Voop,
What I see in the future of Palm OS is a more Windows-like dominance. Think of an unrealistic situation where Windows or NT runs on multiple processors such as MIPS, Power PC, and x86, and the applications developed for x86 work equally well on other processor with just a click of compiling. (In reality, NT already runs on many processors, but x86 applications don't run on other processors.) What do you think will happen to the Intel dominance? I think it will disappear. If my "MIPS inside" works exactly the same as your "Intel inside", I will buy whoever is cheaper, better looking, or any other factor that Intel has no control.
What users care are applications, not OS nor processor. In the last twenty years, X86 and Windows have developed a world of millions of applications for them only. In Palm's case, its trying to create a world that's dependent on the Palm environment only.
Now, let's go a few technology years into the future. Palm runs on many RTOSes, and it doesn't discriminate one from another. All Palm applications run on any Palm/RTOS hybrids equally well. In this world, no underlying OSes can differentiate from another. As a user, I care less whether it's Lynx, EPOC, QNX, or pSOS running underneath. And I care even less whether it's running on an ARM core, a MIPS core, or an x86 core. The only thing I care is that it's "Palm on top".
If 3Com does achieve what it claims to be doing, EPOC will soon find itself as just another OS for the Palm environment.
But what Palm does is only relevant to the handheld market. It has no chance going into I2O, TMS, JetSend, and set-tops. For these markets, especially the first three are more deeply embedded. Palm OS may offer 20,000 applications, but no Cisco router will give a #$%% about it. CE has proven that no OS can meet all embedded demand, so we don't have to worry about Palm crossing over to our market.
As a WRS stock holder (and a COMS holder), Palm is something to welcome. At least it will be the number one target on CE's list, not VxWorks.
Khan |
