Revealed: The amazing BlackBerry wizardry that created its 'better Android than Android'
- CrackberrykillsThe CBKAll I have to say is I am still chuckling at "epenis battle." I am not entirely sure what the rest of this thread is about, but carry on.
Also, Bla1ze, you are so crazy, fool. Hee.11-26-13 01:11 AMLike 0 -
My thanks to the OP for compiling this information into such an easily understood format.
It's normally out of reach to us average end-users.
via BlackBerry Z1011-26-13 03:34 AMLike 0 - Don't worry Bla1ze, I get called worse every day.
Thanks for the reply. I was responding because people might not fully appreciate the importance or the technical achievement of the BlackBerry engineers' work.
Let me explain. The wizardry I describe allows Linux binary code to run on QNX. An Android developer might write a Linux extension for various reasons, one being greater performance, and/or access to specific hardware acceleration APIs. So think of the hack as the key that unlocks the door to real hardware acceleration. That will come, as you have rightly pointed out, and has BlackBerry has promised. The big wins are in 10.2.x - compatibility has increased so much we can install .apk files directly onto BB10. And performance is fantastic.
In 12 years at The Register this is one of the most impressive hacks I have come across; it's a really neat piece of work.
I have written quite a bit about how Google may lose control of Android, and its attempts to regain control, by encouraging developers to write to Google-specific service APIs. If Google loses control and Android binaries becomes a portable, then "Android the OS" ceases to matter. For example, here last week.
BTW, I've seen a few posts here talking about "emulation" - but what BlackBerry is doing is not emulation, it's way better than that. The Dalvik JVM is a native QNX app, it's interpreting byte code, and the processes are QNX processes. It's all ARM underneath.11-26-13 07:15 AMLike 15 - Interesting debate in the 'Comments' section of The Register article.
Well worth reading - if only for Alf's comment alone.
via BlackBerry Z10Last edited by bennelong; 11-26-13 at 09:55 PM.
11-26-13 02:36 PMLike 0 - So they reverse engineered android support by doing a direct (but BLIND) opcode translation on the fly?
That is the most disgustingly complicated piece of code surgery I've heard of since DirecTV's Secret War on Pirates.
BBRY obviously has some gang of wunderkinds stashed in a basement somewhere in Waterloo being forced to write complex, yet beautiful, code.11-26-13 04:10 PMLike 4 - Don't worry Bla1ze, I get called worse every day.
Thanks for the reply. I was responding because people might not fully appreciate the importance or the technical achievement of the BlackBerry engineers' work.
Let me explain. The wizardry I describe allows Linux binary code to run on QNX. An Android developer might write a Linux extension for various reasons, one being greater performance, and/or access to specific hardware acceleration APIs. So think of the hack as the key that unlocks the door to real hardware acceleration. That will come, as you have rightly pointed out, and has BlackBerry has promised. The big wins are in 10.2.x - compatibility has increased so much we can install .apk files directly onto BB10. And performance is fantastic.
In 12 years at The Register this is one of the most impressive hacks I have come across; it's a really neat piece of work.
I have written quite a bit about how Google may lose control of Android, and its attempts to regain control, by encouraging developers to write to Google-specific service APIs. If Google loses control and Android binaries becomes a portable, then "Android the OS" ceases to matter. For example, here last week.
BTW, I've seen a few posts here talking about "emulation" - but what BlackBerry is doing is not emulation, it's way better than that. The Dalvik JVM is a native QNX app, it's interpreting byte code, and the processes are QNX processes. It's all ARM underneath.
Posted via CB1011-26-13 04:30 PMLike 0 - So they reverse engineered android support by doing a direct (but BLIND) opcode translation on the fly?
That is the most disgustingly complicated piece of code surgery I've heard of since DirecTV's Secret War on Pirates.
BBRY obviously has some gang of wunderkinds stashed in a basement somewhere in Waterloo being forced to write complex, yet beautiful, code.
What they did is done ALL the time. You're just not in the industry to know the details.11-26-13 06:06 PMLike 0 -
- So they reverse engineered android support by doing a direct (but BLIND) opcode translation on the fly?
