Computer Engineering, Developing and Android - About xda-developers.com

Hello everyone I have been wondering for the past few days about this
What does the dev have study to be able to do all this tweaking for Android phones?
My assumption is that they went to school for Computer Engineering

roms or applications?
if the later, java and the android documentation

Related

Linux/

Has anyone got a Linux distro running on this device yet?
I recently "acquired" a spare one and was willing to give it a go....
The vox people got it to boot on their devices... but until someone designs some
type of interface for it, I think it's rather useless. heh
sudo su wm6.1 admin
I think anyone and everyone with a little bit of skill is currently working on getting Android ported over.
Sorry to bump this post. I know how testy people get around here
I think the bootloader that updates the ROMs are Linux-based, so if you've updated your ROM, you've already run Linux on it at least once. The problem is getting a distro that's customized to such an extent for your device that it works and works well. The Xanadux project has been trying to support just about every HTC phone made, with varying amounts of success. Of course, there are other projects like Android mentioned above. There's also OpenMoko. None of them is specifically designed for the Excalibur, though.

Porting WP7 games to iPhone...

Hi all,
Has anyone come across an easy way to port games from Windows Phone 7 to iPhone/iPad devices?
If you are looking for an alternative, you might want to check out the XNATouch ( xnatouch-dot-codeplex-dot-com ) Open Source project. It currently supports XNA 3.1 API, but 4.0 API support and Android support will eventually be added. It is all C# code so libraries etc should port fairly easily.
Anyway just a bit of FYI.
hmm, considering WP7 phones are only out tomorrow, i doubt there will be any porting any time soon. we'll need a good access to the actual phone OS core as well as the filesystem to get all the relevant game inwards out, and then who knows
would be good to see how long will it take to reverse engineer the OS and adapt it to what we want.
Question is though, why would you want to run an Android or iOS when you have WP7
I didn't mean to install a new OS on the WP7 device, but to port your actual games/apps from WP7 to iPhone/Android. So effectively recompiling the C# code onto the iPhone and Android devices.
Why on Earth would you take from WP7 and give to those nasty iThings?
anthonyp37 said:
Why on Earth would you take from WP7 and give to those nasty iThings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well one reason is that there are currently over 7 million active iPhone/iPod devices in the US alone and world wide over 40 million iThingies. How many WP-Thingies are out there at the moment?
There is no doubt it is more crowded market, but there are still opportunities to makes some serious money there. Just this week, the makers of Angry Birds were bought for $20million by EA. Angry Birds could have been written in XNA and is hardly a really difficult game ( technically ) to write.
Hey, you don't HAVE to write for iPhones if you don't want a slice of that cake.
I just think since developer's C# can be ported from WP7 to iPhone and eventually Android, it makes developing for multiple platforms more affordable as you can leverage existing codebase without learning a new language.
Each to their own I suppose.
CartBlanche said:
Hi all,
Has anyone come across an easy way to port games from Windows Phone 7 to iPhone/iPad devices?
If you are looking for an alternative, you might want to check out the XNATouch ( xnatouch-dot-codeplex-dot-com ) Open Source project. It currently supports XNA 3.1 API, but 4.0 API support and Android support will eventually be added. It is all C# code so libraries etc should port fairly easily.
Anyway just a bit of FYI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why would you want to do that?!
iphone games and apps are perfect why would you want wp7 ones on there...
How about a iPhone to Windows Phone 7 converter so we can have a million farting apps....
I do hope there will be no such beast as a WP7 to iPhone converter....the other way around, maybe...
From what I know it is impossible,but I think at this stage Palm webOS do pretty well with their SDK...which is a tool called (PhoneGap),which allow easy cross platform porting...anyway,I see the potential of webOS...
have a look at here,for developers only...
http://www.phonegap.com/

Help starting development..

