Subject: Re: Palm OS Development is a mess
From: Jay Ts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:44:22 -0700
X-Message-Number: 42
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.)
I seem to remember at the 2005 DevCon PalmSource committed to PACE on
their linux-based OS, so most and perhaps all applications which run
on OS5.4 units under PACE should work well.
Assuming there's a 2006 DevCon, I'd expect a lot of these questions
to be answered, though that's all now really in the hands of Access.
Keep in mind Access didn't pay $300M in cash for OS4.x or OS5.x !
Roger Stringer
Marietta Systems, Inc. (www.rf-tp.com)
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