Join Now

Software architect working in Symbian/S60 area since 2000 and still being enthusiastic about mobility. Please visit my introduction page on Forum Nokia Champions web page.

True emulation for Symbian development - when?

tote_b5 | 11 April, 2008 16:24

Though I've already heard that Windows Mobile SDK offers true phone emulation, however, only now have I got to the point that I ask for your opinion: why cannot we do the same during Symbian software development?

Note that you might have also heard that iPhone developers can also rely on this useful service. Nevertheless, don't forget to bear in mind that they must be working on the same platform, i.e. MacIntosh OSX. That is, there's not too much to emulate there.

But Windows Mobile is different: you develop on Windows presumably on an x86 architecture and produce binary code for another processor architecture (ARM) that you can even debug on. How? Why on Earth cannot we do the same?

Tote

Symbian C++, Testing, iPhone, Windows Mobile | Next | Previous | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (1)

Comments

Soon PLEASE!

Sorcery-ltd | 11/04/2008, 19:49

Sorcery-ltd

This really should be relatively simple. You can emulate the ARM processor with QEMU. Nokia use this already for Maemo. Google uses it for Android too.

To go with this we could really do with a build system that runs properly, officially supported, on Linux.

Carbide.c++ should be relatively simple to move to Linux because it's Java/Eclipse based anyway.

While they're at it, it would be really nice if we could get rid of ABLD and MMP files etc and use a proper make based build system from the top level! It could easily call any necessary pearl scripts from within the makefiles. There's just no need for all this non-standard stuff (mess)!

As you can tell I feel quite strongly about this!

I think this would actually remove one of the barriers to open source development as discussed here recently. It's a real pain if you want to maintain a port if you have to manage two separate sets of build files and a whole extra target architecture for the emulator.

Mark

Re: True emulation for Symbian development - when?

chall3ng3r | 11/04/2008, 21:15

chall3ng3r

Hi there,

I posted about this on FN.SDK suggestions sometime ago.

I was also pointing to how WM emulator is implemented as compared with S60.

I also like to support Mark's comments for removing non-standard stuff. It makes things complicated for beginners as well.

As I've been through learning S60 from scratch, I remember the things which bothered me alot.

I would really love to see a true S60 emulator.

// chall3ng3r //

there will be

kcomex | 12/04/2008, 14:40

kcomex

Hi tote,
I found some information in Nokia's recruitment web site, they are hiring people who will be put in S60 next generation emulator team, building a true arm simulator.
Hope we could see it in future. But latest S60 5.0 SDK alpha still give us an old wins emulator.

Hope it's not for S60 only

tote_b5 | 12/04/2008, 17:53

tote_b5

Hi,

Thanks for the information, kcomex! It would be great if S60 emulator would give true emulation in the near future, however, it would be even better if it wasn't for S60 only, but generic meaning that UIQ would also benefit from it.

Probably S60 only first

Sorcery-ltd | 14/04/2008, 21:29

Sorcery-ltd

I had a look at the job vacancies (good find kcomex!) and they want the engineers to have Linux experience if possible so it looks like I might get my wishes eventually.

Since Nokia are doing this not Symbian (why?) I guess it'll be only on S60 first, like OpenC. Eventually we should see these things on UIQ too though with sufficient developer demand.

You must login to post comments. Login
 
 
Powered by LifeType