Metrowerks Releases CodeWarrior for Palm OS v9

Posted By: Ryan Friday, December 20, 2002 7:06:16 AM

Metrowerks has released CodeWarrior™ Development Studio for the Palm OS Platform, Version 9.0. The new release includes comprehensive support for 68K and ARM core technologies to help smooth application developers’ transition to the Palm OS 5 platform.

“Version 9.0 is a major leap forward in usability and feature set,” said Scott Maxwell, CEO of PocketPurchase, Inc. and author of the multi-award winning WordSmith word processor. “Using the built-in ARM compiler, I was able to add ARMlets to WordSmith that dramatically increased the speed of encrypting data and rendering fonts.”

With built-in ARMlet project templates and the Metrowerks ARM core compiler, the graphical CodeWarrior Integrated Development Environment (IDE) allows developers to create Palm OS 5 applications more quickly compared to using common GCC compilers with a command line interface.

In addition, the toolset includes a Metrowerks ARMlet support library that contains many common Palm OS functions and lets developers access them from the ARMlet using the same syntax used for 68K code.

Helping to further speed development cycles is a new drag-n-drop Resource Designer, a rapid application development feature that allows users to easily design and manipulate all the different aspects of their application’s user interface live on the screen.

The Object Library for Palm OS (POL), a C++ class library that encompasses large parts of the Palm OS application programming interface (API), is also included, as well as an application wizard that assists developers in building applications based on POL.

For improved code performance, Metrowerks has added a completely rewritten and revamped 68K debugger that provides support for multiple debug sessions between emulators at once; an updated 68K compiler that offers better ANSI C++ compliance; and a new version of the CodeWarrior IDE that adds code completion for C and C++, docking windows, tabbed windows, and has workspace support. Updated command line versions of the 68K C/C++ compiler and Palm OS 68K linker are included as well.

Software development kits (SDKs) from leading Palm OS licensees and third party utilities also ship with the toolset.

Availability and Pricing
CodeWarrior Development Studio for Palm OS Platform, Version 9.0, will be available December 20, 2002 direct from Metrowerks and from Metrowerks authorized distributors. The suggested retail price for the product is US$399 per license (a US$100 reduction from Version 8.0), and US$199 for renewals (a US$50 reduction from Version 8.0).

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Hosted on Windows Only...

Mardy @ 12/20/2002 10:01:34 AM #
One of the reasons I and many others use PalmOS devices instead of PocketPC devices is that it is fairly well supported by MacOS (and for some of us, because of our distaste for Windows) Now the PalmOS developer community, which started almost exclusively developing on Mac's is being told they have no choice but to use Windows.

Choice Good, Monopoly Bad...

RE: Hosted on Windows Only...
bcombee @ 12/20/2002 10:50:56 AM #
We are currently looking at several ways to continue to support the Palm OS tools on the Mac OS X platform. We will be looking at a number of factors early next year, and should be able to announce the future of our Palm OS tools, hosted on Mac OS, sometime in the first quarter.

We are accepting emails in support of the Mac OS tools at two addresses: mwron@metrowerks.com and cw_suggestions@metrowerks.com. If you would like to see Mac OS hosted tools, please send mail.

Finally, from a personal perspective -- doing V9 was exhausting and exhilliarating, and me and my team were busy all the way through Monday when we sent our CDs off to manufacturing. If we had attempted to support both platforms with this release, we'd still be two months away from shipping, and Palm OS developers would be have that much longer to wait to get a version of our tools that supported ARMlet development. Yes, the decision to develop this for Windows first was a hard one, but I think it was the right choice for Metrowerks as a business, and for my developers as a team.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com

RE: Hosted on Windows Only...
seichert @ 12/20/2002 11:23:17 AM #
Mac OS X is a great platform for software development. However, it will take some convincing to get the rest of the world to switch. I imagine that Metrowerks loses money selling CodeWarrior for Palm OS (Hosted on Mac OS). I am sure they performed some ABC (activity based costing) and found that sales of the product did not justify the time spent on developing it. I am not certain if Mac owners would be willing to pay the extra cost associated with developing, maintaing, and supporting the product. Personally I would be willing to pay more for the Mac OS X version of the product. Please take the time to e-mail the people at Metrowerks if you are truly willing to pay for this product. They are listening and money talks.


Stuart Eichert

RE: Hosted on Windows Only...
nyates @ 12/20/2002 1:57:10 PM #
Ben any idea when a downloadable demo will be available? I have been programming with CaslPro, but since it is going to be another 6 months until they support OS5, I'm thinking about switching. I've been following your site and the progress of CW9 and want to test it out. Thanks

Demo Not Available
bcombee @ 12/20/2002 3:55:51 PM #
We are not planning on having a demo version of V9 for download. There are a number of reasons; one major reason is that this product includes components supplied by third-parties, and we cannot distribute those without paying royalties.

I think we will have some sort of multimedia presntation about the new product in January, and I'll be writing more about it on palmoswerks.com over the holidays.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com

RE: Hosted on Windows Only...
mikemusick @ 12/20/2002 5:06:32 PM #
Color me not a happy camper, either. It's a real kick in the... well... gut that with this release that MW appears to be backing away from its own roots in the Mac platform. How soon we forget.

Comments already forwarded to the suggested address.

Entry level version

Patrick @ 12/20/2002 3:15:14 PM #
One of the many reasons why PalmOS is popular is because of the large number of third-party applications that are available which are generally of high quality and are either freeware or don't cost very much.

I am an example of a potential PalmOS developer. I have a dozen or more years experience working in software development (mostly large, Unix based systems). I have always been a tinkerer and a gadget lover, and the Zen of Palm is very appealing. What has stopped me, apart from the pressures of my day job, is the convoluted path to get started.

I tried downloading and installing the myriad of tools and libraries required by gcc, but my stamina in these respects is not what it was when I was 25.

What I would like is a graphical system, like CW, with sufficient get-started type docs, perhaps with limited features, but at an entry-level price.

You get me over the initial hump and I can almost guarantee you I'll fork over the upgrade fee to the full version in under six months.

RE: Entry level version
bcombee @ 12/20/2002 4:01:44 PM #
We have considered doing an entry level product, and I'll pass your feedback on to our marketing team. We have entry-level products for our CodeWarrior Professional tools for Win32, Mac OS, and Java, and we just launched a Personal Edition of our Symbian development tools, so this is a possibility.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com
RE: Entry level version
Mizar @ 12/22/2002 6:31:13 PM #
I'd certainly like to see (and purchase) an entry-level version.

Nice Christmas Present!

rsc1000 @ 12/20/2002 4:32:39 PM #
Finally! I have been waiting anxiously for this for a while. Better resource designer(and in pilRC format!). Better de-bugging. Easy switch between emulator/simulator profiles. Armlet compiling. and on and on.... Just what the doctor order. I live in Code Warrior - glad for the upgrade.

RE: Nice Christmas Present!
mopcodes @ 12/23/2002 10:58:37 AM #
I received mine today. Earlier than waiting for
Mr. S. Claus.

cya...

Switching to Codewarrior from Appforge

mopcodes @ 12/21/2002 1:52:22 PM #
All:

I ordered the upgrade of Codewarrior for the Palm and have decided to buckle down and learn C/C++ again. It's been a while. The deciding factor was the fact that the Mobile VB product which relies on it's Booster product no longer supports Palm OS 5 devices. That bothers me since someone pointed out to me that my apps would break. Whereas if I develop in C/C++ they'd be portable or at least I could recompile them after making changes. Any comments about this? Anyone run into this issue or problem? I guess the big factor is the dependancy of having the booster product for Mobile VB or not having it.

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