__/ [Larry Qualig] on Wednesday 15 February 2006 15:45 \__
>
> Ray Ingles wrote:
>> On 2006-02-15, Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> > Finally, multi-tasking and seamless synchronisation and integration
>> > with
>> > Linux can be expected.
>>
>> Well, the latter's always been there. I've never had a problem syncing
>> any Palm I've run across, either via USB or serial port. I haven't
>> played with one of the more recent OS5 models, but I haven't heard too
>> many complaints, either.
>>
>> Multi-tasking will be interesting to retrofit. There are ways to do it
>> without totally revamping the application model, though... I wish Palm
>> had done this a long time ago:
>>
>>
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.palmtops.pilot/msg/a6180c23edb224dc
>>
>> Still cooperative multitasking, but good enough for most things.
>>
>> > should be very worrisome. Tapping patterns that one has adapted to
>> > over
>> > the years is irreplaceable. I guess one could always emulate the old
>> > PIM applications atop PACE.
>>
>> I rather suspect they'll do that. In fact, I'll bet the traditional
>> Palm apps will live in their own little world, kind of like how Win95
>> would use cooperative multitasking for Win3.1 apps. (However, I'd
>> suspect they could do a much better job on the Palm - Win95 couldn't
>> preempt the cooperatively-tasked apps, but I'd bet you could do that
>> with Palm apps.)
>>
>> > Think of the million of existing Palm users, who will be indirectly be
>> > in-
>> > troduced and exposed to Linux.
>>
>> I'll be very curious to see how the integration is handled. Will the
>> user really see "Linux" any more than they do in, say, a set-top box?
>>
>
>
> Good post Ray. I basically agree with what you wrote but just want to
> comment on your last statement about 'the user really seeing "Linux"'
> in a Palm device. It's been my experience that most people who use
> these devices don't want to "see" any OS. They just want to use the
> device for whatever purpose they need. My new Linksys WRT54G
> wireless-router happens to run Linux as does my Tivo and digital
> set-top box. But these are basically "appliances" and there is no
> reason for the OS to be visible to the end user.
>
> I think that the same principal can also be extended to desktop systems
> and laptops. Most computer users are not interested in the underlying
> OS. One can even make the argument that the "perfect OS" would be
> completely invisible to the end user. This would free the user to focus
> on running applications and performing tasks.
Nokia took *exactly* this approach, but bear in mind that it is the front-end
that shapes people's conceptions. That's also why people are good at
remembering faces and show prejudice based on that shallow analysis.
Linux has many faces as it offers many file managers, desktop environments
and even a wide collection of variants (to complicate matters further).
Windows, on the other hand, is a platform of limited choice and it evolves
moderately yet monotonically. It is the uniform look-and-feel (or even
behaviour, icons, names, etc.) that people come to associate with one
particular name, to which they refer as their O/S. Whatever Palm choose to
do, it will probably be perceived as Palm, not Linux. That said, Palm could
become another 'poster child' for Linux.
Roy
--
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