I remembering hearing that it would require, minimally, a recompile in order to do that. Other than that issue (which seems like it shouldn't be required), it sounded like a good idea. I don't think that Google has provided any sort of "Dalvik compliance specification", though, so that might make it difficult for developers and users to want to rely on it.
I would be surprised at a recompile, since I think the stuff is all in Java. There might be performance issues, though, running through (essentially) an Android vm on the Playbook.
Part of the issues is that, while the high-level language used for writing code is Java and the machine follows the high-level Java rules, Dalvik is a completely different bytecode specification and they don't use Java class files, either.
Still, I would have thought that someone could write a Dalvik loader for an otherwise vanilla RIM JVM, and then convert it into whatever internal representation the VM wants. Worst-case scenario: it MUST be possible to AOT the stuff into Java bytecode.
Me thinks that someone might have a patent in the way of getting this working (gotta love the modern industry where lawyers have more control over what can be implemented than those who need to do the work).
It is quite possible, and perhaps even likely, that Playbook is not running a "vanilla RIM JVM", given that it is running a different OS from every previous RIM device.
Also, as I understand it, Android was supposed to be a fairly open platform, with the base environment being (usually) Linux. I can't see that it would be too hard to port that to another POSIX OS like, say, QNX. Of course, that is all just speculation. I don't know what is or has actually been done.
Yeah, assuming that all of the source is released (I have no idea how much of it they released), it shouldn't be too hard to port to QNX (assuming it doesn't rely on some facilities of a "magic" Linux variant).
Then again, it would be in Google's best interests to release the port, themselves, since it would expand their market.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:42 am (UTC)Still, I would have thought that someone could write a Dalvik loader for an otherwise vanilla RIM JVM, and then convert it into whatever internal representation the VM wants. Worst-case scenario: it MUST be possible to AOT the stuff into Java bytecode.
Me thinks that someone might have a patent in the way of getting this working (gotta love the modern industry where lawyers have more control over what can be implemented than those who need to do the work).
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:47 am (UTC)Also, as I understand it, Android was supposed to be a fairly open platform, with the base environment being (usually) Linux. I can't see that it would be too hard to port that to another POSIX OS like, say, QNX. Of course, that is all just speculation. I don't know what is or has actually been done.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-28 02:52 am (UTC)Then again, it would be in Google's best interests to release the port, themselves, since it would expand their market.