Slashdot Mirror
Memory Problems (And Fixes) For Palm-OS Devices
Stonent writes: "Palm computing has just announced that a number of 8MB units produced between October 1999 and May 2000 may have some faulty memory. They are currently working on a patch for the IIIXe and have one for the Vx and IIIC. You can read about it on the Palm Computing site. I'm just wondering why they are supplying a software patch for a hardware issue. Intel tried this with the FDIV bug and look where it got them."
And those of us who went with The Other Company aren't off the hook either. An Anonymous Coward writes: "There's no mention of it on their main webpage, but apparently some Handspring Visors shipped with faulty DRAM. See if you're one of the unlucky ones, like me, by running the test program included here. I found out mine was faulty and called 'Customer Care' -- after a brief runaround I learned that the unit wouldn't be replaced, instead a patch would be out in *mid July*. Gee, thanks Handspring. Blinded by the allure of Springboard modules, I took DRAM over FlashRAM in the Palm IIIxe. With bad DRAM and substantive Springboards (wireless ethernet, bluetooth, 6-pack) looking more and more like vaporware, I'm regretting my decision."
Interestingly, it was TRG that found the bug, and told Palm and Handspring. These guys are really on top of their game. This is probably why the TRG fix is out first.
Also, TRG released yesterday their AutoCF enhancement, that lets many applications and databases reside on the compact flash. What this effectively means is that you can now have a palm with hundreds of megabytes of effective memory. They did an outstanding job on it.
As for other comments on the lack of flashable roms on the handspring (and some palms like the IIIe), the only real disadvantage is that patches must be layered back on in the event of a total system rebuild, and take up just a little more memory. Neither of these things is even remotely a big deal in real world use.
Palmstation has a lot more information on the topic, complete with some appearences from at least one of the TRG folks to answer questions.
The actual bug had to do with one of the ways you can instruct the DRAM to self refresh in sleep mode... the hardware was buggy. There was about a 1/8000 chance that it would corrupt some random memory location, and it got executed once a minute. This translates to something being nuked once a week, which may or may not be used memory, and may or may not cause a problem.
The patch was simply to use a different self refresh mode, that is almost as good, and has the added advantage of not being broken.:)
Hats off to TRG... these people continue to amaze me, from the days of custom modifying their 8MB upgrade cards to boot linux to the current crop of TRG-Pro compact flash enabled Palm units.
Bill
Mathematically impossible requirements are technically not against policy.
I asked this same question to one of the TRG guys (the company that found the bug in the first place, and had the first patch out).
According to them, this won't make a significant difference in battery life. They still use a power saving mode, just a different one then the one that causes the problem.
So don't panic yet.
Bill
Mathematically impossible requirements are technically not against policy.
Check out these details about the memory problem from the TRGpro website, a maker of another Palm-OS PDA. They have a FAQ explaining in pretty good detail what the problem is and how they plan to go about fixing it.
The Register is also carrying the story (actually it started carrying it yesterday) and it gives some information about how the software patches the hardware.
Richy C.
--
to the fellow who was sorry he chose Handspring over Palm because he was stuck with a faulty DRAM: The IIIxe has DRAM too. You're right in saying that the Handspring units have no Flash, but thats an unrelated issue. Both have DRAM for the system memory/storage. The Palm units (most) have Flash memory where the OS is stored. This allows for OS upgrades and such. The handspring units don't have this, which makes OS upgrading a bit harder.
As for the bug and why it was corrected with a software patch, you can get all teh details (including the technical version) here. The technical faq is near the bottom of the page. They just changed the mode that the DRAM is in during refresh, since one of the refresh modes did A Bad Thing[tm].
-Hal
-Hal
This is bullshit. I paid good money for a working computer, and I expect it to work.
The path effectively removes one of the power-saving features of the Palm hardware, which readily fixes the bug, but causes increased power consumption when the unit is powered down (although you can't truly turn one off).
