BlackBerry OS - National Library. N. E. Bauman

As you know, the Canadian company Research in Motion is very popular all over the world thanks to its BlackBerry communicators. All of them are developed taking into account the needs of corporate users and are able to fully satisfy all the desires of the business audience regarding the functionality of the communicator. However, the main feature of these devices is the support of all additional BlackBerry services. And this is a special data encryption that will ensure complete security and confidentiality when working on the Internet, as well as instant e-mail exchange through the company's server. It is thanks to the increased degree of protection that more and more companies prefer the services of BlackBerry services.

In order for the communicator to fully support all the services provided by the company, a new operating system for PDAs, BlackBerry OS, was developed. This operating system has a much shorter history than Windows mobile or Symbian, but has already become quite popular. The interface is aimed at performing various business tasks. Convenient viewing of electronic documents of all popular formats. The menu is customized literally for each individual user. And you can make the control of the communicator intuitive and understandable. .

For full access to the Internet there is an excellent browser. Many of its functions are unique to programs on personal computers. You can save web pages, there is also a password manager, kinetic scrolling and much, much more. In general, the BlackBerry OS interface itself is aimed at convenient work with e-mail and the Internet, documents and so on. But the multimedia functions are not very well developed, here the communicator noticeably lags behind its counterparts. However, I can say with absolute certainty that they are quite enough to brighten up a few minutes of waiting, or just kill time. Business people simply do not need modern games on PDAs. In general, devices based on BlackBerry OS are quite easy to manage and reliable in use.

BlackBerry OS functionality

I would like to note right away that this operating system for communicators was developed for business people who often have to deal with e-mail and the Internet, documents and spreadsheets, in general, functions necessary for doing business.

When you take a communicator with BlackBerry OS installed in your hands, you realize that the device was designed for advanced users. Indeed, these devices are intended for those users who can spend time and set up all the necessary functions for themselves, otherwise the work with the communicator will be very inconvenient. On the other hand, its functionality is top notch! There is everything your heart desires and even more.

The interface as a whole is user-friendly, but it is cumbersome, which is inherent in all communicators. Without a detailed study of all functions, work with the device is unlikely to improve, otherwise you will have to repeat the same operations for a long time and monotonously to execute the simplest command. All functions of the phone have advanced functionality, and therefore require getting used to.

The phone book has a wide range of settings for each individual subscriber, and allows you to record not only phone numbers, but also an e-mail address and much more. The search for a contact is well organized - just start typing a first name, last name or phone number.

As for the Internet - functions, everything here is also on top! You may have several mail accounts, for mail or ICQ. Convenient navigation and message viewing with almost the same functionality as on a personal computer. Everything is simple and convenient. The Internet browser in the communicator is chic, and thanks to the large screen, browsing the Internet pages is a pleasure. You can make bookmarks and notes, save pages, view them in full screen. In a word - everything is very convenient and practical. Even the most demanding users will appreciate the system for saving passwords to Internet pages, which will make not only work, but also leisure time on the Internet pleasant and easy. .

Architecture

QNX was designed to be the thinnest operating system, it is built on what is called a microkernel architecture. This is fundamentally different from UNIX, MacOS, Microsoft Windows, which are built on much larger monolithic kernels. Even the old BlackBerry OS, written in Java, had a monolithic architecture. In fact, a microkernel architecture gives you a much more secure, easier to maintain, and much more flexible OS.

All Windows users, especially earlier versions, know what the Blue Screen of Death is. You know what it's about, right? Your OS crashes, the screen turns blue, and some incomprehensible message speaks of a fatal system error.

Larger monolithic kernels are more likely to experience a screen of death problem since most applications and processes share the same memory. Let's say an application developed by a third party has a bug that overwrites the memory allocated to another application or the main part of the operating system. In such a situation, the whole system will fall, and it will be almost impossible to find out what caused this.

Neutrino's microkernel architecture avoids this problem by allocating virtual memory to each process separately. The Neutrino QNX system requires only two necessary elements: a microkernel and a process manager. Everything else is run as a process and managed by the process manager, and passed to the microkernel for execution. If an application with a bug tries to write to memory that it is not managed, then the process manager recognizes this as an address not allocated to the application and tells the kernel to close the problem in place. No more system crashes!

