Symbian OS

SYMBIAN OS
SEMINAR REPORT 2004 DONE BY ANOOP KRISHNAN J S7 ECE
ROLL NO: 01607
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE THRISSU R
SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004
ACKNO
LEDGMENT
I would like to thank everyone who helped to see this seminar to completion. In particular, I would like to thank my seminar coordinator M!"# M$%&&!'#C#R for her moral support and guidance to complete my seminar on time. I would also like to thank M!# C#D#A%() K$*'! for his invaluable help and support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank P!+,# I%-(!'-&.(, Head of the Department, Electronics & Communication Engineering for her support and encouragement. I e press my gratitude to all my friends and classmates for their support and help in this seminar. !ast, but not the least I wish to e press my gratitude to "od almighty for his abundant blessings without which this seminar would not have been successful.
DEPARTMENT OF ECE GEC, THRISSUR
ABSTRACT
$ymbian %$ is designed for the mobile phone environment. It addresses constraints of mobile phones by providing a framework to handle low memory situations, a power management model, and a rich software layer implementing industry standards for communications, telephony and data rendering. Even with these abundant features, $ymbian %$ puts no constraints on the integration of other peripheral hardware. &his fle ibility allows handset manufacturers to pursue innovative and original designs. $ymbian %$ is proven on several platforms. It started life as the operating system for the 'sion series of consumer 'D( products )including $eries *m , +evo and net,ook-, and various adaptations by Diamond, %regon $cientific and Ericsson. &he first dedicated mobile phone incorporating $ymbian %$ was the Ericsson +#./ $martphone, which incorporated a flip0open keypad to reveal a touch screen display and several connected applications. 1ost recently available is the 2okia 345/ Communicator, a mobile phone that has a 67E+&8 keyboard and color display, and is fully open to third0party applications written in 9ava or C::. ;

&he five key points 0 small mobile devices, mass0market, intermittent wireless connectivity, diversity of products and an open platform for independent software developers 0 are the premises on which $ymbian %$ was designed and developed. &his makes it distinct from any desktop, workstation or server operating system. &his
also makes $ymbian %$ different from embedded operating systems, or any of its competitors, which weren<t designed with all these key points in mind. $ymbian is committed to open standards. $ymbian %$ has a '%$I=0 compliant interface and a $un0approved 9>1, and the company is actively working with emerging standards, such as 941E, ,luetooth, 11$, $ync1!, I'v? and 7CD1(. (s well as its own developer support organi@ation, books, papers and courses, $ymbian delivers a global network of third0party competency and training centers 0 the $ymbian Competence Centers and $ymbian &raining Centers. &hese are specifically directed at enabling other organi@ations and developers to take part in this new economy. $ymbian has announced and implemented a strategy that will see $ymbian %$ running on many advanced open mobile phones.
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ############################################################################## 0/ 2 NEED FOR SYMBIAN OS ############################################################## 00 1 SYMBIAN HISTORY ######################################################################## 14 4 SYMBIAN OS ##################################################################################### 16 / COMMERCIAL BENEFITS ############################################################# 10 6 FUNDAMENTAL RE2UIREMENTS ############################################# 20 7 ARCHITECTURE ############################################################################## 21 0 FEATURES ######################################################################################### 21 3 RITING APPLICATIONS FOR SYMBIAN OS ######################### 20
10 CONCLUSION ################################################################################### 12 11 REFERENCES ################################################################################### 11
INTRODUCTION
$mall devices come in many shapes and si@es, each addressing distinct target markets that have different reBuirements. &he market segment we are interested in is that of the mobile phone. &he primary reBuirement of this market segment is that all products are great phones. &his segment spans voice0centric phones with information capability to information0centric devices with voice capability. &hese advanced mobile phones integrate fully0featured personal digital assistant )'D(- capabilities with those of a traditional mobile phone in a single unit. &here are seeral critical factors for the need of operating systems in this market. It is important to look at the mobile phone market in isolation. It has specific needs that make it unlike markets for 'Cs or fi ed domestic appliances. $caling down a 'C operating system, or bolting communication capabilities onto a small and basic operating system, results in too many fundamental compromises. $ymbian believes that the mobile phone market has five key characteristics that make it uniBue, and result in the need for a specifically designed operating systemC 5- mobile phones are both small and mobile. 4 mobile phones are ubiBuitous 0 they target a mass0market of consumer, enterprise and professional users.

