Cross-platform software development with a software development peripheral

• US 20050125779A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Larry, Kelley, David, Mandyam, Sridhar S.
• Application Number:
  US11/027,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125779A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/138
• 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, 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.

2. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, 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.

3. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, 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.

4. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

5. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, 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.

6. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to be debugged at the host computing device.

7. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a debug transport.

8. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to the host computing device via a universal serial bus connection.

9. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the virtual device driver communicates the information generated by the operating system to a virtual input/output system of the host computing device.

10. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, 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.

11. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from a keyboard that is connected to the host computing device.

12. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from a pointing device that is connected to the host computing device.

13. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple a peripheral device with the software development peripheral.

14. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple a display device with the software development peripheral.

15. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 1, further comprising an expansion component configured to couple an input device with the software development peripheral.

16. 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.

17. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 16, further comprising means for communicating image data generated by the operating system to the host computing device for display.

18. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 16, further comprising means for receiving a keyboard input that is generated with a keyboard connected to the host computing device.

19. A software development peripheral as recited in claim 16, further comprising means for receiving a pointing device input that is generated with a pointing device connected to the host computing device.