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Ask Slashdot: Where Can I Find Resources On Programming For Palm OS 5?

Posted by Unknown on from the civilized-pda-for-a-civilized-business-climate dept.

First time accepted submitter baka_toroi (1194359) writes I got a Tungsten E2 from a friend and I wanted to give it some life by programming for it a little bit. The main problem I'm bumping up against is that HP thought it would be awesome to just shut down every single thing related to Palm OS development. After Googling a lot I found out CodeWarrior was the de facto IDE for Palm OS development... but I was soon disappointed as I learned that Palm moved from the 68K architecture to ARM, and of course, CodeWarrior was just focused on Palm OS 4 development.

Now, I realize Palm OS 4 software can be run on Palm OS 5, but I'm looking to use some of the 'newer' APIs. Also, I have the Wi-fi add-on card so I wanted to create something that uses it. I thought what I needed was PODS (Palm OS Development Suite) but not only I can't find it anywhere but also it seems it was deprecated during Palm OS's lifetime. It really doesn't help the fact that I'm a beginner, but I really want to give this platform some life. Any general tip, book, working link or even anecdotes related to all this will be greatly appreciated.

19 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. Not worth it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't waste your time. Learn iOS, Android or some other platform that isn't dead.

    1. Re:Not worth it by cheesybagel · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes this. Especially Android. Since it is Java based you can use that knowledge to program server side apps as well.

      Programming for an OS without memory protection is a nightmare.

    2. Re: Not worth it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Seriously agree 100%.

      Find an open source project that could use coders.

      Heck, I hear Linus is pretty upset about the kernel right about now.

    3. Re: Not worth it by maccodemonkey · · Score: 4, Informative

      Android Java knowledge is reusable for... Server side development?

      The biggest time suck for learning a new platform is the platform itself, not the language. If we're comparing platforms, Android is like programming on the moon, and server side development is like programming on Saturn. A new programming language should only take a week or two to learn. The platform takes years. Android doesn't have much in common with a web platform. Unless Tomcat got an API to do mobile UI and touch handling, and Android got an API for failover and distributed services, they don't really have much in common at all.

      If a developer is scared to cross to any platform because they don't want to be multi-lingual, they're doing it wrong. Java, Obj-C, Swift and C# are all pretty much the same thing, just with some syntax changes. Heck, there is even a family tree there. Java was based on Obj-C, and C# was based on Java. Swift is based on all of them.

  2. Be ready for a lot of frustration by ZorinLynx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    PalmOS is a rather antiquated system. No memory protection, no native multitasking, clunky APIs...

    Depending on your personality type and the coding experience you have, it's either going to be a TON of fun, or you're going to want to smash and break things on the very first night.

    Or maybe both. :) I don't have any pointers, but as a former Palm OS user, godspeed.

    (Palm IIIxe from 2000-2005, Palm Treo 650 from 2005 to 2009)

    1. Re:Be ready for a lot of frustration by pushing-robot · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Palm had one thing going for it, at least in the early days: excellent battery life. With no wireless, no background serivces, and no traditional backlight, battery life was measured in days—or weeks—or months!

      While they don't hold a candle to modern devices in every other respect, I loved being able to tap away at the thing forever without ever worrying about finding a charger. And the EL backlight was pretty darn cool (though it made you really hate dimly lit rooms)...

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  3. Why? by pushing-robot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's hideously slow and limited by today's standards, the standards are horribly out of date (802.11b anyone?) the ten year old battery is surely shot, and the platform is dead, dead, dead.

    If you're looking for a cheap hackable device, get a no-frills Android tablet. If you're looking to get into mobile development, get any decent smartphone.

