Access Discusses the end of the Palm OS

[shoty1054]

Article is available here. 3:45PM PST - Article has been pulled but you can see the remants of it at Engadget or rabroad.

Ok, can I say it now........I told you so?

Based upon my take on the above article - it's going to migrate to an interface on Linux, which may not be too bad but you developer types better start getting comfortable with Bill and his band of Renton Rascals.

These may be sad times but as I've said they are also inevitable times.

[Amerikan Pirat]

Glad to see you're relishing Palm's demise Moose Man.

Personally, I'll go back to pen and paper before I ever buy a pda from Bill Gates.

[nanthini]

I'm relishing in the fact that I stated it would be the end. The demise or shift to Linux will mean that the Palm OS will become less useful because it will probably not be on devices that I'd prefer to use.

Sharp uses Linux and some Motorola phones (I believe) and there are certainly others - but since it's a Windows world that we live in - then the demise of the Palm OS was somewhat inevitable although not expected, by me, this early.

True, Palm still has Licenses till 2009.....what does that mean: It means they can continue to use it, or not, if they so choose till that time. The migration to WM will facilitate a quicker demise.

I suspect we may see a beefed up LifeDrive and some other devices from Palm but the TX may be the flagship for awhile, in the form of a PDA device. It may very well be the last major device for 2 or 3 years.....oh wait 3 years will put us into 2008, nevermind.

There will be shift towards Windows Mobile device "faster" now by corporations thus accelerating the Palm demise. No corporation is going to invest in a Palm based Enterprise solution with the uncertainty of the term of service and more importantly, long term support.

There is some blustering going on that Ed Hardy from rabroad is stating that Palmsource is trying to get the article (in the hyperlink) pulled. No matter the damage of this "test balloon" has been done......tick tick tick, dead.

[heartmykids]

Looks like they pulled the article. Oh well. When the Ceo doesn't believe in his own product that is about it. I had friends at work that have or had the pc pda's and that is what made me go palm. I wonder what the new treo will cost. If it is 500 to 700 you might as well get a laptop and a nice cell phone. I still have a leather daily runner, and it is starting to look better every day. Might start a new trend. Russ forever picking.

[Csdc]

Exactly. They didn't get what they paid for; they got a pantsless, gutless weasel sellout, and therefore (I guess) "deserve" the self aggrandized doomsday prediction.

Nothing HAS to be sad - they need a CEO. Right now they're without one. There's nothing "chief, executive, or officer" about somebody that claims the buyer has better stuff and they (and we) had better all just go to the local store and get the biggest jar of vaseline sold, because we're not even gonna get kissed first.

Put some extra cash aside, watch the prices on the TX, and continue to use your faithful apps. I will. Nothing wrong with using "old" technology that works - and for that matter if you don't need the Palmized aps then grab a Dell Axim and don't feel ashamed. Just remember to use what's best for you - for me it's an older technology with the apps I need. I'm grateful for the "backward" TX - at least my stuff still works and now I can focus on Firefox development instead of spratting. I won't miss a beat. Neither should any of you.

I called for Linux based OS two years ago, by the way. I just want the devices available with retro compatibility - which Linux could probably afford. It would also make it easier for us to tweak apps to our liking.

[Dr. Squarepants]

I have just sent the following italicized message in varying forms to a dozen major developers:
--------------------------
Dear xxx: (intro comment)
I would like you to check these 3 threads in order:

http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61649
http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61614
http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61315

I would request that you weigh in on this, especially on first link.
Is there some way you could merge with other developers and BUY this thing before it sinks?

I'm emailing other major Palm developers tonight and asking THEM to weigh in on this; someone has the $$$ to buy Palm OS as it stands. How about forming some consortium to purchase Palm, or what's left of it?

Apple, Natara, Mozilla, Tealpoint, Iambic, Handmark, Brayder - YOU - and others - there's some money there "added up;" there has to be a way and if necessary I'll lead the charge. I've done it before.
--------------------------

I would "request" in the strongest terms that ANY of you who actually CARE about Palm OS with pull or friends among developers contact them regarding this issue as I have done above. I am making further enquiries tomorrow and have asked developers to post thoughts/comments here on this thread.

This isn't over. Not by a long shot if I (we) have anything to do with it. SOMEONE will or should purchase the "shell" of what's left and get the oars out of the boat.