Hello, I was wondering if someone can steer me the right direction in terms of starting development.
I have no previous programming/development experience whatsoever. I am a somewhat computer nerd but never found the time to get into the developing arena.
Now that I am out of college and have A LOT of time on my hands I want to focus on this because I would absolutely love developing.
I need to know EVERYTHING there is to know about developing for android; for apps and creating roms. What books I need to buy to get everything down? What programs or tutorials? I am very serious about this, someone please help me and tell me all there is to know about accomplishing this goal and where to begin.
Thanks, much appreciated!
Since you mentioned you have no programming experience.. There's three important coding styles you need to master for android.. XML, Java and C/C++. The best way is to write some beginner programs available on the Internet.
In addition to coding, you need to become comfortable with the linux tool set. If you don't already, running a linux distribution will help you learn the environment. I suggest Ubuntu, debian, or gentoo.
I don't mean to make this sound intimidating.. but developing isn't an overnight thing.. a lot of people on these forums learn as they go but have a decent amount of experience with one of these aspects. Many of us are CS or EE/ECE students or grads..
Sam's Teach Yourself Android Development in 24 hours is the book i've been messing with for a couple weeks, very helpful. I got it as a pdf
In the Chef Central -> Android forum of this site, cyanogen has a stickied thread that you need to read.

[Q] Best way to start beginning developing?

I am starting from scratch. I've taken an introductory Visual Basic course in college thus far, as far as any sort of "programming" might go. So, pretty much scratch.
I've read around that learning Java and C++ is a good way to begin.
But, how should I go about that? I'd prefer not to take courses, as those cost money, which I'm a bit lacking in.
Any websites anyone recommends for tutorials on either?
Any recommended books?
If using old books, do those work just fine? Say, using a book based on Java 5. Are there that many new features implemented in Java 6 that I should make sure I seek out a Java 6 book instead of an older, yet at the library, Java 5 book?
Really, any helpful information that anyone can provide about how to go about it. Yes, I could just go out and blindly learn either topic, but I do trust the seasoned developers that are here, especially in the Evo forum!
Thanks for any and all help ahead of time.
Java's what you need to know. Unless you're getting into lower level development (apps using the NDK, or kernels/system level stuff), you won't need C++. Regular android development is done using Java. It gets compiled a little differently than Java, but the language itself is Java.
Once you've got a core understanding of Java, developer.android.com has articles and the SDK documentation.

Noob looking for advice.