That is why PlayBook owners are much less likely to hear about system crashes than BlackBerry smartphone owners. A separate application may crash, but the OS itself is unlikely. When it comes to security, the microkernel architecture is ideal with protected virtual memory: malicious applications cannot steal data that they are not given access to.

Neutrino OS is also fully compliant with POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface for Unix). In case you don't know what it is (which is important), a quick explanation: POSIX or Portable Operating System Interface, originally created for Unix, is a set of standards used by programmers when writing code. In other words, it's a bunch of API certifications. This means that Unix, Linux, and also MacOS developers can easily write code for QNX.

Among other things, Neutrino is future-ready: the OS has been designed ahead of time to work with multi-core processors. And now we are not talking about 2 or 4 cores, but about 32, 64 and more. And these processor cores can be geographically distant from each other. In theory, this means the ability to control one OS multiple devices, screens, and so on, located in different locations. What this might bring in the future is something everyone can think for themselves, but it's worth noting that QNX can do things that Windows Mobile 8, Android, and IOS were never designed to do. BlackBerry 10 smartphones are not a full implementation of the capabilities of the Neutrino QNX operating system. At one of the conferences, Lazaridis used a very apt building metaphor: "If you want to build a skyscraper, you will not build it on the foundation for the house, you need to properly design the foundation of the skyscraper so that it can withstand the load that falls on it."

QNX is the foundation of a skyscraper. But when you explore a skyscraper, you don't see its foundation, you just know that it exists and that it works. That is why Neutrino can work great, but the poor quality of third-party applications can lead to uncomfortable work. That is, in order to create a positive BlackBerry user experience, in addition to QNX, you need good software that allows you to unlock the full potential of the OS.

For example, PlayBook OS implements an on-screen keyboard using Adobe Air. Sometimes the keyboard gets stuck and stops responding, but this does not happen because of QNX and all the processes that take place in the kernel, but because the application does not work correctly. Black Berry 10 developers have rewritten the on-screen keyboard in native code. Any Dev Alpha user will tell you that the keyboard is much better than the PlayBook keyboard.

The same can be said about the BlackBerry 10 browser, it was completely rewritten for the new operating system, since the browser for the PlayBook, although it was a huge step forward compared to BlackBerry OS, still had some flaws.

Of course, QNX proved its capabilities on the PlayBook, but many of the components and applications were written by third parties. For BlackBerry 10, RIM has created a core suite of applications written in QNX native code that should make them work well. .

The downside of microkernel architecture is that kernels based on it are slower than monolithic ones. However, BlackBerry 10 devices run exceptionally smoothly in their basic functionality, even when equipped with the long-deprecated dual-core Snapdragon S4. Even if an application is running that completely loads the resources of a weak processor, a swipe from the bottom edge of the screen - and the application smoothly and without delay minimizes into a window. There is no such level of optimization in Android, or even in iOS - at least the latest versions.

History of Blackberry OS

BlackBerry, formerly known as RIM, is known for its business-class devices. Smartphones for the corporate segment are associated with blackberries with very comfortable QWERTY keyboards, reliability and austerity. Now the company is going through hard times, but she is a veteran of the mobile market. By analogy with Microsoft, they were among the first to start working on "smart" devices, but now they are on the margins of the mobile market. Everything is like in real life: old people are replaced by young ambitious youth. .

If Microsoft is not too interested in the position in the mobile market - they have plenty of other sources of income, then any more or less serious failure of the Canadians brings them closer to death. But it all started so well.

Development

The next breakthrough project was the release of a full-fledged PDA and the second version of the BlackBerry operating system, which was head and shoulders above the previous one both in functionality and in design. The screen still remained black and white, but now there are much more opportunities for doing business. The new device received full access to e-mail, a full version of the browser appeared, and a note service was added. The smartphone is still far away, but it was difficult to find a smarter device at that time. The interface also remained black and white, the functionality remained at the same level. Of the innovations, it is worth noting the appearance of support for Java. Also, one cannot ignore the fact that for the RIM company this ended the era of pagers and the era of mobile phones began. Their first phone came out with BlackBerry OS 3.X on board. However, it could not yet be called a full-fledged phone, since the device did not have its own speaker and in order to talk with the interlocutor, you had to connect a special headset.

