More info about the new Access Linux Platform

Bob Russell · 02-14-2006, 02:35 PM

There's some good information on the next incarnation of PalmOS, called Access Linux Platform (ALP), available from a PC Magazine article. The information so far is a bit reassuring, but leaves many questions about the platform. Many of the unanswered questions will linger as we continue to wonder about how well it will be impemented, how soon, and how widely it will used by actual devices. But for the PalmOS fan, so far so good.

Here are a few highlights:
* ALP will be built on the Linux 2.6.12 kernel
* Many existing PalmOS apps will run in an emulation layer (PACE-like)
* The GTK+ Linux interface will be available to be used by programs
* There is a "new native MAX [graphic interface] API, which offers the most complete access to system services"
* ALP will support Java applications (The mobile subset of Java?)
* ALP will include Access' NetFront Web browser
* ALP will include the Palm desktop

The approach is compared to Apple's OSX approach, which also supported multiple APIs, and went to a Linux core.

The new MAX API has "a lot of user experience guidelines and libraries so developers can create easy-to-use software," according to Albert Chu, Vice President, Business Development at PalmSource.

Chu also says that there are a lot of reasons to believe this will be adopted by device makers and much more successful than the failed Cobalt. "Unlike Cobalt, ALP was 'designed in response to market needs' and 'is the result of many people talking to the development managers as to what was needed; it's socialized in the industry ecosystem, because ACCESS has relations with handset people, manufacturers and operators.' " One would certainly expect that after the Cobalt experience, ACCESS and PalmSource would be especially careful to avoid another similar failure on a Linux-based platform.

The only real negative was an astute observation by the PC Magazine writer, who noted that "Chu pointed to ALP endorsements from Freescale, Intel and NEC, but a notable absentee was PalmSource's number-one licensee, Palm." Hmmm. Maybe Palm, Inc. is too busy with that secret third business line that we heard about, but haven't yet seen. Or they may be waiting to see the product, and whether or not they can negotiate favorable licensing terms with Access before they stick their neck out and talk about endorsements.

The extended wait until devices appear in 2007 at the earliest can feel like forever, and one might think that PalmSource will be so far behind that it can't catch up. However, despite cries of an ancient PalmOS Garnet (OS5), the devices built on it are still quite powerful and solid. Another year is not going to be what makes or breaks the future of PalmOS/ALP. There may be the inevitable drift of some PalmOS developers away to other platforms. And the wait may seem competitively damaging. But no company has the mobile device platform all figured out yet. What will determine the success or failure has much more to do with whether Access can produce a platform that is solid and capable, and whether it's popular with device makers.

Regardless of what you may think about these short term delays, the mobile future is coming fast. Hold on tight because we're in for an exciting ride!

sUnShInE · 02-14-2006, 03:05 PM

Ironically enough, it seems that the Linux Pandora's box has been opened. OpenBinder, which is the core technology that ex-Be Inc. engineers started and that finished implemention at PalmSource as one of the key foundations of the Cobalt system, is now being open-sourced for Linux.

I'll admit that as a non-programmer, this is super heady stuff, but can help individual coders take on an OSS approach to keep Palm going. You can read an article with Dianne Hackborn, one of the key engineers of PalmOS Cobalt, who worked on OpenBinder... here.

rmeister0 · 02-14-2006, 03:36 PM

Technical correction, Mac OS X does not have a Linux core.

The open-source core of OS X is Darwin, which is a BSD derivative. As such, it is not bound by the GPL, but rather by the BSD license which permits re-distribution without source code. There are also very serious fundamental differences in how Linux vs BSD work.

Bob Russell · 02-14-2006, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmeister0

Technical correction, Mac OS X does not have a Linux core.

The open-source core of OS X is Darwin, which is a BSD derivative. As such, it is not bound by the GPL, but rather by the BSD license which permits re-distribution without source code. There are also very serious fundamental differences in how Linux vs BSD work.

Nice clarification. Thanks!

02-14-2006, 02:35 PM	#1
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	More info about the new Access Linux Platform There's some good information on the next incarnation of PalmOS, called Access Linux Platform (ALP), available from a PC Magazine article. The information so far is a bit reassuring, but leaves many questions about the platform. Many of the unanswered questions will linger as we continue to wonder about how well it will be impemented, how soon, and how widely it will used by actual devices. But for the PalmOS fan, so far so good. Here are a few highlights: * ALP will be built on the Linux 2.6.12 kernel * Many existing PalmOS apps will run in an emulation layer (PACE-like) * The GTK+ Linux interface will be available to be used by programs * There is a "new native MAX [graphic interface] API, which offers the most complete access to system services" * ALP will support Java applications (The mobile subset of Java?) * ALP will include Access' NetFront Web browser * ALP will include the Palm desktop The approach is compared to Apple's OSX approach, which also supported multiple APIs, and went to a Linux core. The new MAX API has "a lot of user experience guidelines and libraries so developers can create easy-to-use software," according to Albert Chu, Vice President, Business Development at PalmSource. Chu also says that there are a lot of reasons to believe this will be adopted by device makers and much more successful than the failed Cobalt. "Unlike Cobalt, ALP was 'designed in response to market needs' and 'is the result of many people talking to the development managers as to what was needed; it's socialized in the industry ecosystem, because ACCESS has relations with handset people, manufacturers and operators.' " One would certainly expect that after the Cobalt experience, ACCESS and PalmSource would be especially careful to avoid another similar failure on a Linux-based platform. The only real negative was an astute observation by the PC Magazine writer, who noted that "Chu pointed to ALP endorsements from Freescale, Intel and NEC, but a notable absentee was PalmSource's number-one licensee, Palm." Hmmm. Maybe Palm, Inc. is too busy with that secret third business line that we heard about, but haven't yet seen. Or they may be waiting to see the product, and whether or not they can negotiate favorable licensing terms with Access before they stick their neck out and talk about endorsements. The extended wait until devices appear in 2007 at the earliest can feel like forever, and one might think that PalmSource will be so far behind that it can't catch up. However, despite cries of an ancient PalmOS Garnet (OS5), the devices built on it are still quite powerful and solid. Another year is not going to be what makes or breaks the future of PalmOS/ALP. There may be the inevitable drift of some PalmOS developers away to other platforms. And the wait may seem competitively damaging. But no company has the mobile device platform all figured out yet. What will determine the success or failure has much more to do with whether Access can produce a platform that is solid and capable, and whether it's popular with device makers. Regardless of what you may think about these short term delays, the mobile future is coming fast. Hold on tight because we're in for an exciting ride!

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02-14-2006, 03:05 PM	#2
sUnShInE Drama Queen Posts: 784 Karma: 11712 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: United States Device: Palm Tungsten T\|T3	Ironically enough, it seems that the Linux Pandora's box has been opened. OpenBinder, which is the core technology that ex-Be Inc. engineers started and that finished implemention at PalmSource as one of the key foundations of the Cobalt system, is now being open-sourced for Linux. I'll admit that as a non-programmer, this is super heady stuff, but can help individual coders take on an OSS approach to keep Palm going. You can read an article with Dianne Hackborn, one of the key engineers of PalmOS Cobalt, who worked on OpenBinder... here.

02-14-2006, 03:36 PM	#3
rmeister0 Addict Posts: 270 Karma: 298 Join Date: Mar 2005	Technical correction, Mac OS X does not have a Linux core. The open-source core of OS X is Darwin, which is a BSD derivative. As such, it is not bound by the GPL, but rather by the BSD license which permits re-distribution without source code. There are also very serious fundamental differences in how Linux vs BSD work.

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