EPOC (operating system)

Last updated

EPOC
Developer Psion
Written in Assembly, C (EPOC16)
C++ (EPOC32)
OS familyEPOC
Working stateDiscontinued, succeeded by Symbian
Source model Closed source
Initial release1989;35 years ago (1989)
Latest release ER5u / 2000;24 years ago (2000)
Marketing target PDAs, mobile phones
Available in English
Platforms x86 via NEC V30H (EPOC16)
ARM (EPOC32)
Kernel type Microkernel
Default
user interface 		Eikon et al.
License Proprietary
Succeeded by Symbian
Support status
Unsupported

EPOC is a mobile operating system developed by Psion, a British company founded in 1980. It began as a 16-bit operating system (OS) for Psion's own x86-compatible devices, and was later replaced by a 32-bit system for x86 and ARM. Psion licensed the 32-bit system to other hardware makers, such as Ericsson.

Contents

To distinguish it from the 16-bit OS, the 32-bit version was sometimes called EPOC32. Technologically, it was a major departure from the 16-bit version (which came to be called EPOC16 or SIBO). In 1998, the 32-bit version was renamed Symbian OS. After Nokia acquired the rights to Symbian in 2010, they published Symbian's source code under the Eclipse Public License. In 2011, Nokia rescinded the open-source license for subsequent releases of the software. [1]

Name

The name EPOC comes from the word epoch (the beginning of an era). The name was shortened to four letters to accord with the names of such software innovations as Unix and Mach. [2]

Initially the operating system was capitalised as Epoc rather than 'EPOC', since it is not an acronym. The change to all capital letters was made on the recommendation of Psion's marketing department. [2] Thereafter, a rumour circulated in the technical press that EPOC was an acronym for "Electronic Piece of Cheese". [2] [3] When Psion started developing a 32-bit operating system in 1994, they kept it under the EPOC brand. To avoid confusion within the company, they started calling the old system EPOC16, and the new one EPOC32. Then it became conventional within the company to refer to EPOC16 as SIBO, which was the codename of Psion's 16-bit mobile computing initiative. This change freed them use the name EPOC for EPOC32. [2]

In June 1998, Psion formed a limited company, named Symbian Ltd., with the telecommunications corporations Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola. [4] By buying into the new firm, the telecommunications corporations each acquired a stake in Psion's EPOC operating system and other intellectual property. Symbian Ltd. changed the name of EPOC/EPOC32 to Symbian OS, which debuted in November 2000 on the Nokia 9210 Communicator smartphone.

EPOC16 (1989–1998)

Psion MC200 (1989) running EPOC16 Psion MC200 (23610703586).jpg
Psion MC200 (1989) running EPOC16

EPOC was developed at Psion, a software and mobile-device company founded in London in 1980. The company released its first pocket computer in 1984: an 8-bit device named the Psion Organiser. In 1986 they released a series of improved models under the Organiser II brand, but the 8-bit era was ending. Psion saw a need to develop a 16-bit operating system to drive their next generation of devices. [5] First, however, they needed to engineer a 16-bit single-board computer, something that was extremely difficult at the time. They codenamed the project SIBO, for "single-board organiser" or "sixteen-bit organiser". To develop the SIBO hardware and software, they needed samples of the 16-bit microprocessors they would be programming; but it took more than a year to secure the chips, which caused a significant delay. [5]

By 1987, development of EPOC was underway: It was a single-user, preemptive multitasking operating system designed to run in read-only memory (ROM). The operating system and its programmes were written in Intel 8086 assembly language and C. When the operating system started, it opened the pre-installed programmes in advance so that the system could switch between them quickly. To enable users to write and run their own programmes, EPOC featured an updated version of the Open Programming Language (OPL), which was first published with the Psion Organiser. OPL was a simple interpreted language somewhat like BASIC.

In 1989, Psion released the first 16-bit computers to be equipped with the new operating system: the MC200 and MC400 notebooks. Each of these had an Intel 80C86 processor, but differed in some other specifications, such as memory capacity. Among the later SIBO devices were the Psion Series 3 (1991), 3A (1993), 3C (1996), Workabout series, and the Siena 512K model (1996). The final EPOC device was the Psion Series 3mx (1998). [6]

The user interface differed by device. The notebook computers had a windows, icons, menus, pointer (WIMP) graphical user interface (GUI). The handheld computers, which had smaller screens and no pointing device, accept input from a keyboard or a stylus. [7] On-screen, programmes were represented by icons, but on smaller devices a user could also access them via specialised buttons.

