
Intel to put Windows 8 on phones - Flemlord
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/intel-to-put-windows-8-on-phones-wait-whaaaaat/10981
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noblethrasher
I don't know that much about Windows Phone 7 but my understanding is that
developers code against a version of the CLR, so their apps should be easily
ported to a new OS.

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m0nastic
Developers for Windows Phone 7 target either XNA for games (which in theory is
why they are able to integrate with XBox Live) or Silverlight for everything
else.

I assume that if Microsoft intends for Windows Phone 7 to be a long-term
platform (which their statements at CES cast some doubt about) they may add in
further parts of .NET into the SDK.

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contextfree
I think they've always planned for Windows Phone to be merged into mainline
Windows eventually, once the hardware is ready (though expecting that to be
the W8 timeframe is a bit optimistic on Intel's part). That's why they've been
careful not to expose the underlying CE kernel to third-party native code
(only through a .NET VM) - so they can change the kernel without breaking
things.

Not sure how that makes it "not a long-term platform", though - that's like
saying consumer Windows in the 90s wasn't a long-term platform because they
eventually swapped out the 9x kernel for NT. The switchover, when it
eventually comes, should be mostly transparent to users and developers.

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DjDarkman
Yet another Microsoft attempt at mobile? If they screw Windows Phone up, I
doubt they will get another chance from the public.

Microsoft is good at one thing: backward compatibility, if they throw this
away, I don't know if they will have enough value remaining in their
offerings.

I really think Microsoft should either man up, and create a descent mobile OS,
or simply stop creating new crap every once in a while.

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trotsky
This is an Intel plan, not Microsoft. They're trying to get press for x86
designs in mobile more than anything. Clearly Intel and Microsoft's interests
are diverging here, or CES wouldn't have had the Win8 on ARM bomb dropped.

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kenjackson
The x86's real selling point is that it's the best platform for running
Windows. Now that Windows is becoming less relevant its in trouble. In some
sense Intel has more riding on the success of Windows than Microsoft does...

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6ren
Aside: to unpack that, x86 is the best for running all the x86 software out
there. It has by far the greatest range of software, which is why wintel
sacrificed so much for back-compatibility.

If that catalog is at all usable in a phone form-factor, then it is valuable.
Worst case: you dock to a monitor/keyboard most of the time. But who knows,
with built-in projectors, and an eeePC size keyboard covering the entire
phone, perhaps it is a goer.

The biggest problem is if the form-factor is totally unusable for desktop
software, when there is no desktop. Personally, I think it would be awesome to
run regular software on a tiny tiny phone. Awkward, but awesome.

