Comments on: Register Article on Palm's Diminished Windows Mobile Focus
While a bit rambling in places, the article makes several interesting and possibly accurate suppositions concerning Palm’s new-found shift towards a new “Palm OS-on-Linux” successor platform. Palm promised during their recent Analyst Day conference to not only continue shipping new Garnet-based devices but also introduce the first Linux-based product later on this calendar year. That would bring the number of OSes requiring support by Palm from two to three.
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RE: WM going slowly out the door?
Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
We recently got an idea just how costly MS or PalmOS was on a per-unit basis (and, damn it, I forget WHERE that datapoint came from and what it actually was - I think a PSRC filing but don't hold me to it! Is probably somewhere here on PalmInfocenter but the damn search function here is so poor (AFAIK) that I hesitate to look for it). The savings by having "free" everything will be significant.
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
That is why the Treo base is not translating into a reinforcement of the Palm OS fan and developer bases. Many are phone-centric and they couldnt care less about Palm OS or development. Traditional handheld aka true mobile-computing power fans care more about the OS because they either develop and/or like constant application upgrades, hacks, etc. to improve PIM, ebooks, music, video, games and hundreds of other program categories.
I know how Treo people think. Trust me, I see them at work all the time (and I am responsible for most of them even considering Palm). They are phone users. I can tell a Treo friend something like "Hey, did you try the latest CorePlayer?" Answer: "Coreplayer? What's that? *interrupted by phone ringing*" And they usually end up never downloading it.
Sometimes FREE costs you a LOT of money...
Does it make more sense to license a supported, relatively stable OS versus cobbling together a new OS from "free" scraps/leftovers? What if the people who are charged with doing the cobbling are incompetent/untalented/naïve/lazy? Would you bet your company's future on the cobble-together OS? The last time Palm made a bet like this they got f**ked up the a$$ by a lovely operating system by the name of Cobalt. Are Palm executives dumb enough to repeat their mistakes? You bet!
a) Cobalt -> PalmSource PalmLinux -> Access ALPOS -> Palm PalmLinux
Vs.
b) Windows Mobile + StyleTap Platform + Palm-style tweaks
Imagine where Palm would be right now if they had chosen "b" in 2003...
TVoR
(Anxiously awaiting the new PalmLinux Powered™, Jeff Hawkins-inspired, Inventec-produced PalmPad™...
Your life... your way.
Simply Palm. [cue music])
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
We recently got an idea just how costly MS or PalmOS was on a per-unit basis (and, damn it, I forget WHERE that datapoint came from and what it actually was - I think a PSRC filing but don't hold me to it! Is probably somewhere here on PalmInfocenter but the damn search function here is so poor (AFAIK) that I hesitate to look for it). The savings by having "free" everything will be significant.
I believe Andy Brown let it slip that Palm was paying PalmSource a licensing fee of 2.5% for every unit that shipped:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9291/#130875
Brian
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
Just SeldomVisitor here, but "Hey you!" works.
> ...Does it make more sense to license a supported, relatively
> stable OS versus cobbling together a new OS from "free"
> scraps/leftovers?
At 350,000+ units per quarter maybe it does make sense at 2.5% per unit!
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense
Giggle.
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes NO sense
> stable OS versus cobbling together a new OS from "free"
> scraps/leftovers?
At 350,000+ units per quarter maybe it does make sense at 2.5% per unit!
What if your company lacks the brainpower to produce its own STABLE OS? Does the equation still favor dumping the licensed OS?
[Retorical question]
TVoR
RE: Reduced licensing costs makes total sense... SOMETIMES
If you can make profits selling otherwise-identical devices running several different hOSes, should you limit yourself to one OS?
What if you lack the brainpower to properly support even ONE OS?
TVoR
blog.palm.com updated--possible hints?
This is from today's official Palm blog update.
Are they hinting at a multi-tasking Palm OS future?
Could Palm be working with M$ to tweak WM6 app launching?
Or could this be a TVoR-style Styletap-by-Palm option for WinMob Treos?
Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P
RE: blog.palm.com updated--possible hints?
http://comments.deasil.com/2007/04/24/palms-take-on-palm-os-vs-winmob/
my blog: http://comments.deasil.com/">#comments
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WM going slowly out the door?
WM is a good OS but it should never have been adopted by Palm Inc.
Palm has massacred its developer and fan base by a DOUBLE massive attack from within:
1) Adoption of WM.
2) Abandoning handhelds.
Like I said from DAY 1, adopting WM meant
1) Diluting R&D resources away from Palm OS.
2) Encouraging Palm OS fans to migrate to WM, where they can then easily choose from not 1 but then many device makers.
3) Remove all incentive for developers to make Palm OS programs. And end up with a bunch of poor WM 320x240 to Palm 320x320 program ports. No true Palm OS optimized software.
4) Drag down all the developer companies towards a logic that it only make economic sense for them to make more and more, and then eventually solely WM programs. I see big Palm giants converting to WM e.g., Dataviz. This is all Palm's fault.
on and on and on, but you guys know all this stuff already.
The Palm Inc split many years ago now was a disaster #1. Disaster #2 was WM. Disaster #3 is abandoning handhelds.
And of course, disaster #4 will be a possible UMPC in May should it be even 1 milimeter larger than the Palm TX.
Nonetheless, the Palm OS OVER Linux (and not bs like Linux with Ghost) is indeed fantastic constructive news. However, sometimes I wonder if it is too late. But hey, let's hang in there for the ride; sounds like fun!