EPOC32 (1997–2000)

In parallel with the production of their 16-bit devices, Psion had been developing a 32-bit version of EPOC since late 1994. The move to 32 bits was necessary to remain competitive, and Psion wanted to have a mobile operating system they could license to other companies. [8] Thus, the system needed to be more portable than their prior systems.

For the 32-bit operating system, the engineers wrote a new object-oriented codebase in C++. During the transition period, the old system came to be called EPOC16, and new one EPOC32. Where EPOC16 was designed specifically for the Intel 80186 platform, EPOC32 was built for ARM, a computing platform called a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), which instruction set architecture is smaller and of more uniform length than in an alternative complex instruction set computer (CISC). Like EPOC16, EPOC32 was a single-user, pre-emptive multitasking operating system. It also featured memory protection, which was an essential feature for modern operating systems.

Psion licensed EPOC32 to other device manufacturers, and made it possible for manufacturers to change or replace the system's GUI. Because of the licensing arrangement, Psion considered spinning-off their software division as Psion Software.[ citation needed ] Psion's own PDAs had a GUI named Eikon. Visually, Eikon was a refinement of design choices from Psion's 8- and 16-bit devices. [7]

Releases 1–4

The Osaris PDA by Oregon Scientific ran version ER4 of the EPOC32 operating system. OsarisOregonScientificEPOC.jpg
The Osaris PDA by Oregon Scientific ran version ER4 of the EPOC32 operating system.

Early iterations of the EPOC32 were codenamed Protea. The first published version, called Release 1, appeared on the Psion Series 5 ROM v1.0 in June 1997. Release 2 was never published, but an updated ROM (version 1.1) for the Series 5 featured Release 3.[ citation needed ] The Series 5 used Psion's new user interface, Eikon. [7]

One of the first EPOC licensees was a short-lived company named Geofox; they halted production after selling fewer than 1,000 units.[ citation needed ] Another licensee, Oregon Scientific, released a budget device named Osaris; it was the only EPOC device to ship with Release 4.[ citation needed ]

Release 5

Psion Series 5mx (1999) running ER5 2005-04-16 Psion Serie 5mx PRO 24MB beschn unscharf scharf.JPG
Psion Series 5mx (1999) running ER5

EPOC Release 5 premiered in March 1999. It ran on ARMv4 processors, such as the StrongARM series. [9] In addition to its email, messaging, and data synchronisation features, it introduced support for the Java Development Kit, which made it capable of running a wider variety of programmes.

In 2000, EPOC's GUI variations were replaced with three reference interfaces: Crystal was for devices with a small keyboard; Quartz was for "communicator" devices (which had some telecommunication features, and tended to be equipped with a thumb keyboard); and Pearl was for mobile phones. Each classification supported VGA graphics. [9]

Psion deployed Release 5 on their 5mx series (1999), Revo (1999), netBook (1999), Series 7 (1999), Revo Plus (2000), and netPad (2001) devices. [10] Ericsson rebranded the Psion Series 5mx as the MC218, and SONICblue rebranded the Revo as the Diamond Mako; like the original devices, the rebranded versions were released in 1999.

The Ericsson R380 smartphone, released in November 2000, was the first device to be distributed with EPOC Release 5.1. This release was also known as ER5u; the u indicated that the system supported the Unicode system of text encoding: an important feature for the representation of diverse languages. Psion developed an ER5u-enabled device codenamed "Conan", but it did not advance beyond the prototype stage. The device was intended to be a Bluetooth-enabled successor to the Revo.[ citation needed ]

Symbian (2000–2012)

In June 1998, Psion Software became Symbian Ltd., a major joint venture between Psion and phone manufacturers Ericsson, Motorola, and Nokia. The next release of EPOC32, Release 6, was rebranded Symbian OS. It decoupled the user interface from the underlying operating system, which afforded device manufacturers the ability (or burden) of implementing a graphical interface on their devices.

The final version of Symbian OS to be released was v10.1; the final update was published in 2012.

