Deployment of System Applications

[ray()]

dear friends,


i want to start to develop a 3rd ed. system application (or a range of it) and want to sell it to an MNO or a manufacturer.

but i do not know enough about the deployment of system applications. many questions are left to be answered after following the google way.

it would be nice if someone can help me with a link oder an answer to the questions below:

- is an MNO able to put my application on its phones, if so how can he do this?

- if an application is to be integrated into a rom, what kinds of signing is required for this?

- i'm wondering if a system application needs an installer at all?

- if the integration of branded applications into a handset, can this be overridden by an updated firmware

- is it possible to deliver applications on a sim-card

- do i have to keep other questions in consideration when i want an application to be enabled for rom integration?


thanks in advance for your answer
ray()

[wizard_hu_]

- is an MNO able to put my application on its phones, if so how can he do this?

The MNO can order customized devices from the manufacturers. Customization may also include deploying operator-supplied applications, at least as I know.

- if an application is to be integrated into a rom, what kinds of signing is required for this?

Since signing comes into the picture when you install an application, ROM-based components need no signing (they are not installed, they are simply there).

- i'm wondering if a system application needs an installer at all?

No, it need not.

- if the integration of branded applications into a handset, can this be overridden by an updated firmware

Manufacturer-issued firmware updates obviously do not contain operator-dependent customizations. However it might be possible to prevent branded devices from flashing with the downloadable PC-based tools (I am not sure about this, but I have seen complaints where somebody reported that he could not update his device because it was branded).

- is it possible to deliver applications on a sim-card

The SIM card is a small computer, and yes, it is possible to create SIM applications. Note that SIM applications run on the SIM card, so they have nothing to do with Symbian (or any other mobile OS) API-s.

- do i have to keep other questions in consideration when i want an application to be enabled for rom integration?

I do not know for sure, most of my answers are just mere guesses.

[ltomuta]

Good guesses wizard_hu_

@ ray()

Make sure that you have your application working and a customer ready to pay for it. You will then receive all the needed information from/through your customer.

[ray()]

Good guesses wizard_hu_

@ ray()

Make sure that you have your application working and a customer ready to pay for it. You will then receive all the needed information from/through your customer.

@wizard_hu_: thanks for that

@ltomuta: i would like to know if there is something to manage or to have in consideration in prior to that, the timeline is a sportive one, thats why.

[ltomuta]

Your only real concern should be that the application passes all Symbian Signed and Symbian Signed for Nokia tests.

Make sure that your application makes no presumption about the installation location, i.e. it should not expect to be able to write files on the install drive.

A stub sis file will be needed if it is intended that your application should be upgradeable/patched later. See docs about MMC pre-installed apps for details about the stub.

[ray()]

thanks for this,

Make sure that your application makes no presumption about the installation location, i.e. it should not expect to be able to write files on the install drive.

does that mean, that my application might not have a private folder to write to?

best regards
ray()

[wizard_hu_]

does that mean, that my application might not have a private folder to write to?

If you think about the magic number 10003a3f, you will obviously recognize that ROM-based applications can have private folders on writable drives.
You can also count the folders in epoc32\winscw\c\private, most (20+) of them are owned by "ROM" based programs of the emulator.

[ltomuta]

Indeed, an application can have private directories on any drive, may it be writable or not. Whether you can then write data in such a directory that is another issue

[Sogeti]

- if an application is to be integrated into a rom, what kinds of signing is required for this?

Hi all,

Even if wizard_hu_'s answer ("Since signing comes into the picture when you install an application, ROM-based components need no signing (they are not installed, they are simply there).") is true, usually manufacturers or operators require that application embedded in ROMs are Certified Signed. However, these applications may be sponsored by manufacturers or operators.

Best regards,
Antoine POULAT from Sogeti.

[ray()]

dear friends,
thanks for your responses, this was helpful for me.
best regards ray()