Saguaro (Palm OS)
Encyclopedia
Saguaro was an application for Palm OS
, one of the first designed to give Palm-OS-based PDAs true multitasking
features comparable to desktop computers. Saguaro was also the first Palm OS application capable of competing with the graphic performance of the iPhone
.
PDA Performance announced their closure on February 28, 2008. As a result, a complete version of Saguaro has not been released.
. Saguaro was also rumored to be capable of running "legacy" palm applications by acting as a launcher.
Saguaro featured its own graphics engine
, called "MojaveGL", which also functioned as a window manager. MojaveGL is capable of alpha blending, thus allowing Saguaro to create translucent windows.
developed by PDA Performance that is heavily based on Saguaro's code. LineUp has relatively few widgets available, of which most are news-based (CNN, CNET, Washington Post, etc). An SDK has not been released to allow third party developers to create widgets, causing many users to lose interest in the "fancy RSS reader."
LineUp itself is quick and fluid, providing users a preview of Saguaro and the MojaveGL framework it is based on.
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
, one of the first designed to give Palm-OS-based PDAs true multitasking
Computer multitasking
In computing, multitasking is a method where multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for...
features comparable to desktop computers. Saguaro was also the first Palm OS application capable of competing with the graphic performance of the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
.
History
Saguaro, produced by PDA Performance, Inc., had a long development cycle of three years. Currently, the full version is not available for download, however, two beta versions had been released: Saguaro Beta (a private beta) and Saguaro Sneak Peek (a public beta). Information about the Saguaro private beta is severely lacking, however it is speculated to be more full-featured than the public beta. PDA Performance released lineUp, an application based on Saguaro’s code, on November 30, 2007.PDA Performance announced their closure on February 28, 2008. As a result, a complete version of Saguaro has not been released.
Specifications
Little data is available on the technical specifications of Saguaro, as PDA Performance had not released an SDK. Saguaro was rumored to implement cooperative multitasking for Saguaro-compatible applications, referred to as "widgets". The term caused speculation in the Palm community as to whether Saguaro was intended to replace the Palm OS to run applications or if it was designed to be a widget engineWidget engine
In computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop.The widget model in widget engines is attractive because of ease of development...
. Saguaro was also rumored to be capable of running "legacy" palm applications by acting as a launcher.
Saguaro featured its own graphics engine
Graphics engine
Graphics engine may refer to:*Game engine: a physics model typically implemented in software for use in computer games*Graphics engine : a specialized computer hardware device, typically integrated with a framebuffer or other video display circuitry, for performing graphics calculations...
, called "MojaveGL", which also functioned as a window manager. MojaveGL is capable of alpha blending, thus allowing Saguaro to create translucent windows.
LineUp
LineUp is a widget engineWidget engine
In computer software, a widget engine is a software service available to users for running and displaying applets on a graphical user interface, such as that of the desktop.The widget model in widget engines is attractive because of ease of development...
developed by PDA Performance that is heavily based on Saguaro's code. LineUp has relatively few widgets available, of which most are news-based (CNN, CNET, Washington Post, etc). An SDK has not been released to allow third party developers to create widgets, causing many users to lose interest in the "fancy RSS reader."
LineUp itself is quick and fluid, providing users a preview of Saguaro and the MojaveGL framework it is based on.