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Palm touts stability of Linux-based Treos
zdnet ^ | Published: 11 Apr 2007 13:35 BST | David Meyer ZDNet UK

Posted on 04/12/2007 6:26:35 AM PDT by N3WBI3

Palm is developing a Linux-based operating system for its handheld devices, the company's chief executive, Ed Colligan, revealed on Tuesday.

Colligan said the new operating system — which has been in development for a "number of years" and is now due to appear on Palm Treo handsets by the end of this year — would improve the stability of its smartphones while enabling greater functionality.

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"We have been developing a set of system software that we will roll out before the end of the year that will allow us to take the Palm OS forward and to modernise it and to upgrade that functionality and to bring the user community and developer community forward on top of a Linux kernel," Colligan said, adding that it was "critical" Palm owned its own technologies.

Colligan added that Palm would continue to release Treos based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform, alongside those sporting the new Linux-based OS.

It seems that the Linux-based platform, which Colligan claimed would "improve the reliability and performance and stability" of Palm products, will not be licensed to other phone manufacturers but instead kept in-house. The Japanese company Access, which distributes the existing Palm OS known as "Garnet", is itself developing a Linux-based platform, although that platform will be licensed to other companies.

Colligan claimed Palm's new platform would be significantly modernised by, for example, enabling simultaneous voice and data functionality. He also said it would support legacy Palm applications, and reiterated the company's commitment to its developer community by suggesting that the new platform would allow easier development both for on-device and web-based applications.

Results recently posted by Palm

indicate rising revenues but falling profits, a situation Colligan attributed to the falling price of handsets. On Tuesday he suggested that Palm could further reduce its costs by "leveraging" its patents and brand — a brand it now controls again.

Palm's move into mobile Linux is interesting because open-source operating systems have until now been more attractive to manufacturers seeking to "drive more advanced data capabilities into the mass market", said analyst Dale Vile of Freeform Dynamics.

Speaking to ZDNet UK on Wednesday, Vile also pointed to an "increasing acceptance of Linux by the mobile operators" such as Vodafone, which last year listed open source as a key focus for future development alongside Symbian and Windows Mobile.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: linux; opensource; palm
Looks like Palm is going OpenSource
1 posted on 04/12/2007 6:26:39 AM PDT by N3WBI3
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To: N3WBI3; ShadowAce; Tribune7; frogjerk; Salo; LTCJ; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; amigatec; Fractal Trader; ..

OSS PING

If you are interested in the OSS ping list please mail me

2 posted on 04/12/2007 6:27:41 AM PDT by N3WBI3 ("Help me out here guys: What do you do with someone who wont put up or shut up?" - N3WBI3)
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To: N3WBI3

“Must be a communist plot” — GE said so.


3 posted on 04/12/2007 6:39:49 AM PDT by twntaipan (Who needs jihad when you have the dhimmicrats?)
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To: N3WBI3
It seems that the Linux-based platform, which Colligan claimed would "improve the reliability and performance and stability" of Palm products, will not be licensed to other phone manufacturers but instead kept in-house.

How exactly are they doing to do that.  GPL violations anyone?

4 posted on 04/12/2007 7:12:28 AM PDT by zeugma (MS Vista has detected your mouse has moved, Cancel or Allow?)
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To: zeugma
There are ways, one they can do it under gpl2 with hardware checks. They can also have as part of their OS apps which are not GPL, you might be able to get the gpl parts out (they will have to provide the source) but things like Opera and other tools which might be proprietary or BSD do not have to be released.

Its kind of like OSX, technically I can go out and download Darwin (the Unix underpinnings for those not familiar with OSX) and many of the tools it runs because the license allows me to do so but the UI and many of the apps which make Apple such a nice environment are not open source so what I would have would be a shadow of the OSX experience.

5 posted on 04/12/2007 7:23:23 AM PDT by N3WBI3 ("Help me out here guys: What do you do with someone who wont put up or shut up?" - N3WBI3)
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To: twntaipan; N3WBI3; JRios1968

IB4GE...


6 posted on 04/12/2007 10:25:46 AM PDT by rzeznikj at stout (Boldly Going Nowhere...)
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To: rzeznikj at stout

IB4GE!


7 posted on 04/12/2007 11:30:54 AM PDT by JRios1968 (Tagline wanted...inquire within)
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To: N3WBI3

IB4GE


8 posted on 04/13/2007 10:41:19 AM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing (Linux, the #2 OS. Mac, the #3 OS. That's why Picasa is on Linux and not Mac.)
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To: twntaipan
There's a communist in your computer!!! OMG!!!!!!!!


9 posted on 04/13/2007 10:43:05 AM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing (Linux, the #2 OS. Mac, the #3 OS. That's why Picasa is on Linux and not Mac.)
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