Yawn. Tired of developing for the Web already? Dogged by that "been there, done that" feeling once again? Get ready for another new frontier in database applications: handheld and palm PCs. These pocket-sized devices began life as a way for people on the go to carry around rolodexes, schedules, and miniature electronic notepads. But these increasingly popular devices are assuming bigger roles, letting roaming users access enterprise databases as well as intranets and the Web.
So far, 3Comıs PalmPilot has enjoyed a leadership position in the palm computer market. But Windows CE, Microsoftıs operating system for embedded systems and small devices, is gaining momentum, and many new handheld PCs are embracing it. Numerous software vendors are feverishly porting popular applications to the Windows CE platform. For example, Sybase is adapting its Adaptive Server Anywhere and Oracle is lightening its Oracle Lite for Windows CE. Smaller database vendors such as Raima are also jumping on the Windows CE bandwagon. AvantGo, a startup, also markets software that lets the PalmPilot access enterprise databases applications as well as intranets and the Web. (AvantGo won a DBMS Editorıs Choice Award.)
While the availability of commercial applications such as Microsoftıs Pocket Editions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer (no, Access is not there yet) will grease the wheels of mass adoption, developing custom applications will deliver the most value for enterprises on the go.
Rolling your own mini-apps for handheld and palm PCs will introduce or reacquaint many programmers with a new set of hurdles: Building small applications is no less challenging than building big applications. In some cases, fitting functionality into bite-sized pieces is even harder. Your standard desktop or notebook PC now comes with 32MB of RAM, but your memory budget for a handheld will be probably be around a megabyte, possibly even less. If you never learned how to write tight code, this is your wake-up call. Believe it or not, there was a time when major corporate applications such as spreadsheets came on diskettes, not multiple CD-ROMs.
When you develop applications for small devices, you must pay even more attention to user interface issues. Screen size is an obvious factor, but the user interface is another. While handheld PCs come with keyboards, palm devices such as 3Comıs PalmPilot use alternate interfaces, including a few buttons and a pen-like pointer. Not all screens support color. And recent handhelds are moving up to screen dimensions of 6403240 ı the full width but only half the height of the smallest screen size for Windows 3.x and higher. Keep form factors in mind when you develop browser-based and standalone applications.
Itıs also a good idea to verify that the target device and its host operating system or applications support all the features you take for granted in traditional platforms. More recent versions are catching up with features skipped in previous incarnations. For example, Microsoftıs Pocket Internet Explorer 2.0 added support for the APPLET tag and frames; it didnıt support SSL security until version 1.1.
Data synchronization is another feature worth watching. Some systems synchronize files, but thatıs not the same as synchronizing database updates. When systems support true database replication, be sure to test this thoroughly. Replication is certainly possible, but itıs fraught with gotchas.
Embedded systems programming, which for so long has been a specialized programming niche, is now breaking into the mainstream. But have no fear; if you soon tire of developing applications for handheld and palm PCs, Dick Tracyıs wristwatch PC will be ready soon. No kidding! In June, Seiko will begin shipping the Raputer, the first wearable PC. It comes with 128K RAM and can download text and graphics from other computers.
This is my last editorial as Editor-in-Chief of DBMS. I hope that DBMS has brought you valuable information and insights. I thank the many readers who provided feedback, especially those that helped me see where DBMS could have done better. I am also grateful for the untiring assistance my coworkers provided, for the lessons I have learned from our outstanding writers, and for much more help from so many other fine people in our lively industry.
Live long and prosper!