Magic Cap

Magic Cap
Magic Cap "Desk"
Desk at startup
DeveloperGeneral Magic
Working stateDiscontinued
Source modelClosed source
Initial release28 September 1994; 30 years ago (1994-09-28)
Final release3.1.2j / 2001; 23 years ago (2001)
Marketing targetMobile computing
InfluencedPalm OS, iOS
Influenced byClassic Mac OS
LicenseProprietary
Support status
Unsupported

Magic Cap (short for Magic Communicating Applications Platform) is a discontinued object-oriented operating system for PDAs developed by General Magic. Tony Fadell was a contributor to the platform,[1] and Darin Adler was an architect.[1][2]

Its graphical user interface incorporates a room metaphor, where the user navigates between rooms to perform tasks, such as going to a home office to perform word processing, or to a file room to clean up the system files. Automation is based on mobile agents but not an office assistant.

Several electronic companies came to market with Magic Cap devices, including the Sony Magic Link and the Motorola Envoy, both released in 1994. None of these devices were commercial successes.

  1. ^ a b Bill Atkinson Part 2 - Triangulation 362. YouTube. Triangulation. 31 August 2018. 21:12 minutes in. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Bill Atkinson shows the credits screen on Magic Link device, and Tony Fadell is mentioned in the conversation.
  2. ^ "Darin Adler". Boost C++ Libraries.