asked 2017-08-29 23:14:35 +0300
Could we merge in relevant bits of the Xperia X port into the Fairphone 2 port, to yield a port on Fairphone 2 with full services at the cost of an Xperia X licence?
answered 2017-08-31 00:57:31 +0300
TLD;DR: No, it's not possible, Fairphone 2 and Sony Experia X have completely different CPU architecture and run completely different code.
The main problem is that the Sony Xperia X has a Qualcomm MSM8956 Snapdragon 650 - containing Cortex-A53 & Cortex-A72 cores, i.e.: ARM64 cores.
Whereas the Fairphone 2 has a Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801 - containing Qualcomm Krait 400 cores, i.e.: pure 32bits ARMv7.
In other words : there's absolutely no way that any pieces of software compiled for Sony Experia X would ever be able to run on Fairphone 2 nor any other SailfishOS smartphone - because it's designed for a different CPU architecture. (and neither on the Tablet, BTW: that one has an Intel Atom, a 486-like processor, i.e. a IA32 archivecture - yet another different one)
That would be like trying to run 64bits software designed for AMD Ahtlon64 or Intel Core, on an old 32bits processor like Pentium III.
On the other hand :
depending on how the Sony Experia X installation of Sailfish OS is done, it might be backward compatible with 32bits software (64bits ARM are still able to run 32bit code, and GNU/Linux can be designed to by "biarch" support both 64bits and 32bits code at the same time).
The most important part : now Jolla has finishing porting Sailfish OS to 64bits (basically recompiling all the code for the new architecture, but in practice the devil is in the detail and the whole procedure is much more complicated due to all the small unforseen bugs needing fixes).
So even if the Sony Experia X is of absolutely no use to Fairphone 2 users, on the other hand it opens such "merged ports" with any other upcoming 64bit ARM smartphone. (e.g.: the guy who is currently re-releasing a new batch of Jolla-like tablets, is planning to do a 64bits SFOS-powered smartphone with a keyboard in the near future).
Such port is going to take a very short time thanks to all the work that has been invested now by Jolla into Sailfish X.
Asked: 2017-08-29 23:14:35 +0300
Seen: 723 times
Last updated: Aug 31 '17
No, they are 2 different devices with different SoC.
Or what did you mean exactly?
juiceme ( 2017-08-30 07:38:57 +0300 )edit@juiceme my guess is that he is asking to have legally the propritary parts (exchange, dalvik, text prediction, etc.) on a ported device purchasing the licence for sailfish X (the xperia x port). Maybe using the same jolla account to purchase the licence and on the ported phone.
While I don't have a ported device myself this is an interesting idea that would bring in more revenue to jolla.
c.la ( 2017-08-30 09:59:11 +0300 )editI would be happy with exchange, text prediction, no need for dalvik
pmelas ( 2017-08-30 10:42:52 +0300 )edit