Monday, October 25, 2010

MotionApps Hands Classic Over to Palm


We are sad to announce that Palm has removed Classic’s ROM from the new webOS 2.0 device ROM which will result in Classic not working if utilized with Palm’s new webOS 2.0.

This is contrary to our agreement with Palm and was done without our approval or consent. Based on this action, MotionApps will immediately stop selling Classic. However, as a courtesy to our clients, we will continue to support existing Classic customers on webOS 1.x for the immediate future.

Be that as it may, we believe in PalmOS and we want to do what we can to help Palm succeed in their future endeavors. So we decided to hand over the entire Classic source code and all of our accompanying IP to Palm so that Palm can do what they want to do with Classic and make it available with webOS 2.0.

Palm now has all the pieces to manage and control Classic's future.

Thank you all who supported us along the way and who love PalmOS the way we do.

MotionApps Team

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is very sad indeed, I enjoy using Classic on a daily basis on my Pre. Maybe HPalm should fgive you their ROMs so that you can continue developing Classic for WebOS 2.x and perhaps other platforms as well...

Mr. Rose said...

wow....:(

Mike said...

Sorry, but why anyone would give that code to the company that dumped the overall system in the first place instead of open sourcing the code so that people might find a way to re-enable it is beyond me.

Anonymous said...

I am very angry and sad as I am using Classic all the time :(

Anonymous said...

The foolishness. They should have been working hand in hand with you. I'm so sorry.

Chris Hayashida said...

Wow, that's unexpected. Thank you for your application and for all of your staff's hard work. Your application one one of the reasons I upgraded from my Treo to a Pre.

Best of luck,

Chris

Pharaoh Atem said...

I wish you had just open sourced the Palm OS emulator instead. It would have been more useful that way in my opinion...

Suman said...

HPalm should have at least informed you guys. It would have helped you move in a new direction while allowing your customers time to prepare for not having PalmOS on WebOS 2.0

Tburneymac said...

maybe if if wasn't so expensive, they would've continued to support it.

Gary said...

Discouraging that Palm wants to cancel the allegiance of so many of us who joined up when it was the only functioning PDA that synched to the desktop (mid-90's).

1st they drop conduit-based, dual-compare synchronization (all the replacement apps are painful), and then they destroy the opportunity to simply carry our old apps & data on the new device.

Surely there's nothing about WebOS that would otherwise have attracted me to the Pre, when compared to its way-spiffy rivals. This feels like a sneer at the old Palm devotees.

Keyser Söze said...

I'm sorry to see this has happened but it was inevitable given the piss-poor management of Palm over the past 6 years.

WebOS may continue with HP but not in smartphones becvause Palm as a brand is officially dead. Buying any Palm WebOS smartphone now is simply throwing your money away.

Palms fate is what happens when incompetent management has control of a product in a competitive market.

Anonymous said...

As a Classic user I am also disappointed. I am trying to work out my options on which OS to go for next. So could you clarify for me wether, Classic can still continue to work on palm pre or pre plus with webOS 2?.

I am hoping it is hardware related, in which case I will not upgrade to Palm pre 2, and just upgrade to webOS 2 and continue using Classic.

Anonymous said...

What else could you expect from a company that sold their operating system to another company, then refused to buy Version 6 from the company they sold it to?

That would be like Apple selling OS X or Microsoft selling Windows to another company, then sitting round trying to keep selling OS 9 or XP while the other company worked on OS X or Vista without finding any buyers, including Apple or MS!

Palm's stupidity has made it a three way fight amongst RIM, Apple and Google. Palm isn't even playing on the same level as Symbian!

Unknown said...

I am in the 7 day trial period to purchase Classic. How do I purchase it?

Anonymous said...

I´m very angry about this! I use Classic daily for work and the possibility was condition for me, to buy the pre in August this year!!! To whom can I write my anger?

Anonymous said...

Would Classic still work on WebOS 2.0 if the ROMs were copied from WebOS 1.0 to the Pre?