# mobile phones are occasionally connected 0 they can be used when connected to the wireless phone network, locally to other devices, or on their own. ; manufacturers need to differentiate their products in order to innovate and compete in a fast0evolving market.
*- the platform has to be open to enable independent technology and software vendors to develop third0party applications, technologies and services. &he way to grow the mobile phone market is to create good products 0 and the only way to create good products is to address each of these characteristics and ensure that technology doesn<t limit functionality. 1eeting the impressive growth forecast by analysts in a reasonable time frame is only possible with the right operating system. $ymbian and its licensees aim to create a mass market for advanced open mobile phones. &o deliver products that satisfy mobile phone users, an operating system must be engineered to take into account key functional demands of advanced communications on 4.*" and #" networks. &o fit into the limited amount of memory a mobile phone may have, the operating system must be compact. However, it must still provide a rich set of functionality. 7hat is needed to power a mobile phone is not a mini0 operating system but a different operating system 0 one that is tailored. $ymbian is dedicated to mobile phones and $ymbian %$ has been designed to meet the sophisticated reBuirements of the mobile phone market that mini0operating systems can<t. &hey simply run out of steam &he five key points 0 small mobile devices, mass0market, intermittent wireless connectivity, diversity of products and an open platform for independent
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software developers 0 are the premises on which $ymbian %$ was designed and developed. &his makes it distinct from any desktop, workstation or server operating system. &his also makes $ymbian these key points in mind. $ymbian is committed to open standards. $ymbian %$ has a '%$I=0 compliant interface and a $un0approved 9>1, and the company is actively working with %$ different from embedded operating systems, or any of its competitors, which weren<t designed with all
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emerging standards, such as 941E, ,luetooth, 11$, $ync1!, I'v? and 7CD1(. (s well as its own developer support organi@ation, books, papers and courses, $ymbian delivers a global network of third0party competency and training centers 0 the $ymbian Competence Centers and $ymbian &raining Centers. &hese are specifically directed at enabling other organi@ations and developers to take part in this new economy. $ymbian has announced and implemented a strategy that will see $ymbian %$ running on many advanced open mobile phones. 'roducts launched, such as the $ony Ericsson '.// smartphone, the 2okia 34// Communicator series and the 2&& DoCo1o DuEitsu 45/4> F4G, show the diversity of mobile phones that can be created with $ymbian %$. %ther $ymbian %$ licensees include ,en6 1otorola, 'anasonic, $amsung, $endo and $iemens. %ver the ne t year, we can look forward to an even wider range of mobile phones.
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NEED FOR SYMBIAN OS
&his describes the key characteristics reBuired of an operating system designed for mobile phones and e plains why $ymbian %$ is the best0in0class mobile operating system.
1 S*')) '%- *+4()&5 4$6 ')7'8" '.'()'4)& 1obile phones are both small and, by definition, mobile. &his creates high user e pectations. Dor instance, if you have your agenda on a phone that you also use to make calls and e change data, you e pect to be able to carry it with you at all times and to be instantly available whenever you want to use it. Dulfilling these e pectations makes considerable demands on power management. &he device needs to be responsive in all situations and cannot afford to go through a long boot seBuence when it is turned on. In fact, the device should never be powered down completely since it needs to activate timed alarms or handle incoming calls. (t the same time, a mobile phone must provide many hours of operation on a single charge or set of batteries. 1eeting these contradictory reBuirements can only be done if the whole operating system is designed for efficiency.
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2 A--!&""(%9 6:& *'"";*'!<&6 +eliability is a maEor issue for mass0market mobile phone phones. Data loss in a
personal mobile phone causes a loss of trust between the user and the phone. (
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therefore must be at least as resilient as paper diaries and agendas. +ecalling phones to install service packs is a commercial and practical last resort 0 a mobile phone should never lock up or come with a maEor software defect. In fact, to use a 'C term, it should never ever need a HrebootIJ &his is a far cry from desktop computers where bugs, crashes and reboots are e pected. It may come as a surprise to many computer users that a robust and reliable operating system is perfectly achievable. Even though nobody can guarantee bug0free software, a good operating system can make it much easier to write robust and reliable applications. +eliability reBuires good software engineering )including obEect0 orientation- and a good error0handling framework. Engineering best practice greatly helps reduce the number and severity of bugs while the error0handling framework enables graceful recovery from run0time errors, such as running out of memory, low battery power or dropping a communication link. +educing the possibility of user code making the whole system unstable goes a long way towards achieving robustness. Ideally, the kernel, with its privileged code, should be small. $ystem servers running without special privilege should handle much of the functionality conventionally handled by device drivers. (n effective memory management system is needed to prevent memory leaks. $ystem resources should be released as soon as they are no longer needed and an effective, easy0to0use error0handling framework should manage out0of0 memory errors properly. Dor systems that are never completely shut down and cannot be rebooted, keeping an accurate track of resources makes the 5*

