Running PlecoDict on really old PalmOS PDA

[lmcjipo]

A friend who is interested in getting a 2nd hand Handspring Visor Deluxe with the Springboard memory module for next to nothing and wants to know if PlecoDict will run on it if she has enough memory on her device (and on the VFS springboard memory card).

I told her that I didn't think so because the Handspring Visor Deluxe runs v3.x of the PalmOS (I believe it is 3.1) and PlecoDict v1.0.3's minimum requirements state that PalmOS v4 is required. Is PalmOS v4 really required?

She wants to have a PDA to install some multilingual dictionaries including a Chinese/English dictionary and I told her that based on my tests of 2 Chinese PalmOS dictionaries, PlecoDict was the better of the 2 products that I tested/used/purchased.

 

[mikelove]

I'm afraid Palm OS 4 is still the minimum requirement - if you try to run it on a system running OS 3.1/3.5 it will refuse to even start up. For what it's worth, first-generation OS 4 models like the Palm m500/m505/m515 can be had for next to nothing on eBay, though I imagine your friend might have other reasons for wanting the Visor.

 

[lmcjipo]

Thanks Mike.

I remember reading that you actually created your first Chinese/English dictionary based on CEDICT on something running PalmOS v3.x (or maybe I am mistaken).

Besides the price aspect of the Visor Deluxe, one of the reason why she was thinking about getting it as opposed to the PDAs that you mentioned (m5xx series) is because the Visor Deluxe uses 2 standard AAA batteries.

When she asked me for my opinion on an older PalmOS PDA (particularly the Visor Deluxe), I told her that a good thing about the Visor Deluxe was that it uses standard AAA batteries. I believe that the m5xx series that you mentioned all use internal batteries. I told her that based on when the first m5xx were released, the internal batteries in these units must not be very good judging from how long my laptop battery now lasts (retains the charge) for. The person selling it to her is also throwing in a few Springboard modules (among which is the Springboard memory module).

 

[mikelove]

Yes, the old Oxford Dict product worked on systems as old as the original Palm III (with Palm OS 3.0), but with PlecoDict the memory requirements grew to a point where really the only pre-OS4 models that would have any chance of running it well would be Springboard-equipped Visors. And unfortunately that's not a big enough market to justify the (sizable) extra development and testing time to support OS 3.1/3.5. It's a shame we couldn't extend the license for the handwriting recognizer in Oxford Dict, we'd be perfectly happy to keep selling it if we were permitted to do so.

On the replaceable battery front, however, there are a couple of online accessory stores (such as the excellent Brando Workshop) and eBay vendors that sell travel/emergency rechargers that allow you to recharge an m500 series model using a regular battery (usually a 9V or a couple of AAs). It's not as efficient as charging it from an outlet, and there's still the problem of batteries potentially wearing out, but it might be preferable to fiddling around with power outlets at least.

 

[lmcjipo]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the information.

I re-read your manual after investigating the PlecoDict.prc location issue that I posted in this forum and noticed that you mentioned that even though certain PalmOS handhelds including the Visor Deluxe do have enough memory, the PalmOS 4 or above was also a requirement.

 

[lmcjipo]

Yes, the old Oxford Dict product worked on systems as old as the original Palm III (with Palm OS 3.0), but with PlecoDict the memory requirements grew to a point where really the only pre-OS4 models that would have any chance of running it well would be Springboard-equipped Visors. And unfortunately that's not a big enough market to justify the (sizable) extra development and testing time to support OS 3.1/3.5. It's a shame we couldn't extend the license for the handwriting recognizer in Oxford Dict, we'd be perfectly happy to keep selling it if we were permitted to do so.

Recently while watching me use PlecoDict on my Treo 650, my friend who purchased her Visor Deluxe inquired "Would it be possible to see the old Oxford Dict without the handwriting recognizer?"

 

[mikelove]

I suppose, though I don't know if the sales would justify reviving it... we're only getting 1 or 2 e-mails a year from pre-OS4 users at this point.