Cross-platform software development with a software development peripheral

• US 20050120335A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• 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 7,707,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• 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 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.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving includes receiving an image of the operating system that corresponds to the configuration identification of the software development peripheral.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, 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.

4. 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 via a debug transport.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, 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.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising communicating image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, 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.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a keyboard input that is generated with a keyboard connected to the host computing device.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving a pointing device input that is generated with a pointing device connected to the host computing device.

10. 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.

11. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, wherein communicating includes communicating the information generated by the operating system to the operating system development component via a debug transport.

12. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, 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.

13. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, 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.

14. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 10, 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.