difference between peak performance at all times and slow degradation to partial, or total, lack of usability. (pplications and system modules that allocate blocks of memory should cater for the possibility that none might be available. Defensive programming has to be applied from the operating system through to the application level.
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However, reliability alone is not enough to make good products. $ound consumer design is also necessary, whereC 5- 'roduct applications take advantage of the mobile phone<s uniBue characteristics as well as its environment 4- 'roducts should be designed to meet current usability and future developments in wireless technology #- Consistency of style is paramount 0 if a feature is too comple to use, then it cannot Eustify either the time it took to develop or the space it takes in the device. (n operating system targeted at mobile phones must support these design principals by offering a highlevel of integration with communication and personal information management )'I1- functionality. $ymbian %$ combines high functionality middleware with superior wireless communications through an integrated mailbo and the integration of 9ava and 'I1 functionality )agenda and contacts-.
1 H'%-)(%9 +=='"(+%') =+%%&=6(.(68 (ccessing remote data, sending email or synchroni@ing calendars reBuires some type of connection. 1obility constraints generally make a wireless connection preferable 0 whether wide area )using wireless telephony- or personal
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area )such as infrared or ,luetooth-. 7ireless connectivity is patchy, caused by different protocols around the world, fade0outs while moving and incomplete coverage KLH especially in remote areas, in some buildings or while airborne. It is unwise to rely on a permanent mobile connection 0 it is very frustrating for the user if such a connection is assumed. 7ide area wireless networks are 0 and always will be 0 much slower than wired networks. (n operating system must take this into account by delivering rich applications that are designed to manipulate the user<s data while it is on the phone
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even when no connection is established. In short, the mobile phone must function as an advanced client, not a thin client, and the operating system must support this. &here must be a smooth transition between being a window on the network and a self0 sufficient device. Connectivity reBuires an operating system with genuine multi0 tasking, communications0capable real0time performance and a rich suite of communications protocols. In addition to the real0 time reBuirements to maintain connections, the operating system must provide mechanisms to handle dropped connections gracefully and inform the user appropriately. &o provide a smooth transition to the user and to be able to support forthcoming standards )such as third0 generation 70CD1( and its evolution-, network stacks must be abstracted in such a way that the application0 level interface remains consistent no matter what type of protocol stack is used. &he operating system has to provide a rich set of ('Is to ensure that applications can benefit fully from current connectivity possibilities and be easily adapted to take advantage of new protocols as they are implemented.
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&here is an apparent contradiction between software developers who want to develop for Eust one popular platform and manufacturers who each want to have a range of distinctive and innovative products. &he circle can be sBuared by separating the user interface from the core operating system. (dvanced mobile phones or H$martphonesI will come in all sorts of shapes 0 from traditional 53