Anonymous said...

palm has its head so far up its last sphincter its coming out its first

Anonymous said...

So... if I have this straight: I just paid you guys $30 for nothing???

Anonymous said...

Will you be giving refunds to those who just bought Classic?

Michael said...

I'am using Palms for a long time, but never received a message like this. I got my Palm Pixie three weeks ago and purchased classic on 10/22/2010. I took the new palm because MotionApps offered classic. And now? I wasted money for nothing. Frankly speaking this is not acceptable for me. My conclusion:
1. I'll write a message to the well known german computer newspaper c't.
2. I will write it to all my colleagues in the computer- and chipindustry.
3. I hope there is a chance to open the source code...
4. I hope there are some engineers at HP and not only "experts". Otherwise HP will never get my money (and my friends agree)

Thanks again for the nice tool, you made an excellent job at MotionApps.

Anonymous said...

If you made mVoice for Android, it would dominate and I would buy it.

Anonymous said...

A sad day for Palm classic

Maybe HP will re develop classic as their is a huge market of apps readily available for this program and will allow an entire community to follow through

But then also maybe it is time to move on to newer and better

We will just have to wait and see

The fact that HP is rolling out 6 new devices shows that they are serious about getting back into the market come hell or high water

Also they have the cash resources to do this.

i dont think WebOS is going to go away as HP is launchinh it in all their printers to be web enabled ?!?!?!?!?

Anonymous said...

I agree that the code should have been open sourced for others to use. But wait... why can't MotionApps still open source it? If HP/Palm broke their agreement with MA, then why can't MA simply ALSO make the Classic's code available to everyone? This just doesn't make sense.

I'm a frustrated former Treo user that just got a Pre Plus and attempted to by the Classic emulator tonight. What a rude surprise.

Anonymous said...

Classic IS the reason I bought a Pre+.
As a long time Palm user, I didn't want to lose more than a decade of data and useful apps. Now I am hoping that it does take a long time for them to roll out the updates.
If I am going to lose everything anyways, I think I am going to look around at the other phone brands. If Palm doesn't value me,I'll just jump ship.

Anonymous said...

It's a pity that a so good OS like webOS was controlled by a so bad and incompetent management. Drop of Palm OS emaulator is only the last of a long list of mistakes.
Palm's management remember me Commodore-Amiga management.

Anonymous said...

This is why my next smartphone will be a Treo 700 with TealOS.... my old centro's screen is too small after being on the pre and pixi.

Anonymous said...

Typical of corporate trash to break agreements. What are agreements and relationships for these days if no one honors them? And they wonder why nn one sells their phone and iPhone is destroying the market..

Boofland said...

This is ridiculous. I've been a Palm user for years and only got the Pre because of Classic. Time to get a Droid!!

Anonymous said...

@ Gary: you are correct that Palm has sneered at us. I am very disappointed with Palm's conduct here. It is a slap in the face. It is highly arrogant.

Patriq Backlund said...

*Sigh* like most here I'm too a looong time user of Palm products. I switched to Pre because of Classic.

They did it with the App store, and now they've done it with Classic world wide (Palm deliberately shut big parts of the world out of App Store by denying Apps to be installed in many countries, including Norway were I'm at) I only discovered that I couldn't instal Apps from the App Store after I got my Pre. Nothing is mentioned of this on Palm's webpages.


I stuck with my Pre despite the issue with the App catalogue. But this is the nail in the coffin for me. I'm jumpin the ship too ! "Abandon ship!"

Anonymous said...

Palm abandoned yet another developer and more users. Palm now has an established track record. Imagine that.

Another reason my initial decision not to by a Pre was a wise one.

I wish Motions Apps had released a version for Android.

Anonymous said...

Look, to me, that because MotionApps got dump on by
HP MotionApps will now dump it's Classic users by giving it
to HP instead of open sourcing it. It is clear HP has no interest in Classic so it is a dead project. As open source it might have contiued as a living poject.

Flying said...

This is very bad news.
I got the Pre because of Classic.

Unknown said...

