PalmSource Releases Developer Suite v1.1 & Installer

Oh, and some OS 6.1 devices to test on.

We are working on the Mac OS X port for sometime in 2005. A lot of this effort depends on how quickly the Mac OS X version of the Eclipse C/C++ Development Tools stabilizes. The Palm OS Simulators aren't going to be rebuilt for Mac OS X, however, so you'll have to debug to a real device, the Palm OS Emulator (68K), or across the network to a Win32 box running a version of the Palm OS simulator.

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Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog

> Since when does a Windows machine have either a 68k or a ARM-based CPU at its disposal?

Both OS6 and the simulator include a 68k CPU emulator. But the simulator simulates a fictitious x86/ia32 native CPU PalmOS device, rather than ARM-based hardware. This at least matches the endianess of the host CPU (little), which means that OS data structure access doesn't need to be emulated. This can't be done with a Mac/PPC/G5 since it's big-endian.

Whoopee! A $130 WiFi SD card combined with the $400 T5, for a total value of "just" $530. What an incredible bargain! Especially when compared to the far less expensive HP model that features both Bluetooth and WiFi for under $350. How does PalmOne do it? I wish this comment system had emoticons so I could place a giant rolleyes in my post! =8^)

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Mike;

Totally OT but weren't you nearly done with your T|E user review like a month or two ago? I was looking forward to that one. Are you still planning on submitting that one to Ryan? I actually have some time now for another review or two but there's....simply nothing compelling on the market Tungsten-wise to talk about short of re-flogging the T5 pig.

We are aware of this; belive me, PalmSource would like devices that run Palm OS Cobalt to be on the market as soon as possible. However, you have to understand that the Palm OS deployment model is a bit different from that of other OS vendors. Since we support a diversity of hardware, there can be a bit of lag between when we finish a release of the OS and provide it to our licensees and when they complete their customizations for their particular hardware platforms. Our licensees also have tended to bundle a number of third-party applications, and those take time to customize for the new devices and OS releases as well. Now, with an emphasis on smartphones, you also have the lagtime of operator certification.

It's a long process, but it helps ensure that Palm OS devices take full advantage of their hardware and provide lots of functionality out of the box with a high level of usability.

Aaron is correct; unless you have a specific opportunity around Palm OS Cobalt, it's probably not time to port your applications to the Protein API. However, it is time to verify that your 68K applications work well in the Palm OS Cobalt simulators, and it is time to start thinking about what kinds of architectural changes would be appropriate when moving to the new OS.

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Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog

> are developers getting tired of waiting too...?

I think at least for the independent/hobbyist developers, the answer to this is yes. At least from personal experience, Palm has been off the radar for at least a couple years now. I've mostly been doing stuff with the Sharp Zaurus lately, because Palm is just so far behind in having a fun device for developers. Now with Sharp gone from the market, I've even more eager to get back to Palm OS.

From someone with a software techinical perspective, Palm OS 5 is a lame duck OS. It is a go between, just like OS 9 was for Mac, and I suppose Windows ME was like for Windows. It's fine for users if it gets the job done for them, but if I'm doing this for my own personal experience and fun, why would I consider consider a device that isn't the latest and greatest. It doesn't help that PalmOne now seems to have a track record of not providing OS updates. If I could buy a T5 today and know that I could get 6.x for it in the future, it would be a lot easier to do.

The hardware is also the other side of the letdown. I mean various Pocket PC companies have devices with both Bluetooth and WiFi built-in for reasonable prices. There isn't one Palm device with this, even for an unreasonable price (and there's no way I'm using external wireless cards again). The other half of the reason I bailed on the Zaurus was because Sharp refused to sell a dual Bluetooth/WiFi built-in Zaurus in the US. I have a very nice iPaq sitting on my desk which I'm not using with all the bells and whistles that I got for free from work. That said, the temptation to start working on it is growing day by day.

On a final note, Palm is so far behind in supporting Java (not that MIDP junk) on the platform it isn't even funny.

At one point in time, there were plenty of hobbyist developers out there, who had fun developing neat apps for the Palm OS because Palm had fun devices, with an easy to use OS, for a good price, with free OS updates, a highly motivated developer community, etc. The thrill is almost gone, and I wish they'd get it back.

>>On a final note, Palm is so far behind in supporting Java (not that MIDP junk) on the platform it isn't even funny.

I'd actually settle for an update of MIDP - I just hope they maintain this and fix a couple of issues it has.

> Unfortunately the PPC platform is more or less in the same mess

There are relatively cheap (Personal Java) runtimes you can buy for the Pocket PC platform. IBM's WebSphere has a J2ME CDC Personal Profile runtime for Pocket PC as well, but I'm not sure on the pricing. There are both Personal Java and J2ME CDC Personal Profile runtimes on the Zaurus.

Available on other platforms vs. not for Palm is hardly the same mess. If PalmSource was on top of this, they'd pull an Apple and set the standard for integrating Java with their OS and development tools.

At one point, I'd read a post somewhere that it was OS 5 and previous versions that was holding them back from better Java support (for example, J2ME CDC Personal Profile requires a full AWT implementation that would've been difficult under previous OS versions). If that's the case and we're waiting for OS 6, unless there's some serious work going on behind the curtains, it'll be 2006 before we see anything useful.