designs resembling today<s mobile phones with main input via the phone keypad, to a tablet form factor operated with a stylus, to phones with larger screens and small keyboards. &he different input mechanisms and form factors strongly influence the intended primary use of devices. 7ith a very small screen and Eust a keypad, the main use tends to be voice calls. 7ith pen input, browsing is Buite convenient, but data
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entry is not. ( keyboard is obviously the most practical mechanism to enter a large amount of data. &hese distinctions imply that user interfaces are ultimately both device and market dependent. 'roduct differentiation isnKLMt Eust a matter of operating system design. &he operating system vendor must allow its licensees freedom to innovate and develop new product lines. 7hether or not a vendor allows this is a key feature of its commercial model. &o support distinct phone families and yet ma imi@e code reuse, $ymbian focuses on the common codeC$ymbian %$, which includes a multi0tasking multithreaded core, a user interface framework, data services enablers, application engines and integrated 'I1 functionality and wireless communications. !icensees areactive participants in software development, creating a large development organi@ation to e tend $ymbian %$. &his results in thousands of developers among licensees and partners having access to source code and ensuring that $ymbian %$ remains an Hopen standardI 0 open and advanced. &his strategy ensures that $ymbian %$ phone manufacturers can create highly differentiated products while sharing a technology platform and keeping the learning curve to a minimum.
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(n operating system for the mass0market must be open for third0party development 0 by independent software vendors, enterprise I& departments, 45

network operators and $ymbian %$ licensees. In turn, this implies a manageable learning curve, standard languages such as C:: and 9ava, along with $DNs, tools, documentation, books, technical support and training. $ymbian %$ has a rich set of ('Is for independent software developers, partners and licensees to write their applications.
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Even though mobile phones are small and mobile, they can offer facilities as rich as those on desktop computers, in addition to basic functions such as voice and data communication. &he operating system has to support both conventional and mobile computing paradigms, and developers need knowledge of both. &o reduce the time0to0market, developers should become proficient in as short a time as possible. $upporting standards that they may already know or can easily learn from a multitude of sources is necessary. $tandards also make the platform more open and hence attract more developers. &raditional standards such as Onicode for internationali@ation, a '%$I= ('I, and 9ava are a must, but for an operating system to take its place in the connected world, open standards such as &C'PI', '%'#, I1(';, $1&', $1$, 11$, ,luetooth, %,E=, 7(', i0mode, 9ava and $ync1! should also be supported. $ymbian has trusted leading partners in the mobile phone market and actively participates in standards organi@ations )such as the %pen 1obile (lliance and the 9ava Community 'rocess-. &hrough these, $ymbian has advance knowledge of future technologies and can test $ymbian %$ with many different phone systems. &his ensures the stability and the future place of $ymbian %$. Durthermore, a user interface framework, data service enablers and application engines provide a solid base for application developers to target.
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SYMBIAN HISTORY
$ymbian %$ started life as E'%C 0 the operating system used for many years in 'sion handheld devices. 7hen $ymbian was formed in 533., 'sion
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contributed E'%C into the group. E'%C was renamed $ymbian %$ and has been progressively updated, incorporating both voice and data telephony technologies of ever greater sophistication with every product release.
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THE COMPANY: HeadBuartered in !ondon, $ymbian !td. is owned by Ericsson,
2okia, 'anasonic, 'sion, $iemens and $ony0Ericsson.
CUSTOMERS: $ymbian<s customers include all of its shareholders, but any company is free to license the product 0 $ymbian %$ is open to all on eBual terms. $o far, in addition to the shareholders, $ony, $anyo, Nenwood and DuEitsu have all taken licenses.
BASIC PRINCIPLES: &he cornerstone of $ymbian<s modus operandi is to use open Q agreed 0 standards wherever possible. $ymbian is focused sBuarely on one part of the value chain 0 providing the base operating system for mobile internet devices. &his enables manufacturers, together on a common platform. networks and application developers to work
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SYMBIAN OS:
,y setting the standard for wireless value computing and telephony, $ymbian brings together the wireless value chain. $ymbian %$ drives standards for the interoperation of data0enabled mobile phones with mobile networks, content applications and servicesC
1 A >)'6,+!* ,+! 7(!&)&"" "&!.(=&": $ymbian delivers an advanced, open, standard operating system to its licensees. $ymbian %$ is fle ible and scalable enough to be used in the variety of mobile phones needed to meet a wide range of user reBuirements. $ymbian %$ supports comple reBuirements of network protocols worldwide and enables a broad, international community.
2 P!+.(-(%9 7(!&)&"" "&!.(=&": %pen standards ensure global network interoperability, allowing mobile phones users to communicate with anyone, anyway, at anytime. &he
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compelling advanced data services that operators can provide on $ymbian %$ phones will help minimi@e churn and ma imi@e revenue.
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$oftware developers are able, for the first time, to build applications and services for a global mass market of advanced, open, programmable, mobile phones. ( set of standard application prog ramming interfaces )('Is- across all $ymbian %$ phones and the advanced computing and communication capabilities of $ymbian %$, enable development of advanced services. $ymbian %$ is a powerful aligning force for the wireless value chain. 1obile phone manufacturers, network operators and software developers are assured that they are working with an industry standard, open operating system that allows customi@ation and is focused on the mass market, driving the wireless community.
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COMMERCIAL BENEFITS
&he widespread establishment of $ymbian %$ will bring significant commercial benefits, both direct and indirect. O>&!'6+!": 5- %perators will benefit from having a wide pool of interoperable devices, built on open standards. &hey will be able to select from a wide range of terminal and infrastructure manufacturers with a rich set of interoperable solutions. 4- In terms of value that operators can add, applications and content can all be made more cost effectively supplied 0 given the common %$ shared across phones.
D&.&)+>&!": 5- Developers will benefit from being able to target a greater number of consumers across one platform. &heir porting and development costs will dramatically decline as the common %$ means that applications will need to be developed once. #/