    Still, if you really want to work on that old Palm, you should still be able to find the Garnet OS Development Suite.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  4. prc-tools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Writing ARM-native code on Palm OS 5 was never easy. I used prc-tools and Peal to write pssh (which needed ARM-native code for fast crypto and terminal emulation).
    http://prc-tools.sourceforge.net
    http://sealiesoftware.com/peal/
    http://sealiesoftware.com/pssh/README.code

  5. Check your local library, or Amazon by sootman · · Score: 4, Informative

    My local libraries all have tons of outdated (5- to 15-year-old) books on a variety of computer subjects. You just might get lucky and find the one you need at yours.

    Or, check Amazon. Lots of people list lots of useless old books for basically nothing plus shipping. First hit for "palm os programming" is this meaty tome, from 2002, for 30 cents plus $3.99 shipping. Bang, zoom, $4.29 later, you're set. Palm OS Programming for Dummies, 22 cents plus $3.99. Whatever version you need is out there somewhere.

    And they usually come with interactive CD-ROMs. Interactive, my friend. Check the descriptions on Amazon and make sure they're included.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    1. Re:Check your local library, or Amazon by cpollett · · Score: 5, Informative

      I taught a course on this in Spring 2004 and my notes are still online at: http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty... (albeit handwritten and scanned). The book I was using was Palm OS Programming Bible, Second Edition. John Wiley & Son. by Lonnon R. Forster. which you could probably pick up cheap from amazon or Ebay.

  6. Re:Try by sootman · · Score: 4, Funny

    SPUG: "The group is on hiatus."

    The most recent "previous meeting" mentioned was 12/5/2006, and there's a link at the bottom that says "Palm is hiring" if you want a hint of when that page was last updated.

    Even the link to the article about the death of Palm is two years old now. Seriously man, it has run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  7. archeology by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Where Can I Find Resources On Programming For Palm OS 5?

    I'm pretty sure they were written in cuneiform on clay tablets, so you might want to learn the language of the Anunnaki

    I might be wrong. Maybe they were written in Middle Egyptian on papyrus.

    Either way, you could start by asking a very very old nerd. If you can find an old pay phone, wait for someone with long greasy grey hair to pick it up and start whistling into it. Make sure you have some jelly worms on hand, but not the green ones.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  8. Re:Dear Slashdot by NotInHere · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Many times I've seen pieces of news about Amigas and usually they're warmly received (are they not outdated?).

    The Amigas are outdated. However the stories are warmly recieved, because Amiga has been popular, and lots of people still have one in their basement. Palm OS wasn't this popular. People love their Amigas, Amiga became a part of culture. This has many reasons, not just popularity. The fanboy group for Palm OS is smaller but I doubt it doesn't exist. Its not mainstream culture though.

    I don't know why you shouldn't "waste" your time learning about a dead platform. As long as you see it as your hobby. Some people like reenactments, and dress in historic uniforms to "play" historic battles. Others know every part of the steam engines used from 1860 to 1892 by Santa Fe. So why not Palm OS?

  9. Good luck by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I had the same happen with Codewarrior for Sharp Zaurus. Metrowerks was sold and Freescale erased all traces of it. Can't be found anywhere, legit or warez. I even contacted Freescale and they said they looked everywhere they could, but they said it was nowhere. Gone forever

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  10. The best thing about Palm was the task manager by sandbagger · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If someone would code that for iOS i'd pay. It was the best to-do list application ever.

    Apple's Reminder's is so useless I can't imagine why any effort was expended coding it.

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
  11. Re:Dear Slashdot by narcc · · Score: 4, Informative

    See, old stuff that *they* like is important. Working on that stuff is a great idea.

    Working on old stuff that they don't care about is clearly a waste of time.

    Anyhow, here's a start for you: GCC PRC-Tools Which is likely what you want. Ron's Obsolete Palm OS Computing Information Page has a working link to HotPaw, which is better than nothing.

    You'll also want to take advantage of the Wayback Machine to see what's behind all the dead links you're surely running in to.