Color interface and popular success

In 2004, BlackBerry OS 4.X comes out and finally the consumer sees a color interface. However, this was only a small part of what RIM has prepared for its loyal users. The new version of the OS contained an improved browser that significantly speeded up the work on the Internet, a service for correspondence between users of BlackBerry devices appeared, and the developers also added a gallery. This version has been in demand for a very long time. For all the time of its existence, six updates have been developed that have significantly modernized both the interface and the functionality of BlackBerry OS 4.X. With the simultaneous release of the first BlackBerry 7210 smartphone and version 4.X of the operating system, the era of phones with qwerty keyboards begins for RIM. Since this keyboard layout was highly appreciated by people who often type long messages and emails, further development of the BlackBerry OS was aimed exclusively at such devices. However, the company's phones were still in the underground and were only interested in the business segment.

In 2009, the BlackBerry Bold 9000 series appears, and with it the BlackBerry OS 5.X, which has completely conquered the people's love and business segment. Everything that a business person could only dream of was embodied in the new version of the operating system: a file manager, Gmail service, BlackBerry Maps and many other useful applications. It became possible to synchronize contacts, which made communication between employees very convenient. In addition to this, support for the touch screen was implemented.

World market

With BlackBerry OS 6.X, RIM has reached the hearts of everyday consumers. In principle, there were no competitors in the corporate segment of the market. It was time to showcase your devices and your OS on the world stage. The debut was more than successful. RIM has come to understand that smartphones with wide functionality are to the liking of not only businessmen, but also ordinary users. BlackBerry OS 6.X added support for social networks, improved browser performance (now you could work with several pages at once using tabs), and applications such as BlackBerry Messenger, YouTube and LinkedIn also appeared. It was RIM's high point. In 2011, the seventh version of BlacBerry OS was released, which brought practically nothing new. Now you can connect to a Wi-Fi network, FM radio has become available, plus several new applications have been added.

Blackberry OS 1.0

Few people know, but RIM's first mobile device was the RIM 900 pager. [email protected] Pager. He appeared back in 1996 and even then knew how to work with e-mail, calendar, events and limited HTML support. Until 2001, RIM 950 and RIM 957 were also released. In 1996, the pager could not boast of wide functionality. However, in those days it was a real breakthrough in the field of mobile technology, but only the corporate segment appreciated the pager. In the mid-nineties, people weren't interested in cell phones or anything like that. But businessmen desperately needed a compact and functional communication device. And RIM (Research in Motion Limited) made a real gift for them. RIM 900 [email protected] Pager could create events for a specific day of the calendar, could show a page of the site in a stripped-down version, and also gave access to e-mail. The success of this pager was developed by the next model - RIM 975, which appeared on the market a year later. The pager contained even more functions, but at the same time was smaller in size, which had a positive effect on both popularity and sales figures. With RIM 975 began the procession of BlackBerry OC

Blackberry OS 2.0

The second version of the "blackberry" operating system was a huge step forward. The company abandoned the simple two-line pagers and released a PDA with a black and white display. The device supported e-mail, calendar, events. In addition, it had notes, a browser, and even games.

BlackBerry OS 3.X

In 2002, the first RIM phone finally arrived. Thus began the stage of creating smartphones for business. The third version of BlackBerry OS was an evolution, but not a revolution, compared to previous versions. The still black and white operating system received few changes compared to its PDA predecessor. The most significant difference was Java support.

BlackBerry OS 4.X

In 2004, the first RIM smartphone with a color display appeared, running the latest BlackBerry OS 4 at that time. Initially, it had an improved browser, the Gallery application, and improved correspondence. The operating system remained relevant until 2008. During this time, six updates were released, which brought significant updates to the interface and functionality. However, BlackBerry smartphones have not yet become massive enough, and the operating system has significantly lost to competitors.

BlackBerry OS 5.X

With the advent of a new version of the operating system in 2008, RIM went to the people. The BlackBerry Bold 9000 series became a real success and was in great demand in the corporate segment. The fifth version of the operating system has a file manager, wireless contact synchronization, Gmail, BlackBerry Maps and much more. In addition, BlackBerry OS 5 introduces support for touchscreen devices.

BlackBerry OS 6.X

In 2010, there was a "social" revolution among smartphones from RIM. The Canadian manufacturer realized that the devices can be used not only in the corporate segment, but also among ordinary users who really like the convenience of a QWERTY keyboard. The updated operating system has an improved tabbed browser, integrated search, support for notifications from