[Palm OS] Palm OS screen size.

[shacky4]

I looked around and haven't seen this addressed. I just installed GarnetVM and it seems pretty neat but displays vertically on my screen taking up maybe a third at most of the available space.

The screen on the Nokia is small enough, I don't need to make it more challenging for me! Is there a way to rotate the Garnet screen and make it take up most or all of the available screen space?

[timsamoff]

Rotate: Yes. Resize: No. Sorry. More info here (read the comments too):

http://sense-datum.org/tim/archive/2007/11/13/my_gripes_about_the_new_garnet/tim_samoff__weblog

Tim

[hircus]

Unfortunately, rotating means typing with the built-in keyboard becomes very awkward.

I wonder how many Palm applications are written to target a fixed screen size and aspect ratio?

[shacky4]

That's too bad. As I said in my first post in this thread, the VM is really cool and I was excited at the chance of running some of the programs I have liked on my palm devices, but with that small screen layout, I don't really see it as useful.

[PJE]

What I'd like them to do is shift the VM image to the left (or right if you're left handed) and add a soft keyboard with nice big keys to the remaining 2/3 of the screen. you could probably have a finger usable keyboard in that space...

...or a MASSIVE graffiti area ;0)

[akd]

As far as I know, the present VM for Maemo is beta release, with final version expected by December; maybe would have full or more usable screen size then.

[Traecer]

Unfortunately, rotating means typing with the built-in keyboard becomes very awkward.

I wonder how many Palm applications are written to target a fixed screen size and aspect ratio?

Well, technically, all of them. Palm OS (aka Garnet) never quite got enough of a graphical toolkit to handle any sort of resizeable window. The screen resolutions are basically the standard (160x160, which is normally automatically pixel-doubled by the OS in newer devices), HiRes (320x320), or HiRes+ (320x480, allowing the dynamic input area to be minimized into the status bar). There is no support for any other resolutions in the OS.

[heron61]

As far as I know, the present VM for Maemo is beta release, with final version expected by December; maybe would have full or more usable screen size then.I definitely hope so. It's an interesting toy now, but if it could use most of the screen, I'd love it.

[wls]

Well, technically, all of them. Palm OS (aka Garnet) never quite got enough of a graphical toolkit to handle any sort of resizeable window. The screen resolutions are basically the standard (160x160, which is normally automatically pixel-doubled by the OS in newer devices), HiRes (320x320), or HiRes+ (320x480, allowing the dynamic input area to be minimized into the status bar). There is no support for any other resolutions in the OS.
Yes. it's an interesting beata but PLEASE PLEASE we need to be able to run the display in 320/320 full screen mode for any real usefullness, most programs have a 320x320 mode built in or are automatically scaled by the OS (garnet 5) to that as I remember.

[ArnimS]

http://pupnik.de/POSE_0_01_Nokia_770_rot_kbd.jpg

I hope they do something like that...

[sparkling]

...screen resolutions are ...HiRes (320x320), or HiRes+ (320x480, allowing the dynamic input area to be minimized into the status bar).

The GVM supports 320x480. However, Sony and Palm produced a few devices which were 480x320 which means some applications can support a display which is either 480 pixels long -or- 480 pixels wide. I do not know if such applications would function 480x480.

Moreover, Alphasmart produces Palm OS devices aimed at the education market with 560x160 resolution and they claim some third-party software is "wide screen enabled".

http://www.alphasmart.com/k12/K12_Products/dana-w_K12.html

This suggests that at least the core applications could be modified to display, say, 560x480 by reusing existing code.

[t3h]

http://pupnik.de/POSE_0_01_Nokia_770_rot_kbd.jpg

I hope they do something like that...

You can - just turn off fullscreen mode. Though you don't get the keyboard under the Palm - you use the Palm's onscreen keyboard.

[dubwise]

You also don't get it scaled up like that.

Palm always discouraged programmers from using pixel counts in their apps.
If you followed their guidelines, the OS was designed to be scalable.
Unfortunately, I believe that almost nobody followed their guidelines.

[kady]

Moreover, Alphasmart produces Palm OS devices aimed at the education market with 560x160 resolution and they claim some third-party software is "wide screen enabled".

http://www.alphasmart.com/k12/K12_Products/dana-w_K12.html

This suggests that at least the core applications could be modified to display, say, 560x480 by reusing existing code.

Actually, the Alpha Smart used the entire 560x480 for text entry and display. All of the other Palm Programs were put on a 320x320 section in the middle of the display. Much like on the N Series.