Is the Palm OS Still a Platform?

“Is the Palm OS still a platform?” is a question that I have been thinking about for a while now. Back when I first started using Palm handhelds, there were a number of companies developing solutions based on the Palm OS: Handspring, Sony, Garmin, Fossil, Symbol, Kyrocera, Handera, AlphaSmart, and of course, Palm.

The current Palm OS landscape has four companies still offering solutions that run the Palm OS: Palm, Garmin, GSpda, and newcomer Janam.   For all intents and purposes, only Palm is actively developing solutions for the general public.

Can the Palm OS still be considered a platform if only one company is actively developing hardware and writing software for it?   The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a platform as “the computer architecture and equipment using a particular operating system.”

If we use the dictionary definition of platform, then the Palm OS is a platform.   The mere fact that a limited number of companies are delivering solutions based on the Palm OS has no bearing on the status of the Palm OS as platform.   Mac OS X is still considered a platform even though Apple is the only company using it.

I think that part of the reason why people are no longer excited about the Palm OS platform is the Windows Vista-like delay in the arrival of a new operating system.

There have been at least two false starts over the last few years to build a successor to the Palm OS 5: Cobalt and Palm OS Linux.   These false starts are due the complexities of developing a new operating system that handles the job of managing the hardware and an effective user interface that allows a user to interact with the operating system.   For a better understanding of the complexities of developing an operating system and the user interface, read “ The Story Behind Sony Ericsson and UIQ Technology ” over on All About Symbian.

The next possible successor is ALP (ACCESS Linux Platform).   ALP is due to be released to licensees by the end of Q1, 2007.   It will still be about a year before customers will be able to get their hands on devices running ALP once you factor in development time, regulatory approvals, and carrier testing.

 
ALP has the potential to be an example of what it means to be a next generation operating system. ALP will include features like true multi-tasking and protected memory.   These features and more will provide solution integrators will a new robust platform on which they can build the next wave of handheld mobile computers.   For a complete over view of ALP, read the whitepaper ACCESS Linux Platform .

With a true multi-tasking operating system like ALP, it will become possible to really run two applications at once.   For example, you will be able to download a podcast in one application while reading the news in another.   Co-operative multi-tasking is available on today’s Palm OS devices.   Co-operative multi-tasking requires that the developer design their application to share CPU time with other applications that might be running.   Co-operative multi-tasking is why it is possible to be listening to music with Pocket Tunes while reading a book with eReader.

Protected memory is another important feature of a modern operating system.   When an application starts up, the operating system allots a memory area for that application.   If one application misbehaves and crashes, the memory spaces of the other applications are unaffected.   Today, if one application crashes, the user will be forced to reset the device.

Regardless of when new devices running ALP appear, I think that a new-found enthusiasm and innovation will be infused into the mobile computing marketplace because of it.

What do you think?   Let us know in the 1SRC discussion forums.