4- (pplications can be written by virtually anybody. &his software could be stand0alone, used only by the user of the device. However. 9ust as easily, the software could be a networking application, enabling users to communicate with other users, or to access a resource somewhere in the internet.
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#- EBually, whilst the cost are reduced, potential returns are increased as a wider pool of users is accessible 0 a win0win situation for all concerned.
I%-(!&=6 4&%&,(6" ,+! 6:& 7:+)& (%-$"6!8: 5- &he above benefits assume that the number of users stays constant.In establishing $ymbian %$, 2okia and the other industry players believe that there will be a 1etcalfe effect 0 whereby the value of a network is the sBuare of the number of users. (s users proliferate, they will attract more, attracting even more users and conseBuently, more application developers, and content. &his will benefit the whole industry. 4- $ymbian %$ is the key to creation of this virtuous circle.
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SYMBIAN OS: FUNDAMENTAL RE2UIREMENTS
&here are some fundamental reBuirements which are very much essential for an %$ for mobile phones. 5- It must work on stand alone portable devices. 4- It must work on different sorts of devices. #- It must be future proof. ;- It must be open to all to licence on fair and eBual terms. *- It must be open to all to develop applications 0 again with a level playing field for all. ?- It nust be based on open standards.
'erhaps the most important reBuirement is to work on a stand alone device. $ymbian %$ is fundamentally designed for mobile phones 0 with highly advanced features 0 but they must still function primarily as mobile phones.&his means that e pectations are already set 0 for a user to consider buying $ymbian %$ based phones they must outperform the user<s current model in some areas and be at least eBual in all others. &he performance benchmark for $ymbian %$ is not the 'C or portable computing devices but the phones that around one billion people already have in their pockets. ##
SYMBIAN OS: ARCHITECTURE
$ymbian %$ architecture is designed to meet a number of reBuirements. It must be hardware independent so it can be used on a variety of phone types, it must be e tendable so it can cope with future developments, and it must be open to all to develop for.
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5- C+!& 0 $ymbian %$ core is common to all devices, i.e. kernel, file server, memory management and device drivers. (bove this core, components can be added or removed depending on the product reBuirements. 4- S8"6&* L'8&! 0 &he system layer provides communication and computing services such as &C'PI', I1(';, $1$ and database management.
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A>>)(='6(+% E%9(%&" 0 (bove the $ystem !ayer sits the (pplication Engines, enabling software developers )be they either employed by data. the phone manufacturer or independent- to create user interface to
;- U"&! I%6&!,'=& S+,67'!& 0 O$I can be made or licensed by manufacturers.
*- A>>)(='6(+%" 0 (pplications are slotted in above the user interface.
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FEATURES OF SYMBIAN OS
&here are many features that makes $ymbian %$ ideal for mobile devices. $ome of these are briefly e plained below.
C)(&%6;S&!.&! A!=:(6&=6$!&: &he power of the client0server framework is widely acknowledged in the software community. In $ymbian %$, clients are programs that have user interfaces, and servers are programs that can only be accessed via a well defined interface from other programs. &he role of a client is to serve the user, while servers ensure timely response to all the clients while controlling the access to the resources of the actual system. (dditionally, in practice, one server will often have many e tra servers relying on the original server.
E.&%6 M'%'9&*&%6: Event management has long been considered a core strength of $ymbian %$ 0 reflecting the fact that $ymbian %$ was designed from the start to have event based time sharing in a single thread. +ather than more conventional methods #A of having multi threaded applications, $ymbian %$ enables the

