Classic Psion fan releases proof-of-concept language server for OPL
(2025/08/27)
- Reference: 1756308312
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/08/27/vintage_computing_boffin_resurrects_opl/
- Source link:
Vintage computing enthusiast Colin Hoad has released a gift to anyone who fondly remembers Psion's classic EPOC-based palmtops and their Open Programming Language (OPL): a language server which brings modern quality-of-life features to the OPL programmer, regardless of their development environment.
Symbian's Secret History: Davies on what went right (and wrong) [1]READ MORE
"OPL being a fairly old (I like to think 'venerable') language, there is scant support for it in any modern IDE, including [Microsoft] VS Code," Hoad [2]writes in an introduction to the project ahead of its first public release.
"After some illuminating chats about this on the Psion Discord server, Alex Brown seeded the idea in my head of writing a language server for OPL using the now widely adopted Language Server Protocol (LSP). This felt like a meaty project I could really get my teeth into, and which would also serve as an opportunity to expand my own programming abilities."
Psion's calculator-style Organizer family of PDAs was moderately successful in industry and business following its launch in 1984, but it was the clamshell-style Series series and its EPOC operating system which won it hearts and minds in the consumer sector. Its later, larger devices - including the fragile Psion Series 7 and the Psion netBook, which would see [3]Dell and [4]Intel ) filing and [5]winning lawsuits against the company and its claims to the term "netbook" as a trademark - weren't quite as successful, and the company exited the consumer market before being [6]sold to Motorola Solutions as a shadow of its former self.
Back in 2017, Reg readers voted Psion's Series 5 family as the [7]device they'd most like to see revived , a wish which was partially granted a year later when Planet Computing launched the Series 5MX-inspired [8]Gemini clamshell smartphone - with a familiar though not as cleverly hinged keyboard and custom apps designed to mimic some of the features of EPOC, running atop Android initially and later the option of a customized Linux distribution. For many Psion fans, though, it's original or nothing - albeit with modernizations including [9]a custom add-on for Wi-Fi connectivity .
[10]
Not everyone who is into classic Psions is driven by a desire to revisit their youth. "I got into Psions back in 2023," developer Hoad told us of his late blooming in the fandom in an email interview, "following a trip to the Cambridge Centre for Computing History's 'Retrofest' event. I met Alex Brown (aka 'The Last Psion') who introduced me to these wonderful portables (he has a very impressive collection which he had brought along to the event to exhibit) and I got hooked!
[11]
[12]
"OPL is a very intuitive programming language for me because it shares a lot in common with BASIC; I cut my programming teeth on BBC BASIC as a child, and so languages that share similarities with it like OPL are very much up my street."
Hoad isn't alone in finding OPL a welcoming language: one anonymous Psion developer described it as like "QuickBASIC for EPOC," and that the fact it runs on-device without the need to set up a build environment makes it easily accessible - coupled with the issue of "Psion's version of C++ [being] hard work."
[13]
"Programming on a Psion is great insofar as you can carry it around with you and 'code on the go,'" Hoad agrees, "but at the same time, the programming experience leaves a little to be desired compared with more modern IDEs. I thought it would be nice to be able to code on a PC and transfer the programs across, but quickly discovered that there was no syntax highlighting extension available for VS Code (which is my usual coding editor of choice).
"I spoke to Alex about it and he said there had been an extension written for Neovim but not for VS Code, so I plugged that gap. But of course, syntax highlighting is really only a small part of a modern development environment - and that's where the language server comes in. I blame Alex for this one entirely, as he totally nerdsniped me with the idea!"
Written in Object Pascal - picked as being a "highly performant, fast language," Hoad told us - the language server goes beyond providing simple syntax highlighting in one specific development environment. Using the open Language Server Protocol, it ensures compatibility with any IDE boasting LSP support. The server initially offers auto-complete for OPL keywords with a view to expanding its capabilities in the future.
[14]
"It's still very much a work-in-progress project," Hoad admitted, "and I don't know how many people will want to use it once it's complete, but I am enjoying the challenge of building a language server from scratch, knowing that nobody else has tackled it for OPL before!"
[15]Ten ancestors of the netbook
[16]Welcome back, Palm
[17]Psion: the last computer
[18]Guilty until proven innocent - DRM the mobile phone way
As for hardware, Hoad boasts a reasonable collection of devices spanning the Organizer II, Series 3, and Series 5 families. "I do tend to carry at least one Psion around with me," he told us, "though it varies which one I pick. I took my 3a on holiday to the Maldives last year, probably the most exotic place I've taken a Psion to so far! And my Organizer II LZ certainly gave airport security in the USA a bit of a fright earlier this year."
OPL fans can find Hoad's language server [19]on GitHub under the permissive MIT license. Those without access to original hardware can emulate a Psion Series 5mx, complete with OPL, in their browser via [20]WindEmu . And you can find posts charting the development of the language server [21]on Hoad's blog . ®
Get our [22]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2011/01/12/symbian_history_part_three_charles_davies_interview/
[2] https://www.colinhoad.com/a-working-proof-of-concept-language-server
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/20/dell_psion_netbook/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/25/intel_sues_psion/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2009/06/01/intel_vs_psion_update/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2012/10/02/psion_motorola/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/24/revive_the_psion_5_series/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2018/02/21/planet_gemini_pda_production_hands_on/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/03/sidecar_getting_psions_online/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2013/04/29/feature_ten_netbook_ancestors/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2009/01/12/welcome_back_palm/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2007/06/26/psion_special/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2004/07/15/oma_drm_for_phones/
[19] https://github.com/colinhoad/psion-opl-language-server
[20] https://wuffs.org/WindEmu/index.html
[21] https://www.colinhoad.com/Colin-Hoad-blog
[22] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Symbian's Secret History: Davies on what went right (and wrong) [1]READ MORE
"OPL being a fairly old (I like to think 'venerable') language, there is scant support for it in any modern IDE, including [Microsoft] VS Code," Hoad [2]writes in an introduction to the project ahead of its first public release.
