DailyTech - Palm's License to use Palm OS Expires in December

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Software Palm's License to use Palm OS Expires in December
Tuan Nguyen (Blog) - July 31, 2006 11:09 AM

14 comment(s) - last by sdsdv10.. on Aug 1 at 1:57 PM

Palm to stop licensing Palm OS by this December but Microsoft is standing by

According to reports, Palm may have some issues coming up at the end of this year. Due to a disagreement with PalmSource -- the developer and supplier of Palm OS -- Palm has decided to stop paying royalties to PalmSource. Palm said that PalmSource had failed to meet certain obligations that were promised. At Palm's recent annual report, the company announced that after December 2nd, all royalty payments to PalmSource will stop.

Despite the news, Palm said it would continue developing products based on current versions of Palm OS. Without paying royalties to PalmSource, newer versions of Palm OS will not be available to Palm. Concerns on whether or not Palm would even be able to use current versions of Palm OS once the license expires were brought up but Palm said that it was negotiating with PalmSource "to expand our development and distribution rights to the current version of the Palm OS."

Interestingly, DailyTech recently reported that Palm had been collaborating with Microsoft on next-generation devices. The company announced that due to increased competition in the hand held market -- specifically with RIM -- it had created a partnership with Microsoft to use its Windows Mobile OS. The decision by Palm to discontinue paying PalmSource licensing fees may have more to do with its partnership with Microsoft than anything else. The new Windows Mobile-based Treo will be arriving in Europe first on Vodaphone's network.

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Lordy this is funny

By cyberguyz on 7/31/06, Rating: 0

RE: Lordy this is funny

By TomZ on 7/31/2006 1:36:53 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
I guess they are just looking for excuses to jump on the Micro$oft wagon.

I don't think they would need an "excuse" to switch to Windows Mobile if they felt that was beneficial to them. They should feel no loyalty to PalmOS; since they are a business, they should do what is best for their business.

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RE: Lordy this is funny

By sdsdv10 on 7/31/2006 1:53:31 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Palm said that PalmSource had failed to meet certain obligations that were promised.

Did you not even read the article? They are not being denied anything. Palm chose not to renew their agreement because PalmOne did not meet its obligations under the current contract. Palm is punishing PalmOne(PalmOS), not the other way around.

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RE: Lordy this is funny

By GoodRevrnd on 7/31/2006 2:37:08 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
The decision by Palm to discontinue paying PalmSource licensing fees may have more to do with its partnership with Microsoft than anything else.

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RE: Lordy this is funny

By sdsdv10 on 8/1/2006 1:57:45 PM , Rating: 2

GoodRevrnd,

What you quoted is speculation by the author of the article. What I quoted is what Palm said directly. Who are you going to believe?

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name

By tobrien on 7/31/2006 4:06:31 PM , Rating: 2

I always thought Palm owned the Palm OS. Seeing as they don't I think it's rather dumb to name your company after an OS that they don't totally own. In my book it's akin to somebody making Pocket PCs and calling their company Windows.

My point is that problems between you and the people that actually do totally own the technology are likely to arise and if you've named your company after a supplier or source and the deal gets cut off then you're facing a problem- you no longer can resell or produce products that your company is named after.

RE: name

By retrospooty on 7/31/2006 8:22:30 PM , Rating: 2

They were... until the OS and Hardware groups split up 3-4 years ago.

The OS group became "Palmsource" and recently got bought by Access ltd. Now you will see the next gen Palm OS called ALP (Access Linux Platform)

The Hardware group bought Handspring 3 years ago and became "PalmOne", they then bought the rights to the Palm name from Palmsource 1 year ago and became "Palm" again.

Make sense? Not really, but thats what happened. LOL

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RE: name

By on 7/31/2006 11:28:05 PM , Rating: 2

Not to even mention that 3COM originally owned everything "Palm" back in the 90s, and as the only growth area for 3COM at the time they stupidly spun Palm off into its own company.
For whatever reasons, probably to "maximize synergies" or some similar managment BS, they spun off the spun-off company into two more companies - Palm hardware and Palm software. An ill-fated attempt to try to get more licensees for the PalmOS software.

In another plot twist, the original Palm designers weren't happy with the direction of the new offshoot "Palm" company, and they broke off to form a competitor -- Handspring -- which has since been bought back into the original Palm (hardware) company.

And now apparently Palm will no longer be using Palm for the software. Some new software will run on Palm but it won't be Palm.

Clear now? Clear as mud.

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oh well

By sprockkets on 7/31/2006 5:46:10 PM , Rating: 1

the access linux platform has all the core palm os apps and then some. Windows is great, if you like the way it craps out all the time. Registry on a handheld? Is it that dang necessary?

Oh well, Palm OS, RIP, I'm looking forward to Linux based Moto phones anyway.

RE: oh well

By TomZ on 7/31/2006 9:46:23 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
the access linux platform has all the core palm os apps and then some. Windows is great, if you like the way it craps out all the time. Registry on a handheld? Is it that dang necessary?

LOL, sounds like someone talking out of their ass again. Are you saying you've got a PDA or phone running Windows CE or Mobile that is crashing all the time? Yea, right.

So sad some Linux advocates can't talk about the strengths of your favorite platform instead of sliging mud all the time.

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RE: oh well

By retrospooty on 8/1/2006 12:09:08 AM , Rating: 2

Ya, it happens... To be fair, it happens to both POS and WM05 as well though.

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Not a big deal

By retrospooty on 7/31/2006 2:55:24 PM , Rating: 2

Due to the missed contractual dealines, Palm is no longer liable to pay certain garanteed payments to Access (Palmsource). It does not mean they will or will not still use their OS.

Palm will 100% be using Palm OS on the next smartphone release later this year. (there will be a windows, and a POS model both) Palm may or may not pick up the new Access Linux platform when its released next year, it will depend on how good it performs, not about anything else. Most likely they will uyse it, so they have different offereings catering to different people.

More likely they want more

By Trisped on 7/31/2006 3:26:38 PM , Rating: 2

It is more likely they want the additional support and functionality of the microsoft OS. The Palm OS has been lagging behind lately.

Death knell for PalmOS?

By jediknight on 7/31/2006 4:45:19 PM , Rating: 2

If even Palm isn't using the OS, then there's something seriously wrong. Even Cobalt (v6) seems behind what MS is offering, and that's not in any devices yet, nor (it seems) will it make it there.

From a programmer's perspective, PalmOS Garnett and MS's .NET compact framework for PPC are like night and day.