Porting Windows Mobile to Android - General Topics

I was wondering if anyone has explored the possibility of porting Windows Mobile to the android devices.
I know that it's been done the other way.

gprimr1 said:
I was wondering if anyone has explored the possibility of porting Windows Mobile to the android devices.
I know that it's been done the other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though many have requested it, Windows Mobile has never been ported to any device it was not shipped on. Windows Mobile is extremely complex at the lower levels, consisting of many hardware dependant components which make up the most critical parts of the OS. In addition, it's closed source, so there's no way to modify the source like when Android/Linux is ported to a Windows-based device. In short, don't hold your breath for a release, it won't happen.

DaveTheTytnIIGuy said:
Though many have requested it, Windows Mobile has never been ported to any device it was not shipped on. Windows Mobile is extremely complex at the lower levels, consisting of many hardware dependant components which make up the most critical parts of the OS. In addition, it's closed source, so there's no way to modify the source like when Android/Linux is ported to a Windows-based device. In short, don't hold your breath for a release, it won't happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its immposible to port WM to Android device then is it possible to port Android ROM on windows Mobile based device..like we do on pc i.installing windows Vista after formatting old OS.

@ psolunke
Yes its possible to get Android running on a WinMo device, its been done with a number of phones.
Basically without Windows Mobile being open source, the chances of it going the other way are slim to none. Not to mention that the HD2 is the only WinMo device with a capactive display while nearly all Android devices have one, which would make it hard to get even that to work.

Related

[Q] OS Queshtion

I know I am a noob and probably asking a dumb queshtion but is it possible to dump the whole Android os and download W7 or ?
I know with my home computer I assembled all the pieces and then bought the OS. loaded it and walla it worked. can I do the same for the Gtab? unitnstall everything and start freash on a windows platform?
liljohn said:
I know I am a noob and probably asking a dumb queshtion but is it possible to dump the whole Android os and download W7 or ?
I know with my home computer I assembled all the pieces and then bought the OS. loaded it and walla it worked. can I do the same for the Gtab? unitnstall everything and start freash on a windows platform?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh?.. I'm thinking no, the ARMv7 Processor was not designed to run intel based operating systems.
short answer: no
Operating systems require drivers. This is the same reason when you install linux on a computer you have to go searching for those pesky Broadcom drivers so your wireless works. There has been some progress in porting a whole operating system to a device not intended for it (Android on HD2 is the furthest progressed as far as I know), and there are some ROM's/launchers to bring the WP7 experience to Android.
if you're talking about Windows 7 i'd say no way! even with the announcement of Windows 8 running on ARM....
Ok thanks.
Ya if your looking for the layout or widget stylings check out "7 widgets Home Plus", plus one of my coworkers just bought a windows 7 phone and has had 3 viruses in 1 week. I am by no means an anti windows person...just not the best mobile enviroment as they have proved time and time again...
Windows can not run on ARM processors as the code is not made for it. That's why you see x86 and x64 editions of Windows, it only supports those processors.
However, Windows 8 promises ARM support as well as increased tablet usability, but its Microsoft, so who knows.
You don't really need Windows anyways.

[Q] Phone that allows all OS

Please let me know the phones, that allows me to install any Mobile OS in it.. I know that HTC HD2 can have 5 os in it.. IS there any other phone supporting all oS?
i wish i have the answer to your question. I looking for a phone that supports WP7 and android. it seems that only HD2 have this support. I guess is because microsoft dont allow using the same hardware of WP7 devices on android devices on the same company, so it cannot use the source code of wp7 drivers to make android drivers. Then the community have to create drivers from scratch, witch is hard.
Its not necessary that the phone should support WP7 also. Is there any other mobile that will support all other remaining OS?

Generic Windows Phone 7 Os?

