Different perspective:
The issue should not be anything other that the user experience and
efficiency. For users with vast Windows usage (i.e., the professional
person), a PPC makes perfect sense because it mimics his desktop, right down
to oddities and fragility. But there is a vast number of workers with
little or no Windows exposure, and for them a Palm OS-based solution can be
easier to learn and lower in TCO over time. Our experience (and we write in
both areas) is that is much easier to keep the user focused and out of
trouble in a Palm.
Corporation don't like this. Why? Because the people that make the
decisions are more familiar with Windows than the Palm OS. They think the
system is more "open" than the Palm OS, when what they should be worried
about is resource usage (CPU cycles and storage) and reliability. The IT
folks forget that they are a service component of the organization, and
drive things that stay within their comfort zone. That's also just a dose
of basic human nature. So the poor schmuck in the field has to learn the
new device he was issued and ordered to use.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ingbert Grimpe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Palm Developer Forum" <palm-dev-forum@news.palmos.com>
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 6:28 PM
Subject: Re: Is Palm OS Going Away?
Just my two cents (and playing advocatus diaboli a bit):
I'm really not a very good programmer. I'm using Appforge and the only
reason to dig deeper into PalmOS was the need to add some stuff that is
not supported by AF. For the same reason I needed to check into Windows
Mobile (or PocketPC or whatever MS's marketing machine wants to call it
now).
My feeling: PalmOS is really the superior OS for devices with limited
resources (read: CPU and RAM). Even for a novice it's easy to see that
PalmOS was developed for small devices with options to 'grow'.
WinCE/Mobile/whatever clearly was something that was originally made for
'real' computers and later reduced to allow it to run on small machines.
But that's history.
Today we are seeing CPUs with > 600 MHz clock and RAM > 256 MB. That's
desktop power from less then 7 years ago. And (if we are honest) a
desktop PC with that parameters would really be sufficient for most
users' normal requirements (write email, letters and surf I-Net).
Why did people buy Win PDAs even when they really sucked? Bc it was
Windows!
Why should people buy a PDA with 'not-Windows-OS'? They will not. Esp
not, when the device is performant enough for everyday use (see above
and add MP3 playing and GPS navigation).
PalmOS is dead in the long run. There's MS outside and there's Symbian
outside. Linux is really cool and obviously a mature OS for professional
use, still it has not conquered the desktop of Joe Average. Same for
mobile devices for the masses.
Palm is a company that needs to make money. Give me a reason why they
should not choose Windows? And hey, don't forget: Apple now has 'Intel
Inside' ...
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