developer to think in terms of interactions and behaviors as the main artifacts. Enabling this shift from procedural to interactive designs have been one of the main challenges of modern software
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engineering, and this is one reason why $ymbian %$ has earned its reputation for advanced design.
O4?&=6 O!(&%6&- D&"(9%: ,ecause $ymbian %$ has an obEect oriented design, it is easy to configure for different sorts of hardware, and being component based, it allows manufacturers to add or remove components. &his id crucial in enabling manufacturers to make devices that best suit their customers needs. &his fle ibility e tends even to the user interface 0 again allowing a variety of different device designs to work from the same operating system. Dor $ymbian itself, the design allows new technology to be slotted into an already stable platform. &his will provide a stable base as the telecommunications industry moves from 4" to 4.*" to #" to ;", with the further introduction of new technologies such as $ync1!, ,lue&ooth, 1ultimedia 1essaging amongst many. &he picture will grow ever more complicated, especially when technologies are used in combination, but $ymbian %$ is readyJ. Dor application developers, this separation of components allows them to program far richer applications 0 getting into the middle of the operating system.
P+7&! M'%'9&*&%6: $ymbian %$ users are used to the performance of mobile phones 0 and
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so demand similar performance in terms of weight and operating times when they adopt new devices. 'ower management is built into the kernel of $ymbian %$ and is designed to make efficient use of the processors and peripherals and so minimi@e power usage. 7hen peripherals are not being used they are switched off by the system. &his lowers battery consumption, prolonging usage and allows for smaller batteries.
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&his meets the reBuirement to work on stand alone portable devices, enabling manufacturers to make phones that capture the optimum combination of si@e and weight for their target market.
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$ymbian %$ users will have e perienced the performance levels achieved in this area by mobile phones. Devices should not lose user data, crash or reBuire rebooting. $ymbian achieves this in two waysC 5- Each process runs in a protected address space, thus it is not possible for one application to overwrite another<s address space. 4- &he kernel also runs in a protected address space, so that a bug in one application cannot overwrite the kernel<s stack or heap. &he client0server architecture of $ymbian %$ allows applications to e change data without compromising overall system integrity. &his meets the reBuirement to work on stand alone portable devices, even though $ymbian devices offer greatly enhanced functionality over standard mobile phones.
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M&*+!8 M'%'9&*&%6: Dor stand alone portable devices, memory management is important. &he need to minimi@e weight, device si@e and cost means the amount of memory available on a $ymbian %$ device is often Buite limited. $ymbian %$ always assumes that the
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memory available is limited, and minimi@es consumption at every turn. ConseBuently, less memory is actually reBuired by the system. (lso having less memory helps to keep down power consumption.
F$)) M$)6(6'"<(%9: $ymbian %$ runs each application as a separate process, allowing multiple applications to run concurrently. Dor instance, if a user is checking the calendar, and receives a call, the system must allow the user to switch between applications instantaneously. EBually, should the phone call result in an appointment, the user must be able to check the calendar 0 and still maintain the phone call. (s phones become more data enabled, this ability will become ever more important.
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$ymbian %$ is an open %$. &he different aspects of this statement is e plained
5- %pen to anyone to licenseC (ll manufacturers are treated eBually 0 licensing $ymbian %$ is open to all on fair and eBual terms. 4- %pen to anyone to develop applicationsC