Hi guys, is there a clean generic windows phone 7 os? just like desktops were we get a retail os, is there one for phones? and is it flash-able with all phone?
No
No.
It would certainly be interesting to get hold of the OS as Microsoft delivers it to OEMs to begin the process of adapting it to a certain phone model, writing or modifying device drivers, etc., but it seems nothing like that was ever leaked.
WP is closed, as is iOS; for the reasonably open Android there is of course something like a "generic" version; you could even compile and produce one yourself.
There isn't really any such thing as a "clean generic" phone OS, anyhow. Unlike desktop OSes, phone OSes don't ship with support for the massive array of hardware configurations that are found in the wild. Instead, phone OSes rely on a Board Support Package, commonly simply called the firmware, which has the various drivers needed to interface with that specific model's hardware. This is why, for example, even though the source code is available for the Android Open Source Project upon which CyanogenMod is based, it still takes a long time to get fully functional CM ports to each individual device. On things like WP7, where the source code isn't available (except for the kernel and some core libraries), it's even harder.
However, if what you really mean is you want a "clean" ROM that has no carrier customizations in it, there are "open market" ROMs available for many WP7 devices. These ROMs are still specific to the device whose BSP they contain, but are not specific to any mobile operator and usually not to any region.
thanks for the info guys, but it looks like there are no open market roms for the omnia w yet, well, not yet anyway, will keep an eye out now that i know what to look for,
thanks again guys
Answer is yes and no. No oem device created by Microsoft, but there is Nokia. As you know Nokia is part of Microsoft Windows Phone hardware partner. More options etc has Nokia.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

Updates in android and windows

Updates for Android devices are always rolled by the gadget manufacturer, so every time Google introduces a new update we have to wait till the manufacturer of the device decides to roll it out, this obviously takes a lot of time and puts Android at a disadvantage against Apple and Microsoft.
For a Windows device irrespective of the manufacturer if Microsoft rolls out an update all can avail of that update through windows update. Android also being an open platform like Windows should be able to do the same.
If I have a software CD of Windows 7 I can install the software in any manufacturers PC and use it. I may just need to do some additional driver installation if required.
Why can't Android develop their platform to function in a similar manner so that once a new version of Android is released I can install it it any device and o fcourse put in the specific drivers to make it work if required.
With the approach of Microsoft looking very prominent now for both Smartphones and Tablets, this may just be a warning bell for Android, I hope they have their eyes and ears open.
Would be nice to know the views of others. As an Android user do you feel this would be a good step for Google?
kaus1108 said:
I may just need to do some additional driver installation if required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The above is the key sentence in your post. The problem is that without the correct hardware drivers for your specific phone the OS may not be able to boot at all and will certainly have limited functionality - just look at the issues there are with trying to run leaded ICS / JB ROMs on phones that don't have an official version of the ROM available with the correct drivers yet.
The reason that Microsoft is able to push out a new OS and have it (mostly) work on any manufacturers PC, with any hardware, is that all the hardware manufacturers are given alpha/beta copies of Windows to test their hardware on and to allow them to build the drivers well in advance of the OS being released by the guys in Redmond.
Google don't do that. They release the OS immediately they have hardware support and compatibility for their devices - and let everybody else deal with the aftermath
windows is the opposite from open platform!
android is an open platform.
the phone makers are free to use android as they wish, they can decide if to upgrade or not.
google only realeses the source code.
XDA is there for providing the latest update.
My phone was supported by Samsung till Gingerbread. But I got jelly bean from XDA devs just after a week after the source code release.
But it does have some bugs which cannot be solved without Samsung's help.
But if you wanted the fastest OEM updates, buy a Nexus.
But 50% of the people are normal users who do not care about updates and new android versions.
Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2
SimonTS said:
The above is the key sentence in your post. The problem is that without the correct hardware drivers for your specific phone the OS may not be able to boot at all and will certainly have limited functionality - just look at the issues there are with trying to run leaded ICS / JB ROMs on phones that don't have an official version of the ROM available with the correct drivers yet.
The reason that Microsoft is able to push out a new OS and have it (mostly) work on any manufacturers PC, with any hardware, is that all the hardware manufacturers are given alpha/beta copies of Windows to test their hardware on and to allow them to build the drivers well in advance of the OS being released by the guys in Redmond.
Google don't do that. They release the OS immediately they have hardware support and compatibility for their devices - and let everybody else deal with the aftermath
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the response and I do agree with what you say and the key to it is that there are certain things that Microsoft do and Google don't and how it is going to impact users in the future.
I remember when I moved from Windows Vista to Windows 7 all the Vista drivers were functioning allright after installing Windows 7 and I have also faced situations where I did not have certain drivers but the PC still functioned on generic drivers provided in the Windows software.
Don't you feel it would be much better if Google just released a Jelly Bean OS and left it to us to install it and I am sure that based on devices already in the market those drivers can always be included in the OS and each phone would pick its own based on its hardware. Only the new devices would need new ones which Google may not be able to provide. If this were true today I would be installing JB in my Galaxy S3 and not have to wait for Sammy.
djbijo said:
windows is the opposite from open platform!
android is an open platform.
the phone makers are free to use android as they wish, they can decide if to upgrade or not.
google only realeses the source code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, Windows is quite open. Apple is the closed one.
Sent from my MB508 using xda premium

