> Since "Almost 100%" of the code an OmniGo comes with is XIP, an OmniGo
> 100 with 1Mb of RAM and 3Mb of XIP ROM should be able to handle apps
as
> well as a Zoomer with 2-4 Mb of RAM.
True, it should run lots of simultaneous apps, which would certainly be
an improvement over the Zoomer. The OmniGo 100 literature says that
640KB of RAM is available for user files, and I still think that is
disappointingly small -- keep in mind that this storage area is for data
and for add-on programs.
XIP should also increase the startup speed for applications, since they
don't need to load into main memory from ROM prior to execution.
I've used a similar technology for ROM-based execution of applications
before, on a GRiD Compass, and those apps started up much faster than
ones which had to load into RAM from (get this...) its 384KB bubble
memory. The GRiD Compass was a laptop that was introduced around 1982.
It had a compact multitasking OS, multiple (albeit character-oriented)
windows, a nice set of integrated productivity apps, and a sleak black
case. Sort of a big-footprint Zoomer that weighed 14 pounds and drew 75W
of AC power :-).
-- Brian Smithson brian@eit.com Enterprise Integration Technologies (415)617-8009 800 El Camino Real FAX (415)462-6369 Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA http://www.eit.com/