Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 16

How would we ever upgrade to PalmOS 4?

Kind of new to PDA's and just got my edge the other week. You would think that at a debut price of $400, the edge would support flash upgrades. So how do we upgrade to the newer PalmOS? Do we have no choice but to wait for handspring to release a big patch file or somehting??

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

Well, you can use your Edge with the Palm 4 desktop...but as for the Palm...3.5.2H or whatever is 'close' to Palm os 4....isn't that what Hawkins said? (Minus VFS support).

However, existing Visor's will never ever support Palm OS 4...


The simple answer...

Buy a Sony.

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Re vera, potas bene.

Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 16

damn

Sounds like another soldering hack then Much like the 8mb to 16mb internal memory upgrade.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

That's been my thought as well. VFS is the only big thing in OS4, so if I do the Tony special and get it upgraded to 16MB internal, I won't need VFS...

(Of course I could just use my Clie..;-)

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Re vera, potas bene.

Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 16

Wait a second. The OS can be upgraded via springboard modules or software patches. Says it right on their website FAQ.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

True. But those are only for Patches, not the Base OS. You need the Base OS 4 for VFS for instance.

I'm not the guy to technically answer this, I just know you can't upgrade the OS, as its permanently 3.5. You need Flash ROM in order to upgrade it to the next release, as the iPaq 3600's have been able to do. You can't perform an upgrade if you can't overwrite the existing OS.

HS patches sit in your user available RAM, not on the OS side, which is how HS applies those patches...you couldn't do that with the entire OS though.

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Re vera, potas bene.

Last edited by dorelse on 07-25-2002 at 06:21 PM

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by dorelse
[...] HS patches sit in your user available RAM, not on the OS side, which is how HS applies those patches...you couldn't do that with the entire OS though.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 248

Well, then I obviously don't understand the reasoning and need for Flash ROM then...I thought that's the only way you could do a major OS upgrade, was by Flashing the ROM...which Visor's don't have....

If you can't overwrite the OS currently on our Visor's how would you update the something that you cannot change?

Or are you saying with a nice big patch from HS, they could simulate OS 4...b/c the core os would still be 3.5...or, I suppose HS could swap the chips out for a fee...

I hate doling out incorrect info...but I apparently don't understand it myself.

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Re vera, potas bene.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by dorelse
Well, then I obviously don't understand the reasoning and need for Flash ROM then...I thought that's the only way you could do a major OS upgrade, was by Flashing the ROM...which Visor's don't have....

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Last edited by Toby on 07-25-2002 at 07:53 PM

Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 16

hmmm. well, let me try to explain it technically. You can trust me, i have an MSEE (jobless though ). To save on costs, handspring chose to use ROM instead of the cooler flash memory. It's true, you can't overwrite what's on the ROM chip. So you're right dorelse, we're stuck with OS 3.5. But they can release patches which will change the OS to something like 3.5.1 --> 3.5.2 --> etc.

The only way we could upgrade the OS is to swap out ROM chips. I've never seen what's inside the visor edge and i'm not willing to take mine apart But if the ROM chip is soldered onto the circuit board, we're pretty much stuck with OS 3.5 forever. However, if the chip is simply held in a socket, then upgrading the ROM chip, and hence the OS, is a piece of cake. With how thin the visor edge is, I highly doubt it's held in a socket. oh well...

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by rimshaker
hmmm. well, let me try to explain it technically. You can trust me, i have an MSEE (jobless though ). [...]

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Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Washburn University in Topeka, KS
Posts: 450

What is in OS 4.0 that the edge does not already have? The two noteable exceptions are VFS, which the edge can have through third-party programs for springboard use, and support for 16-bit color, which the edge obviously (unfortunately) does not use. Unless you really want to use graffiti while having the built-in keyboard up at the same time, there is nothing that should make you want to upgrade.

If this makes you feel any better, all these new devices coming out with Flash ROM and OS 4.1 will NOT BE UPGRADEABLE AT ALL: Because OS 5 will not run on these devices and their processors!!! So in actuality, every current Palm/Sony/HE user is also feeling your pain.............................

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Registered: Jul 2002
Location:
Posts: 16

quote:

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Originally posted by Toby
Being an electrical engineer doesn't mean that you de facto understand how Palm OS works. If you can find any technical flaws in the thread I posted, then please feel free to share.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

quote:

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Originally posted by rimshaker
You don't need to know anything about palmOS itself.

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Last edited by Toby on 07-26-2002 at 12:30 AM

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: ILLINOIS
Posts: 227

OS5 Changes everything

That really is the salient point on the lack of Flash ROM for Handspring-- OS5 will (from what I understand) need a whole different set of hardware -- hence until we're dealing with an OS5 capable hardware platform, it's kinda a moot point--- NO?

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: OS5 Changes everything

quote:

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Originally posted by EJSHUMAK
That really is the salient point on the lack of Flash ROM for Handspring-- OS5 will (from what I understand) need a whole different set of hardware -- hence until we're dealing with an OS5 capable hardware platform, it's kinda a moot point--- NO?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: ILLINOIS
Posts: 227

Okay--I though OS5 was a bigger change--

I was under the impression - with all the hype that the OS5 was a whole order of magnitude above OS4 --

As in Windows compared to DOS.

Not just another evolutionary step.--

Registered: Jul 2002
Location: In a van down by the river
Posts: 89

Compatability!!

The thing about upgrading to os 5 is it is built for more memory and for better processors, eventuly no software will be compatable we will all have to make the switch, a way for PDA makers to get more $$$ from us

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: ILLINOIS
Posts: 227

I think so

I really feel that any really improved software will require the additional processing power and memory -- hence OS5 will probably be a world unto itself -- not right away of course -- but eventually like DOS to windows in a PC venacular.

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: Okay--I though OS5 was a bigger change--

quote:

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Originally posted by EJSHUMAK
I was under the impression - with all the hype that the OS5 was a whole order of magnitude above OS4 --

As in Windows compared to DOS.

Not just another evolutionary step.--

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