PalmSource 2002, Day 4
Hacking Suggestions
- Overlays and database tricks
- VFS - alternate save mechanisms, backups, offloading data into storage
- Head-patching event handlers (can be done on PACE, you patch a form's handler)
Hacking on Palm OS 5
Lots of opportunity and changes. Notifications will allow lots of great new "hacks". Simulator can let you test things better due to different layout of memory. You can hack at the Hardware Abstraction Layer and Device Abstraction Layer level to do really neat things on the device.
Next big OS release post-5 will offer protected memory spaces, security enhancements, and a new patching mechanism. Good hacks should keep working, and devices are becoming more diverse.
Optimum Hacking
Hacks are both good and bad. They do amazing things that the device designers never expected, but they are hard to support and hard to use.
Good hacks check processor ID, ROM version, error return codes, and NULL pointer.
Direct screen access is going to be difficult on the ARM-based hardware. Screens will be in many more sizes, densities, and bit depths. Devices may be using limited access VRAM, or screen RAM that is non-continuous. It is usually safe to work with off-screen buffers. You may want to benchmark the performance of your drawing code versus the system to take advantage of system hardware. Function pointers can work well for setting your internal API to call the best version of your code for the device.
For special hardware hacking, just make sure the hardware is there. If you're hacking tasks, be aware that this is changing a lot, and tasks will be exposed post-OS 5.
Use glue code to modify UI objects. If somethings not in the APIs or glue, expect that it will change in the future. Other preferences and data are subject to change, so try to validate formats and types before access. The exchange manager is useful for adding new PIM information.
Tools Roundtable
I'm directly participating in this session, representing Metrowerks and the CodeWarrior tools.
We talked about a few new things for V9... nothing I want to commit to the web site just yet. I'll post more after my Friday morning talk.
PalmSource Strategy
OS will focus on creating a great base for innovation and useful common technologies. Licensees will design products aimed at specific markets. Developers will write great applications and allow the final level of customization that makes every device unique.
Competitive Information
I caught the tail end of Michael Mace's keynote video, a take off on "Iron Chef", called "Iron Engineers", with Palm versus Microsoft in creating PDAs. Very funny.
Mace is giving lots of info about why the Palm market is really positive. China has been overlooked, and worldwide, "other" OS-based handhelds have surpassed Pocket PC.
Over 70% of Palm OS users, carry their handheld every day of the week, while 20% just use them on work days. Users are also well-off, educated, and computer-literate. Palm market is about 65% male, and mean age is 40.
What additional software are you using? Docs to Go, AvantGo, Vindigo, Pocket Quicken, Bible, and Big Clock are all used by 5%-10% of users. Lots of apps are "killer" on the platform.
Market is unlike PC market, more like clothing. "One size fits one" market. Customization and design are important.
User groups: handheld as brain supplement (37%), handheld as communicator (37%), and handheld as fun (25%). Key to getting these users is a wide range of designs to appeal to all groups.
Games usage: Among high-end users, over half of the market rarely games, 20% of market is hard-core Palm OS gamers.
Games showcased: Scrabble, Austin Powers Pinball, Dragon's Bane II, Race Fever, Atom (future versions will do micropayments by SMS to get new features), Tick Tock (Riven/Myst style game on hi-res Sony with MP3 soundtrack), Sega (Sonic the Hedgehog, wireless, multiplayer, gaming SDK)
Send feedback to combee@techwood.org
Copyright © 2004 Benjamin L. Combee
Palm OS is a registered trademark of PalmSource, Inc.
Metrowerks and CodeWarrior are registered trademarks of Metrowerks Inc.
The views expressed on this website/weblog are those of mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of PalmSource or Metrowerks.
qwertYAK / frobnovich
|
