ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

["Stephen M. Webb" <stephen.webb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 16-02-27 07:30 AM, Marcos Alonso wrote:
> Hi to all.
> 
> I have a question regarding convergence. My apollogies if is too basic but
> I' m not a developer!
> 
> I undrestood the convergence target is like a unique code for all the
> devices.

That's a little ambiguous.  To be precise:  the target is a single OS for all devices.

> That should mean that any application should work independently if is being
> used on a tablet, phone or PC.

Correct.

> However, each device may have a different processor architechture (i.e. ARM
> or x86).
> 
> So, a binary compiled for a certain processor architecture will only work
> on it.

Again, correct.

> Is there, then, the possibility of using the same code for more than one
> architecture or needs to be different? I mean, using it for several
> architectures is just a matter of the compiler?

Ubuntu is compiled for a range of architectures from a single source code base.  From time to time it is necessary to
use different branches of code for different architectures, but it is a rarity and usually a corner case encountered
only in advanced uses.  It is also possible to program using arch-independent tools such as Python, but if you stick to
using the Ubuntu SDK to develop applications you're unlikely to have any problems with portability.

You can not install, for example, an application compiled for Intel x86 architecture on an ARM phone which is why
Microsoft's "Continuum" is currently so limited.  Third-party software distributors will need to build and package for
all target architectures to take advantage of convergence.  It's easy to do that for Ubuntu through the facilities at
Launchpad.net, but testing on different devices is still up to developers.

TL;DR Yes, same code, it's just a matter of the compiler.

-- 
Stephen M. Webb  <stephen.webb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>