Vote for the inclusion of firmware in DP updates!

[Suedezu]

Hi guys,

One major letdown of the DP program is the lack of firmware to accompany the OS preview versions.

Somebody has recently posted a request on the Windows Phone User Voice portal asking for firmware to be included in future DP updates.

Here is the the request

"Developer Preview should also allow firmware updates for the Lumia line. Having the firmware available will be useful for "developers" as well as actual developers who will be able to test their code on the final product with the firmware. Detecting what device it is shouldn't be an issue but if it is for whatever reason then simply have a drop down menu that will let the user pick their device. Have a warning for non Lumia devices.

Also should be able to work with 3rd party oem (HTC, Samsung etc) to get their firmware rdy and be able to push via dp. This can already be done with the main windows os so why not with windows phone as well."

Use this link AND VOTE FOR THIS REQUEST!

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Just to let you know. The firmware is the software for the hardware. So if there are any unexpected issues in the firmware (like the bitlocker issue), the update might break your device.

I don't want to see more whining on forums about issues on "DP firmware".

I'm sorry if you are impatient, but you are in the same boat as many many other users.

 

[Teeeerex]

It would be a waste of time (& votes) to do this because it's a request that is impossible to fullfil with the current Windows Phone commercial model, even for Lumias because there are too many models and variants. Apple could do this, nobody else really can.

 

[Suedezu]

Just to let you know. The firmware is the software for the hardware. So if there are any unexpected issues in the firmware (like the bitlocker issue), the update might break your device.

I don't want to see more whining on forums about issues on "DP firmware".

I'm sorry if you are impatient, but you are in the same boat as many many other users.

Silviu, I'm fully aware of what firmware is and still think it's feasible to ship them combined.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Silviu, I'm fully aware of what firmware is and still think it's feasible to ship them combined.

Are you aware that you are not the only user rolled in the PfD program? Looks like you're not.

 

[Suedezu]

Are you aware that you are not the only user rolled in the PfD program? Looks like you're not.

Gee, thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one using DP. You saved my life!

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Actually I would make the contrary. I would restrict the early access to the OS update only with invites or something similar.
It's called Preview for Developers because it's supposed to allow developers to improve their apps according to the update.

To the typical user there is no much real benefit in the Preview for Developers.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Gee, thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one using DP. You saved my life!

You're welcome. It's my pleasure to bring people down to earth.

 

[Suedezu]

Actually I would make the contrary. I would restrict the early access to the OS update only with invites or something similar.
It's called Preview for Developers because it's supposed to allow developers to improve their apps according to the update.

To the typical user there is no much real benefit in the Preview for Developers.

Silviu, you are welcome to post your suggestion too.

Why don't you let people decide if they want to vote for this suggestion or yours?

 

[Lance_WPCentral]

According to me I totally agree with the idea of including firmware along with the OS update. That makes it a complete package to perform exhaustive integration testing and would definitely better help understanding the issues and dependencies of both the firmware and OS.

 

[Lance_WPCentral]

It's called Preview for Developers because it's supposed to allow developers to improve their apps according to the update.

I feel it would help developers better develop their apps and find bugs and performance issues when the 2 are clubbed together.

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

Silviu, you are welcome to post your suggestion too.

Why don't you let people decide if they want to vote for this suggestion or yours?

Did I say somewhere "PEOPLE DON'T VOTE, IT'S A TRAP!!!!1111!!" ...?
I'm criticising, and I want to make it constructively, any problems with that?

 

[Silviu Bogusevschi]

I feel it would help developers better develop their apps and find bugs and performance issues when the 2 are clubbed together.

So far I didn't see any request like this from developers, only from impatient users.

 

[Richard Durishin]

Does each phone and each operator require different firmware?

 

[aikidaves]

Thought about this a bit, and had the following notions.

In the normal production scheme, Microsoft doesn't release the OS directly to consumers. They release the OS software to the OEMs (including Microsoft's new in-house OEM). The OEMs then add their firmware and release the package(s) to carriers and any consumers that the OEMs directly support. The carriers, in turn, may make tweaks to the packages, then release it to the consumers that they support.

The Preview for Developers program is a mechanism for Microsoft to release the OS directly to app developers. They set the barriers to entry low enough that enthusiasts can qualify as developers without any intention of ever writing, much less releasing, an app. So far, the OS that Microsoft releases through this mechanism has been the same RTM release that goes to the OEMs, and it gets the same updates. Do we all agree up to here?

Now, what is really being asked for here is for OEMs, specifically Microsoft's in-house OEM, to set up their own preview programs, where they send out the OS + firmware directly to consumers, bypassing the carriers. Is that feasible, and is it a good idea? Consider that we're probably talking about legal barriers as well as technical ones, at least in many parts of the world. We could even be getting into antitrust issues here, since if Microsoft the OS developer shows too much preference for Microsoft the WP OEM, the regulators would swarm all over it. I can't imagine the other OEMs being happy about that kind of preference, either.

We have been led to believe that the firmware isn't ready yet when an OS update is released to the OEMs, so the firmware preview probably wouldn't come out until some time after that. In the cases of the other OEMs (HTC, for example), it doesn't appear that the firmware for 8.1 is ready even yet. I suppose the OEMs could send out beta firmware, but I'm not sure I'd want to touch that unless I was a major app developer or a serious hobbyist who could afford to risk bricking phones on a regular basis.

So, how can this proposal be justified to the OEMs? Remember, the current program is run by the OS group, and they don't have the firmware!