Comments on: PalmSource delays hurting Palm?

Palm warns that delays in new OS are bad for business, but it's working with PalmSource on a new deadline.

[WJT0]

So slow - other options exist!

What could possibly take them so long?

It was over a year ago that CMS (China Mobile Soft) was
purchased. Right?

OR

Could they be trying to maintain the dual layer (motorola chip /
native processor) relationship?

OR

Is backward compatibility the issue? (you think that looking at
Microsoft transitions and Apple's they would not choose the
Microsoft plan)

OR

Perhaps they are trying to help Microsoft justify the Vista
debacle!

Why don't they just choose Qtopia and get on with it?

[Kent Pribbernow]

Qtopia sucks

>> "Why don't they just choose Qtopia and get on with it?"

Uh...maybe it has something to do with the fact that Qtopia is garbage, and has little to no third party application support? That might be one good reason.

[davidbeers]

CNET a wealth of disinformation

Please get the facts straight (quotes are straight from the annual report that you supposedly are reporting on):

Palm did not sell PalmSource to ACCESS. PalmSource has been an independent company since 2003.

Palm did not warn that PalmSource is hurting their business. It stated (in a long list of other SEC-mandated hypotheticals, including terrorism attacks) that their business COULD be hurt IF PalmSource did not "continuously upgrade the Palm OS and otherwise maintain the competitiveness of the Palm OS platform."

Palm did not say that "it is continuing to work with PalmSource to develop a new operating system featuring a Linux kernel." It said that it WAS in such a co-development agreement, but now is negotiating with PalmSource to "expand [Palm's] development and distribution rights to the current version of the Palm OS." It also said that it needs these rights to the existing version of the Palm OS so that Palm can "develop and distribute new products based on a next-generation version of the Palm OS." Which is to say that at the time this report was written Palm was not pinning its future on PalmSource's ACCESS Linux Platform, but rather seeking the right to use some of PalmSource's IP to develop the next version of Palm OS itself (with or without PalmSource's help).

Until we learn what the outcome of those negotiations will be we have no idea what Palm's business relationship will be with PalmSource: co-developer or simply licensee.