What behaviour in the mobile operating system market could be described as anticompetitive?

I am a retired programmer with too much time on my hands; as such, I wrote a complaint to a regulatory body about how I can't install the operating system I want on my device because it will render it unusable (if I can't call for help on a phone because of drivers, what good is it?). I received a response requesting an interview with an officer who specializes in anticompetition cases and I would like to make sure I have my eggs all in one basket.
The current mobile phone market I liken to the desktop OS market of the 90s, where you had companies like Xerox, Microsoft, IBM, and so on; in the 90s, there were antitrust lawsuits where a particular company was accused of intentionally creating barriers to customers seeking to install software by other companies on personal computers. Obviously, that was settled in the 2000s, but IMO it did appear to make a positive change even if we are still fighting against IE. This may not be relevant, but that's what my mind went to when I realized I couldn't uninstall the Play Store.
Nobody uses "cellular telephones" as telephones anymore; instead, they are mobile computers. Computers in the 80s/90s had plenty of OS options (you may recall using OS/2 or BSD), but you can't do that with mobile computers... is that a good thing?
In my retirement, I'd like to develop and build a mobile phone operating system that is not android (nor lineageOS); this would either be Linux or BSD-based with a simple package manager, but the user would have the option to compile their own software also. This would ideally *not* hinder the underlying function of the device (i.e. telephony), but I don't see how manufacturers could be compelled to provide binary drivers. The current mobile market makes it obviously a very high barrier to entry for any who want to develop new operating systems for mobile computers. Is this anticompetitive? Perhaps not, but I'd like to hear some opinions and if you would kindly point me towards some resources I would appreciate it.
IMO the OS is not the problem - a command line based OS can be written by any talented student nowadays - preferably in C++, yes there are enough templates on the Internet, it is the device drivers what have to fit the hardware that make the whole thing difficult. I know that some OEMs put their device drivers' source code to the public.
jwoegerbauer said:
IMO the OS is not the problem - a command line based OS can be written by any talented student nowadays - preferably in C++, yes there are enough templates on the Internet, it is the device drivers what have to fit the hardware that make the whole thing difficult. I know that some OEMs put their device drivers' source code to the public.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To install a new OS on a phone, the phone must first be booted into a bootloader such that the 'image' of the OS can be loaded. The image for the OS should be built with the drivers present such that when booting, the OS kernel can load the relevant drivers as it probes the hardware in the phone, and then the software installed on the user layer can access that hardware through the relevant system calls. How possible is it for the bootloader to load a custom OS in the general sense? The majority of instructions I find are on enthusiast/developer websites with the actual manufacturers giving basically no input (that is to say, I haven't seen on manufacturer's websites or instruction manuals where they give instructions for booting your choice of OS).
Would it be fair to say that mobile developers, like Google/Samsung/LG/Amazon/etc are restricting users from being able to install their own OS on their device? Is driver access a reasonable thing to ask for?
Again, I'm retired, so I have time on my hands, but I'm old and there's realistically not a lot of that time left. I don't want to try developing my own BSD-based mobile OS if there's no way for me to install it on my own devices; that effort could go into another project if it is otherwise wasted. I suppose it is worth asking whether I should bother returning the bureau's request for an interview.

Categories

Resources