3 ms·

rePalm: Towards the first unauthorized PalmOS port

81 points by Bluestein 2y ago

rbanffy 2y ago
I just discovered my cherished Palm Pilot Pro has a dead screen. Might as well upgrade the internals.
- Bluestein 2y ago
  Can it be repaired? Sure hope so!
  - rbanffy 2y ago
    I’ll order a new screen. I’ve read it’s relatively easy to replace. But turning it into a totally different modern PalmOS beast is tempting. Someone could make a screen/digitiser replacement with a built in camera.
    - Bluestein 2y ago
      That would rock.- Someone downsthread mentioned e-Ink even.-
      - rbanffy 2y ago
        I think I have a couple newer models who’d be modifiable.
sottol 2y ago
Wow! This also seemed to be first site to show up on HN to show the new Pico 2 / RP2350... ... and it has twice the RAM - so rePalm might run better on it!
- Bluestein 2y ago
  The entire site is great. The amount of smart reverse engineering done by the author, the thoughtfulness and craftsmanship displayed in his efforts are just astounding ... ... and of course, what's not to like about bringing back Palm devices, in whatever shape or form.-
greenavocado 2y ago
The amount of work that went into this is absolutely insane. Congrats!
christkv 2y ago
I still got my original US robotics palm pilot. It was awesome when it came out.
- katzinsky 2y ago
  There's still a lot my Palm 3xe can do that an iPhone can't. Smartphones feel like a regression in most ways except improvements in a handful of hardware peripherals.
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    > Smartphones feel like a regression in most ways ... and a severe regression in many ways.- PS. Hint: Would we see targeted, multimedia, attention-sequestering advertising on devices so well crafted? (And, operating under such constraints)
- Bluestein 2y ago
  Wow. An US Robotics one. That is truly vintage material. Still boots?
  - christkv 2y ago
    Jupp still boots. Luckily i had removed the batteries before putting it away so they did not leak. Syncing it though lol was interesting. Had to find an old pc that still had a serial port.
    - Bluestein 2y ago
      > removed the batteries before putting it away so they did not leak. Smart. This is in great part what has kept it in such condition.- PS. I am sure you have tried an USB to Serial port converter of some sort. I am sure they exist.-
wkat4242 2y ago
Wow. Kudos for this. The dedication must be extreme. Respect. And so much learned during this project <3 I wonder if someone would do the same for Psion. I always thought they were the better organiser by far. Both the 3-series and 5 (which had much worse screens but much better OS with multitasking). I don't have the energy to do this myself :) Though I did mod my old 5mx with a bluetooth adapter.
- Bluestein 2y ago
  > wonder if someone would do the same for Psion Another groundbreaking platform, that often pops up nostalgically.- Both, Palm and Psion were the result of careful development, craftsmanship, care, and an almost-obsessive attention to detail. No wonder we are - and, often - still talking about them. Perhaps, also, yearning for something similar.- Phones, though, seem to have fagocitated entire categories of hardware ...
  - sleight42 2y ago
    fagocitated?
    - Bluestein 2y ago
      Eaten up ...
      - Ecco 2y ago
        It's spelled phagocytosed. If you're going to be pedantic you might as well use the right word...
        Bluestein 2y ago
        You are wrong in assuming any pedantic intent.-
wolrah 2y ago
Glad to see this amazing project getting resurfaced, presumably as a result of the author's article on the new RP chip. Previous discussion: Apr. 2019: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19761952 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19761952 Nov. 2021: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29197125 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29197125 Apr. 2023: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35511106 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35511106
dmitrygr 2y ago
I can try to answer questions.
- Bluestein 2y ago
  Would you accept sincere congrats for such achievements? Honestly, kudos.-
  - dmitrygr 2y ago
    Thank you...there is still work being done on this project. i expect some announcements from ... myself...on this front soon, now that RP2350 is public. i have SDIO, MSIO, and palmcard projects that when inserted into old palms upgrade them to PalmOS at high cpu speeds :D
    - Bluestein 2y ago
      > have SDIO, MSIO, and palmcard projects that when inserted into old palms upgrade them to PalmOS at high cpu speeds :D Insane.- PS. Is that Palm OS running on a Dell Pocket PC? - as seen in one of the vídeos on the site ...
      - dmitrygr 2y ago
        Yes. I have a port for aximx3 :). I posted sources and binaries
        Bluestein 2y ago
        That was just great, seeing PalmOS on that particular device. A PocketPC, out of all places. Just great ... PS. I mean like in ... - https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNO1WO00dVl6XzNbLmhpmb5b42AfpdCg0_S9HI4Z0G1eNEekzgwGtQgthlLOFEWDA/photo/AF1QipMBq-0egFonfjJwyCvzMOOO0sKGBjjBjX613WSw?key=ZXpwNTBMbjBtZEVTdl9iWERGMnlEVjY5elE1UzV3 https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNO1WO00dVl6XzNbLmhpmb5...
    - simcop2387 2y ago
Bluestein 2y ago
PS. According to the author there's a Palm Discord with more updated information: - https://discord.gg/qs8wQ4Bf https://discord.gg/qs8wQ4Bf see #repalm-project channel

81 points by Bluestein 2y ago

rbanffy 2y ago

I just discovered my cherished Palm Pilot Pro has a dead screen. Might as well upgrade the internals.