I never used Linux never knew anyone who has. What can you run on Linux game wise? Can you play any Windows games on Linux? What is the newest version of Linux? How do you buy computer parts to make a Linux computer? All I ever seen is Windows logo on parts. Whats the advantages compared to Windows? How does one get it one a computer does if come on a disk or flash someplace?
Thank you
Rbohannon89 said:
I never used Linux never knew anyone who has. What can you run on Linux game wise? Can you play any Windows games on Linux? What is the newest version of Linux? How do you buy computer parts to make a Linux computer? All I ever seen is Windows logo on parts. Whats the advantages compared to Windows? How does one get it one a computer does if come on a disk or flash someplace? Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used Linux directly in quite a long time but, the following threads may be helpful in understanding it a bit better. Don't be afraid to ask for some member guidance within one of them too.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1459153
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2723240
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3300596
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3530696
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2885245
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1076138
There's others out there but, this will give you a good start...
Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I DO NOT provide support via PM unless asked/requested by myself. PLEASE keep it in the threads where everyone can share.
I looked at them but that didn't answer any my question.
There is Steam on Linux. And lot of games are available on Linux. You can't play all windows games on Linux .
http://store.steampowered.com/linux
Windows is like an LTS OS if compared to Linux.
So Ubuntu 16.04 is a safe.
Some OS are updated on daily basis like Arch , Debian.
Some every 6 months like Linux Mint & Ubuntu ,
Linux runs on everything. So basically , as long as you have a computing device.
As far as custom Linux PC is concerned, checkout System76.
https://system76.com/
There are nice builds and they come with good support.
karandpr said:
There is Steam on Linux. And lot of games are available on Linux. You can't play all windows games on Linux .
http://store.steampowered.com/linux
Windows is like an LTS OS if compared to Linux.
So Ubuntu 16.04 is a safe.
Some OS are updated on daily basis like Arch , Debian.
Some every 6 months like Linux Mint & Ubuntu ,
Linux runs on everything. So basically , as long as you have a computing device.
As far as custom Linux PC is concerned, checkout System76.
https://system76.com/
There are nice builds and they come with good support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the advantages and disadvantages in having linux? Also what do most people use it for everyday personal use?
Rbohannon89 said:
What is the advantages and disadvantages in having linux? Also what do most people use it for everyday personal use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux just works. Windows has lot of software. Mac is really optimized.
People use Linux to devlop software mostly. Cos it's has great support for development and most servers run on linux.
Windows is still for people who want variety of software and games.
karandpr said:
Linux just works. Windows has lot of software. Mac is really optimized.
People use Linux to devlop software mostly. Cos it's has great support for development and most servers run on linux.
Windows is still for people who want variety of software and games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can I can play Windows games somehow? I'm only asking cause I'm thinking of buying a older laptop to experiment with and always curious about Linux. Wanted to play with Linux and learn it. Thanks for the response.
Rbohannon89 said:
So can I can play Windows games somehow? I'm only asking cause I'm thinking of buying a older laptop to experiment with and always curious about Linux. Wanted to play with Linux and learn it. Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are lot of steam games for linux . Older games can be played using Wine or Crossover...
Don't expect to play newer games due to graphics card limitations. (DirectX and Video graphics drivers cause issues.)
Rbohannon89 said:
So can I can play Windows games somehow? I'm only asking cause I'm thinking of buying a older laptop to experiment with and always curious about Linux. Wanted to play with Linux and learn it. Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An older laptop would be a good way to start. Since it's an older laptop I don't imagine there will be an expectation to play new games on it, Windows or otherwise. Still, remains a great way to dip in and and look at Linux's potential.
Also, the make and model of the laptop can determine how well it is suited for Linux (you have mentioned the Windows stickers earlier - especially recently manufacturers have been making it difficult to allow the switch to Linux), can do a web search with 'linux' in the search, or a distribution. e.g. ...
Code:
linux support lenovo t420
debian support lenovo t420
Lenovo, HP, and Dell are big names that appear to play nice (and System76 makes PC's for Linux). Others, can be like rolling the dice.
And when I hint at a difficult time, it's usually the wi-fi, sometimes the trackpad, maybe sound, rarely something very important like video.
Not saying this to discourage, only to suggest research when it comes to any equipment, old or new. Hopefully the toughest thing would be deciding which distribution to choose - I'm enough of an old fogey to stick to versioned, long-term releases like Debian and avoid the bleeding edge "rolling releases" provide.
Hope this helps.
Oh (looking back to the first post), advantages (which are in the eye of the beholder since they can potentially hold a disadvantage):
Free (as in freedom). I like to be able to vote with my dollar, even though Linux users are rarely obligated to pay for software. This is a philosophical reason, and one can go deep down that rabbit hole, what I like is, nothing is hidden from the public eye since the software is often accompanied by source code, on request. Which makes it difficult for say, a search assistant to send unknown data back to the mother ship.
Variety of experience. If you don't like an application, a windows manager, heck even the init process, you can replace it with something else or even write your own.
Support for older hardware. Often the method to revive a five to ten (sometimes quite older - I occasionally run an up-to-date Linux-powered laptop from 2002 with very satisfactory results) year old device for a new life.
Thank you so much for the replies. What kind of hardware and era should I look for to make a smart decision to what kind of laptop to get? From someone who has never ever used linux or even seen it only used windows how hard is the learning curb? Can I load it on the the pc and just go for it or will I be massively confused?
