Cross-platform software development with a software development peripheral

• US 6,978,439 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morris, Larry, Kelley, David, Mandyam, Sridhar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US10/044,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 717101-103, 717/120, 717/121, 717/124, 717/127, 717174-178
• US Class Current: 717/101
• 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 from the host computing device to a software development peripheral;

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

communicating test information generated by the operating system corresponding to the image from the software development peripheral to the host computing device; and

displaying the test information generated by the operating system at 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 when the software development peripheral is communicatively linked with 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 test 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 test 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 test 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 wit 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 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 of the operating system; and

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

13. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

14. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

15. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

16. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to generate the image of the operating system.

17. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

18. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device includes a cross-platform development component configured to debug the test information generated by the operating system.

19. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device and the software development peripheral are communicatively linked via a debug transport.

20. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device and the software development peripheral are communicatively linked via a universal serial bus connection.

21. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the software development peripheral includes a virtual device driver configured to route the test 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 test information generated by the operating system.

22. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to receive the test information generated by the operating system and route the test information to a display device.

23. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

24. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

25. A system as recited in claim 12, 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.

26. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to route a keyboard input to the software development peripheral.

27. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the host computing device includes a virtual input/output system configured to route a pointing device input to the software development peripheral.