Palm Ramping Up for Linux-Based Devices

[Laurens]

Palm Ramping Up for Linux-Based Devices: (Brighthand)

Although the company hasn't made any statements committing itself to doing this, there's strong evidence on its own web site that it is already preparing to do so.

A search for the term "Linux" on the page listing job openings at Palm turns up no less than ten hits.

Perhaps PalmOS/Linux will arrive earlier than we're all expecting.

[Bob Russell]

Or could they even be considering a device with Linux minus PalmOS?
I suppose now is the right time to hire if they are planning to be working on PalmOS for Linux devices for release in the next year or two. And positions like these would sure seem to indicate a Linux smartphone

Category PositionEng. - Product Design Senior Software Engineer Eng. - Quality Assurance Infrastructure Tools Engineer (Contract) , Software Test Engineering Contractor - Groupware Products Software Test Engineering Contractor - Groupware Products , Software Test Engineering Contractor - Groupware Products Engineering Linux Engineer, Mobile Handset , Release Engineer Smartphone , Browser Software Engineer , Software Engineer

And how's this for an exciting job description?!...

Linux Engineer, Mobile Handset Overview:

As a Linux Engineer, you will play a key role in the architecture, design and implementation of enabling technologies for a new generation of Palm devices. Working as part of the overall system team, you will work on the underlying support for various software applications.

I wish I was a Linux Engineer now!

[gadgetguru]

It is really great business sense on Palm's part to start learning about Linux... With the market in flux and the switch to smartphones or connected devices from standalone PDAs, it pays to invest in all technology as sort of an insurance...

If Palm on Linux materializes, the expertise will enable them to be first in line with new devices.

If Palmsource fails to deliver, they could use another Linux distribution easily...

If Windows Mobile reigns, then there's the rumored Treo 700...

Ed Colligan seems to be preparing for all eventualities... Unlike Palmsource which bet the farm on 'Palm on Linux', Palm, Inc. will survive no matter what happens...

[Antoine of MMM]

Its possible, but in all cases Palm more so than PalmSource needs to cover their tooshies. I would see a Linu developer or many as being a great boon seeing that Palm likes to tweak the vanilla OS to their liking. Also, testing and engineering software that will work on one model at a time has to be a skill worth following into Linux models

[Brian]

After all of the Treo WM rumors that keep reappearing then dying down, I think the following is becoming pretty clear:

1. Palm, while maintaining an "OS agnostic" official line, flirted with WM on the Treo for a "just in case" scenario, just as Apple has been compiling OS X to run on x86 since day 1.

2. Palm has decided that while WM might get them new customers in the short run, they've decided against it and are now completely behind Linux. Whether or not it's a way of preparing their devices for the arrival of Palm OS for Linux from PalmSource, or they are developing their own OS using Linux (as Bob suggests) remains to be seen. It wouldn't surprise me, especially if it's combined with some software from Jeff Hawkins's & Donna Dubinsky's latest startup Numenta, which is developing software tools and an OS using "real intelligence".

Brian