Palm OS Archive Release Leads to Rediscovery of 2001 Virus

The collection includes historical software development kits, developer conference presentations, technical documentation, programming examples, limited source code and development utilities, Slashdot reported. ROM images, commercial applications and simulator binaries were deliberately excluded. The archive is available at GitHub.com/ardiri/dev-palmos and is intended for historical preservation, education and research, particularly as enthusiasts continue to maintain, emulate and revive the platform.

Slashdot reported that ardiri also rediscovered the original source code for what he called 'The Palm OS Virus That Never Was — Lost for 25 Years, Found in 2026.' The code was on a CompactFlash card with files dated June 2001. According to the report, the card contained the self-replicating Palm OS virus he had developed and tested that month, months before a planned PalmSource developer conference in San Jose.

The virus, named 'Virii,' intercepted Palm OS system calls to progressively infect legitimate applications while preserving their original functionality, according to Slashdot. Infected applications could then spread between handheld devices through infrared beaming, potentially allowing an infection to propagate among hundreds of developers exchanging software at the conference.

The virus also included a date-triggered payload designed to interfere with system time reporting between Oct. 23 and Oct. 27, 2001, the report said. The payload could potentially cause erratic clocks, unreliable alarms and missed appointments. Slashdot reported that ardiri promised the functional source code and binaries would remain private.

Slashdot reported that ardiri has also written an autobiography and begun exploring the engineering principles behind these systems in books. The development resources were accumulated in the early days of handheld computing and preserved on hard drive backups for more than 25 years, according to the report.

Editor's Summary A Palm OS developer has released about 1.5 GB of historical development resources on GitHub and rediscovered a self-replicating virus he wrote and tested in 2001. The virus used Palm OS system calls and infrared beaming to spread among handheld applications, and its date-triggered payload was designed to disrupt time reporting in late October 2001. The developer said the working source code and binaries will remain private.