Rbohannon89 said:
Thank you so much for the replies. What kind of hardware and era should I look for to make a smart decision to what kind of laptop to get? From someone who has never ever used linux or even seen it only used windows how hard is the learning curb? Can I load it on the the pc and just go for it or will I be massively confused?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go for a once-mid-to-high-end laptop of about six years old (newer run but still holding the Windows 7 stickers), from a vendor I noted before. It does not guarantee complete compatibility so you would still want to cross reference the model number.
I am not a fan of "chiclet" keyboards (I have enough difficulty typing on laptop keyboards) and have fond memories of the IBM ThinkPads (I used to own the popular 600X) that I maintain one of the final bastions before Lenovo took design tips from Apple (by the way, I hear MacBooks can have reasonable compatibility as well, though there would be an extra premium there).
For a laptop longevity perspective (the second thing to look for), a "flagship" laptop from a vendor (especially from Apple or Lenovo) means better access to (and thus generally less expensive) spare parts. To identify this on the Lenovo side, it would mean part of the "T" or "X" lineup (both are business grade; the X models just have a smaller footprint). For what it's worth, business-grade HP laptops are the "ProBook" series.
From what I understand, the learning curve is not that difficult. There have been people who knew nothing about computers that learned Linux quite easily. The challenge for a Windows user trying Linux becomes "un-learning" specific workflow to make way for new ways of doing things. Apologies I can only be general - me trying to share my experience with the learning curve is difficult since that transition was about two decades ago and Microsoft drastically changed the typical user's workflow three times between the early 1990's of my first computer and the year 2000 (MS-DOS -> Windows 3.1 -> Windows 95 -> NT5) that makes the transition from Windows 7 to 8 to 10 look like a food fight. The first year I was quite reliant on a guru (I was in the expectation to accelerate my knowledge for an upcoming project) until I was directed to not use that as a crutch. A bit sad to say, that moment I was told to "RTFM" for a simple problem was when I really started to learn.
But I would definitely not dive into the deep end (as they say) by wiping your main computer for Linux. For starters, even with decent backups (which you should be doing anyway), your data can be inaccessible (installing Linux on a fully set up PC means losing all your personal files there, and if your backup tool to other media is done by a Windows program, Linux may not support restoring that data).
It is also a quick way to become frustrated when hitting even a small roadblock. I would not use "confused" as asked above for this phenomenon. When you combine the impact of the problem with the time in which you would need it resolved by, it can create a sort of desperation on a forum when the answer could have been glaring back without realizing it. Depending on how well documented the issue's solution is (and when a problem that prevents the achievement of a deadline occours on short notice, blind spots tend to happen to even the best of us), would-be readers get frustrated as well and may criticize the lack of research. An exaggerated XDA example of this is when someone flashes a ROM on their daily driver, without any backups first, without wiping anything, and then frantic that their only phone has app force closures every five seconds - and the plane for their two week trip leaves in six hours. In short, a dedicated device to play on means you set the pace on how you want to learn.
A dedicated laptop would be the better way to go. For a no-cost (no additional hardware to buy) demo of Linux, can try a live CD (will also determine how your hardware can interact with Linux) or maintain a persistent instance through an install in Oracle VirtualBox or VMWare (which Linux will work even if your hardware does not play with Linux). Much further away from recommended territory we have the "cold turkey" method (gripes noted in previous two paragraphs), and finally - for a reason - dual-boot (which has to opportunity to hose one or both operating systems at any given moment - including your data - for as something as simple as a Windows Update).
This turned out to be longer than expected, but I hope this helps.
So it's been about 20 I don't know it's been about since 1997 that I played the Linux or Kali nethunter I was wondering if these are possible put on my smg900v or piece of crap that's the original smart phone from Samsung I don't remember the name but it still on Android Jelly Bean I believe was interested if I could take my two older phones and wipe the OS completely and make them nothing but Linux because I used to have a lot of fun with that we used to stay up and drink beers and play on it you know and then it went away in 2008 and I haven't had a cell phone in years because my work gave me one any advice would be appreciated but my youngest son would probably really be interested in it are you having dyslexia try to get him in anything also I found back in the day where they used to convert that phone to be 2G but I can't find anything but the source code and I don't know how to completely enter source code into an Android phone I had a computer I can do it on the computer but not a phone
averydiablo said:
So it's been about 20 I don't know it's been about since 1997 that I played the Linux or Kali nethunter I was wondering if these are possible put on my smg900v or piece of crap that's the original smart phone from Samsung I don't remember the name but it still on Android Jelly Bean I believe was interested if I could take my two older phones and wipe the OS completely and make them nothing but Linux because I used to have a lot of fun with that we used to stay up and drink beers and play on it you know and then it went away in 2008 and I haven't had a cell phone in years because my work gave me one any advice would be appreciated but my youngest son would probably really be interested in it are you having dyslexia try to get him in anything also I found back in the day where they used to convert that phone to be 2G but I can't find anything but the source code and I don't know how to completely enter source code into an Android phone I had a computer I can do it on the computer but not a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The closest thing you can do is run linux with chroot.
Here is a good post to get you started.
https://www.xda-developers.com/guid...a-gnulinux-environment-on-any-android-device/

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