"After some illuminating chats about this on the Psion Discord server, Alex Brown seeded the idea in my head of writing a language server for OPL using the now widely adopted Language Server Protocol (LSP). This felt like a meaty project I could really get my teeth into, and which would also serve as an opportunity to expand my own programming abilities."
Psion's calculator-style Organizer family of PDAs was moderately successful in industry and business following its launch in 1984, but it was the clamshell-style Series series and its EPOC operating system which won it hearts and minds in the consumer sector. Its later, larger devices - including the fragile Psion Series 7 and the Psion netBook, which would see [3]Dell and [4]Intel ) filing and [5]winning lawsuits against the company and its claims to the term "netbook" as a trademark - weren't quite as successful, and the company exited the consumer market before being [6]sold to Motorola Solutions as a shadow of its former self.
Back in 2017, Reg readers voted Psion's Series 5 family as the [7]device they'd most like to see revived , a wish which was partially granted a year later when Planet Computing launched the Series 5MX-inspired [8]Gemini clamshell smartphone - with a familiar though not as cleverly hinged keyboard and custom apps designed to mimic some of the features of EPOC, running atop Android initially and later the option of a customized Linux distribution. For many Psion fans, though, it's original or nothing - albeit with modernizations including [9]a custom add-on for Wi-Fi connectivity .
[10]
Not everyone who is into classic Psions is driven by a desire to revisit their youth. "I got into Psions back in 2023," developer Hoad told us of his late blooming in the fandom in an email interview, "following a trip to the Cambridge Centre for Computing History's 'Retrofest' event. I met Alex Brown (aka 'The Last Psion') who introduced me to these wonderful portables (he has a very impressive collection which he had brought along to the event to exhibit) and I got hooked!
[11]
[12]
"OPL is a very intuitive programming language for me because it shares a lot in common with BASIC; I cut my programming teeth on BBC BASIC as a child, and so languages that share similarities with it like OPL are very much up my street."
Hoad isn't alone in finding OPL a welcoming language: one anonymous Psion developer described it as like "QuickBASIC for EPOC," and that the fact it runs on-device without the need to set up a build environment makes it easily accessible - coupled with the issue of "Psion's version of C++ [being] hard work."
[13]
"Programming on a Psion is great insofar as you can carry it around with you and 'code on the go,'" Hoad agrees, "but at the same time, the programming experience leaves a little to be desired compared with more modern IDEs. I thought it would be nice to be able to code on a PC and transfer the programs across, but quickly discovered that there was no syntax highlighting extension available for VS Code (which is my usual coding editor of choice).
"I spoke to Alex about it and he said there had been an extension written for Neovim but not for VS Code, so I plugged that gap. But of course, syntax highlighting is really only a small part of a modern development environment - and that's where the language server comes in. I blame Alex for this one entirely, as he totally nerdsniped me with the idea!"
Written in Object Pascal - picked as being a "highly performant, fast language," Hoad told us - the language server goes beyond providing simple syntax highlighting in one specific development environment. Using the open Language Server Protocol, it ensures compatibility with any IDE boasting LSP support. The server initially offers auto-complete for OPL keywords with a view to expanding its capabilities in the future.
[14]
"It's still very much a work-in-progress project," Hoad admitted, "and I don't know how many people will want to use it once it's complete, but I am enjoying the challenge of building a language server from scratch, knowing that nobody else has tackled it for OPL before!"
[15]Ten ancestors of the netbook
[16]Welcome back, Palm
[17]Psion: the last computer
[18]Guilty until proven innocent - DRM the mobile phone way
As for hardware, Hoad boasts a reasonable collection of devices spanning the Organizer II, Series 3, and Series 5 families. "I do tend to carry at least one Psion around with me," he told us, "though it varies which one I pick. I took my 3a on holiday to the Maldives last year, probably the most exotic place I've taken a Psion to so far! And my Organizer II LZ certainly gave airport security in the USA a bit of a fright earlier this year."
OPL fans can find Hoad's language server [19]on GitHub under the permissive MIT license. Those without access to original hardware can emulate a Psion Series 5mx, complete with OPL, in their browser via [20]WindEmu . And you can find posts charting the development of the language server [21]on Hoad's blog . ®
Get our [22]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2011/01/12/symbian_history_part_three_charles_davies_interview/
[2] https://www.colinhoad.com/a-working-proof-of-concept-language-server
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/20/dell_psion_netbook/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/25/intel_sues_psion/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2009/06/01/intel_vs_psion_update/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2012/10/02/psion_motorola/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/24/revive_the_psion_5_series/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2018/02/21/planet_gemini_pda_production_hands_on/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/03/sidecar_getting_psions_online/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/applications&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aK8rlt7OWsXPNMCfV7KPpQAAAQg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2013/04/29/feature_ten_netbook_ancestors/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2009/01/12/welcome_back_palm/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2007/06/26/psion_special/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2004/07/15/oma_drm_for_phones/
[19] https://github.com/colinhoad/psion-opl-language-server
[20] https://wuffs.org/WindEmu/index.html
[21] https://www.colinhoad.com/Colin-Hoad-blog
[22] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/