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Palm OS To Run On Linux

Posted by timothy on from the funky-upstart-linux-os dept.

mwk88 writes "PalmSource today announced it is acquiring China Mobile Soft, a leading Chinese mobile phone software company, and will offer future versions of Palm OS Cobalt running on Linux. Full disclosure: I am a PalmSource employee -- but also a Slashdot reader, and would like to get some feedback. You can find more detail in this letter to the Linux community." NewsForge (also part of OSTG) has a textified (non-PDF), linked version of the letter.

3 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. If the apps run.... by filesiteguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have been a Palm fan since I got my 3Com Palm III back in the '90s. I recently bought a Tungsten. It is simple to use and has a brilliant interface. (If only they'd bring back Grafitti I.)
    If the old Palm .prc apps run without much of an issue, and if they keep the interface similar, I don't really care what OS is being used - Palm OS or Embedded Linux. My main concern will simply be integration with my (now six year old) data files.
    On the flip side, I'd love to see a Palm-created synch tool for my home machine which runs almost exclusively on SuSE. Right now I have to use the sometimes flaky KPilot and I get issues with AvantGo.

    --
    The Kai's Semi-Updated Website Thingy
  2. Re:Question... by biglig2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It will be a Linux application, that runs on Linux, that runs PalmOS applications.

    Why are they doing this? to allow Linux to be an abstraction layer between the hardware and PalmOS.

    So, you can take all the zillions of wierd pieces of hardware that run Linux (Toasters, smartphones, IBM mainframes) and after a relatively small piece of work, run PalmOS on them.

    It's a way to drive PalmOS sales. Manufacturer makes some hardware, e.g. a smartphone, that runs linux. They buy a PalmOS for Linux license, and bing! their hardware runs PalmOS, with all the palmos goodies that entails. Including (after a recompile) all the third party PalmOS apps. Oh, and it can run native Linux apps too.

    --
    ~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
  3. I'm sick of it by rseuhs · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I'm really getting sick of companies that "send out letters" to the Linux community, but don't support Linux for their products.

    Even with all the existing GPL-software for Palm devices on Linux, Palm doesn't include it on the CD-ROM they ship with the devices, they don't list Linux as supported operating system and needless to say, they will tell you to go away when you have a problem synching with Linux.

    It's the actions that count, not the words.