PalmSource Developer Seminars Updated

i've always loved deveKoper conferences.

Sorry to be contrary, but the reason we delayed the conference was because the licensees and others told us loudly and firmly that doing a dev conference (and thereby whipping up a frenzy about future technologies) was a really, really dumb thing to do in the middle of the Christmas selling season, when the licensees want everyone focused on what they're selling at that moment.

This is not spin-meistering, gang -- I was there and it's what really happened. We shouldn't have tried to put the conference in December in the first place, and we should have checked with the licensees more thoroughly before we announced the date.

So now the conference will be in February 04, and we'll use the developer seminars this summer to communicate the new OS technologies (and new licensees) that people will see in time for the holiday season.

Mike
CCO, PalmSource

"Sorry to be contrary, but the reason we delayed the conference was because the licensees and others told us loudly and firmly that doing a dev conference (and thereby whipping up a frenzy about future technologies) was a really, really dumb thing to do in the middle of the Christmas selling season, when the licensees want everyone focused on what they're selling at that moment."

Please elaborate. So are OS6 products coming out in 2003 or not? I don't think anybody cares if OS6 makes it within 2003 if devices don't ship until 2004. While it makes sense that the OS would be completed before the device manufacturers can start building devices with it, I have to admit that I kinda like Microsoft's model whereby their new OSes (thinking desktops here, too) are released in conjunction with devices/desktops that have it.

Scott

It's pretty save to say the OS 6.0 will be no earlier then Q2 now.

IE. whatever the spin will be, it's 6 months late.

Why should consumer care if a Palm Dev. on november or feb will affect their christmas purchase or not if they know all handheld will be upgradable to the new OS.

so, it's either late, or Palm Inc really cannot convince consumer that the New OS will transition into legacy devices smoothly.

How do we know that OS 6 is late?

Your taking this as fact, when you know very little about the true state of affairs.

IIRC OS 5 shipped in June of last year, with the first devices making it out in Q4 of 2002. It's not June.

Can the current OS5 devices upgrade to OS6? if yes do we have to wait for a few months after builtin OS6 devices comes out to be able to get OS5-OS6 upgrades?

There are only 2 big licensees that matter in US PDA market:

Sony. Sure as hell they won't upgrade, unless hell freezes over. And they have every reason not wanting consumer to know what cool features OS6.0 will have 4 months after plunking down several hundred smackers on that christmas gift.

then there is Palm Inc. Good luck getting a straight answer if 6.0 upgrade is a painless upgrade process or not. That company is so screw up, it takes them 3 months to fix audio problem and they still haven't release web browser they say they are going to release from last year press release.

Palm Source? They'll give you a variant of
"upgrade? go ask licensee, it ain't our problem",
"it's on time", "we never promise a release date",
"blame Saddam/weak market condition /terrorist /snow storm/ SARS/ North Korea has nuke"

mr. mace - please post this in the palmsource lunch room in big, bold letters:

"Never quit, never do the expected, never rest on
your laurels, never think great is good enough, Never Follow."

Actually, they had said the OS 6 will have the same footprint as OS 5, and that if the device can be upgraded (which the TT can) that it would work. Some people may not consider this 100% certain until someone does it, but that's as much as we can know for now.