Memory and the Modern Palm
Continued from Previous Page
Other storage cards, however, use standard data formats
and interfaces originally designed for non-Palm devices.
This means that they can support hierarchical folders
and files in standard non-Palm formats. Unfortunately,
this also means that they cannot support the
same slick integration with Palm OS enjoyed by Visor
flash modules. The microprocessor cannot access the
memory directly, and the memory does not appear on the
storage heap. This means that programs originally
written to work only with normal RAM will not
automatically work with data stored on the external
cards, at least, not unless their developers were
psychic when they wrote them.
Instead, programs must rewritten to use new, relatively
cumbersome OS routines to manually copy needed data to
working memory before using it. This requires a lot of
special code, can cause pauses or delays, and uses up
precious space on the data heap as well. Even worse,
early expansion devices each had their own proprietary
software interfaces, requiring programs to be specially
written to support each device. Fortunately, Palm's
Virtual File System (VFS) is now a standard under
OS 4.0, so we can expect that many future programs will
be (re)designed with VFS-compatibility in mind.
GETTING THE MOST OF PALM MEMORY
Hopefully, this little peek under the hood gives you a
better understanding of how memory is used on a Palm.
Now that you know how the pieces fit together, here are a
few tips: CHOOSING A PALM
When purchasing an organizer, consider choosing one with
Palm OS in user-upgradeable flash memory. This includes
most models from Palm Computing and the HandEra 330 and
TRG Pro. While the Sony Clie uses flash memory, it's not
user-upgradeable, so future OS updates, if they are even
made available, would likely involve a costly visit to an
authorized service center.
An upgradeable operating system means that your organizer
won't be left behind when Palm OS is upgraded to fix bugs
or support new features and add-on devices. While it's
technically possible to do limited updating via files
stored in RAM, neither Palm nor Handspring have a good
record of releasing RAM-based patches. So, beware of
marketing talk that suggests otherwise--flash memory
is the best choice if OS upgrades are important to you.
Keep in mind, however, that any OS upgrades have to come
directly from the device's manufacturer. Also, Palm OS
has grown to 2.3 Megabytes in OS 4.0, so older Palms with
only 2 Megabytes of flash may not be fully upgradeable
past OS 3.5. USING FLASH UTILITIES
A side benefit of using a Palm with flash memory is the
extra storage that can be gained by moving files into the
flash not used by the operating system. Flash utilities
include FlashPro by HandEra/TRG (http://www.handera.com),
and JackFlash (http://www.brayder.com). While some apps
may not properly support data files stored in flash, it's
almost always safe to move the apps themselves. A side
benefit is that files stored there will also survive a
hard reset of the Palm, where all other data and programs
are erased. This is useful for programs like TealLock
(http://www.tealpoint.com/softlock.htm), which can be
placed in flash with a special settings file to maintain
functionality even after a hard reset.
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