thought PalmOS was the property of Access...? (Score:2)
Palm doesn't own PalmOS anymore. They can choose not to use it on their devices, but that doesn't mean the operating system can't continue to develop and be sold to others (in the form of GVM or whatever).
This is old news (Score:5, Informative)
You're half there.
Access owned PalmOS, and in fact PalmOS was killed in late 2005 [ath0.com] when Access ceased development and moved to the Linux-based ALP (Access Linux Platform).
This announcement is actually just Palm admitting that they can't afford to release any more hardware that uses an OS that's been dead for nearly 4 years.
Does this mean... (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
This is awful (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Am I going to be able to use the WebOS when there's no wireless data connectivity? I don't think so.
According to TFA [networkworld.com]:
According to Palm's website and some early development partners, webOS supports HTML5, enabling a local data store, so applications and data are available offline, and a file system.
And the palm developer site: [palm.com]
Leverage the local storage capabilities of HTML5 so that data is available even when users are offline
I'm sure Palm intends WebOS to still work when there is no connectivity. Whether or not they implement this properly is another question, of course. Can anyone comment on how well the "local storage capabilities of HTML5" work?
Re:This is awful (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Since they are abandoning the platform, is it for sale? Are they going to open source it? I would not like to see it die.
It will probably end up like the other operating system [wikipedia.org] Palm pulled the plug on.
Re: (Score:2)
Am I going to be able to use the WebOS when there's no wireless data connectivity?
Yes, it runs applications on the device, not on a remote server.
Can Palm ensure the security of my data while using WebOS?
Yes, it stores your data on the device, and only supplements it with existing data from remote servers when you want. Just like outlook has a local address book, but can also plug into the corporate-wide LDAP directory.
What happened to the rumored port of PalmOS to Linux? Are they going to open source it?
Palm does not own Palm OS. They split off into PalmOne (hardware) and PalmSource (software) years ago. PalmSource was bought by ACCESS 4 years ago. They have the full rights to the PalmOS, and may choose to go forward with their
Misleading story (Score:5, Informative)
First off, Palm don't own PalmOS. It's owned by Access, who bought PalmSource.
Secondly, PalmOS's plug was pulled back in 2005, when Access announced no further development work would be done on it.
Thirdly, Palm didn't *decide* to pull the plug; their license from Access to ship new PalmOS devices expired, so they have no choice.
I wrote about all this back in 2005 [ath0.com] when the news went around. I guess everyone's forgotten.
Re:Misleading story (Score:5, Funny)
Don't know how we all missed it, what with our daily checking of your web site.
Re: (Score:2)
--Wikipedia, no citation given.
So it sounds like palm did decide to pull the plug, the new agreement gave Palm rights to the source code (again).
Assuming it's true, how much money was involved in split
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, not to meta-nitpick or anything, but I'm sure Access would have sold Palm a new license if Palm had been willing to pay anything like it must be paying to get a whole new OS.
Still, in the era of $300 laptops, I wonder how cheaply some Chinese company could sell a knock off of the old Palm m505. For a lot of people, that pretty much was all the PDA they really needed. PDAs got powerful and converged partly because the companies built around selling PDAs were built around selling expensive, high margi
So what upgrade/emulation options exist? (Score:3, Interesting)
I am using a Zodiac 2 now, and have a TX in storage if the Zod dies, but I am wondering what options exist for moving/using my data on other platforms?
I know Access has sold their ALP platform to a couple companies, it's on at least one digital camera, too. They also put out a PalmOS compatible layer for the Nokia internet tablets.
I think there is a company that emulates the basic built-in apps on WinCE and iPhone/iPod Touch. Haven't heard great things about that.
Are there other options out there?
Palm lost the plot years ago... (Score:5, Insightful)
IF they'd kept the original PalmOS model and followed it to cheaper devices you'd be seeing Palms instead of Ti graphing calculators as the standard handheld for schoolkids by now... which would have translated into massive sales as the kids grew up. But Palm decided they HAD to go head to head against the Pocket PC, and threw away most of the advantages of the small, tight, lightweight Palm OS while keeping most of its disadvantages with PalmOS 5.
The Only Surprise Here (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Um, their killing their old OS in favor of the one which runs on the Pre.
Re: (Score:2)
Dude, the Palm Pre does not use Palm OS.
How did you get modded insightful?
Re:amazing stupidity (Score:5, Informative)
Probably because of confusion? Palm and PalmOS have gone together (and make sense together). Now they introduce a new device running a new OS. Next Palm announces the death of PalmOS. Unless you're techie enough to know that the Pre runs "WebOS" and not "PalmOS", it would appear that Palm is abandoning their OS.
Anyhow, I think it realy means Palm is abandoning PalmOS. PalmOS is maintained by Access and is part of the Access Linux Platform nowadays... and Access has a nice VM to run PalmOS on the Nokia tablets. Great for those of us stuck with some irreplacable PalmOS apps. (And while there's probably a billion replacements for them, they lack stuff like the speed or other things...).
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I still don't have a replacement for the PalmOS application together with the antenna to measure the DECT field strength in the environment. I'm using it all the time to plan a DECT roll out and to define the mount points for the DECT base stations.
Re: (Score:2)
Either that, or it needs to have a reply butto-- hey wait, I think I found something!
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Errors should hurt, or you'll keep making them.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:amazing stupidity (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
How would that be any different from someone with a locally popular opinion doing the same thing?
It's not any different. I wasn't trying to imply that it was, though I understand how it could have come off that way. My apologies for not being clear.
For that matter, how is it any different than the situation we have now with people using "Flamebait" for "I disagree?"
While it certainly does happen, I think people are less prone to use "Flamebait" as a substitute for "I disagree" than they would be if they had a "You're Wrong" option. Obviously I have no way to prove myself on that one, I just assume that at least some people are smart enough to know that "Flamebait" has a specific meaning, but would be less concerned wit
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
SAme here. After I had to buy $30 worth of add-on software to make my TX work at all (Warpspeed and PowerDigi) and the flakiness of the on-off button (although it hasn't broken altogether) I told myself this was the last Palm I'd get. I'm still using it, but I'm very close to replacing it with a Touch.
I would have loved a little handheld BeOS machine. Why, Palm, why?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
copy&paste?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Go for weeks without a charge. Graffiti.
Most importantly: Can be used without a contract.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, the monopoly was killed, from one end, by a company leveraging another monopoly to extend into the PDA segment.
From the other direction came Symbian with Nokia and Sony Ericsson and pretty much every telco on the planet.
Really, they had little chance.
Re:Palm was once *the* PDA to use (Score:4, Informative)