Related Research Articles

Java Platform, Micro Edition or Java ME is a computing platform for development and deployment of portable code for embedded and mobile devices. Java ME was formerly known as Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition or J2ME. As of December 22, 2006, the Java ME source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License, and is released under the project name phoneME.

Psion Organiser was the brand name of a range of pocket computers developed by the British company Psion in the 1980s. The Organiser I and Organiser II had a characteristic hard plastic sliding cover protecting a 6×6 keypad instead of a computer keyboard, with letters arranged alphabetically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psion (company)</span> Software company in Canada

Psion PLC was a designer and manufacturer of mobile handheld computers for commercial and industrial uses. The company was headquartered in London, England, with major operations in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and other company offices in Europe, the United States, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. It was a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of operating systems</span> Aspect of computing history

Computer operating systems (OSes) provide a set of functions needed and used by most application programs on a computer, and the links needed to control and synchronize computer hardware. On the first computers, with no operating system, every program needed the full hardware specification to run correctly and perform standard tasks, and its own drivers for peripheral devices like printers and punched paper card readers. The growing complexity of hardware and application programs eventually made operating systems a necessity for everyday use.

Symbian Ltd. was a software development and licensing consortium company, known for the Symbian operating system (OS), for smartphones and some related devices. Its headquarters were in Southwark, London, England, with other offices opened in Cambridge, Sweden, Silicon Valley, Japan, India, China, South Korea, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S60 (software platform)</span> Smartphone software platform

The S60 Platform was a software platform for smartphones that runs on top of the Symbian operating system. It was created by Nokia based on the 'Pearl' user interface from Symbian Ltd. It was introduced at COMDEX in November 2001 and first shipped with the Nokia 7650 smartphone. The platform has since seen 5 updated editions. Series 60 was renamed to S60 in November 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UIQ</span> Software platform

UIQ was a software platform based upon Symbian OS, created by UIQ Technology AB. It is a graphical user interface layer that provides additional components to the core operating system, to enable the development of feature-rich mobile phones that are open to expanded capabilities through third-party applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psion Series 5</span>

The Psion Series 5 was a personal digital assistant (PDA) from Psion. It came in two main variants, the Series 5 and the Series 5mx (1999), the latter having a faster processor, clearer liquid crystal display (LCD), and updated software. There was also a rare Series 5mx Pro, which differed only in having the operating system (OS) loaded into random-access memory (RAM) and hence upgradeable. Ericsson marketed a version of the Series 5mx renamed as MC218.

Open Programming Language (OPL) is a programming language for embedded systems and mobile devices that run the operating systems EPOC and Symbian. It was released by the British company Psion in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia 9210 Communicator</span> Cell phone model

The Nokia 9210 Communicator is a third-generation Communicator series mobile phone produced by Nokia, announced on 21 November 2000 and released in June 2001. It greatly improved on the second generation Nokia 9110 Communicator, providing a colour main screen and using an ARM processor. It is one of the few mobile phones able to send and receive fax.

The Psion Series 7 is a subnotebook computer from Psion that was released in 2000. In size it is fairly original: larger than a palmtop or handheld machine, but smaller than a laptop computer. It was the first and last of the Psion series to have a full color electronic visual display. It has a leather-bound clamshell design, with a touch-sensitive, Video Graphics Array (VGA) resolution liquid-crystal display (LCD) and QWERTY computer keyboard. Internally it has a 132.71 MHz StrongARM SA-1100 processor, 16 megabyte (MB) of random-access memory (RAM) and 16 MB of internal read-only memory (ROM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psion Revo</span>

The Psion Revo, launched in November 1999, is a personal digital assistant (PDA) from Psion. It is the successor to the Psion Series 3 and a light version of Psion Series 5mx. It is software-compatible with the 5mx and has the same processor but is more lightweight and substantially smaller. Relative to the Series 5 and 5mx, the Revo has a smaller screen, and lacks a flash-card slot and backlight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Series 90 (software platform)</span>

The Series 90 is a platform for mobile phones that use Symbian OS. It was developed by Nokia in collaboration with Psion. It was released in 2003 and was going to be the platform for the Nokia 7700 which was cancelled, but did eventually make it to market with the Nokia 7710.

