hi there
1 some risks include compatibility issues with virtual memory
some issues with bluetooth stack and audio
be because the operating system was rewritten from scratch
keysoft needs to be checked to see if there might be potential
compatibility issues it will still be same
braillenotestvoicenote except it has latest windows ce to was as
of
time of this article in question ofjuly ;"by (with
con there are numerous features that were introduced with
windows
ce en0 mainly use of ram solely as program memory faster global
search and so forth to take advantage of these features plus
features that i've outlined on the article ofnamely improved
bluetooth and running almost unlimited number of programswith it
is
a good idea to upgrade to ce to by
thanks for all of you who've commented ofboth on list and off
listwith about the article hope i didn't confuse anyone
cheers
joseph
----- Original Message -----
From: Kristen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Joseph Lee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date sent: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:06:51 -0400
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Upgrading KeySoft to Windows CE 6.0
Hello Joseph, Sharonda, and Everyone,
Joseph, on:
Sunday, July Fifteenth, 2007
At: 04:07 P.M, You Wrote:
("for the benefit of the list and to stay ahead of
competition, it would be best to upgrade to CE 6.0 even though it
is risky.")
What Are the risks?
You wrote further:
("You'll need to basically start from scratch due to the
redesigned operating system and so forth.")
Will it change the braillenote / voicenote so that it no longer
gives
the user all of it's Wonderful to numerous to count features?
Will It no longer give us the users or purchasers of these
machines'
the option to use either a BT Style KEYBOARD; or a QT Style
Keyboard?
The BT Style is the one that I prefer.
You Wrote Further:
("And besides, CE 6.0
contains numerous enhancements found in CE 5.0, so it would be
beneficial to upgrade to CE 6.0 rather than 5.0.")
What might the benefits be if one were to upgrade to Windows (C
E)
Version 6.0?
THANK You For Answering My Questions'!
("So Faith, Hope, LOVE Remain, These Three; But The Greatest Of
These
Is LOVE!.")
May GOD BLESS You And Give You HIS PEACE!
From Your Friend, In OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, And OUR
BLESSED
VIRGIN MOTHER Mary, Kristen
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Lee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Sharonda Greenlaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date sent: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:07:25 -0700
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Upgrading KeySoft to Windows CE 6.0
Hi Sharonda,
From what I've seen, upgrading to Windows CE 5 versus using
Windows CE 6.0 is easier. This upgrade is essentially same as
Windows CE 4.21, except that you'll get some Bluetooth
enhancements and introduction of faster Global Search through
Windows Live search on the device. A major improvement in CE 5.0
and subsequent versions of CE is usage of Flash as main storage
space versus using part of the RAM as "RAM Disk" to store data,
thereby allowing two things to happen: the RAM will solely be
used for running programs and you don't have to worry about
losing your files because all of your files (including system
files) are stored in Flash. Other than that, I don't see any
differences between Windows CE 4.x and 5.0. In my opinion,
though, for the benefit of the list and to stay ahead of
competition, it would be best to upgrade to CE 6.0 even though it
is risky. You'll need to basically start from scratch due to the
redesigned operating system and so forth. And besides, CE 6.0
contains numerous enhancements found in CE 5.0, so it would be
beneficial to upgrade to CE 6J rather than 5.0.
Cheers,
Joseph
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharonda Greenlaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "Armando Maldonado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date sent: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 03:49:39 -0700
Subject: Re: [Braillenote] Upgrading KeySoft to Windows CE 6.0
Joseph,
Your article is extremely informative. I know you're not
Humanware,
but I figure you might have some thoughts on this question:
Though we can't upgrade to CE 6.0, whz couldn't we upgrade to CE
5.0?
hat upgrade wouldn't be as radical.
Just a question. Thanks.
Sharonda
On 7/14/07, Armando Maldonado <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
Very very well explained! I liked how you made the article short
and sweet.
Keep up the awesome work.
Armando
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "BrailleNote List" <[email protected]
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2007 10:53 PM
Subject: [Braillenote] Upgrading KeySoft to Windows CE 6.0
Hi Alex, Cindy and list,
I'm not a software developer (software development was never my
strong
point, grin) but I'll try my best to explain this in simple but
detailed
context:
INTRODUCTION
Whenever a new product is released to the general public from
companies
such as Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, etc., the general public
wants to know
what's new with the product. The features that these companies
and other
companies list as part of the product release would be easy for
people to
understand and many people would say that upgrading would allow
them to
use promised features.
ON THE SOFTWARE SIDE
For software developers like HumanWare staff and OEM's (Original
Equipment
Manufacturer), the release of a new operating system
(particularly from
Microsoft) usually means that they need to come up with
strategies to
implement features of this new operating systems to their
benefit and for
the benefit of the customers. For example, when Microsoft said,
when
Windows Vista (Windows NT 6.0) was released, that this new
operating
system would no longer support older CPU's such as Pentium III
and older
processors, many people who were using computers based on these
chips were
worried and switched to newer processors such as Dual Core
processors from
Intel and AMD. Also, for example, when Apple announced that it
will
establish partnership with Intel to create iMacks (hope I'm
spelling it
right), many people who were using Power PC CPUS to run Mac OSX
switched
to Intel-based iMacks for some experiments. As previous
examples
illustrates, whenever a major software or hardware is released,
people
would anticipate as to its impact on their computing lives.
