Palm OS, she is dead

scaledgrim_reaper

Palm CEO Ed Colligan just pulled the plug on Palm OS, destroying the hopes and dreams of millions of Palm lovers around the world. As a former Palm programmer, let me tell you that this news saddens yet cheers me: Palm OS is in a better place now.

Colligan also mentions that the Pre will have an app store and Palm will have no control over the content. The Pre will hit other carriers in 2010 and that they’re not too worried about Apple’s patents (famous last words.) Luckily, Palm has 1500 patents up its sleeve and sees little problem in implementing multi-touch in the new OS.

The reason you do that is to have a defensive position. It’s like two little porcupines going around, and you don’t want to touch each other because you might get stung. You peacefully coexist and everything’s OK and you keep working together. We’re very respectful about people’s intellectual property, we believe we’re huge innovators and have been for a lot of years and that this product has an enormous number of innovations in it. If something does happen there, we do have the portfolio, we think to defend ourselves and to be successful doing that. But nothing’s happened to date, so we’re really just focused on getting the product out the door.

How will you mourn the passing of Palm OS tonight? I’m pouring a little out for my Palm V.