Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Microsoft to XDA-Developers: Remove The ROMs
Posted by Jon Westfall in "NEWS" @ 04:44 PM
"Ofcourse one can disagree over the severity of the problems caused by the availability of the images versus the impact to our community of simply removing everything. But at this point, we have no other option then to take down any and all ROM images that contain a Microsoft OS, although we still feel strongly this is a disservice not just to our own users but also to the larger community of mobile device developers and enthousiasts. But at the end of the day this is Microsoft's software and legally speaking, they are within their right to ask us to remove it. And even if there were legal ways to challenge this, we certainly do not feel like a protracted legal fight with Microsoft. They can probably afford more lawyers than we can."
It's a sad day indeed in the developer community - a great resource for ROMs is about to be dismantled (Thankfully, XDA-Developers itself will still be around, just ROM-less). While many will undoubtedly be annoyed with MS for their choice to ask XDA-Devs to remove the ROMs, I'd like to point out a few reasons why I believe MS has decided to do so...
1. They mention that "We have received feedback from several sources on the software hosted by XDA-developers, including mobile operators with customers requesting support on “unofficial ROM images”. What does this mean? Well, it means that XDA-Devs has gotten too popular - not just for for enthusiasts, but also for amateurs. Unfortunately, Amateurs install ROMs on their devices and then are informed that support will not be forthcoming from their equipment provider. This annoys novices (Who can't understand how the software that says "Microsoft" on it isn't supported), and causes headaches for OEMs.
2. This should stop (or make it harder) for unscrupulous individual vendors from popping a new ROM on a device, promoting it on eBay as "With updated software unlocking great new features", and selling it to users who are really clueless about what a ROM is. This also lowers the resell value for everyone who sells their old devices - someone with a legit ROM will get a lower price than someone with a "souped-up" ROM. With WM6 now coming out, I can see this problem getting really bad - WM6 on devices sold through eBay that were never meant to have WM6 for a variety of reasons. Could be a messy situation.
It's sad to see this resource go, but I think we all knew eventually it would be pulled. While it's annoying for the hard core enthusiasts, I believe it will be a positive move for the future of Windows Mobile in general. It's too bad that Microsoft can't just setup a repository of "development ROMs" that individuals who agree to using un-supported software can access...
It's a sad day indeed in the developer community - a great resource for ROMs is about to be dismantled (Thankfully, XDA-Developers itself will still be around, just ROM-less). While many will undoubtedly be annoyed with MS for their choice to ask XDA-Devs to remove the ROMs, I'd like to point out a few reasons why I believe MS has decided to do so...
1. They mention that "We have received feedback from several sources on the software hosted by XDA-developers, including mobile operators with customers requesting support on “unofficial ROM images”. What does this mean? Well, it means that XDA-Devs has gotten too popular - not just for for enthusiasts, but also for amateurs. Unfortunately, Amateurs install ROMs on their devices and then are informed that support will not be forthcoming from their equipment provider. This annoys novices (Who can't understand how the software that says "Microsoft" on it isn't supported), and causes headaches for OEMs.
2. This should stop (or make it harder) for unscrupulous individual vendors from popping a new ROM on a device, promoting it on eBay as "With updated software unlocking great new features", and selling it to users who are really clueless about what a ROM is. This also lowers the resell value for everyone who sells their old devices - someone with a legit ROM will get a lower price than someone with a "souped-up" ROM. With WM6 now coming out, I can see this problem getting really bad - WM6 on devices sold through eBay that were never meant to have WM6 for a variety of reasons. Could be a messy situation.
It's sad to see this resource go, but I think we all knew eventually it would be pulled. While it's annoying for the hard core enthusiasts, I believe it will be a positive move for the future of Windows Mobile in general. It's too bad that Microsoft can't just setup a repository of "development ROMs" that individuals who agree to using un-supported software can access...