Bluestein 2y ago
Can it be repaired? Sure hope so!
- rbanffy 2y ago
  I’ll order a new screen. I’ve read it’s relatively easy to replace. But turning it into a totally different modern PalmOS beast is tempting. Someone could make a screen/digitiser replacement with a built in camera.
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    That would rock.- Someone downsthread mentioned e-Ink even.-
    - rbanffy 2y ago
      I think I have a couple newer models who’d be modifiable.

sottol 2y ago

Wow! This also seemed to be first site to show up on HN to show the new Pico 2 / RP2350... ... and it has twice the RAM - so rePalm might run better on it!

Bluestein 2y ago
The entire site is great. The amount of smart reverse engineering done by the author, the thoughtfulness and craftsmanship displayed in his efforts are just astounding ... ... and of course, what's not to like about bringing back Palm devices, in whatever shape or form.-

greenavocado 2y ago

The amount of work that went into this is absolutely insane. Congrats!

christkv 2y ago

I still got my original US robotics palm pilot. It was awesome when it came out.

katzinsky 2y ago
There's still a lot my Palm 3xe can do that an iPhone can't. Smartphones feel like a regression in most ways except improvements in a handful of hardware peripherals.
- Bluestein 2y ago
  > Smartphones feel like a regression in most ways ... and a severe regression in many ways.- PS. Hint: Would we see targeted, multimedia, attention-sequestering advertising on devices so well crafted? (And, operating under such constraints)
Bluestein 2y ago
Wow. An US Robotics one. That is truly vintage material. Still boots?
- christkv 2y ago
  Jupp still boots. Luckily i had removed the batteries before putting it away so they did not leak. Syncing it though lol was interesting. Had to find an old pc that still had a serial port.
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    > removed the batteries before putting it away so they did not leak. Smart. This is in great part what has kept it in such condition.- PS. I am sure you have tried an USB to Serial port converter of some sort. I am sure they exist.-

wkat4242 2y ago

Wow. Kudos for this. The dedication must be extreme. Respect. And so much learned during this project <3 I wonder if someone would do the same for Psion. I always thought they were the better organiser by far. Both the 3-series and 5 (which had much worse screens but much better OS with multitasking). I don't have the energy to do this myself :) Though I did mod my old 5mx with a bluetooth adapter.

Bluestein 2y ago
> wonder if someone would do the same for Psion Another groundbreaking platform, that often pops up nostalgically.- Both, Palm and Psion were the result of careful development, craftsmanship, care, and an almost-obsessive attention to detail. No wonder we are - and, often - still talking about them. Perhaps, also, yearning for something similar.- Phones, though, seem to have fagocitated entire categories of hardware ...
- sleight42 2y ago
  fagocitated?
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    Eaten up ...
    - Ecco 2y ago
      It's spelled phagocytosed. If you're going to be pedantic you might as well use the right word...
      - Bluestein 2y ago
        You are wrong in assuming any pedantic intent.-

wolrah 2y ago

Glad to see this amazing project getting resurfaced, presumably as a result of the author's article on the new RP chip. Previous discussion: Apr. 2019: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19761952 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19761952 Nov. 2021: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29197125 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29197125 Apr. 2023: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35511106 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35511106

dmitrygr 2y ago

I can try to answer questions.

Bluestein 2y ago
Would you accept sincere congrats for such achievements? Honestly, kudos.-
- dmitrygr 2y ago
  Thank you...there is still work being done on this project. i expect some announcements from ... myself...on this front soon, now that RP2350 is public. i have SDIO, MSIO, and palmcard projects that when inserted into old palms upgrade them to PalmOS at high cpu speeds :D
  - Bluestein 2y ago
    > have SDIO, MSIO, and palmcard projects that when inserted into old palms upgrade them to PalmOS at high cpu speeds :D Insane.- PS. Is that Palm OS running on a Dell Pocket PC? - as seen in one of the vídeos on the site ...
    - dmitrygr 2y ago
      Yes. I have a port for aximx3 :). I posted sources and binaries
      - Bluestein 2y ago
        That was just great, seeing PalmOS on that particular device. A PocketPC, out of all places. Just great ... PS. I mean like in ... - https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNO1WO00dVl6XzNbLmhpmb5b42AfpdCg0_S9HI4Z0G1eNEekzgwGtQgthlLOFEWDA/photo/AF1QipMBq-0egFonfjJwyCvzMOOO0sKGBjjBjX613WSw?key=ZXpwNTBMbjBtZEVTdl9iWERGMnlEVjY5elE1UzV3 https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNO1WO00dVl6XzNbLmhpmb5...
  - simcop2387 2y ago

Bluestein 2y ago

PS. According to the author there's a Palm Discord with more updated information: - https://discord.gg/qs8wQ4Bf https://discord.gg/qs8wQ4Bf see #repalm-project channel