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RIM Unveils New OS Based On QNX

Posted by Soulskill on from the reinventing-the-reinvented-wheel dept.

New submitter HommeDeJava writes "Research In Motion unveiled a new operating system for its tablet and smartphones at the company's BlackBerry developer conference in San Francisco. Called BlackBerry BBX, the new OS combines features of the existing BlackBerry OS and its recently acquired real-time QNX OS. Could BBX attract software developers and spur interest from consumers?"

9 of 262 comments (clear)

  1. As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ball by LWolenczak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I already know the future. Fail, of the epic kind.

  2. Re:As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ba by whistl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I agree. Too little, too late. It'll take years for them to turn things around, and they just don't have the time.

  3. Re:If it's not as closed as iOS/(locked down)Andro by Cinder6 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seems to me that that's really the only way to get in the game at this point--make things as easy as possible for developers. Free SDK, free publishing license, and higher payouts for devs. Hopefully RIM has learned a lot from these days (and if you read the followups, it looks like they're making an effort).

    Though I've never owned or really even used a Blackberry device, I do wish them well, just like I wish Microsoft well. I don't want the only players to be Google and Apple anymore than I wanted the only players to be RIM and Microsoft. We could use more honest competition in this space.

    --
    If you can't convince them, convict them.
  4. QNX is not another unix implementation by perpenso · · Score: 5, Informative

    I last booted QNX something like 10 years ago...back then it was realtime, unix based (I think?), and relatively promising. I remember it was even more responsive than Linux (which was was more responsive than Windows) ... Anyone have experience programming for QNX? If it's "just another unix" shouldn't porting to it be straightforward?

    QNX is a real-time operating system. For programmer convenience some things are unix-like. However unlike Linux and other unix implementations QNX is a *hard* real-time OS, you are guaranteed that things will happen within certain timeframes. QNX is targeting embedded environments, in particular environments that require incredible reliability - for example military and aerospace. QNX is exactly the sort of thing you use when you are building a mars rover.

    1. Re:QNX is not another unix implementation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Except, of course, the Mars Rovers used VxWorks. :-) (Another hard real-time embedded OS which is used quite a bit more than QNX.)

  5. QNX Neutrino by ModernGeek · · Score: 4, Interesting

    QNX is probably the best operating system ever. If properly utilized, I could see Blackberry overpowering all other mobile phone manufacturers. I ran it on my main computer a long time ago, and it was one of the best computing experiences I have ever had. If it were F/OSS, I would use it for much more.

    --
    Sig: I stole this sig.
  6. Re:As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ba by syousef · · Score: 4, Funny

    I already know the future. Fail, of the epic kind.

    I prefer fail of the EEPROM kind.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  7. Re:As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ba by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    The sort of fail that can be totally erased by 30 minutes of hard UV is sadly rare these days...

  8. Re:As a blackberry user, I don't need a crystal ba by Alomex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Don't get ahead of yourselves.

    Let's not forget that Apple came back from a far worse shape than this in the late 90s. It is way too early to say that "they just don't have time".

    They better put a move on it, pronto, would be a much more accurate statement.