I just don't get the impression there is that much of a driving force behind Java at PalmOne or PalmSource. How many years have they been working on that PIM Java API?

I personally think that the Palm OS can recreate an effect of multitasking-if the developer only knows how. Save the state of the app when the user leaves it, and return into this state when launched next time. I do not want to sound snobbish or anything, but PalmSource even tells you to do this...

Find out more about the Palm OS in my blog:
http://tamspalm.blogspot.com

>There are relatively cheap (Personal Java) runtimes you can buy
>for the Pocket PC platform.

Actually I would love to see one. Because on the resources I found, there are many listed but most of them have prohibitive costs unless you're in the embedded systems business.

The only exceptions I saw are IBM J9 (only MIDP however), Sun reference implementation (not maintained anymore) and JVLite2 (but only with Netfront and unclear whether it's just for applets)

So not a huge difference from the PalmOs camp.

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Tired of PPC? Get a TT!

Unfortunately, the big heads at JSR75 decided that a PDA profile for J2ME is not interesting enough. Too bad. And Palmsource is lame enough not to understand that Java PIM apps on the desktop could be huge for PDAs and solve many problems.

>>>Mike, it's NOT a smartphone, it runs Palm OS, but I wouldn't call it a PDA either... it's a combined device, but with a rather different bent to what we've seen before... expecting a release/announcement early next year (like January!) They've done some neat things from a programmers point of view.

Oh geez. Is it at least POCKETABLE? I mean, I don't want something the size of a frigging -- oh, I don't know at this point. As long as it'll fit in my shirt pocket. Oh, and as long as I don't have to bloody **subscribe to a service** to buy it at a reasonable price.

My only complaint about JSR-75 is that, IMHO, it ought to be specified as optional packages for both J2ME CDC and CLDC (instead of just CLDC). I agree with their conclusion that a profile just for PDAs wasn't that interesting.

We are aware of this; belive me, PalmSource would like devices that run Palm OS Cobalt to be on the market as soon as possible.

Of course you would. Especially since PalmOS is essentially your only source of revenue.

However, you have to understand that the Palm OS deployment model is a bit different from that of other OS vendors. Since we support a diversity of hardware, there can be a bit of lag between when we finish a release of the OS and provide it to our licensees and when they complete their customizations for their particular hardware platforms.

I'm disappointed to hear you parrotting the standard PalmSource company response, Ben. Cobalt is toast right now because:
1) It was late. VERY late.
2) It doesn't offer features compelling enough to force licencees to gamble on testing the water with a brand new (likely buggy) OS.
3) Major licencees have already invested a lot of time hacking PalmOS 5 into being able to do what they want an OS to do. Why change to a new OS if PalmOS 5 already works fine? Why on earth would Tapwave switch to Cobalt? Or Garmin? Or Palm, for that matter. And is the telephony part of Cobalt even finalized yet?
4) It has no "killer apps".
5) Now that Sony's gone there is no longer any incentive to "push the envelope".

Our licensees also have tended to bundle a number of third-party applications, and those take time to customize for the new devices and OS releases as well. Now, with an emphasis on smartphones, you also have the lagtime of operator certification.

Blaming 3rd party apps? Now that's an exceptionally WEAK excuse. Not even ONE PalmOS 6 device is available. One year after the OS was released. Even the best spin doctors can't make that one disappear. Please.

It's a long process, but it helps ensure that Palm OS devices take full advantage of their hardware and provide lots of functionality out of the box with a high level of usability.

If quality control is so important, why are we seeing so many incompatibilities + bugs coming from Palm these days? Let me guess: "PalmSource and Pa1mone are two separate companies."

Aaron is correct; unless you have a specific opportunity around Palm OS Cobalt, it's probably not time to port your applications to the Protein API.

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Ben Combee
http://palmos.combee.net - PDA programmer weblog

In other words, no one is going to be developing for Cobalt any time soon.

Delayed OS -> no hardware -> no apps -> no consumer interest -> no sales -> negative feedback loop.

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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

Bump on RSC1000 post : what about OpenGL ES ? Palm said in March it became a member of Khronos Group, nothing else since. What should we do await for ? JSR 187 under J2ME or native Cobalt OpenGL ES support ? It's REALLY important to know, as things are going really fast on this market (smartphones, GSM, PDA) and choices have to be made (SuperWaba or J2ME Java apps to target Nokia, SE GSM as well as PDA's, or native developments).

>"It apparently works out much better for raising the stock price to simply announce you are on board with lots of stuff, and then make excuses later (after profiting from the stock rise) that it didn't work out, or to simply ignore what was posted initially."

Great post. Very true.

The PalmSource Installer consists of a developer tool for developers to create .PSI packages, a PC conduit for installing from you PC, and an on-device client for OTA downloading.

You can try out the installer yourself - we have a sample page.

From a PC: (note - the demo page is IE only for now)
http://www.palmsource.com/installer/demo

From your wireless handheld:
http://www.palmsource.com/installer/demo/ota

I'd love to get feedback on what you think.