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Personal Profile, JDK 1.1.8 and JVM...

 
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Hi again,
as I've said before, I'm starting to work on my MSc Project. There's an existing program running on a desktop, and I have to make the PDA version. With the original program they've used J2SE; and now I had to think of what I'd be using.
After some reading and thought, we've decided that Personal Profile would be the appropiate "tool" for the job. If I'm not wrong, it means that I can use my normal compiler, with JDK 1.1.8, and the programs should run on any device with a JVM in it. This way it'll be available for many different platforms.
Now, I have two questions:
1) am I right about the Personal Profile and JDK 1.1.8? if so, what comments would you have about it?
2) can I install a JVM in any PDA, if so (I assume that yes, I can), what am I supposed to do?
Well, I hope I do get the answer for question 1).
Thanks again!
2)
 
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Originally posted by Fernando Sanz:
1) am I right about the Personal Profile and JDK 1.1.8? if so, what comments would you have about it?
2) can I install a JVM in any PDA, if so (I assume that yes, I can), what am I supposed to do?


The "Personal Profile" is fully Java 2 compatible. The older "PersonalJava" is JDK 1.1.8 based. Different PDAs support different JVMs. You must check wiith the device vendor and JVM vendor. For example, PocketPC and Sharp Zaurus support both the Personal Profile and PersonalJava. Nokia Communicator 9100 is PersonalJava only.
 
Fernando Sanz
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Thanks for the answer Michael, which brings me to:

The "Personal Profile" is fully Java 2 compatible. The older "PersonalJava" is JDK 1.1.8 based.


OK..., now that changes everything. Then, if I'm not wrong, that'd mean that my "normal" (when I use J2SE) programs should run on a PocketPC? I didn't know they were that awsome.
But, this leads me to another question:
how do I know what PDAs support "Personal Profile"? would I have to check with the vendors one by one?
Also, do you think there'd be a huge difference in the performance, if I use one or the other? Because in one case I'd be using swing, and in the other I'd be using AWT. And, at the end of the day, I guess that the PDAs supporting AWT are less powerfull, but, that code should be faster to run (uf, sorry if not everything makes sense, but after all English is not my mother language).
It's getting trickier than I thought, just to start with the project, I can't wait til I start with the real code!
[ July 04, 2003: Message edited by: Fernando Sanz ]
 
Michael Yuan
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Originally posted by Fernando Sanz:
But, this leads me to another question:
how do I know what PDAs support "Personal Profile"? would I have to check with the vendors one by one?


Yes, you have to check each vendor. Most PocketPC devices do not support J2ME by default. The user must install the VM (IBM or Insignia/esmertec) themselves. Or, you can bundle the VM in your distribution. In either cases, it is not free.
The base for Palm PDAs is more complex. Generally speaking, Palm only supports the MIDP with some vendor specific add-ons.
But other types of PDAs such as the Sharp Zauraus and Nokia Communicator supports J2ME/PersonalJava out of the box.


Also, do you think there'd be a huge difference in the performance, if I use one or the other? Because in one case I'd be using swing, and in the other I'd be using AWT.


Sorry, when I said 'Java 2 compatible", I meant at byte code level not at API level. Swing support is currently NOT available in either Personal Profile or PersonalJava. But this might change soon. The newly propesed Personal Profile 1.1 (JSRs 216 -- 219) will include Swing. I have seem Swing/J2SE running on cell phones (prototype) and they are noot slow at all.
 
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Since Personal Profile is based on JDK1.3 (with some modifications), if you write an application that uses AWT and it runs on 1.3, you can be reasonably confident that it will run on Personal Profile. You should always check on a real implementation though.
Similarly, since PersonalJava is based on JDK 1.1.8, you can develop using 1.1.8 and AWT, and it should be fairly close to running on a PersonalJava implementation. The differences are several, but you may not run into them.
With regard to which Java works on which PDA, it all depends on the J2ME implementations and their target devices. Many PocketPCs come with Esmertec's Jeode, which impelements PersonalJava 1.2. IBM is also targetting both Palm and PocketPC devices with their WebSphere Micro Environment. At the moment they have a beta of PP for the PocketPC, and they have a MIDP implementation for PalmOS.
 
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btw, IBM did also release a MIDP implementation on PocketPC, although it was a bit dodgy when we saw it start of this year.
cheers, dan.
 
Fernando Sanz
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Sorry it took me so long to reply, but now I'm sure about what I'm going to be using: Personal Profile.
After reading some of the docs from Sun's web, I came to the conclusion that Personal Profile programs should be running in quite a few PDAs. And also, it seems to be the most powerfull choice, so here I am.
Now, my question is about how to work. I know that PP is JDK 1.3 based, but it isn't fully compatible with it. So, if I was going to use Kawa (for example), what JDK should I install?
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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