SoftMaker.com

The current rumor for Windows Mobile 7 is that it will support managed code (.NET Compact Framework), but it may not support native code (Win32 API). Reference:

http://windowsphonethoughts.com/news/show/97030/windows-phone-7-to-only-accept-managed-apps.html

Obviously nothing is going to be confirmed until MIX10 in March. My guess and concern is, however, that the SoftMaker Office Suite for the Windows Mobile platform is done in Win32 API. This will obviously have an impact on the development of the suite for this platform.

The SoftMaker Office Suite is absolutely required on my mobile device, and I may have to look at other platforms if this excellent program doesn't work on Windows Mobile 7. I know it's rumor at this point, but is SoftMaker looking at developing for WM7?

We are looking at it, but with no higher priority than at iPhone, Android, MeeGo, and a couple of others. Putting a new user interface on SoftMaker Office is one thing, but there is no way we'd go from C++ to C# just because Microsoft abandons native code. Let's see how desperate Microsoft is to shed the past...

We can go anywhere where the lingua is C++.

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Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

You can write managed code with C++; SoftMaker Office won't have to be converted to C#. What it's really going to come down to is how much Win32 API that is in the code. I'm going to guess that since SoftMaker Office is cross platform that you're better off than most. Theorically, if the code is converted to .NET Compact Framework, you should be able to support both WM 6.5.x and WM 7 without code branching.

As a consumer, I'm not happy about losing a large amount of my software library on Windows Mobile. I'm really hoping that Microsoft does the right thing and appeals to the developers.

That said, I'd hope that Windows Mobile is a little higher than iPhone OS as keyboards are only supported with an iPad on a dock. IMHO, SoftMaker Office is more useful with a physical keyboard than a virtual one...

Yes, with a performance hit due to it being p-code and not machine code. It seems Pocket PCs never get faster because any CPU advances are eaten by design decisions. Last time, it was using Flash for RAM, now it is managed code.


All Win32 code is cleanly separated from the application code. That's why we can offer Windows, Windows CE, WM, Linux X11, and Qtopia versions. Hopefully, WP7 is just another API without too many gaps.

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Martin Kotulla
SoftMaker Software GmbH

I definitely agree with you here. It looks like Microsoft is sacrificing speed in order to improve stability. Microsoft has never been able to figure out mobile memory management. The problem is, .NET still crashes. In a perfect world, the application developer is responsible for application stability, not the operating system. You don't need to slow down all of the programs on the device because one of them has bugs; just get rid of the programs that don't work.



I figured as much. SoftMaker (if it chooses to do so, and I hope it will) and any other developers who are left will still have to convert the API to .NET, which is more work than tweaking the UI. However, I suspect that other developers haven't had the foresight of separating the API like SoftMaker.

Thank you for contributing your opinion on this.

Hi...

I'm looking for it.......

lilily1102

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Lawyer Wake Forest

SoftMaker

In the second post you say that you are looking at other platforms including Android.

With all the shortcomings that are gradually surfacing about Windows Phone 7 Series I don't think I will stay with MicroSoft anymore.

My preferred choice will be Android. But just can't imagine using a smartphone without SoftMaker on it.

Do you have some idea as to how serious your company is I developing for the Android platform.

Regards

Currently we have no time frame for an android version of SoftMaker Office. First we need more manpower to develop and support more operating systems.

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Sven Leßmann
SoftMaker Software GmbH

Microsoft has said that Windows Phone 7 will only support C# initially. They don't make any promises to when C++ managed code will be supported. I also can't image using using SoftMaker Office without copy and paste. Unfortunately, WP7 is looking like it will be business unfriendly.

I'm also looking to switch to Android as Microsoft has seemed to abandon its current user base. I'd like to see what happens before launch, but I'm not hopeful.