no .NET for Symbian or Palm ==> MS doesn't want it

[www.msmobiles.com]

we (me and my friends) could port SSCLI to Symbian and
Palm OS, but MS doesn't want it: I got answer from Seth
Demsey from Microsoft that SSCLI is only for non-
commercial purposes!

in other words: we could do it but only if we would be
allowed to sell it. We can't sell it ==> we will not do
it.

It's not very wise that MS has no licensing program for
SSCLI. I am very very sad panda.

 

[Ilya Tumanov [MS]]

It would not be fair if you just use somebody else's years of research and
development to make some profit, now would it?

Anyway, SSCLI is not the only option you have. You can always come up with
your own implementation of CLR, right?
Alternatively, you can use/join other projects, i.e. Mono.

You would have to face some challenges like missing basic features on Palm
OS (e.g. multithreading) and limited resources (100 MHz, 2-4 MB) on mass
market Symbian devices. You can avoid these problems by targeting high-end
Symbian and upcoming Palm OS 6, though.

I really doubt this port would be commercially sound, but you can go ahead
and prove me wrong.

Hope, this makes you very happy panda.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------

 

[www.msmobiles.com]

It would not be fair if you just use somebody else's years of research and
development to make some profit, now would it?

you must be joking, right? I was asking about licence
fees and terms and conditions. not about "taking for free
and selling for something" (not to mention the fact that
porting alone takes a lot of efforts and time so it is
not free never ever)

I really doubt this port would be commercially sound, but you can go ahead
and prove me wrong.

nobody on my part will go ahead if that stuff cannot be
sold.

Hope, this makes you very happy panda.

no, it hasn't make me happy panda. still sad panda.

 

[Ilya Tumanov [MS]]

I am joking, this is why you can see this: .

Seriously, I believe the cost associated with licensing process will most
likely be much higher than the license fee (you're not going to pay few
millions upfront, right?).
This is probably why there's no commercial license for SSCLI. Of course,
this is just my personal opinion.

Now, about selling your framework (again, my personal opinion)....

You sure can sell it if you create your own clean room CLR. You can (most
likely) sell it if you use Mono (check Mono's license).
However, it does not mean it will be profitable. You need to figure out how
many copies you can sell,
how much you can charge for it and how much it'll cost you to port, service
and support your product.

I would guess the profit will be a pretty big negative number.
Your potential customers can just go ahead and purchase $199 Pocket PC 2003
device with free framework on it.
Why would somebody pay pretty much the same for Palm OS/Symbian device and
pay extra for a framework (if they need a framework)? No way.
Also, both Symbian and Palm OS got Java which can be used to write
software.
Why somebody would pay you for a framework without any development tools
instead of using free Java? I don't think so.

You might say "Installed base is very big". Sure.
However, by the time you complete your port (few months at least), these
devices will be mostly outdated and discarded off.
Palm OS 6 is coming, remember?

So, if you're looking for a way to make some money, it's a seriously
doubtful way.
And absence of some license from Microsoft is hardly the reason.

Cheer up, sad panda.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------

 

[Neil Cowburn [MVP]]

There is another option. The CLI is classified as an ECMA standard on how to
construct a memory-managed virtual machine. It's specs are publicly
available (see http://msdn.microsoft.com/net/ecma/ for more info). You could
use this information to create your own implementation, although I agree
with Ilya that the profit margin is likely to be heavily negative.

--Neil

I am joking, this is why you can see this: .

Seriously, I believe the cost associated with licensing process will most
likely be much higher than the license fee (you're not going to pay few
millions upfront, right?).
This is probably why there's no commercial license for SSCLI. Of course,
this is just my personal opinion.

Now, about selling your framework (again, my personal opinion)....

You sure can sell it if you create your own clean room CLR. You can (most
likely) sell it if you use Mono (check Mono's license).
However, it does not mean it will be profitable. You need to figure out how
many copies you can sell,
how much you can charge for it and how much it'll cost you to port, service
and support your product.

I would guess the profit will be a pretty big negative number.
Your potential customers can just go ahead and purchase $199 Pocket PC 2003
device with free framework on it.
Why would somebody pay pretty much the same for Palm OS/Symbian device and
pay extra for a framework (if they need a framework)? No way.
Also, both Symbian and Palm OS got Java which can be used to write
software.
Why somebody would pay you for a framework without any development tools
instead of using free Java? I don't think so.

You might say "Installed base is very big". Sure.
However, by the time you complete your port (few months at least), these
devices will be mostly outdated and discarded off.
Palm OS 6 is coming, remember?

So, if you're looking for a way to make some money, it's a seriously
doubtful way.
And absence of some license from Microsoft is hardly the reason.

Cheer up, sad panda.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------
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you must be joking, right? I was asking about licence
fees and terms and conditions. not about "taking for free
and selling for something" (not to mention the fact that
porting alone takes a lot of efforts and time so it is
not free never ever)


nobody on my part will go ahead if that stuff cannot be
sold.


no, it hasn't make me happy panda. still sad panda.