T.S Eliot's J. Alfred Prufrock once asked "Dare I disturb the universe?"
I may have started thinking along those same lines.
Perhaps I should explain why I'm asking Do I dare? Do I dare? for those reading along here who aren't in my mind...
After reading How to Jailbreak the Microsoft Surface RT and related articles chronicling the efforts of hackers to jailbreak the Surface RT, I admit to feeling somewhat torn.
The thoughts behind blogs like Still with the Itanium? and ARM port of Windows? No comment. Followed by a comment.... and 2nd amendment issues don't apply; I'm not ARMed! are in my brain.
So I start wondering.
Wondering about the two requirements I had of ARM that were being denied to me:
- Placing a correct architecture DLL in the System32 directory, and
- Adding a registry key and several values under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts\ subkey, per keyboard.
Could these two things be accomplished on a jailbroken Surface RT? I mean, a jailbreak does not always allow everything, right? But maybe this one allows these two things.
Maybe there is a congregation to hear me righteously preach about Surface RT keyboards and say Amen!
Just the other day, Joshua comented in another blog of mine:
Windows ARM is as good as dead. The only thing that can save it now is to push out an update that fully unlocks the actual desktop, but Microsoft hasn't the guts.
Maybe he's right - but this jailbreak may be his Lazarus!
We do some Open Source projects at Microsoft, right? :-)
Wow! A subpage off of this one documenting ARMed desktop apps?
Could I resurrect those ad hoc SETUP.EXE, KBDUTOOL.EXE, and KBDMSI.DLL binaries I test compiled for ARM?
Could I build a new MSKLC.EXE to run on WOA, too? Maybe the one I already have would work?
Could I update the setup to add ARM and remove IA64? After all, as Dvorak pointed out, Itanium killed the computer industry, and perhaps a jailbroken Surface RT could bring it back to life!
Would you have to keep jailbreaking after every reboot to use installed keyboards? Or would doing it for installs suffice?
Where on earth could I find testing resources for this project?
Could I possibly get permission to enlist people outside of Microsoft like Marc Durdin to help out here?
How would the NDA be worded? :-)
And (most importantly) could I do all of this without getting fired, perhaps even charged and prosecuted?
Indeed, could I do any of this without getting fired, perhaps even charged and prosecuted?
Might I be fired, perhaps even charged and prosecuted, for even posting this semi-serious blog? I hope not!
The moxie of designing and building and releasing apps for jailbroken devices is leaving me a little light-headed. You?
I mean, former Softie Brian Valentine taught me that it's more productive (if not better) to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.
But even posting this blog might see my cardkey deactivated before the week is up.
I think today would be a good day to talk to my manager (a Senior PM lead) about this.
And maybe his manager (a Principal Group Manager).
And maybe his manager (a Senior Director), too. Just for good measure....
I probably don't need to see his manager (a Corporate VP in charge of development) or his manager (a corporate VP in charge of Windowes) or her manager (the CEO).
At least not right away. :-)
I'll try my best to be constructive in my efforts to dare to disturb the universe.
And I'll also try very not to get myself fired....
Wish me luck!