ABOUT WINDOWS CE 6.0
Microsoft released Windows CE 6.0 on November 1, 2006.
Microsoft hinted
that this new Windows CE version is different from previous
versions and
allows devices to run more programs. This was achieved by
modifying the
operating system kernel--the real heart of Windows CE--to take
advantage
of increased Virtual Memory from 32 MB to 2 GB. An operating
system
kernel is some kind of a process that can be described as "heart
of the
OS" - meaning that it is a central component of the operating
system that
interfaces with hardware and software (mostly between firmware
and
software). Virtual Memory is some kind of a memory where you
can use more
memory than physical RAM. Also, this new kernel allows devices
to run
almost unlimited number of programs/processes (processes is
another term
for programs) - up to about 30,000 programs. (Remember, that
under
Windows CE 4.2, you can run up to 32 programs at once.) Also,
the audio
stack and bluetooth functions has been redesigned and the way of
running
programs is significantly different from Windows CE 4.2.
As the illustrations above shows, Windows CE 6.0 is not just a
simple
upgrade: it is a radical departure.
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BrailleNote USERS?
Because of the way Windows CE 6.0 is designed, just running
KeySoft on top
of CE6.0 when it is designed for CE4.2 will not work. Due to
the
redesigned operating system that takes advantage of nearly
thousandfold of
virtual memory (2 GB or roughly 2000 MB), KeySoft needs to be
rewritten/recompiled to take advantage of increased virtual
memory
support. As the chat summary states, the hardware on the mPower
and PK is
capable of running Windows CE 6.0 (especially on the mPower).
WHAT ABOUT BrailleNote Classic USERS?
There are numerous reasons why Classic won't be able to run
under CE6.0
(I'll try my best to answer many questions that has been
discussed on the
list from non-programming perspective):
* The processor itself (MIPS R4000 at 100 MHz) does not have
sufficient
capabilities to support CE6.0 because of its speed and rarity of
devices
running Windows CE that is powered by MIPS processors. Most
devices these
days run under ARM processors.
* Classic does not have enough memory to support CE6.0 features,
notably
newer audio stack and virtual memory (although one can use
"emulation" for
it).
* The audio hardware on the Classic does not have sufficient
capabilities
to support newer audio stack (devices these days have
multichannel sound
cards vs. single channel sound cards present on Classic).
These are reasons why Classic will not, and unfortunately unable
to
support upgrading to Windows CE 6.0 (it has endured enough to be
powered
by Windows CE 4.2).
WHAT POSSIBILITIES CAN USERS EXPECT FROM UPGRADING TO WINDOWS CE
6.0?
If HumanWare upgrades to Windows CE 6.0, the following
suggestions that
were posted on the list will come true:
* Enhanced Bluetooth supporting Bluetooth audio and Object
Exchange (ObEx)
protocol so you can send data to other Bluetooth devices.
* Enhanced Audio stack (probably a new hardware upgrade is in
order).
* The issue of "not enough storage" error would be resolved
through use of
tons of virtual memory (KeySoft alone can use up to 2 GB of
virtual
memory).
* Support for Office 2007 files and better MS Word documents
support.
* Support for Power Point (did I spell it right?) files.
* Support for SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) cards such as
SD WiFi and
modem cards (probably a new hardware is in order).
These are some of the possibilities that we can expect in
Windows CE 6.0.
Conclusion: Every new product release, especially operating
system
release, carries considerable impact on customers,
computer/device
manufacturers and software developers. Although it may have new
features
for better productivity and computer lives, for developers, this
means
another challenge for them, especially if the product in
question is
different from what developers have been used to using. As
illustrated
above, Windows CE 6.0 is not just an evolutionary release, but
rather a
radical departure from what we've seen on devices that runs
under Windows
CE, namely support for larger virtual memory, redesigned audio
and
Bluetooth stack and so forth. For this reason, a software that
has been
designed for an older OS such as Windows CE 4.2 needs to be
rewritten to
take advantage of new features found in CE6.0. A software
written for an
older operating system, say for Windows 98 will not take
advantage of new
features released in newer operating systems such as Windows
Vista. This
is critical when running a software on a portable device such as
BrailleNote family of products. Although we' as users of this
product,
will see many improvements and suggestions come alive, for
developers, it
would be a challenge to compile KeySoft to take advantage of new
features
introduced in the latest version of Windows CE designed for
portable
devices. As Joseph Lee, the author of this message and a
BrailleNote user
proclaims, "Use a given technology to its full potential." - use
your
technology to take advantage of it.
I hope the above article made sense to everyone. If you have
any
questions for me, feel free to contact me.
Cheers,
JosephP.S. Just a comparison: even though the competition
claims that it
runs under latest Windows Mobile technology, don't be fooled, as
it still
runs under Windows CE 5 technology (This was not meant to be an
attack on
a specific product).
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
--
Come, read and take a journey with me at
www.WorldOfShariG.blogspot.com
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
___
Replies to this message will go directly to the sender.
If your reply would be useful to the list, please send a
copy to the list as well.
To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit
http://list.humanware.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