EKA1 is the first-generation kernel for the operating system Symbian OS. EKA1 originated in the earlier operating system EPOC. It offers preemptive computer multitasking and memory protection, but no real-time computing guarantees, and a single-threaded device driver model. It was largely superseded by EKA2.

A mobile operating system is an operating system used for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical/mobile laptops are "mobile", the operating systems used on them are generally not considered mobile, as they were originally designed for desktop computers that historically did not have or need specific mobile features. This line distinguishing mobile and other forms has become blurred in recent years, due to the fact that newer devices have become smaller and more mobile unlike hardware of the past. Key notabilities blurring this line are the introduction of tablet computers, light-weight laptops, and the hybridization of the two in 2-in-1 PCs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ericsson R380</span> Mobile phone model released in 2000

The Ericsson R380 is a GSM Smartphone developed by Ericsson Mobile Communications. It combines the functions of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA), and was introduced at CEBIT on 1999/2/18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symbian</span> Discontinued mobile operating system

Symbian is a discontinued mobile operating system (OS) and computing platform designed for smartphones. It was originally developed as a proprietary software OS for personal digital assistants in 1998 by the Symbian Ltd. consortium. Symbian OS is a descendant of Psion's EPOC, and was released exclusively on ARM processors, although an unreleased x86 port existed. Symbian was used by many major mobile phone brands, like Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and above all by Nokia. It was also prevalent in Japan by brands including Fujitsu, Sharp and Mitsubishi. As a pioneer that established the smartphone industry, it was the most popular smartphone OS on a worldwide average until the end of 2010, at a time when smartphones were in limited use, when it was overtaken by iOS and Android. It was notably less popular in North America.

This is a list of devices that run on the Symbian platform mobile operating system, including their proprietary predecessors running on Symbian OS and EPOC.

An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the computer itself. Complex software designed for use on a personal computer, for example, may have a related app designed for use on a mobile device. Today apps are normally designed to run on a specific operating system—such as the contemporary iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux or Android—but in the past mobile carriers had their own portals for apps and related media content.

Galileo was an unreleased 32-bit operating system that was under development by Acorn Computers as a long-term project to produce "an ultra-modern scalable, portable, multi-tasking, multi-threading, object-oriented, microkernel operating system", reportedly significant enough to Acorn's strategy to warrant a statement to the financial markets.

References

  1. ↑ Paul, Ryan (11 April 2011). "Nokia transitions Symbian source to non-open license". Ars Technica . Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wood, David (2005). "Annotated Glossary of Abbreviations". Symbian for Software Leaders: Principles of Successful Smartphone Development Projects. John Wiley & Sons. p. 279. ISBN   978-0-470-01683-1 . Retrieved 22 May 2018– via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Grossman, Wendy M. (15 May 2000). "Wireless Warrior". Salon.com . Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Huber, Alexander Joseph; Huber, Josef Franz (2002). "Symbian EPOC". UMTS and Mobile Computing. Mobile Communications Series. Artech House. p. 209. ISBN   1-58053-264-0.
  5. 1 2 Baxter, Mike (2002) [1995]. "Psion Series 3". Product Design: Practical Methods for the Systematic Development of New Products. CRC Press. p. 125. ISBN   978-0-7487-4197-7. OCLC   969884664 . Retrieved 23 May 2018– via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Psion MC200". The Centre for Computing History . Section: Other Systems Related to Psion MC200. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Morris, Ben (2007). "Background to the Eikon GUI". The Symbian OS Architecture Sourcebook: Design and Evolution of a Mobile Phone OS. Symbian Press. p. 402. ISBN   978-0-470-01846-0 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Babin, Steve (2007). "Symbian OS: A Little History". Developing Software for Symbian OS: A Beginner's Guide to Creating Symbian OS v9 Smartphone Applications in C++ (2nd ed.). Symbian Press. p. 13. ISBN   978-0-470-72570-2 . Retrieved 24 May 2018– via Google Books.
  9. 1 2 Hansmann, Uwe; Merk, Lothar; Nicklous, Martin S.; Stober, Thomas (2001). "Symbian EPOC". Pervasive Computing Handbook. Springer. p. 157. ISBN   978-3-662-04320-2 . Retrieved 24 May 2018– via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Staff writer (1 October 2001). "Psion Teklogix finally launches netpad". Geek.com . Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.