Palm OS versions 3.x, 4.x, and 5.x?

[Starfish]

Hi all,

I've had experience with Palm OS 3.x and 4.x (I think), and don't remember any significant differences between the two. I'm in the market for a Palm again (after having done without for about a year or so). Since I last owned a Palm, OS 5 has been released alongside of the new hardware (ARM processors as opposed to the Motorola Dragonball chips).

What does OS 5 offer to me as an end user that OS 3/4 couldn't (or perhaps, not as well)?

Is there any advantage to the ARM-based hardware versus the Motorolas?

Anybody have a Palm OS PDA that they are looking to sell?

Thanks,

Matthew

 

[rwvawter]

Having developed Palm apps since the days of PalmOS 1, here's my take:

4.x solidified color and networking support in OS3, also adding higher-resolution and variable geometries for the display/graffiti area. OS4 devices will generally have additional expansion slots (SD/MMC, Sony MemoryStick) and more memory than OS3 devices. No revolutionary user-visible changes.

The OS5 machines are designed to compete against Microsoft's PocketPC/WinCE/Windows Mobile devices. Because ARM is a radically different architecture than 68k (68[EZ|VZ]328) processors (RISC-style core with hardware MMU, much bigger address space), you need a different design for your operating system.

For the end-user, ARM machines will be more expensive, but will operate significantly faster. This speed advantage is meaningless if you're using the Palm as an organizer, rather than as a mini-computer. If you're using the device to access websites or want "media", the ARM will be a better chocie.