No thanks. I have no intention of sacrificing my batteries to Shub-Hardware. I've signed up to receive the memory test and patch for my IIIxe when it's available. If my memory tests bad, then I'm RMAing the unit, just as I would any other defective unit.
This is similar to Intel's FDIV fiasco. Palm is using a performance-damaging software workaround to cover faults in their hardware. I will not go along with this.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I think it's actually just like FDIV. This is a hardware problem that is impossible to solve without modifications that affect the performance of the power-saving features.
All the FDIV patch did was trap and emulate faulty opcodes.
In both cases, the manufacturers are using software to shunt execution flow away from damaged hardware components (from FDIV, from "Go Into Powersaving Mode") into lower-performing replacements ("safeDivide()", "Go Into Less Efficient Mode").
No, I have to disagree with you. It's the same fundamental fix to the same fundamental problem.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
I've heard that the HotSync feature of 'spiral notebooks' is notoriously slow. That said, the stylus interface is far more effective than Palm's implementation.
Yes, but the character recognition of 'spiral notebooks' sucks -- especially if the user is in medical school.
Does this
If you're being truthful, and really do work in one of the affected companies' support department, then it's time for you to move on to a different career.
You're no longer in touch with your job description, and have forgotten exactly what it is that you're supposed to be doing for your company and your public.
Is it my fault that your company may have shipped me a faulty unit, and that I find your performance-decreasing "fix" unacceptable?
No.
I simply ponied up my money to buy one of your products, in the good faith that it would work as it should.
I understand that the problem may not have been directly caused by your company. Get over it. I bought the product from you, and you now have my money. Had I dealt directly with your suppliers for the components of my unit, then I would address them. However, I didn't; because of that, the ball is back in your court.
I don't think that I'm being unreasonable. I am only asking to receive what I paid for in the first place - a fully working, fully performing product. To claim that I'm being narrowminded and petty is disingenuous at best. The unit's fault is not mine. It shipped this way, and no mishandling or maltreatment on my part contributed to it.
So move on, AC. You've lost your perspective on your relationship with your customer base. I assure you that your management and the people you deal with on a daily basis can sense it.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
Some of the /. posts complain about it being a Software patch to fix the Handspring problem. This is no surprise why?
Palm has announced a fix for their affected units which requires flashing the Palm. This is a software upgrade. They aren't replacing units.
Handspring has no flash memory. Instead, the OS is loaded into DRAM like everything else. Why? So that they can easily issue software patches to people that don't require flashing! Software patching to fix something like this is not only what Palm is doing, but also, one of the reasons why Handspring went with their design in the first place.
There's absolutely no reason to complain that Handspring sucks because you have to software patch for this problem, and the patch will be coming out in July (July starts tomorrow people.)
As for the Spriongboard modules some posters complained about, ya it sucks that relatively few have come out yet, but that was mostly because of the hardware partners overcommiting themselves. Handspring was left out to dry. Not to fear; for those of us paying attention to PC Expo, we know that a whole slew of modules were shown, and are slated for release Real Soon Now (TM).
So, don't worry, Handspring owners. This software patch to fix a bug is BY DESIGN how Handspring intended this to work.
I just meticulously checked the memory in my PDA... it's still all there, it's still college-ruled. The nice thing is that it's persistent, and though WORM technology and limited to 90 pages, once that runs out you just buy another spiral notebook...
If you're not wasted, the day is.
I've got to say that this is getting a little bit ridiculous. This is not very well-known, but some of the current Palm III XE units in stores are shipping with defective (improperly wired) cradles. That is, if you plug them into a Windows 95/98 machine, they will do all sorts of bad things, even lock up the computer. (No, this is probably not part of a Pro-Linux conspiracy on the part of Palm.) But the real kicker is that they have not issued a recall for these units, instead relying on the individual customers to call them up complaining of a non-functional cradle (in which case they send you a new one (one of the older grey ones)). Combine this with the RAM problems and it looks like Palm has some serious quality control problems on its hands.
This is really not the way to build loyalty in their userbase.