21
(32&
Summary
This chapter is intended to give sufficient information to form a sound technical evaluation of the
32-bit EPOC operating system.
EPOC is a whole operating system encompassing a base, graphics, applications, Java runtime,
wireless communications protocols and applications, SDKs and many other features. The content
of this chapter is based on EPOC Release 5.
For more information on Symbian, see:
http://www.symbian.com
8.1 Introduction
The first public release of EPOC, in April 1997, marked the beginning of a new generation of
operating systems built upon the long track record of the Psion Group in the handheld and
mobile computer industry.
Eleven years previously, in 1984, Psion invented the personal organizer. The Organiser II, which
debuted in 1986, has sold over a million units to personal and corporate customers. It had an
eight-bit CPU, and could be programmed in assembler or a high-level BASIC-like language
dubbed Organiser Programming Language, or OPL.
From 1991, the Psion Series 3 range drove the rapid expansion of the personal organizer as a
popular consumer device. The new system software was named SIBO, for "sixteen-bit organizer".
Conscious that the Series 3 range would herald a new epoch in personal convenience, Psion named
the OS core EPOC — the origin of the name now used for Symbian’s 32-bit EPOC. SIBO was
more portable than the Organiser II’s OS, and pioneered the application/engine split, which has
become a vital part of 32-bit EPOC. However, because most of its EPOC core was written in
assembler, and the x86’s 16-bit segmenting heavily influenced its architecture, SIBO’s portability
was restricted to the x86 processor architecture. SIBO included an object-oriented GUI and
frameworks layer, while an OPL editor/compiler could be used to write powerful programs
directly on the machine. This gave rise to thousands of useful third-party application programs.
The Series 3 range was expanded and diversified for the consumer market, while the WorkAbout
range, introduced in 1995, was created for ruggedized industrial applications. Altogether, the
Psion Group has sold over 1.5 million SIBO machines. At their peak, the Series 3 range
commanded 35% of the world market for personal organizers. This success is primarily due to the
richness and usability of SIBO applications, the robustness and efficiency of the multi-tasking OS
which ensures that users’ data is always instantly available, the high quality of Psion’s ROM-based
software, very long battery life, and elegant hardware design.
Like other areas of technology, handheld computers continued to become more powerful. By
1994, the 64k limits of 16-bit systems were beginning to present a serious barrier to software
development, and it was becoming clear that a world-class operating system had to be portable to
a wider range of devices. A new EPOC was conceived: while it would carry forward the best
features of Psion’s previous operating systems, it would also be entirely 32-bit, and would be
portable to any target CPU type and machine architecture. This would allow EPOC to become an
open system, licensed for use by non-Psion original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). To
facilitate this, Psion Software was formed as a separate company in 1996 with a mission to make
EPOC the leading software platform for wireless information devices, by licensing it to a wide
range of OEMs in these fields. EPOC Release 1 was ready by April 1997, when it emerged in its
first product, the Psion Series 5.
Licensing activity to non-Psion OEMs had already begun before EPOC Release 1 was available. It
became clear that EPOC’s efficiency and flexibility, combined with Psion Software’s no-nonsense
technical and commercial culture, formed an outstandingly attractive basis for system software in
wireless information devices. Psion Software was de-merged from the Psion Group, and became
Symbian Ltd, owned by Psion, Nokia and Ericsson, with Motorola also intending to join.
