ARM pitches for Android developers
Talking shop
ARM has launched an online forum it hopes will encourage device manufacturers, component suppliers and software developers to co-operate on the development of devices based on its chippery and the Android OS.
The prosaically titled Solution Centre for Android provides a way of contacting and picking the brains of more than 35 device makers, chip producers, software developers and solution providers. They're all part of the broader ARM Connected Community, ARM said.
There's a degree of hopping on bandwagons here, with ARM using the Google operating system's high profile to reinforce the notion that its own chip designs as the de facto hardware foundation for Android-based kit.
Intel launched a developer initiative in September to encourage coders to work with its Atom platform. While that wasn't explicitly associated with Android, Intel undoubtedly hopes the Intel Atom Developer Program will appeal to companies who want to take advantage of Android.
The Solution Centre for Android lives at ARM's website. ®
COMMENTS
compiler cost
If you're a handset manufacturer shipping millions of units wanting to get every last ounce of utilisation out of a given size of flash and a given CPU, surely a few thousand pounds for a decent compiler is a worthwhile investment? Or are we looking at more than that?
If on the other hand you're like me just using ARM as a comms compute engine for low volume stuff in COTS boxes, it hardly matters whether GCC or RVCT is better, so long as the one you pick is Good Enough. Which GCC 3 has been for me so far, and GCC 4 is allegedly better but I'm not moving to it till I've seen other folks using it for similar things.
ps Why has Cade Metz also written this same article?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/17/arm_android_place/
if you have to ask, you can't afford it
ARM's RVCT compiler produces far better code than GCC. It has much better dead code stripping and inlining, it can handle long jumps better (no trampoline sections), is much smarter about Thumb interworking, it can actually use the VFP, and generally generates code that is both faster and smaller. Its only real flaw is the license manager that slows down your compiles (do you hear me ARM? Per-process license is a stupid, stupid idea).
It is very expensive.
Their RVDS debugger, on the other hand, is a steaming pile of shit.
"How much is your compiler?"
The one I was using with a nice little embedded ARM comms box was as cheap as you can get. Might work with Android too, given that both my comms box and Android are Linux, aren't they?
GCC 3 and a bit is what I'm referrring too, although GCC 4 and a bit is out too now (but I'm not sure if the embedded world has adopted GCC 4 widely yet?).
Cost of GCC and an IDE of choice?
Zero.
What was your point, James47, I couldn't quite work it out?
