It looks like PalmSource have decided that Apple's "our API and GUI
on top of an open-source BSD layer" approach to OS X was such a good
idea that they want to do the same thing: putting the PalmOS API and
user interface on top of a Linux layer.
This is apparently triggered by the acquisition of a Chinese company
which has written some Linux-based cellphone software.
I'm not quite sure what to think about this... on the plus side, it
has the potential to make Palm devices a lot more powerful and bring
in a lot of outside hacker talent into making the OS work better.
On the minus side, it really really complicates the future PalmOS
software scene... "well, is your application written as 68k for the
'classic PalmOS', is it in ARM-native Cobalt code, or is compiled
for the x86 Linux version of the PalmOS... or is it actually ARM
code written for the Chinese Linux cellphone version of PalmOS..."
My cynical side can't help but think that the following conversation
happened in the bowels of PalmSource:
PHB: "Linux is hot! We should move our stuff to Linux!"
Tech: "Ummm, well, actually we already have a good kernel that
we wrote ourselves for Cobalt... if you'd just ship-"
PHB: "But couldn't we put our 'kernel' on top of Linux?"
Tech: "Well, yes, technically, but it would be kind of stup-"
PHB: "MAKE IT SO! I'll write the press release today!"
The article also mentions that there will be apparently be a developer
conference sometime this spring, at which more information will no
doubt be available.
http://mobile.newsforge.com/mobility/04/12/08/151203.shtml
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/08/1435259
{Taken form the Boston PDA list - by Ed Keyes }