    --
    Required reading for internet skeptics
  12. Re:Dear Slashdot by Charliemopps · · Score: 4, Informative

    You are 100% right in criticizing me. Actually, I wasn't expecting this to get to the frontpage.Nonetheless, I thought Slashdot was the best place to ask. Many times I've seen pieces of news about Amigas and usually they're warmly received (are they not outdated?). I'm wondering why so many people are saying stuff like "let it go", "it's useless", "learn a language." Other people are linking me to LMGTFY as if I haven't spent hours looking for working links.

    Don't get me wrong, maybe they're right and I shouldn't spend/waste my time learning about a dead platform, but at least I'd like to hear their rationale.

    Because Amiga, C64, Early DOS and UNIX's were great and successful. For me, all that stuff was my childhood and messing around with it is like going to a garage sale and finding my old favorite GI Joe figure or something. PalmOS5 failed right out of the gate. There's nothing to be nostalgic about.

    If you want to do some cool hobby stuff (and I don't blame you, I do that sort of thing all the time) I recommend the following:
    RaspberryPI or one of the several 3rd party variants out there: It's basically a small PC with a UART (hardware interface with buttons) You can turn it into a media player, an Audio DSP, a "car computer" whatever you can think of.
    http://www.raspberrypi.org/
    http://www.pcworld.com/article...

    Arduino is a micro controller. Not to be confused with the RPI. An arduino will teach you how to solder :-)
    You can run scripts written in C, and control lights, relays, sensors, etc... You can build something that automatically waters your garden, turns on your lights, feeds your pets... basically anything you can script.
    http://www.arduino.cc/

    AX84 is a website that has a host of amplifier projects. They are all tube based. Why tube? Well a lot of us think it sounds better, but that's a long argument. Even if they don't, it's how electronics started and if you want to know how things were done originally... and why that lead to how things are done now, Tubes are a great way to start. It's like learning to build a campfire by rubbing 2 sticks together. Yea, you could just throw a road flare on a dead tree, but somethings are just worth doing the old way. If you're not a musician, there's a Stereo amp near the bottom.
    http://www.ax84.com/sel.html

    Then there's steam engines... There's no collective site for that, but I've done them and they are fun. No codding involved unless you count the valves ;-)
    These are super fun though. Imagine a device that can generate power from any source of heat. Even mirrors reflecting the sun. I recommend starting on youtube.

    Anyways, there are lots of "useless" projects you can do that will have a far larger community and be far less of a waste of time in the end. Good luck.

  13. Sure by CODiNE · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since you're a C guy, there's http://onboardc.sourceforge.net/ that compiles right on the Palm Pilot. A bit tough by modern standards, if there's an API call you want that's not in the standard header file you have to find the ROM address for it and put it in yourself.

    Much easier but of course limited is http://smallbasic.sourceforge.net/ which runs on Palm OS and has a lot of little games in the forums.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  14. Hopefully you;ll find some help here by phrackthat · · Score: 4, Informative

    Check out Code Project - lots of great articles on Palm programming: http://www.codeproject.com/sea...

    Go to Sourceforge - it may take a while to pick through the weeds, but you should find some useful projects to examine the code:

    http://sourceforge.net/directory/os%3Apalmos/?q=palm&sort=update

    C programming for Palm: http://onboardc.sourceforge.ne...

    http://www.vb-helper.com/review_palm_ides.html -- a review of Palm IDEs - may give you some ideas

    http://porganizer.sourceforge.net/ -- Palm Organizer has the essential files for creating a Palm program if you look at the bottom of the page

    Try the 1stSource forums, check out the menu on the left for various Palm models and you'll be sure to find some useful info:

    http://www.1src.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=156

    For some fun - and perhaps some code to review:

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/phoinix/ -- Gameboy emulator for Palm

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/palmapple/?source=recommended -- Apple II emulator for Palm

    More emulators to consider: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/...

    http://www.codejedi.com/shadowplan/castaway.html -- Atari ST emulator

    http://frodopalm.sourceforge.n... -- commodore 64 emulator

    Good luck and have fun!