I will buy a Palm Pre+ (and not a palm Pre2) because some software I use on my Treo 680 are not available on WeboS.
But I need Classic.
So, MotionApps, please continue to sell Classic.

Or, it is someone which has switch from Pre to Pre2 and are agree to sell to me its classic license ?

Unknown said...

This is quite a shock, I rely heavily on Classic and really do love it. Thank you MA for your good attitude about the transition.

Could you possibly send out an email to all your customers to let them know what is going on? I found out about this by accident, I did not receive an email. Perhaps if enough of your customers knew the story, they would refuse to upgrade to Pre 2 and that may put some fire under HPalm to implement Classic (since it is out of your hands now)?

Just a thought

Botrax said...

As long as mVoice is ported to WebOS to record phone calls....

Anonymous said...

nooooooooooooooo.com
I demand satisfaction.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me what phone operating system provides the calendar features most similar to my old TREO?

Classic was close, but I now see that I'll just have to have to use something else.

TMG said...

I'm still waiting for some information on the promised continued support for those of us still using Classic under WebOS 1.... All the website links come back as error pages, and the MA phone number just directs everyone back to the non-working webpages. I had to replace my PrePlus and NEED to get my Classic account reactivated.

MotionApps said...

It's working now: http://www.motionapps.com/classic/support/open.php

eliza kirk said...

wait! I loved the old calender on my palm pilot so I bought a palm pixi to get it again. Found out I needed classic, so I've been trying to save 30 dollars for it and now I can't get it??? :( where will palm sell it??

Anonymous said...

Glad I stayed with my old palm centro. Without classic I`m no longer interested in WebOS.
Maybe I change to another OS and try the styletap palm OS emulator for the old stuff.

Anonymous said...

This is very sad. I already have to change my treo, and was considering to buy a Pre, but if i have to start over with everything i will first consider other options. Without Classic the pre does not have Office, so it looses a great part of its usefulness.

Sad, sad. Good bye Palm.

YvesEco59 said...

I had planned to buy a Palm Pre2 until now... I also will look after another platform to support Palm applications...

Anonymous said...

http://www.precentral.net/classic-webos-20-made-possible-thanks-webos-145-doctor

Iliya Tyurin said...

I wonder how Palm kills itself struggling with developers.

ZehHa said...

As you know, in the meantime the community found a way to continue using Classic on webOS 2.0. The only critical point is saving a copy of the ROM.bin. Either by extracting from the WebOSDoctor or just copying from /usr/lib/palmos/rom0. Why don't you use the chance of rethinking your decision, and acquiring more customers? And if you could continue development, and get GPS and Bluetooth to work, Classic would be even more useful.

Anonymous said...

Is there someone here, that has a valid Licence for Classic? Could you let me know, I really need it and since it is no longer for sale, this would be the only way to legally get it! Thanks!

Mike Marion - said...

As a a long time palm user I debated - Android vs Webos - Finally chose Palm when;
1. Lack of desktop PIM was a killer but None of the smartphones have one so Palm isn't worse than the others
2. They promised webos2 upgrade for existing owners
3. "Classic" would allow me to use my old apps.

results?
They dump you and Classic
and
Yesterday I found out that HPalm was NOT making Webos2 available for upgrade! (Class action lawsuit anyone?)

SAd Sad Sad

Anonymous said...

HPalm made another mistake, now I have no reason to purchase a pre2, though I've been thinking that for a while. Is there any chance that Classic could be compiled as an android app? Otherwise the pre plus is my only option to replace my old Treo650. (Currently using both treo 650 and HTC legend on a daily base.)

Anonymous said...

Grow up people, Its time for you all classic lovers to move on. Come on guys, be realistic, nothing will last forever. Palm is transitioning to a new era of Innovations so COPE with it. To all classic users, LEARN TO UPGRADE URSELF>>>

Anonymous said...

TO ALL CLASSIC USERS, LEARN TO UPGRADE URSELF. WE ARE IN THE NEW AGE. APPRECIATE THE POWER OF SYNERGY!!!! LIVE WITH IT