POS5 Multitasking

[anand78]

I was wondering why POS5 is not multitasking, because Shoutcast can play files in the background. Now if we assume that Sound is implemented by DSP and not hte main processor, even then it begs the question. Isn't the web being accessed and Data being downloaded for streaming. If this is the case what are the Developers doing cant we have netfront downloading webpage in background.

[anand78]

I meant pockettunes can play shoutcast streams.

[mcowger]

Obviously there ais a limited amount possible, but the idea is useability - that you just go from app to app, and dont have them all running at the same time.

[anitanium]

i can "multitask" quite well
i can have music playing in the background while verichat is sending me instant messages while i'm browsing netfront
this is probably the extend of multitasking you can get with OS5

apparently with os6, it is the same layout...
but for example
say you are downloading a file in netfront
you exit out of netfront
that file is still downloading..

then you open clie mail or something
you download some emails
you exit the program and it is still downloading the mail as well as the file in netfront

this is really what the multitasking is for os6
which is, IMO, better than PPC

[macattack]

Here's a link to a really good explanation of multi threading in both Palm OS 5 and Cobalt vs. Windows Mobile OS. Well worth the read!!

http://writingonyourpalm.net/column040315.htm

[CliePet]

The article is somewhat misleading.

Two important distinctions/corrections IMHO:
Windows CE (Windows Mobile) does support an execute-in-place model for all the built-in apps. This is very similar to the model Palm uses for its built-in apps (from ROM) and apps (in the storage heap).

Pre-Cobalt versions of PalmOS can work similarly to how they describe Cobalt apps. The big difference is that the multi-threaded features in the older PalmOS versions are very limited (eg: background playing of music), and more formal and general purpose in Cobalt.