Jim Cooper wrote:
> >And then the next question is, "What is the best kernel for PalmSource
> >to use, given that kernels are complex and maintaining your own kernel
> >and writing device drivers for every new piece of hardware is a pain?".
> >And the answer is "Linux", because hundreds (thousands?) of man-years
> >of work have already gone into refining that kernel, *and* it's very
> >popular in embedded development already, so lots of embedded stuff has
> >Linux device drivers available already.
>
> It's an answer, certainly. But Linux is not just a kernel. And as you say,
> even in the embedded world, there is lots of stuff out there already. Is
> adding yet another GUI toolkit a worthwhile exercise? I'm not convinced.
Actually, LINUX IS JUST A KERNEL, along with device drivers. All
the GNU utilities and other OSS software such as the X Window System,
desktop, and applications are just a bunch of stuff added to Linux
(the kernel) to make for a nice user experience that matches (and
often surpasses) that of Windows or OS X.
Strip off all the extras, include only the kernel and device drivers that
are needed for the hardware, and you get a very advanced operating system
that can run on even tiny little computers. And you still get all
the multitasking, memory management, security and such, along with
a standardized POSIX programming interface. Having all that work
done for them "for free" is what Palm and PalmSource need to bring
"Palm OS" into the future. All they need to do is port the Palm OS
GUI user interface to run on the Linux kernel, which has already
been done by China MobilSoft, now owned by PalmSource.
If they do things intelligently, it will be possible to run most
or all of the existing Palm OS apps on the Linux-based system, and
new apps will be able to take advantage of Linux system calls directly.
(And also any other enhancements that are added to the Palm OS layer,
as a result of the integration with Linux.)
That means there's no required change in the Palm OS API or development
tools, and developers will be able to gradually transition to any new
APIs that PalmSource may add.
(Now, I hope that wasn't just wishful thinking. If I knew for sure what's
going on inside PalmSource, I'd probably have signed a NDA with them and
wouldn't be allowed to write about it! On the other hand, I've been
using/programming/managing/building Unix and Linux systems since 1981,
so I tend to know what I'm saying in regards to Linux and Open Source
Software.)
For now at least, I'm looking forward to Palm OS on Linux. Garnet has
been good, but even if Palm wanted to continue with it, I don't see that
it has much more of a future than did the pre-X versions of Mac OS.
Try this: ask some Mac users if they want to give up OS X and go back
to Mac OS 9. Not many do. They prefer their modern "Unix" operating
system, with true multitasking, along with the nice user interface
and applications that Apple has for created for it. Apple ditched
OS 9 in favor of a Unix-based system because they knew Mac OS wasn't
keeping up with the competition (Linux and Windows). Honestly, I'm
still surprised they lasted as long as they did using the anachronistic
OS design of the older Mac OS versions. For a while there, customer
loyalty was about the only thing keeping them afloat.
If PalmSource tried to stick with Garnet, they would be in that
situation very, very soon. IMO, they are making good decisions --
probably better than the ones Apple has made. It's a lot easier
to adopt Linux and benefit from the work of thousands of open source
programmers, than to hire a bunch of expensive programmers to write
and maintain a proprietary kernel that has anywhere near the same quality.
I really only have one complaint about PalmSource: I wish they
would put a lot more effort into improving PODS! It has a great
potential, but is still a little rough around the edges, under-
documented, and in general, not quite up to the level of polish
that Palm OS developers need from it.
Jay Ts
--
There is no path to happiness.
Happiness is the path.
-- The Buddha
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