[jobie023]

PTL,

Far be it from me to discourage the masses to weigh in on "saving the Palm Planet" but let me add something.......

The Palm OS as it stands is not "wireless" friendly. Sure you've got a TX and a LD with builtin Wifi but both are tweaked to the gills without much battery to support it. The Treo was supposed to allow for the Wifi card promised a year ago.....hasn't happened. Why? too many conflicts etc. And Blazer is a joke of browser which was one reason why Access bought Palmsource was to take the browser and OS to the next level.

So that said - who is going to want to support a standalone OS that only works on Palm devices and can't be "retrofitted" or flashed the ROM to accomodate a new version.

Palm devices (except the Treo) is losing market share to MS based devices, Symbian (largest share of the European Market), and all of the other "phone" based OS out there. That plus, who wants to build a chipset that's going to work with the Palm OS?

This chipset issue is fairly huge in my mine - not all chips will run the Palm OS and as such your building chips for an OS that has minimal market share potential for the future since devices are converging. A future Palm OS chipset would have to have wifi builtin and not a seperate chip in order to succeed; ala MS Mobile devices.

I don't like it anymore than you do - but as I've stated before - the only market share that is increasing is converged devices. That's who the chip manufacturers are "going after" - that's their bread and butter for the future.

If Cobalt had made an appearance - it might have been able to hold off the Windows Mobile devices - but a TX should have been released over a year ago......if your efforts to save the Palm Planet might have a chance to succeed.

The nail has been 'set' the hammer has been cocked and it's on it's way down to strike the head - your efforts are going to have to stick your hand in the way of the hammer in order to keep it from being driven into the coffin.....but no matter what....it's going to hurt.

[iheartmairbear]

http://www.rabroad.com/article/Palm_OS_Is_NOT_Dead

What's wrong with you? "Save the world?" Not quite. A cynical, blustery and silly notion of you, really. "Masses?" maybe. I'd rather be one of the masses than an elitest defeatist - who is so determined to be right you'll insult anything and anyone that disagrees with your relishing the defeat of a product this forum is dedicated too - and who are you calling "masses?" Those supposedly less educated than you or just a bunch of "idiot developers and Palm users?" We're not exactly chimps out here, and I have it on good authority that the Access browser works GREAT. It should have been on the TX. Two developers have already contacted me, and they are extremely positive. There is some suspicion that the article's writer was "paid," if you get my drift. You know anything about THAT?

As far as "hammers" I've brought a few down myself, so that veiled threat doesn't really do much to deter me or the many Palm users that will take exception to "everything is awful and there's no way out."

I'm personally disappointed in you, Moose and I'll leave it there. I couldn't be less interested in a "point/counterpoint" with you from here on out. Good luck with any product decision you make and I'd appreciate - even by silence - your not raining on the parade of those who would like the product WE USE to hang around a while. If it's all so "over," then I expect we won't be seeing you here. What's the point? Converting the "masses" to PPC? Who elected you God and executioner, anyway?

[mr_e_man]

My comments were not meant as a personal attack - they were meant as a point that even if you contact the software developers and they are enthusiastic - it's the hardware manufacturers that you have to fight.

I'm not advocating shifting to PPC but since most of the net agree's that the TX is ok but should have been out at least a year ago. Hardware - or lack of it from Palm - is going to drive the OS away not the lack of software developers for the Palm OS.

PTL, sorry you took it personal - it was not meant in that fashion.

P.S. Sony and Tapwave (hardware companies) have both exited the market. Why? And Sony was much more progressive with devices then Palm ever thought about being. Couple that with Palm getting into bed with MS on the Treo with Windows - you may not be able to get a device that will have a pure Palmsource OS on it.

[merynes]

Tapwave exited the market because they made the mistake of making and marketing a truly great PDA primarily as a game console, rather than primarily as a PDA, and they made it look too much like a game console for many people's tastes. A more business-like version would have sold like hotcakes if it was marketed as a metal-bodied HiRes+ two-slotted Palm OS PDA with 8mb of dedicated graphics RAM and stereo sound (and 128MB of RAM, for the Zodiac 2), with Bluetooth. I'm pretty impressed with my Zodiac 1 so far even with the funny shape.