Palm OS port

[KlausBreuer]

Hi everybody!

Perhaps this was suggested before, but the 'Search' option didn't find it:
How about a port to Palm OS?

The newer PDSs have lots of RAM available, and this would *so* cheer up boring meetings: "What are you doing there?!" *blip* *blip* *blipblipblip* "Hang on, just a moment..."

I would certainly pay full price again for a port like that.
Of course, the UI would be more simple (grayscale!), but I think it would port well.

Ciao,
Klaus

PS: Bought Uplink a long time ago, just reinstalled it and am playing it again like a madman - *so* much better than the other new releases at the moment

[Stewsburntmonkey]

There is a PocketPC version somewhere.  It is probably going to be released after the comming Mac port is.  The IV team showed the PocketPC version at E3 I believe, so one does exist in some state.  :)

[KlausBreuer]

PocketPC, good!

However - I don't have a PocketPC, nor will I ever. These WinCE systems have a much too low battery life, too little stability, and not enough speed and user-friendlyness.

Any hopes of a PalmOS port?

Ciao,
Klaus

[Punisher Bass]

I wouldn't count on it. IV has had their hands full porting Uplink to the Mac and PocketPC for the last several months along with working on their new game.

[Spectere_uplink]

The problem with Palms is their inferior processors (though that is changing with the new Tungsten T's).  While Pocket PCs have speedy 32-bit ARM processors, many older Palms are chugging around with a 16-bit Motorola Dragonball processor.  Another huge change is the interface.  Since the Pocket PC's OS design was from Microsoft it probably shares many things with Windows, while Palm OS programming would be a completely different experience (and a lot of learning).  Also, every Palm has its own set of capabilities.  If you want to support something that most people have, Palm OS 3.X, you would need to support 4/16-color grayscale at least.  256 colors are possible with the IIIc and some other models, but you can't count on color support.  Only newer Palms (and OS versions) support 16-bit color.  On the other hand, Pocket PCs support 16-bit color with no problem.

While it's not an impossibility, it's an improbability.

[KlausBreuer]

Looks like this is turning into a PalmOS advocacy post

Palm Pilots do not need powerful processors, since their OS is a *lot* faster and more efficient than Wince (ever wondered why it's called that?).
That's the same reason they usually have a lot less RAM - they simply don't need as much, and 8MB of addresses is actually quite a lot more than you'll need.
And 16bit color? For Uplink? What for? I'd be perfectly happy playing Uplink in two colors.

All that shows why the batteries in my Palm are charged about once every three weeks. Instead of daily. When travelling abroad, this is *useful*.

Oh, well, back to reality.
Obviously the Mac port is a lot more important, and yes, it's probably easier to port to Wince.
And, yes, I can play Uplink at home, and on my ancient laptop, and I should pay more attention in meetings anyway.

Still, it would be veeeeery nice...

Ciao,
Klaus