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&he even0handed approach adopted towards manufacturers e tends towards developers. ('IRs are made available as a matter of course. $upport for #rd party developers is a key tenet of $ymbian %$ so full of $DNs and support are available for all products. (nyone can build an application for $ymbian %$ and again there is fair and eBual access for all.
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#- ,ased on open standardsC $ymbian focuses on one clear part of the value chain 0 providing a platform for all to build upon. ConseBuently $ymbian avoids proprietary standards. It is an active participant in many standards forums 0 often drawing on the e pertise of its shareholders and licensees. &he components of $ymbian %$ are based on agreed open standards. ;- %wned by the industryC $ymbian has steadily increased the number of shareholders since it was inaugurated. 7ith the addition of $iemens as the latest shareholder, $ymbian shareholders now make over A/S of the phones sold globally. &his breadth of ownership ensures that $ymbian acts in the interests of the whole industry, driving open standards and promoting interoperability.
RITING APPLICATIONS FOR SYMBIAN OS
$ymbian %$ is written in C::, so it is natural fit to develop applications also in C::. &his provides the developer with the most fle ibility and scope. However, this fle ibility brings with it comple ity, and in some cases it may be more appropriate to develop an application in 9ava, which is also well supported $ymbian %$ devices. $ymbianRs use of C:: is efficient and thoroughly obEect0oriented. &he design of the %$ focuses on getting the most out of the limited hardware resources of mobile devices and this affects the way that code is written throughout the system including at the application level. &his reBuires developers to get used to a few programming idioms that arenRt common in other systems. However, these idioms help in making efficient use of the hardware resources, especially the very limited amount of memory. &hey also help simplify some of the more difficult tasks in application development. $ome of the idioms areC 5 &he cleanup stack 0 ( straightforward method for claiming back memory if a memory allocation fails partway through a function. 4 &he rule that a C:: constructor cannot leave )i.e. cause an e ception-. &his results in a two0phase construction system for obEects )i.e. make a empty new obEect first, then allocate the memory in a second step- which makes the cleanup stack system keep working even for complicated class constructions. # >arious naming conventions. Eg. C, & and + type classes, !)leaving- and non0 ! functions. &he conventions Buickly tell the developer useful information about the class or method without having to look up the definition.
M$)6(6'"<(%9: %ne of the maEor design decisions taken in developing $ymbian %$ was to optimi@e the system for efficient event handling from the ground up. 2ative $ymbian %$ programs are written from the viewpoint of the events that occur rather than the traditional programming model of a main control program that regularly polls for events and then performs the appropriate actions. &his traditional model often reBuires multiple threads to be used to perform these actions and this results in the complicated problem of synchroni@ing access to resources. $ymbian %$ multitasking system eliminates this problem by having only a single thread that responds to events as they happen. (n (ctive $cheduler implements non0preemptive multitasking within the conte t of this single thread. &he (ctive $cheduler catches the events as they occur and then runs the appropriate (ctive %bEect for that event. &he (ctive %bEect does the processing for that event and then returns control to the (ctive $cheduler. If several events occur in Buick succession, they are stored and each (ctive %bEect is run in turn. &here is a priority system to determine which (ctive %bEect should be run first, but if there is an (ctive %bEect is already running it will run to completion before the ne t one can be run, even if the ne t one is of a higher priority. &hus we have multitasking that is non0preemptive. $ince a (ctive %bEect function canRt be preempted there is no need to use mute ers, semaphores, critical sections or any kind of synchroni@ation to protect against the activities of other (ctive %bEects in the thread. However, to keep the system responsive, the processing of each event must be Buick so that control is returned in order for the ne t event to be processed. &raditional multithreading is also implemented in $ymbian %$. 