That is the most disgustingly complicated piece of code surgery I've heard of since DirecTV's Secret War on Pirates.
BBRY obviously has some gang of wunderkinds stashed in a basement somewhere in Waterloo being forced to write complex, yet beautiful, code.
via BlackBerry Z1011-26-13 07:29 PMLike 0 -
And you've done this before? Last week perhaps? After tea?
Wine has been in development for 20 years. It's still not like BBRY slapped together a better Android emulator by using only opcode translation that runs faster than their previous version in less than a year.
Oh wait... they did.
Things like this don't happen every day.Thunderbuck and anon4287986 like this.11-26-13 07:36 PMLike 2 - Riiight.
And you've done this before? Last week perhaps? After tea?
Wine has been in development for 20 years. It's still not like BBRY slapped together a better Android emulator by using only opcode translation that runs faster than their previous version in less than a year.
Oh wait... they did.
Things like this don't happen every day.
They didn't rebuild dalvik. And this is certainly nowhere near as enormous a project as Wine. Not even close.
This is very much like the old lxrun, which was written largely by one person in the late 90's. In fact, QNX had said they were working on porting lxrun to Neutrino some years ago. So it may not just be like lxrun, it may actually be lxrun.
Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk11-26-13 08:06 PMLike 3 - I never said they rebuilt dalvik, It's all about how the two are Frankensteined together.
The comparison to Wine was in regards to the complexity of the issue.
It's not a simple project, it doesn't happen every day, and it demonstrates a deep understanding of the underlying technology that the QNX crew brings to the table and will continue to bring to the table in the future.11-26-13 09:26 PMLike 0 -
It's not a simple project, it doesn't happen every day,
and it demonstrates a deep understanding of the underlying technology that the QNX crew brings to the table and will continue to bring to the table in the future.
I still don't understand why the author calls this wizardry. This whole QNX story was played out in the 1990's. All this was interesting back then, but seriously it is 2013 now, isn't it??
Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalkmikeo007 likes this.11-26-13 09:34 PMLike 1 - Interesting debate in the 'Comments' section of The Register article.
Well worth reading - if only for Alf's comment alone.
via BlackBerry Z10bennelong likes this.11-26-13 09:45 PMLike 1 -
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- Riiight.
And you've done this before? Last week perhaps? After tea?
Wine has been in development for 20 years. It's still not like BBRY slapped together a better Android emulator by using only opcode translation that runs faster than their previous version in less than a year.
Oh wait... they did.
Things like this don't happen every day.
Things similar to this happens every day. The world is a big place and we don't see a fraction of what goes on behind closed doors.
Posted via CB1011-26-13 10:07 PMLike 0 -
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- ThunderbuckRetired ModeratorWorks... Yes. Works as well as it should... NO. Can not send pictures from within other BlackBerry apps and when searching for pictures, I don't get thumbnails, so you have to know the files name you are looking for.
But there is a lot of potential here... just don't expect that a version 10.2.1.1055 is going to change anything for average consumers. Maybe 10.3 will (along with better hardware) (along with marketing) (along with carriers actually carrying devices)....
However disappointed you might be that IG has trouble uploading existing photos (and however mystified I am that the front camera turns upside-down for some weird reason), it works pretty decently. Netflix is great. Kik is even pretty good. I've been hard pressed to find anything that isn't at least moderately functional.
I don't think anybody's seriously claiming that this fixes everything. I LOVE BB10 and I'd much prefer to have everything I want available as a native app. I'm looking forward to the day when badges reading "Available in BlackBerry World" are just as common in advertising as "Available on iTunes" and "Available in Google Play". I do think, though, that for someone who likes BB10 and just wants to fill a few gaps that this will be very appealing.Uzi and laketrout73 like this.11-26-13 10:24 PMLike 2 -
- *refill popcorn* #geekwaroftheyear
Posted via Awesome Aristo on CB10SEAWARRIOR and 00stryder like this.11-26-13 10:30 PMLike 2
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Revealed: The amazing BlackBerry wizardry that created its 'better Android than Android'
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