Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
From: lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu (a.k.a. Chri)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: The HP 48 Programmer's ToolKit (review, long)
Message-ID: <1990Sep29.142702.20060@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu>
Date: 29 Sep 90 14:27:02 GMT
References: <57750@microsoft.UUCP> <1990Sep26.181705.20455@nntp-server.caltech.edu> <6527@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Organization: Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Lines: 116

bio_zwbb@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (William Busa) writes:
> [...] HP (Corvallis) is in the business of producing cutting-edge
>programmable calculators. Because they are pulling the technology along
>(rather than chasing after it like everybody else) their development costs
>must be astronomical. Consequently they sell their machines at a premium
>price (to recoup those development costs and make a decent profit).
>Further, they are (quite reasonably, IMHO) loathe to give away their
>hard-earned secrets to competitors who, with the ROM code in hand, could
>crank out clones quite cheaply. Just look at what happened to the IBM PC.
>So, it makes perfectly good business sense for HP to withhold their code
>and development tools.   

I am not sure that it makes that much sense.  There is a strong
parallel here between HP's position and Apple Computer's position.
Note that Apple is getting into big trouble because it will not allow
others to use its ROM's.  Also Apple is selling its computers at high
prices because it has a corner on the market.  The problem with this
is that third-party developers cannot make money this way.  Only
*nine* (yes, that's *9*) Apple software developers last year made a
profit.  If this keeps up, the third-party software market for Apple
is going to dry up.

One difference between Apple and HP is that Apple has documented how
to use the procedures available in their software kernel, whereas HP
has not.  Sure, HP48sx developers can use the well-documented
procedures available in RPL, but what is really needed is some
HP-blessed machine-language entry points into the kernel software.
This would make it easier to develop fast applications (in assembly
code) for the HP48sx, and HP would not have to produce a commented ROM
disassembly (like some people would like).

> [...]
>	Consequently, the developement of this fundamentally new kind of
>machine has inadvertently set HP and its loyalists at odds -- to
>*everyone's* detriment. We lose because we can't write the kind of
>software that this machine cries out for. HP loses both because its
>loyalists' feelings get hurt, *and* because it can't benefit (as the IBM
>PC has) from an enormous pool of outside-vendor software that would make
>everyone and his brother want to run out and buy their machine. 

Sometimes risks need to be taken.  IBM is certainly making much more
money off its PC than if it had kept it under wraps (like Apple is
doing).  Yes, there *is* a big PC clone market out there, but that is
exactly the reason that the PC is a defacto standard in the computer
industry.  If a company wants to create a computer/handheld that is
extremely popular, they will need to open up its guts to the rest of
the world.  Companies that do not take this risk end up having nice
computers that go nowhere.  For that matter, the same goes for
operating systems (there are few, if any, popular proprietary OS's
anymore).  Many, many companies have learned this lesson the hard way.
To name a few: Apple, Wang, Xerox, Commodore (in some sense),
Sinclair. 

>What's the
>solution? I really don't know. It would be *great* if HP would sell a
>software developer's package, consisting of the commented ROM code and
>whatever development tools they have on hand. But doing so would make it
>easy for the clone-makers to undercut HP's market position, I would guess,
>so this seems bloody unlikely. 

I think this is unrealistic.  HP does not have to publically release
its disassembled and commented ROM code to make the HP48sx more open.
HP *should* provide descriptions, calling conventions, and
restrictions for its internal kernel routines.

Another important point: it is likely that much of HP's development
software resides on non-IBM hardware (probably HP workstations).  It
would be costly to translate this all to the IBM PC, and it seems that
HP Corvallis has enough work to do without taking on this extra role.
It would most likely be better to let the third-party software companies
write development programs.  In my opinion, HP should concentrate on
the hardware and "operating system" software.  Let others write the
applications.  This is course would require publishing some
information on HP48sx internal machine-language procedures (i.e. entry
points and functionality).

>[...]
>In the longer term, I hope HP can find a way to make this information
>available to outside programmers without crippling its unique ability to
>produce such marvelous machines. *Everyone* will benefit if it can -- and
>*everyone* will be hurt if it can't. Its an old story: new technologies
>create damn sticky new ethical problems.
>[...]

Note that HP *has* allowed outside parties to work on some of their
programs.  For example, they released the source of USRLIB to me so
that I could create an Amiga executable of it, which was a good action
on their part.  I am not sure if they have released HP48sx ROM code to
anyone outside of the development team.

Personally, I think HP should produce a list of internal ROM routines
(i.e. sysevals) and their usage.  HP should not make available to the
public a commented disassembly.  I feel that the only way HP is going
to survive in the handheld computer market is to keep pushing the
research limits of this technology.  By staying one step ahead of the
competitors, they should be able to create a profitable product while
pushing the state-of-art in handhelds.  Note that this is certainly
not easy; big companies with great ideas have in the past failed to
make a profit with great ideas and research.  One need look no further
than Xerox (with its object-oriented language and desktop systems) to
see this.  However, it is a testament to HP's prowess and success that
no other handheld computer comes close to the capabilities of the
HP48sx at the same price.

Disclaimer: much of the information on HP above is conjecture on my
part.  Some of it may be wrong, although to the best of my knowledge
it is accurate.  I have no affiliation with HP other than as a happy
owner of an HP48sx and as one who has ported one of their programs to
the Amiga.

					.oO Chris Oo.
-- 
Christopher Lishka 608-262-4485  "Dad, don't give in to mob mentality!"
Wisconsin State Lab. of Hygiene                                -- Bart Simpson
   lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu     "I'm not, Son.  I'm jumping on the bandwagon."
   uunet!uwvax!uwslh!lishka                                    -- Homer Simpson