Cross-platform software development with a software development peripheral

• US 20030131148A1
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Larry, Kelley, David, Mandyam, Sridhar S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,978,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A cross-platform development system includes a computing device that generates an image of an operating system, and a software development peripheral connected to the computing device that runs the operating system corresponding to the image. The software development peripheral communicates information, such as image data, generated by the operating system back to the computing device where the information is displayed on a display device connected to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating an image of an operating system with a host computing device;

communicating the image of the operating system to a software development peripheral;

executing the operating system corresponding to the image with the software development peripheral;

communicating information generated by the operating system to the host computing device; and

displaying the information generated by the operating system with the host computing device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising recognizing a configuration identification of the software development peripheral with a cross-platform development component of the host computing device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating includes generating the image of the operating system with a cross-platform development component of the host computing device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising recognizing a configuration identification of the software development peripheral with a cross-platform development component of the host computing device, and wherein generating includes generating the image of the operating system with the cross-platform development component, the image of the operating system corresponding to the configuration identification of the software development peripheral.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising debugging the information generated by the operating system with a cross-platform development component of the host computing device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising connecting the software development peripheral to a network via a network communication driver of the host computing device, the network communication driver communicatively linked with the network and with a virtual network communication driver of the software development peripheral.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a debug transport.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device with a virtual device driver of the software development peripheral.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein communicating includes communicating image data generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device with a virtual device driver of the software development peripheral.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a keyboard input with the software development peripheral from a virtual input/output system of the host computing device, the keyboard input generated with a keyboard connected to the host computing device.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a pointing device input with the software development peripheral from a virtual input/output system of the host computing device, the pointing device input generated with a pointing device connected to the host computing device.

12. A software development peripheral performing a method, comprising:

providing a configuration identification of the software development peripheral to an operating system development component of a host computing device;

receiving an image of an operating system, the image of the operating system generated with the operating system development component;

executing the operating system corresponding to the image; and

communicating information generated by the operating system to the operating system development component.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein receiving includes receiving an image of the operating system that corresponds to the configuration identification of the software development peripheral.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising communicatively linking to a network with a virtual network communication driver, the virtual network communication driver communicatively linked with a network communication driver of the host computing device.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device with a virtual device driver via a debug transport.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device with a virtual device driver.

17. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising communicating image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising communicating image data generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device with a virtual display device driver for display at the host computing device.

19. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising receiving a keyboard input that is generated with a keyboard connected to the host computing device.

20. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising receiving a pointing device input that is generated with a pointing device connected to the host computing device.

21. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a software development peripheral to perform a method comprising:

receiving an image of an operating system from a host computing device, the image of the operating system corresponding to a configuration identification of the software development peripheral;

executing the operating system corresponding to the image; and

communicating information generated by the operating system to an operating system development component of the host computing device.

22. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to the operating system development component via a debug transport.

23. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises communicating peripheral device output information generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device with a virtual device driver.

24. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises communicating image data generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device for display.

25. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises communicating image data generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device with a virtual display device driver.

26. A system, comprising:

a host computing device configured to generate an image of an operating system; and

a software development peripheral configured to;

receive the image of the operating system from the host computing device;

execute the operating system corresponding to the image; and

communicate information generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

27. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a first type of processor to generate the image of the operating system, and wherein the software development peripheral is configured to execute the operating system on a second type of processor, the second type of processor being different than the first type of processor.

28. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device is further configured to recognize the software development peripheral as a plug and play device when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with the host computing device.

29. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to recognize a configuration identification of the software development peripheral when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with the host computing device.

30. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to generate the image of the operating system.

31. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to recognize a configuration identification of the software development peripheral when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with the host computing device, and wherein the cross-platform development component is further configured to generate the image of the operating system corresponding to the configuration identification of the software development peripheral.

32. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to debug the information generated by the operating system.

33. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device and the software development peripheral are communicatively linked via a debug transport.

34. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device and the software development peripheral are communicatively linked via a universal serial bus connection.

35. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the software development peripheral includes a virtual device driver configured to route the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device, and wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to receive the information generated by the operating system.

36. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to receive the information generated by the operating system and route the information to a display device.

37. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the software development peripheral is further configured to communicate image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a virtual display device driver.

38. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the software development peripheral is further configured to communicate image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a virtual display device driver, and wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to receive the image data and route the image data to a display device.

39. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the software development peripheral is further configured to connect to a network via a network communication driver of the host computing device, the network communication driver communicatively linked with the network and with a virtual network communication driver of the software development peripheral.

40. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to route a keyboard input to the software development peripheral.

41. A system as recited in claim 26, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to route a pointing device input to the software development peripheral.

42. A software development peripheral, comprising:

a memory component configured to maintain an image of an operating system received from a host computing device;

a processor configured to execute the operating system corresponding to the image; and

a virtual device driver configured to communicate information generated by the operating system to the host computing device.

43. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising a configuration identification to identify the software development peripheral to the host computing device when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with the host computing device.

44. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising a configuration identification to identify the software development peripheral to a cross-platform development component of the host computing device when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with the host computing device.

45. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

46. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver is a virtual display device driver configured to communicate image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

47. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to be debugged at the host computing device.

48. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a debug transport.

49. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a universal serial bus connection.

50. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device.

51. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising a virtual network communication driver configured to connect to a network via a network communication driver of the host computing device, the network communication driver communicatively linked with the network.

52. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from a keyboard that is connected to the host computing device.

53. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from a pointing device that is connected to the host computing device.

54. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple a peripheral device with the software development peripheral.

55. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple a display device with the software development peripheral.

56. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 42, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple an input device with the software development peripheral.

57. A software development peripheral, comprising:

means for receiving an image of an operating system, the image of the operating system generated with a host computing device;

means for executing the operating system corresponding to the image; and

means for communicating information generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device.

58. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 57, further comprising means for communicating image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

59. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 57, further comprising means for receiving a keyboard input that is generated with a keyboard connected to the host computing device.

60. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 57, further comprising means for receiving a pointing device input that is generated with a pointing device connected to the host computing device.