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A little over a year ago we reported on on-going scuttlebutt regarding the possibility that Palm, Inc. would develop a Linux-based operating system (OS) of its own to use on its devices.

Turns out the Internet rumor mill got it right.

During his keynote at the company's Investor Day today, CEO Ed Colligan announced Palm would launch an in-house Linux platform on devices before the end of the year.

There's been much consternation about the company's lack of vocal support for PalmSource's (now ACCESS) ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP) since the introduction of that OS in February 2006. Now we know why.

As in the old days, with the Palm OS before Palm and PalmSource split, it appears Palm wants to once again maintain total control over both the software and hardware used its PDAs and smartphones.

The last remaining ties Palm has to ACCESS is their shared interest in Garnet (Palm OS 5.4), which Palm can do whatever it wants with since it paid for aperpetual license to that platform's source code in 2006. Like ACCESS with ALP and its Garnet emulation layer, Palm has plans to integrate Garnet code into its next-generation OS, so users can run existing Palm applications on future Palm devices.

Details about Palm's new Linux platform remain sketchy. We can tell you, however, it'll sport the acclaimed Opera browser and Chattermail, acquired by Palm not too long ago, for messaging.

Palm said it would continue to use support Windows Mobile as well (which it modifies to its own ends more than other smartphone vendors tend to), i and will develop hardware that can run on both Microsoft's mobile-device OS and its new Linux platform, so as to speed up device development and - the company hopes - result in more product releases than the public has become accustomed to over the last few years.. The company also plans to increase the types of products available, so not every smartphone that comes out of Sunnyvale looks a lot like the two-year old Treo 650.

Before Palm releases its first Linux-based devices later in 2007, expect the company to introduce several based on Garnet. These will likely be the last ones.

Unlike ACCESS, a software company only, Palm plans to keep its Linux OS close to the vest by not licensing it out to other hardware vendors for their smartphones.