1ultiple application and servers can be run simultaneously. &hreads implement preemptive multitasking, so one thread can preempt another if it has to handle an event 0 for instance, the window server can handle a key 0 press event while an application is running, by preempting the running application
thread. &he ability of one thread to
preempt another depends on thread priority. &he most critical threads in the system are given the highest priorities 0 with the kernel, including device drivers, the highest priority of all.
A>>)(='6(+% A!=:(6&=6$!&: $ymbian %$ has an application architecture that helps developers manage the comple ity of graphical user interface based applications. ( $ymbian %$ application is made up of several parts. (n (pplication Engine that contains all the non0OI parts of an application, an (pplication OI that handles the application events coming from the user and calls the Engine, and then there is the (pplication >iew)or several views- which contains the actual windows and controls)eg. buttons, te t an graphics- that show on the screen of a $ymbian %$ device. &he (pplication (rchitecture has a built in (ctive $cheduler so that developers donRt need to understand the ins and outs of the (ctive %bEect system when writing normal applications. &he tools that come with $ymbian %$ $DN can be used to generate an application with this basic structure. &his provides the developer with a good guide for how to continue the development of the application.
J'.' : (ll $ymbian %$ devices have 9ava available on them. &he higher end devices tend to have 'ersonal 9ava and the more popular devices have 1ID' 9ava.
D&.&)+>*&%6 &%.(!+%*&%6@SDK"A: &he main part of an $DN are a device emulator that runs on a 'C, a cross compiler for compiling software for the device and assorted tools that are reBuired for application development. &here is also a large amount of documentation and plenty of e ample applications in the $DN that help a developer get started with using the system.
CONCLUSION
$ymbian %$ is a robust multi0tasking operating system, designed specifically for real0world wireless environments and the constraints of mobile phones )including limited amount of memory-. $ymbian %$ is natively I'0based, with fully integrated communications and messaging. It supports all the leading industry standards that will be essential for this generation of data0enabled mobile phones. $ymbian %$ enables a large community of developers. &he open platform allows the installation of third party software to further enhance the platform.
REFERENCES
5- 'rofessional $ymbian 'rogramming by 1artin &asker et al. 4- 2okia 7hitepaper. #- www.symbian.comPbooksP ;- www.symbian.com *- www.symbiandevnet.com ?- www.symbian.comPtechnologyPsymbos0phones.html

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SEMINAR REPORT 2004 DONE BY ANOOP KRISHNAN J S7 ECE

ROLL NO: 01607

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE THRISSU R

SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004

DEPARTMENT OF ECE GEC, THRISSUR

SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004

DEPARTMENT OF ECE GEC, THRISSUR

SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004

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10 CONCLUSION ################################################################################### 12 11 REFERENCES ################################################################################### 11

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NEED FOR SYMBIAN OS

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THE COMPANY: HeadBuartered in !ondon, $ymbian !td. is owned by Ericsson,

2okia, 'anasonic, 'sion, $iemens and $ony0Ericsson.

DEPARTMENT OF ECE GEC, THRISSUR

SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004

DEPARTMENT OF ECE GEC, THRISSUR

SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004

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SYMBAIN OS SEMINAR 2004